Course T301, Engineering an 800xA System - Advanced

Chapter 5 Faceplates

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter 5 Faceplates ...................................................................................................................................................................... 5-1
5.1 General Information ............................................................................................................................................................. 5-3
5.1.1 Description .................................................................................................................................................................... 5-3
5.1.2 Objectives...................................................................................................................................................................... 5-3
5.1.3 Reference Documentation............................................................................................................................................. 5-3
5.2 Faceplate Overview.............................................................................................................................................................. 5-4
5.2.1 Runtime Views.............................................................................................................................................................. 5-4
5.2.2 Areas.............................................................................................................................................................................. 5-4
5.3 Faceplate handling ............................................................................................................................................................... 5-5
5.3.1 Create a Faceplate aspect .............................................................................................................................................. 5-5
5.3.2 Setup the Faceplate aspect ............................................................................................................................................ 5-5
5.3.3 Set Faceplate as default aspect ..................................................................................................................................... 5-6
5.4 Header .................................................................................................................................................................................. 5-8
5.4.1 Alarm Control ............................................................................................................................................................... 5-8
5.5 Indicators and Aspect Links................................................................................................................................................. 5-9
5.5.1 Indicators....................................................................................................................................................................... 5-9
5.5.2 Aspect Link ................................................................................................................................................................. 5-12
5.5.3 Create an Aspect Link................................................................................................................................................. 5-12
5.6 Faceplate Element .............................................................................................................................................................. 5-14
5.6.1 Create a Faceplate Element......................................................................................................................................... 5-14
5.6.2 Assign Faceplate Element to Faceplate...................................................................................................................... 5-14
5.7 Buttons................................................................................................................................................................................ 5-15
5.7.1 Create Buttons............................................................................................................................................................. 5-15
5.7.2 Enable/Disable Button ................................................................................................................................................ 5-17

5-1

Course T301, Engineering an 800xA System - Advanced

5-2

Engineering an 800xA System - Advanced

5.1 General Information

5.1.1 Description
The faceplate framework is an aspect system with the intention to provide a uniform
and easy to configure way to create faceplates. The faceplates consist of three runtime
views and are used to monitor and control the process.

5.1.2 Objectives
After completion of this chapter you will be able to

Create a Faceplate for a Function Block Type or Control Module Type

Deal with the different views of the faceplate

Create buttons and indicators for the faceplate

Assign the faceplate element

5.1.3 Reference Documentation

800xA Industrial IT Engineering Documentation: Graphics Users Guide

5-3

Engineering an 800xA System

Chapter 5 Faceplates

5.2 Faceplate Overview

5.2.1 Runtime Views
A Faceplate consists of three runtime views:

Reduced

Faceplate

Extended

Each view has its own geometrical layout. Default runtime view to be launched when
an Operator clicks on a graphics element in a graphics display is the Faceplate view,
but this can be changed. Once the faceplate is opened you can also change the view
via the View Sselection buttons.

5.2.2 Areas
From a configurations point of view, the faceplate is divided into a number of areas,
each separately configurable.

5-4

Engineering an 800xA System - Advanced

5.3 Faceplate handling

5.3.1 Create a Faceplate aspect
The faceplate is provided by an aspect category. Use the Object Type Structure for
creating the faceplate aspect for a function block type or control module type.
1. Open a library in the Object Type Structure and select a function block
type/control module type.
2. Click onto the type and create a new faceplate aspect of type Faceplate.

5.3.2 Setup the Faceplate aspect

Open the Config View of the faceplate and select the tab card Layout.
You can select the faceplate views in the combo box on top. Each view has its
own layout.
On button right you can select the orientation of the faceplate, horizontal or
vertical. With the combo box above you are able to configure which default
view you want to have.

5-5

Engineering an 800xA System

Chapter 5 Faceplates

Each object has one default aspect. This aspect is shown in the preview if you select
the object. The next step is to set the Faceplate aspect as default aspect of the
GenGenerator object.

5.3.3 Set Faceplate as default aspect

A selected object should bring up the faceplate view per default. This is a typical setup
and is necessary for the operation of the plant.
Set default aspect:
1. Select the faceplate aspect. Right click onto the aspect and select the entry
Properties from the context menu.
2. Select the tab card Aspect details.
3. Enable the check box default aspect.

5-6

Engineering an 800xA System - Advanced

5-7

Engineering an 800xA System

Chapter 5 Faceplates

5.4 Header
Each faceplate contains a Header Area, which consists of the following Faceplate
parts:

Object lock control (optional)

Object name (mandatory)

Object description (mandatory)

Alarm control (optional)

5.4.1 Alarm Control

The Alarm Control is based on a Graphic Element located in the Graphic Structure.
Per default the functionality is enabled if a template of this Alarm Control aspect is
copied to the object where it should enabled for.

5.4.1.1 Create Alarm Control

1. First we have to look for the template of the Alarm Control. This we can find
in the Graphic Structure. Please select the Graphic Structure and then select
the Special library. On the aspect view you can find an aspect called
AlarmControl. Right click onto this aspect and select Copy.
2. Move back to the Object Type Structure and select a function block type.
Please paste the aspect AlarmControl here.
3. Right click onto the aspect AlarmControl and select Deploy. This will compile
the Graphics Builder aspect and will create an ActiveX element. After this the
aspect is ready for working.

5-8

Engineering an 800xA System - Advanced

5.5 Indicators and Aspect Links

5.5.1 Indicators
Indicators show a label, or an icon, as the result of a configured expression, which
can include one or several object properties subscribed for. The standard format for
icons is 32x32 (normal Windows icon size).

5.5.1.1 Create an Indicator

1. Open the Config View of a faceplate aspect.
2. Select the tab card Indicators.
3. Click into the Icons/Labels field.

4. Click into the Label/Icon field of the new dialog.

5-9

Engineering an 800xA System

Chapter 5 Faceplates

5. Select the radio button Icon of the Add Label or Icon dialog. Click onto the
Browse button for selecting an icon. Select the icon as shown in the picture
below.
Info: The Process Portal installation installs some icons for usage. These icons
are located in the path
ABB Industrial IT\Operate IT\Process Portal A\Icons and \IconFiles .

5-10

Engineering an 800xA System - Advanced

6. Click onto the Add button of the dialog Labels. A new row is inserted. Click
into this new row and into the field Label/Icon. Do all as described before but
this time please select the smiley icon. The next picture is a view on how
your dialog should look like.

7. Now we have two index labels (0 and 1) and for each label we configured an
icon. Click Labels with a click onto OK.
8. Click into the field Expression of the Config View.
9. Write the following expression in the Expression dialog:
iif (Status, 1, 0).
Well this means that if the property Status of our function block object is set
to TRUE, the icon of Index 1 is shown, otherwise the icon of Index 0.

5-11

Engineering an 800xA System

Chapter 5 Faceplates

10. The next step is to give the faceplate configuration information about where to
show the icon. This is been managed by the Reduced pos, Faceplate pos and
Extended pos fields. Each pos exist for a faceplate view.
11. Close all dialogs with a click onto Apply or OK.

5.5.2 Aspect Link

Aspect links are buttons that act as shortcuts to bring up another aspect as an overlap
window.

5.5.3 Create an Aspect Link

We want to create an Aspect Link which opens the Alarm and Event List.
1. Open the Config View of a faceplate aspect.
2. Select the tab card Indicators.
3. Click into the field Object of the area Aspect Links.
4. Select function block type/control module type object as shown in the picture
below.

5. Click OK for closing the dialog.

5-12

Engineering an 800xA System - Advanced

6. Click into the Aspect field of the Config View and select the aspect Alarm List
from the drop down list.
Note: Only this aspects are viewable which really exist at the object.

7. Please select the Main View instead of the Config View of the field View.
8. Click into the Icon/Label field and select the entry Aspect Icon from the radio
buttons (the entry is selected per default).
9. Insert the value 6 for all the positions.

5-13

Engineering an 800xA System

Chapter 5 Faceplates

5.6 Faceplate Element

Aspects are displayed in the Faceplate Element area, either alone or included in tab
groups. Primarily, faceplate element aspects are intended to be included in this area.
Other aspects may also be included.
The Graphics Builder is the tool to deal with graphics. Because of that we need a shoot
introduction into the world of Graphics Builder.

5.6.1 Create a Faceplate Element

The faceplate element is provided in the system as an aspect category. Create this
Faceplate Element aspect at a function block type/control module type and edit it with
the Graphics Builder.

5.6.2 Assign Faceplate Element to Faceplate

The next step is to assign a faceplate element aspect to a faceplate.
1. Select faceplate aspect and open the config view of it.
2. Select the tab card Element.
3. Click into the Aspect field and select the faceplate element aspect from the
drop down list.

5-14

Engineering an 800xA System - Advanced

5.7 Buttons
Buttons that control properties of the object can be inserted in the Buttons area. The
number of button positions shown per row depends on the width of the faceplate view.
The default number of button positions per row is six.

5.7.1 Create Buttons

We want to add a button to a faceplate and assign a property to it.
1. Open a config view a faceplate aspect
2. Select the tab card Buttons
3. Click into the field Icons/Labels. A new dialog named Labels is viewable.

4. Click into the field Label/Icon of the dialog Labels. A new dialog named Add
Label or Icon is viewable.
5. Select Icon and browse an icon.

5-15

Engineering an 800xA System

Chapter 5 Faceplates

6. Click OK for closing Add Label or Icon. Click OK for closing Labels.
7. Click into the field Property name and select a property from the drop down
list. After this the property is connected with the button.

8. Click into the field Property value and assign a value, e.g. FALSE. This value
will be send to the connected property when the button is pressed.

5-16

Engineering an 800xA System - Advanced

9. The next step is to setup the view position of the button. This is necessary for
all three views.

5.7.2 Enable/Disable Button

A button could be enabled/disabled. This depends on an expression which must be
true for enabling.
1. Select the tab card Buttons.

5-17

Engineering an 800xA System

Chapter 5 Faceplates

2. Select the field Enabled for a button. Click into the field and write a
expression into it:
iif (Status, TRUE, FALSE)
If the property Status is TRUE then this field is enabled (TRUE), otherwise it
is disabled (false).

For more information according expression see document

3BSE032785_System_Alarm and Event_Reference in Section 5.

5-18