b Configuring the Command

This section explains how to configure the Command Element with the ZIverlog® configuration module. Users can access the Equipment Command Configuration screen by pressing on the Commands sub-option in the main menu's Define Resources option. All of the element's components described in the previous section are going to be configured on the same screen. This screen is divided into three tabs. Each of the tabs configures one part of the command.

- Signals defining the Status. - Element Status Conditions. - Element Actions.

- Element Blockings.

You can switch from one page to another by pressing on the tab located on the top of the box, identified by the titles listed earlier.

In addition to the aforementioned pages, the following controls can be found in the upper portion of the screen:

- Element Name: text which identifies the command element. This text can be directly

edited by the user. Moreover, this control is a drop-down list for selecting the command to be configured so that data appearing on the signal, status condition, and action pages match the command selected in this list.

- New Command: includes a new command element with no associated status condition,

actions or signals. By default it is given the name Order Element followed by the first free (unused) number starting from 0. As indicated earlier, this name can be changed simply by editing the text.

- Delete Command: deletes the command element selected on the list. When the

command element is deleted, not only are its associated actions, status conditions, and signals deleted, but also the communications if these are used as a command for some protocols..

- Import Command: lets you import commands defined in another configuration. This

 Signals defining the Status

These are the signals that condition the Command Element's status.

This screen shows the complete list of signals enabled to define the status of the command element. The list consists of two columns. The first column shows the description of the group to which the signal defining the status (on the same line but in the next column) belongs. For more information about signal types (groups), see section Signal Types.

The controls shown on this screen are as follows:

- New: shows the signal selection screen (see section Signal Selection Screen). If the

selected signal is accepted, it is included as a status signal and added to the list on the screen.

- Delete: deletes the signal associated with the selected status.

- Edit: shows the signal selection screen (see section Signal Selection Screen). In this

way, a different status signal can be selected. When you return to the starting screen, the signal that was first selected changes to the new selection you have just made. These signals can also be edited on the list by left-clicking the mouse on Signal Type or on one of the signals that define the status condition.

 Command Status Conditions

This screen defines the command element status conditions and the data associated with the status conditions: A complete list of command element status conditions is displayed on the left, and the signals defining the status (configured in the

previous screen), together with the value associated with each signal, are displayed on the right. For each status condition you have to configure the values of the signals defining the status condition (see section Command Element Description).

The controls shown on this screen are as follows:

- New Status: registers a new status and displays it on the list to the left. By default, the

text given will be Status, followed by the first free number starting from 0. - Delete Status: deletes the selected status from the list on the left.

- Status Text: list with the description of each status condition associated with the

command element. This text can be edited by the user.

- Status Text Masks: the masks are defined by each of the element's status conditions

so that they are shown at all times on the status signal value list relative to the selected Status. The selected Status will be the status highlighted in the list on the left side, which in turn is the status that is displayed in the Status Text Mask title:

o Signals to be examined: list of signals defined in the previous screen that are common to all status conditions, since they are command element signals.

o Value: the value of each signal. It is used to define the selected status. Since the signals to be examined are digital, the only valid values are '1', '0' and '-'. The latter indicates that the value of the signal is not taken into account when determining the status. To change this value, the user should place the cursor over the box defining the value and then left-click the mouse to scroll consecutively through all the possible values.

 Command Actions

This screen defines the command element actions and the data associated with such actions.

The left side of the screen contains a complete list of the command element actions and the signal for each of these actions. The command element status list configured in the previous screen, together with the status masks for each action, is displayed on the right.

The action will be allowed (or not) depending on the status of the command element. The link between the action and the status conditions of the element is configured by defining the status masks. For more information, see the example in section Command Item Description.

The controls shown on this screen are as follows:

- New Action: shows the signal selection screen (see section Signal Selection Screen). If

you select a signal on this screen and press the Accept button, a new action will be enabled with the selected signal as the signal associated with the action. By default, the text given to the action will be Action, followed by the first free number starting from 0. This text can be edited by the user. The action will be included in the list. If you select a signal on this screen and press the Cancel button, the action will not be enabled as it has to be associated with a signal. When the action is executed, what is really happening is that a pulse with a fixed duration is acting on the selected signal.

- Delete Action: deletes the selected action (and its associated signal) from the list on

the left.

- Action Text: list with the description of each action associated with the command

element. This text can be edited by the user.

- Involved Signal: signal used to generate a pulse when executing an action. When you

left-click on this field, the signal selection screen is displayed (see Signal Selection Screen) allowing you to edit the signal associated with the action. When you return to the starting screen (Equipment Command Configuration), the signal that was first selected changes to the new selection you have just made. Not all digital signals are valid for commands. For safety reasons, it is not allowed to establish the value of a signal from more than one source; that is, signals that already have an assigned value, those that take the value when executed in the logic, or those that establish their value through communications, cannot be used as signals associated with the action. For more information about permissions for using signals, see section Signal Restriction.

- Successful Command Signal: digital signal stating successful command execution.

- Failed Command Signal: digital signal stating failed command execution.

- Timeout Setting: setting stating the waiting time before the command execution is

considered failed.

Note: Only given equipment have the possibility to configure these three signals (successful command execution, command failure and timeout setting). The equipment profile determines whether these data may or may not be configured.

- Action Text Masks: the masks are defined for each of the control element's actions so

that the status masks for the selected action are shown each time on the list. The selected action will be the action highlighted in the list on the left-hand side, which in turn is the action displayed in the Action Text Mask title.

o status list: a list of the status conditions defined for the command element. The status conditions are common to all actions.

o oper: indicates whether or not the selected action can be performed when the command element is in the status condition that is being configured (on the same line in the left column).

o pos: means "in position", and indicates if the command element is in the same status condition arrived at after executing the action.

 Command Blocking

In this "tab" command element locks are defined as well as the connection between locks and element commands. Bear in mind that the command configuration screen will not always show this "tab", as it would depend on equipment profile. Command locks may not be defined for some equipment. These shall directly be carried out through the logic.

The screen depicted shows to the left a complete list of command element actions, and to the right a list of locks defined for the element together with the lockout connected signal and lockout masks for each action. The status of the lockout signal must be checked prior to command execution.

This screen shows the following controls:

- New Blocking: displays the signal selection screen (see section signal selection

screen). Selecting a signal on this screen and pressing OK button, a new lockout is created with the selected signal as connected signal. By default, the lockout text will be 'Lockout' followed by the first free number starting from 0. This text is user modifiable. The lockout will be shown in the list to the right. Pressing the Cancel button in the signal selection screen cancels the new lockout, as a lockout must be connected to a signal. - Delete Blocking: the lockout (and its signal) selected in the list to the right is deleted.

- Blocking text: list with the description of all locks defined for the command element.

This text is user modifiable.

- Connected signal: signal connected to the lockout. Signal to test whether the

command can be executed. This is previous to testing the status of the command element. Pressing this field with the main mouse button displays the signal selection screen (see section signal selection screen) so that the signal connected to the lockout can be modified. Returning to the former screen, the new signal is shown instead of the previously selected signal.

- Blocking Action: all command element actions can be locked by a number of locks.

The list to the right of the screen shows all command element locks and the Lockout Action column shows with a check the checkboxes that lockout the action selected in the list to the left, which at the same time appears as the column title. To checkmark an empty checkbox just press on it with the main mouse button. It will be unchecked if the same operation is made on a checkmarked box.

 Import Command

By pressing the import button in the command definition screen, the Windows file selection dialog is displayed. The user can then choose the configuration from which to import the command(s). After selecting the configuration, the following screen is displayed containing all the commands defined in the selected configuration.

This screen shows a list with the description of all the available commands in the selected configuration, in addition to indicating if status conditions and actions have been defined for the configuration. This list is a multiple-selection list. You can select any commands you wish to include in the work configuration. To make a multiple selection, press and hold down the Ctrl key while selecting the desired commands by clicking on each of them with the mouse.

If the name of an imported command matches an existing command name, the imported command is added by including a hash mark (#) followed by a number in its name, thus avoiding duplicate command IDs.

The digital configuration signals that are used in the command and do not exist in the current configuration are imported at the same time as the commands.

Before importing the command, you should study whether the command can be included in the current configuration. It has already been noted that not all signals can be used as signals associated with the command's action. If the command to be imported has one or more of these signals, or other signals that do not exist in the current equipment profile, the command will not be imported.

After importing, if an error has occurred or a command has not been imported for the described reasons, an error screen like the screen shown below is displayed.

This screen not only indicates the total number of errors, but also provides a brief description of each. In this way, the user can know the reason why the command import was unsuccessful.