Updated description for Select Point in Table 3-5.
Reference Documents
Refer to the following documents for more information:
AIM*Historian User’s Guide (B0193YL)
Alarm and Display Manager Configurator (B0700AM)
Display Commands (B0193DF)
Display Engineering for FoxView Software and Display Manager Software (B0193MQ)
FoxCAE™ V4.0 Computer Aided Engineering for I/A Series Control Station Databases (FoxCAE) Version 4.0 (B0193MR)
FoxDraw™ Software (B0700BE)
Integrated Control Configurator (B0193AV)
Control Processor 270 (CP270)Integrated Control Software Concepts (B0700AG)
Process Operations and Displays (B0700BN)
System Management Displays (B0193JC)
Conventions
Menu Bar Commands
This document uses an abbreviated format for menu bar commands.
Example
From FoxView, click ScratchPads > group_list. means:
Click (or touch if using the touchscreen) ScratchPads in the top menu bar.
Move the cursor to group_list, and click (or touch) to select it.
Command and File Name Syntax
In commands and directory paths and file names, variables are formatted in italics. Example of command syntax
To add a trend_list to display bar button 18, enter:
dmcmd dbar_button 18 “dmcmd sublist
$SPAD_DIR/../Trends/trend_sublist.txt” -l “button_label”
where button_label is the name that appears on the button.
Example of directory path and file name syntax
When a new trend is assigned to an environment trend_list, one of files is copied into the
\opt\customer\ScratchPads\EnvironmentName\Trends directory. The copied file is renamed as trend_button#.fdf, where button# is the number of the button that was assigned to open the trend, and EnvironmentName is the name of the FoxView
environment.
1. Introduction to FoxView
This chapter introduces FoxView and discusses I/A Series environments and applications, printer setup, configurators, and alarms.
Overview of FoxView
FoxView is the I/A Series user interface between you and the process.
From FoxView, you can interact with any or all of the real-time plant, field, and process data available in the I/A Series system.
FoxView provides:
Entry into user-configurable operating environments specific to each user
Execution of embedded real-time and historical trending
Direct access to dynamic process displays
Access to the four most recently used displays
Service and display of process alarms, using the Alarm Manager
FoxSelect, which in turn, provides an overview of the compounds and blocks in the control database, and access to Block Detail Displays
Access to other applications (if permitted), such as:
System Management
FoxDraw™ software (“FoxDraw”) for building and configuring dynamic user graphics
Integrated Control Configurator for configuring the control database
AIM*Historian for configuring the historization of process data and system messages.
Display Editor (DEdit), Display Converter (DConvert) NOTE
On Solaris 10 workstations, FoxDraw software is not accessible from FoxView software.
I/A Series Hardware
Your I/A Series system can include these hardware items:
Fieldbus modules, Fieldbus processors, and power modules
Modular Industrial workstations
Personal workstations
Application workstations
Multi-headed workstations
Pointing devices, including mice, trackballs, or touchscreens
X Terminals
An I/A Series workstation can support multiple monitors. This feature, called multi-headed operation, allows a workstation to display up to four times as much information as can be viewed on a single screen.
Multi-headed workstations can support:
Four annunciator keyboards
Four annunciator keyboard horns
Two console horns
Two external horns.
When configured for multi-headed operation, standard (non-touchscreen) monitors share a single keyboard and pointing device, and the cursor moves from one screen to the other screen.
Solaris Based Workstations
Solaris based workstations can be configured for two standard or touchscreen monitors.
An application opens on the screen from which it is called. Additional FoxViews can be configured for different window sizes and can call different Alarm Managers.
Windows Based Workstations
Windows XP based workstations such as the AW70 can be configured for up to four monitors, and a maximum of two touchscreens.
The Windows XP based P92 workstation can be configured for two monitors and two touch-screens.
You can open an application on one screen and move it to another screen.
I/A Series Environments
An environment is a collection of programs, utilities, and displays grouped according to users and the tasks they perform.
Each environment has its own menu bar, menu commands, and display bar (left side of screen).
If required, an environment may also include an access password for security, as well as protection levels to disable certain menu options or buttons. Access levels are used by the I/A Series system to enforce protection.
The default environments provided by Invensys include the menus listed in Table 1-1.
The FoxView menu bar includes a Disp menu (and optionally additional menus such as Disp_1 and Disp_2), from which to call up process displays.
The Software Engineer and Process Engineer environments include a SftMnt menu for maintaining I/A Series software and a Config menu for accessing I/A Series configurator programs:
FoxDraw
FoxPanels
AIM*Historian
Integrated Control Configurator Refer to “FoxView Window” on page 47.
Table 1-1. Menu Items
Environment Menus
Initial File, Help
Operator File, Disp, Disp_1, Disp_2, ScratchPads, Help Process Engineer File, View, Config, Disp, Disp_1, Disp_2, SftMnt,
ScratchPads, Help
Software Engineer File, View, Config, Disp, Disp_1, Disp_2, SftMnt, Help
I/A Series Applications
System Management
System Management is the I/A Series software that monitors the health of your system’s network and hardware.
The status of the FoxView System button indicates system health. A changed system status is indicated by this button’s color and blinking. Clicking the System button calls up the System Management application window, permitting you to:
Acknowledge system alarms
Monitor the equipment and communication status at each station
Perform tasks, such as checkpointing the system, updating an EEPROM, or turning equipment on or off.
Diagnostics.
For more information about System Management, refer to System Management Displays (B0193JC).
Alarm Manager
The I/A Series Alarm Manager provides seven alarm displays for viewing and responding to pro-cess alarms.
By default, clicking the FoxView Process button calls up the Alarm Manager’s Current Alarms Display, which shows all existing alarm conditions. Alarms are color coded by priority to help you quickly focus on critical conditions.
From the Alarm Manager’s Operations display, you can access any of the other Alarm Manager displays.
You can use the Alarm Manager’s Find capability to acknowledge and clear specific sets of alarms, and the Match/Filter capability to specify the alarms you want to view based on a time frame (for example, a particular compound or block, or an alarm type).
For more information about the Alarm Manager and the alarm displays, refer to the Alarm Manager On-Line Help (am.hlp) or the I/A Series Workstation Alarm Management (B0700AT) document.
Configurators
FoxCAE
FoxCAE software is an optional engineering package for designing the control database and AIM*Historian database, and producing typical loop drawings. Use FoxCAE to build software loops of control strategies using a tag list and standards such as typicals and default values.
Typicals are built with a graphic loop editor, enabling you to view the layout of the loops during
DD Explorer
DD Explorer, used with FoxCAE, translates H1 device descriptions in device templates that can be imported into FoxCAE, eliminating the need for NI-bus communication. DD Explorer is also used with IACC to provide device-appropriate configuration options for DCI Function blocks used with H1 devices.
IACC
IACC offers the following coordination with FoxView:
Quick View is a commissioning tool available for on-platform IACC clients. Quick View automatically generates a FoxView group display with a faceplate for each block in the control strategy diagram (CSD) showing live data from the CP. The faceplates are arranged in the same relative positions as the block in the CSD.
IACC is integrated with the FoxDraw software so you can create FoxView displays by simply dragging block objects from the IACC Project Navigator into the FoxDraw Editor. IACC also supports download of the drawing files to the I/A Series
workstations.
FoxDraw
FoxDraw is the display builder/configurator used to create and maintain graphic displays for viewing process dynamics.
Use FoxDraw drawing tools and graphic object palettes to create process displays representing the plant, a process area, or a portion of the process. Use FoxDraw to connect display objects to process variables and operator picks, providing dynamic updates as a method interacting with the process.
Refer to the FoxDraw On-Line Help (foxdraw.hlp) or FoxDraw (B0700BE) for more information.
FoxPanels Configurator
Use the optional FoxPanels Configurator to create and configure these types of alarm panels:
Customized alarm panels
Emulated annunciator keyboards (soft alarm panels)
Hardware annunciator keyboards
You can specify panel layout, button appearance, button labels, access to process displays, program, script execution, and the blocks to be monitored.
You can also configure workstation horns for both process and system alarms.
Refer to the FoxPanels Configurator On-Line Help (foxpancf.hlp), FoxPanels Runtime
On-Line Help (foxpanel.hlp), or I/A Series Workstation Alarm Management (B0700AT) for more information.
AIM*Historian
AIM*Historian collects, processes, and stores control data for trends, logs, reports, spreadsheets, and application programs. A typical Historian database can contain a combination of process analog or digital variables (points), application-generated messages, and system and process alarms.
You can configure the following types of data collection:
Point sample collection
Message groups (predefined groups only)
Archive groups
Manual Data Entry groups
For these data collections, you can configure and edit point members, groups, group members, and Manual Data Entry variables. For more information, refer to AIM*Historian User’s Guide (B0193YL).
Integrated Control Configurator
Use the Integrated Control Configurator to define blocks and logical groupings of blocks (called compounds) to perform specific control tasks, and to install them into a control station.
The configurator also lets you configure Equipment Control Blocks (ECBs), which provide the software communication link between the control blocks and the hardware. For more
information, refer to Integrated Control Configurator (B0193AV).
Printer Setup
The default graphics printer depends on the platform:
To configure the Printer:
1. Click Panel Launch button to add keyboard shortcut to “Print Screen” key.
2. Launch Preferences > Desktop Preference > Keyboard > Shortcuts. The Keyboard Shortcuts preference tool window appears.
3. To disable the "Take a Screenshot” command:
a. Select Take a Screenshot command b. Select shortcut column, press Delete button.
c. Now the Take a Screenshot command is disabled.
4. Press New button to add the command. A Custom Binding dialog is displayed.
For Windows based workstations:
The default workstation printer.
For Solaris based workstations: The first printer configured in the
/etc/printers file.
8. Click on the Key to Get Print of the Display.
NOTE
You can get more information for configuring from HELP of the Keyboard Short-cuts preference tool.
2. Process Displays
This chapter describes different process displays that you can invoke from FoxView, including block, compound and station block displays and trends.
Introduction to Process Displays
Process displays include default displays (supplied by Invensys) and displays that have been customized for your site’s process control needs.
Invensys Supplied Displays Invensys provides these default displays:
Block Detail Displays
Compound Detail Displays
Station Block Detail Displays.
Customized Displays
A site can include customized displays to meet its needs. Customized displays include:
Group displays, showing trends and faceplates of selected blocks
Customized Block Detail Displays
User-built displays that can take any form.
Access to Process Displays
You can access process displays from:
Disp menus from the FoxView main menu bar
The Display Bar (located on the left side of FoxView window)
FoxSelect
Alarm displays
The four most recently used displays (listed near the bottom of FoxView File menu)
Annunciator keyboards or FoxPanels windows
A pick within a process display.
Top Priority Display
The top priority display can be a Block Detail Display or a user-built display. It refers to the display associated with the highest priority alarm, according to the sort option configured for the Alarm Alert database.
From an alarm display, you can access the top priority display by clicking the Top Priority button.
Refer to the Alarm Manager On-Line Help or Workstation Alarm Management (B0700AT), for information about configuring the Alarm Alert database.
User-Built Displays
User-built displays are displays created with FoxDraw or Display Builder (older systems).
Refer to “Accessing a User-Built Display” on page 80.
Displays Created from FoxDraw
FoxDraw built displays can take virtually any form and can provide access to control information for monitoring and manipulating your process. They can contain graphic objects that are updated dynamically from the process and objects that allow you to change process values.
FoxDraw generated displays can include objects such as faceplates, trends, X/Y plots, and bitmaps.
Group Displays
Group displays contain faceplates and trends grouped into unique layouts with connections to different blocks to meet changing operational needs. For example, a group display can include four faceplates over four trends, together with control buttons for acknowledging an alarm, toggling a Boolean value, toggling an Auto/Manual state, or calling up a Block Detail Display.
A faceplate can show a block description, measurement, and outputs. Use a faceplate to manipulate the block state and provide direct access to Block Detail Displays.
Block Detail Displays
Invensys provides a Block Detail Display, which is a process control interface, for each block type.
From a Block Detail Display, you can:
View and control alarms
View trend data
Tune loops
Perform manual control actions, such as ramping a value.
NOTE
If a block is configured for Supervisory Setpoint Control (SSC), you can enable or disable SSC.
A Block Detail Display (Figure 2-1) consists of a base detail display, which contains the most important control data, and overlays containing additional information.
Figure 2-1. Block Detail Display
Block Alarm Summary Area
This area shows all outstanding block alarms, identified with a mnemonic (such as LOABS or LODEV) and, if applicable, the alarm name and alarm text.
This example has the alarm text MEAS LOW ALARM and LOW DEVIATION.
The alarm name and alarm text are specified during block configuration.
Trend Area
A trend area is an overlay that covers the block alarm area display.
Trend areas are a collection of pre-built display fields that show lines (trends) representing changing data values from real-time data or historical databases. Figure 2-2 displays a trend area.
Figure 2-2. Trend Area
Refer to “Opening a Trend” on page 60.
Faceplate
The faceplate, located in the upper-right of the Block Detail Display, includes:
Header, the upper area that is common to most block types
Data area, located below the header.
The data area varies, depending on the parameter and the block type. Figure 2-3 is an example of a faceplate.
Figure 2-3. Faceplate
Block Detail Display Buttons
Invensys supplied displays include a standard set of operator buttons at the bottom of the window. The buttons are common to most displays. If a button is not applicable to a particular display, it is replaced with another button or left blank. The buttons and their descriptions are listed in Table 2-1.
Table 2-1. Block Detail Display Buttons
Button Description
Acknowledges alarms.
Calls up the previous Block Detail Display or Compound Detail Display.
Calls up the Block Detail Display on typical group displays.
Header
Data Area Tag Value Area
Alarm Area, when present
Toggles a Boolean value (0 or 1).
Ramps the value up by 5%.
Refer to “Ramping a Value” on page 82.
Ramps the value up by 1%.
Data entry field (also called the value box).
Refer to “Entering a Value into a Data Entry Field” on page 82.
Ramps the value down by 1%.
Ramps the value down by 5%.
Toggles the write access between Locked and Unlocked.
In locked mode, a “W” appears on the block’s faceplate.
Toggles between Auto and Manual output mode:
In Auto mode, an “A” appears on the block’s faceplate.
In Manual mode, an “M” appears.
Toggles between Remote and Local setpoint:
In Remote mode, an “R” appears on the block’s faceplate.
In Local mode an “L” appears.
Enables/disables Supervisory Setpoint Control (SSC) on blocks assigned to Supervisory Setpoint Control.
Table 2-1. Block Detail Display Buttons (Continued)
Button Description
Overlay Buttons
Overlay buttons (located to the left of the faceplate), as shown in Figure 2-4, open overlay pages, containing additional block information.
Figure 2-4. Overlay Buttons
Clicking the ALARMS button, for example, displays alarm information.
Clicking the CONFIG overlay button displays the block’s configuration parameters.
NOTE
Sequence blocks and programmable logic blocks have special overlays.
Alarms Overlay
The Alarms overlay opens over the bottom half of a Block Detail Display’s base display. The example in Figure 2-5 shows an alarms overlay for a PID Block Detail Display.
Figure 2-5. Alarms Overlay
Depending on a block’s configuration, alarms can be inhibited or disabled. Inhibiting an alarm suppresses alarm messages. Disabling an alarm prevents alarm detection.
An overlay can be a custom size. An overlay can be opened in different ways. Normally an overlay closes when you open another overlay on top of it or close an overlay that was opened before it.
Alarm Status and Limit Fields
Alarm Inhibited or Disabled Status Field
Alarm Text Fields
Table 2-2 lists the alarm text fields and their associated limits:
Table 2-2. Alarm Text Fields
Alarm Text Alarm Definition Alarm Limit
ABSDB Absolute alarm deadband ABSDB
BADIO Bad input/output None
DEVADB Deviation alarm deadband DEVADB
HHABS High-high absolute HHALIM
HIABS High absolute MEASHL
HIDEV High deviation HDALIM
HIOUT High output HOALIM
HLDB High/low deadband HLDB
LLABS Low-low absolute LLALIM
LOABS Low absolute MEASLL
LODEV Low deviation LDALIM
LOOUT Low output LOALIM
MEASDB Measurement alarm deadband MEASDB
OUTADB Output alarm deadband OUTADB
POINT1 to POINT8 Input Point1 to Point8 state alarms None
PTARG Pretarget HHALIM
RANGE Out of range HSCO, LSCO
RATE Rate of change ROCLIM, ROCTIM
STATE State None
TARG Target HABLIM
TRIP Trip TRP_DT
Compound Detail Displays
A Compound Detail Display shows information about the selected compound.
From this display you can:
View compound parameters
Turn a compound ON or OFF
Change settable parameters
Acknowledge alarms for all blocks in this compound.
Use a Compound Detail Display to view these compound parameters:
Period associated with execution time
Compound phasing
Block alarm level inhibit
Operational state of Sequence Control blocks within a compound
Highest block alarm level within a compound
Initialization state
Names of the alarm device to which block alarm messages are sent.
Compounds
Process control for I/A Series systems is based on compounds and blocks. A compound is a logical collection of blocks that perform a control strategy.
Refer to Control Processor 270 (CP270) Integrated Control Software Concepts (B0700AG) for more information.
The compound attributes are listed in Table 2-3.
Table 2-3. Compound Attributes
Attribute Description
Name A configured user-defined name.
Descriptor A configured user-defined identification.
On/Off A parameter that enables or disables the execution of all blocks within the compound (1=on; 0=off ).
Period/Phasing
Period and phasing allow the starting time of one compound/block to lead or lag the starting time of another compound/block. This is often used to level the block processor load. You can assign a phase number to each compound using a range of integer values that varies with the assigned period.
Settable Parameters
ON Settable Boolean input:
When true, allows the compound to be processed.
When false, turns the compound off.
CINHIB Specifies the priority levels of alarm inhibit within the compound as follows:
0 = No inhibit
1 = Inhibit all priority alarms 2 = Inhibit levels 2 - 5 inclusive 3 = Inhibit levels 3 - 5 inclusive 4 = Inhibit levels 4 - 5 inclusive 5 = Inhibit level 5 only
Non-Settable Parameters
ALMLEV Specifies the highest priority of all active alarms within the compound.
SSTATE Represents the collective operational state of all Sequence Control blocks in the compound. SSTATE can be:
INACT = Inactive ACTIVE = Active EXCEPT = Exception
Station Block Detail Displays
Overview of Station Block Detail Displays
A Station Block Detail Display conveys information about control station resources.
A Station block is installed automatically in the control station when the control database is
A Station block is installed automatically in the control station when the control database is