FactoryTalk View Site Edition (SE) can be used to develop and run applications that involve single or multiple users and servers and can be distributed over a network or can be local to a single computer.
The two types of SE applications are explained below:
1. FactoryTalk View SE Local (Stand-Alone) - A local application is similar to an RSView32 project; all application components and the FactoryTalk View SE client are located on a single computer. There is only one HMI server that is created for you in the root area when the application is created. You may use local applications for parts of the plant or process that are self-contained and are not related to other parts of the process.
2. FactoryTalk View SE Network (Distributed) - A network application can contain several servers, running on multiple computers on a network, with multiple client users connecting to the application simultaneously, from anywhere on the network. For example, you may use separate servers for different functional areas or locations within your enterprise, and allow clients to interface to any of the servers.
Network applications have one or more areas, one HMI server per area, and one or more data servers.
An area may contain another area within it.
You can use FactoryTalk View Studio to create application components such as graphics displays, global objects, alarms and data log models.
In this lab we will create and run a network FactoryTalk View SE application.
About This Section
In this section of the lab you will:
Create a Network Application called InstantFizz
Add an area called Area1
Add an HMI Server within Area1 called InstantFizz_HMIServer
Add Process Faceplate Displays into your HMI Project
Add a data server called RSLinx Enterprise
Configure a Communications path called shortcut that will point to the SoftLogix controller
Verify communications
Create a display, add a numeric display object
Test the display
This entire section must be completed prior to doing any other sections in this lab.
Creating a Network HMI Project in FactoryTalk View Studio
We are creating a network application, which supports multiple HMI, Data servers and clients distributed across a network. As explained in detail in the “Overview” section, a network application requires a Network FactoryTalk Directory to be configured. The configuration of the FactoryTalk Directory is generally done during the install, but it can be configured subsequently using the FactoryTalk Directory Configuration Wizard from Start > All Programs > Rockwell Software > FactoryTalk Tools > FactoryTalk Directory Configuration Wizard.
Once the FactoryTalk Directory has been configured you can specify what computer will be hosting the Directory. The default location of the FactoryTalk Directory is the local computer, but it can be any computer on your network. Note: For a FactoryTalk View Local application, the Local FactoryTalk Directory must be used.
Specify the FactoryTalk Directory location
1. Specify the FactoryTalk Directory location.
Go to Start > All Programs > Rockwell Software > FactoryTalk Tools > Specify FactoryTalk Directory Location.
A prompt to login will open
Note: In order to Specify the FactoryTalk Directory Location you must have administrator rights.
During the install of the FactoryTalk Services Platform the “Windows Administrator” and “Administrator”
groups are automatically added to the Network FactoryTalk Directory. Hence, you can login with any user belonging to either of these groups.
2. The Specify FactoryTalk Directory Server Location Utility will open. In this lab we will set the FactoryTalk Directory Location to the local computer (localhost). In a FactoryTalk View SE Network application, the FactoryTalk Directory can be located on any computer on the network that has the FactoryTalk Services Platform installed. Use this utility to modify the location of your FactoryTalk Directory. Follow steps a to b to specify the FactoryTalk Directry Location.
Login.
Username: Administrator.
Password: rockwell
b. Click OK to close.
Create a new FactoryTalk View SE (Network) application
1. Run FactoryTalk View Studio. Select the Start > All Programs > Rockwell Software > FactoryTalk View > FactoryTalk View Studio menu item.
2. Create a Network application called InstantFizz by following steps a to f. You will be prompted with the following dialog:
Select FactoryTalk View Studio
Wait for several seconds to allow FactoryTalk View Studio to create the application.
Add an Area to the application
1. Follow steps a to c to add an Area called Area1.
a. Select Site Edition (Network)
b. Select Continue
c. Select New tab
d. Type
‘InstantFizz’
f. Select Create
e. Ensure English language is selected.
Note: the first line in the Explorer Window: Network (LOCALHOST) indicates that we are creating a Network (Distributed) application and the FactoryTalk Directory is located on the local computer (LOCALHOST).
Add an HMI Server to the application
1. Follow steps a to g to add an HMI Server to the application.
a. Right-click on InstantFizz and select “New Area”.
b. Type area name: Area1.
c. Press OK to complete.
b.Right-click on Area1, go to “Add New Server” then select “HMI Server”.
a. Expand “InstantFizz” to see the Area1 icon.
c. Select “Create a new HMI Server”.
d. Select Next.
e.Type the HMI Server name:
InstantFizz_HMIServer.
g. Click Finish to complete.
f. Choose which computer will host the HMI Server. It can be any computer on your network. For this lab, leave this as the local
computer (default setting).
Add Process Faceplates into the HMI Server
When you add an HMI server to a network application, or when you create a new local application, you have the option to add the process faceplate displays that are installed with FactoryTalk View SE. The Add Process Faceplates Dialog box will open, if it’s set to display when you create a new HMI server.
1. Select the Clear All button.
2. Check the boxes for this display types:
• Discrete 2-State Device – D2SD
• Help – Help Browser
Your dialog window should look like this:
3. Click the OK button.
4. Observe that a network application, InstantFizz has been created. The HMI Server called InstantFizz_HMIServer has been created under the area Area1.
5. Maximize or resize your FactoryTalk View Studio window to the desired size for working with your application.
Add Process Faceplates Dialog
When you add an HMI server to a network application, or when you create a new local application, you have the option to add the process faceplate displays that are installed with FactoryTalk View SE. The Add Process Faceplates Dialog box will open, if it’s set to display when you create a new HMI server. If you don’t want to add faceplates, click Cancel to close the dialog box, without affecting HMI server creation. If you don’t want to be prompted every time you create an HMI Server, uncheck the option to
“Display this dialog when creating a new application”.
After you create the application or HMI server you can still add process faceplates by right-clicking on the HMI server and then selecting the Add Process Faceplates menu item. If you added a display previously, you can either replace the existing display or remove it from the list of displays.
Note: Adding faceplate displays to an application affects the license count. Each added faceplate display (.gfx file) counts as one display for activation purposes.
New Faceplates
The Alarm Analog – ALMA and Alarm Digital – ALMD faceplates are preconfigured to work with the new RSLogix 5000 instructions that are available in V 16 or later. These faceplates along with the existing ones can be used as is or changed to suit your needs.
Add a data server
To allow our application to monitor and control the values within the SoftLogix Controller that is running the control program for this lab you need to add a data server. You will be adding a Rockwell Automation Device Servers (RSLinx Enterprise). It provides the best performance when communicating with Logix5000 controllers.
To monitor alarms in a Logix5000 controller, a Rockwell Automation Device Server (RSLinx Enterprise) needs to be added to a FactoryTalk application.
1. Right-click on the area Area1, select the Add New Server > Rockwell Automation Device Server (RSLinx Enterprise)… context menu item.
Note: For this lab we are adding the RSlinx Enterprise data server to the area Area1. Read the Area Best Practices paragraph in the Overview section for other alternatives in a distributed application.
2. The RSLinx Enterprise Server Properties will appear. Leave the defaults on the General tab.
Note: The RSLinx Enterprise Server Properties window is also used to configure Data Server redundancy and FactoryTalk Alarms and Events.
a. Identify the computer that will host the RSLinx Enterprise data server. For this lab, RSLinx Enterprise will be hosted on the local computer (default setting).
3. Enable Alarms and Events by following steps a-c. The FactoryTalk Alarms and Events will be discussed in more detail during the Alarming section.
.
b. Check the Enable alarm and event support option
c. Un-Check the Enable history button
a. Select the Alarms and Events tab
7. Click the OK button
4. Verify that the RSLinx Enterprise device server has been successfully added into your application.
Configure Communications
We are going to now configure a device shortcut.
Device Shortcuts: A Device Shortcut allows you to create a ‘pointer’ to a device that you can refer to throughout the application while developing displays. This enables the user to change the location of a processor or other such device in one place, which then propagates throughout the rest of the project, without having to change all tag references to that processor. A device shortcut is similar to a Windows shortcut on your computer’s desktop that provides easy access to an application.
Communications Setup Editor Improvements
Offline tag browsing no longer requires you to associate the device shortcut with a controller. In
previous releases, you were required to associate a shortcut with both a controller and an offline tag file to be able to browse the tags in the offline tag file. You can now create a shortcut that is associated only with the offline tag file if all you want to do is browse tags in that file.
The Communication Setup editor has been enhanced to prevent the creation of shortcuts that point to devices that do not provide data (such as communication modules and backplanes).
The Communication Setup editor now provides status messages about shortcuts as you create them as well as a summary of all messages via a shortcut verification report.
The Communication Setup editor has a new option for enabling alarm and event support at the device level.
Warnings have been added to FactoryTalk to tell users if making an edit in the development
environment will adversely affect the run-time system. If the change is made through a dialog box, this warning icon appears next to the component where the edit can be made.
1. Open the Communication Setup. Expand the RSLinx Enterprise device server. Double-click on Communication Setup
The Communication Setup dialog will appear to the right of the Explorer tree.
2. Add a Device Shortcut by following steps a-b.
3. Browse to the controller. Right-click on the 1789-A17, Backplane, Select Start Browsing a. Click the
Add button
b. Type the shortcut name
“Shortcut”.
Note: 2 is the slot number of the SoftLogix module that is in the chassis. This is where the control program for this lab is running.
5. Add an Offline Tag File. Click the Browse… button next to the Offline Tag File entry field. Browse to C:\InstantFizz-Lab Files\RSLogix 5000\ folder. Select the InstantFizz_Controller.ACD file. Click the Open button.
Offline Tag Browsing
The offline tag file will enable you to browse a ControlLogix controller's tags when that controller is not online. The file must be located on the local PC, not on a networked location.
Offline Tag Browsing Improvement
Offline tag browsing no longer requires you to associate the device shortcut with a controller. In
previous releases, you were required to associate a shortcut with both a controller and an offline tag file
Browse to C:\InstantFizz-LabFiles\RSLogix 5000\ folder and select InstantFizz_Controller.ACD file.
to be able to browse the tags in the offline tag file. You can now create a shortcut that is associated only with the offline tag file if all you want to do is browse tags in that file.
Because it’s possible to have many application shortcuts configured to different controllers, you must also enable Alarm and Events on your application shortcut to enable which controller you would like to receive alarming information from.
6. Enable Alarm and Events by selecting Yes from the pull-down menu.
7. Apply the settings to the device shortcut “Shortcut” by following steps a-c,
a. Ensure Shortcut is highlighted.
b. Ensure 2, 1789-L60/A, SoftLogix5800
Controller is selected.
c. Click the Apply button to apply the shortcut settings.
Set Enable Alarms &
Events to Yes.
8. The following RSLinx Enterprise prompt will appear. The prompt lists all the changes made to the shortcut. Make sure your shortcut is set to Shortcut as we will be using pre-configured displays
referencing that shortcut name.Compare your prompt to the one below. If it matches select Yes to apply the changes.
9. To Verify communications at any time, select the Verify button at the bottom of the Communications Setup window.
The Verify dialog will appear. Review your changes. Click the Close button.
10. Click OK on the Communications Setup dialog to close.
Your device shortcut has been created.
Select Yes to complete.
Create a display and add a numeric display object
Let’s take a minute to verify that communications is setup correctly. Verify that you are communicating by adding a Numeric Display Object to a display and then test that display in FactoryTalk View Studio. Verify that you can access controller tags from the online SoftLogix Controller and the offline tags file by performing tag browses. In the Explorer, right-click on the Display folder, select the New context menu item
An untitled display will be opened.
1. Single-click to select the Numeric Input object from Objects > Numeric and String > Numeric Input from the menu.
2. On the empty display, Single-click and hold down the mouse button, drag the cursor to draw the numeric input and release the mouse button. As you are dragging the mouse you will see a rectangle to show the size of the object that will be created.
Numeric Input Enhancement
Numeric input object allows for user-assigned minimum and maximum values that are validated prior to download.
4. Click on the Connections tab.
5. Click on the Tags… button next to the Value field.
6. The Tag Browser will open. If you don’t see a folder for Shortcut, right-click on InstantFizz, select the Refresh All Folders context menu item.
7. Expand the Shortcut folder then notice two sub-folders Online and Offline. The Online folder references the tags of the online controller that the shortcut is pointing to (such as our SoftLogix controller). Offline
folder references the tags in the ControlLogix controller file (.ACD). Use the Offline tag browsing and Offline Tag File in the RSLinx Enterprise Communications Setup when the online controller is not available, and you only have access to the controller file (.ACD). Follow steps a to b to select the MixSteps tag.
11. The tag will appear in the Tag/Expression field next to the Value. Your selected tag should look like this:
a. Select the
“Online” folder. b. Select the MixSteps tag then click OK.
11. Click the OK button on the Numeric Input Properties dialog.
12. After adding an object to our display, we can verify the communications to our controller and Test the display.
13. A value (ex. 7) should appear on the display. This actually verifies that you got the tag from the online tag file and you are online with the controller. If you were not online with the controller, it would appear as what is called a wireframe, because the data is not available at this time. It would look something like this instead.
14. Click the Edit Display button to get back to edit mode.
15. Close the display and when prompted to save your changes select No.
Section 1 is complete. You have created a simple network application. You have the building blocks in place and are ready to start creating your graphic displays.