Wonderware ArchestrA Graphics can be used in Wonderware System Platform or embedded into InTouch Modern Application screens.  In my case, using them for InTouch Modern helped me transform a legacy project from the early 2000s to a user-friendly, data-rich HMI application, without the full price of System Platform. That being said, there were some higher level tools I needed to employ that allowed my development to be more efficient since I did not have all of the features of System Platform at my disposal.

There are a lot of really great features built into the ArchestrA Symbol Editor IDE.  If you are completely new to creating ArchestrA Symbols, I recommend referring to the ArchestrA Graphics User’s Guide to get a full understanding of what is possible.  In this blog, I will highlight a few features that have been particularly useful. When I understood how to use them well, these features really took my objects to the next level.

Basic Setup and Background

This application required standard objects like valves and pumps for which I created reusable objects.  Like my other blog, this development had a standard Rockwell Add On Instructions (AOIs) PLC component in order to represent each of these devices.  Wonderware ArchestrA Symbol Library includes many standard objects which can be used to link to PLC tags and is great for out of the box objects. I particularly like the Situational Awareness Library because it designed with the High Performance HMI Handbook principles in mind. The High Performance HMI Handbook is another in-depth topic in itself, but the main benefits of to employing these principles are that it was designed with years of the operator and human factor considerations like the density of data on HMI screens, colors that draw attention or sometimes even distract. 

While Wonderware’ Situational Awareness Library is very useful, there are many configuration options and in my case, since I was not using System Platform, these objects required a lot of time to set up in the project.  Further, the InTouch Tagname Dictionary does not make it easy to generate new tags or link to objects quickly.  

Here is an example of the Valve Object and Pop-up I created which I will be talking about in these tips.

Figures: Valve Object can be clicked to display additional information.  Symbol wizard used to select multiple orientations.  Pop-up and graphic animate with valve feedback status, interlocks, alarms, and manual control.

Smartly Script Tag Connections

One of the unfortunate parts of using InTouch Modern is that there is no way to fully pass a PLC UDT from the Tagname Dictionary to a graphic, each tag is still an individual parameter.  Since all of my tags on the PLC side were encapsulated inside of standard AOIs, I wanted to only pass one tag into my ArchestrA objects without individually linking the 10+ tags I needed to reference for displaying a single valve graphic and pop-up. 

 
Figure: Standard Valve AOI Block to be connected to Wonderware InTouch

In order to get around this lengthy development time, I used ArchestrA Object Custom Properties and string concatenation in a script to create a way to only enter one string when instantiating a new object in an InTouch screen. This method allowed consistent tag naming in the Tagname Dictionary, automatic connection to tag paths within an expected UDT object, and flexible objects with PLC integration. 

First, I used a tag prefix as a constant string Custom Property which would serve to concatenate with any other device tags I needed to reference in the object. I also added an “On Show” script to the object and used the String Prefix and my known tag paths to generate the rest of the tags through the SetCustomPropertyValue function. 

The key here was that adding “InTouch:” to the front of a string with SetCustomPropertyValue’s last property value as “False” will create a connection in Wonderware as if you had pre-populated that tag in your Custom Property Object interface.  This allowed me to create dynamic Custom Property pointers through private parameters used throughout my object without having to connect many tags during instantiation.

Figure: Valve Object Custom Properties during instantiation.  A constant string is used for internal scripting and SetCustomPropertyValue function.

Figure: Valve Object Custom Properties in Editor IDE.  Custom Properties set to “Private” and used in object development.

Figure: Valve Object On Show Script dynamically setting InTouch tag connection to private Custom Properties

Creating ArchestrA Pop-Ups

If you are familiar with InTouch, you have likely used the “Action” Script interface with InTouch Animations.  When using ArchestrA objects with InTouch Modern, the Show Window function in animation cannot be used to call graphics that are not already instantiated. 

In my case, I wanted each valve or pump object to show additional information if clicked on, but I did not want to have a bunch of hidden pop-ups or “hard” coded objects in my application.  Further, since I already my valve graphic already dynamically linked all its related tags, why not make it also call a pop-up that only needs one field populated as well? 

I was able to embed an automatic connection to call a Status pop-up from my valve object using the GraphicInfo system property and ShowGraphic function.  There are a lot of options for this function and they can be a bit tricky.  A good resource for learning more about this function is this YouTube video. Here is an example of the code I used:

Dim graphicInfo as aaGraphic.GraphicInfo;
dim cpValues[1] as aaGraphic.CustomPropertyValuePair;
graphicInfo.Identity = sValveName;
graphicInfo.GraphicName = "DMC_ValvePopUp";
graphicInfo.WindowLocation = aaGraphic.WindowLocation.Center;
graphicInfo.WindowType = aaGraphic.WindowType.Modal;
graphicInfo.TopMost = true;
graphicInfo.KeepOnMonitor = true;
cpValues[1] = new aaGraphic.CustomPropertyValuePair("ValveName",sValveName,true);
graphicInfo.CustomProperties = cpValues;
ShowGraphic( graphicInfo );

Dim graphicInfo as aaGraphic.GraphicInfo;
dim cpValues[1] as aaGraphic.CustomPropertyValuePair;
graphicInfo.Identity = sValveName;
graphicInfo.GraphicName = "DMC_ValvePopUp";
graphicInfo.WindowLocation = aaGraphic.WindowLocation.Center;
graphicInfo.WindowType = aaGraphic.WindowType.Modal;
graphicInfo.TopMost = true;
graphicInfo.KeepOnMonitor = true;
cpValues[1] = new aaGraphic.CustomPropertyValuePair("ValveName",sValveName,true);
graphicInfo.CustomProperties = cpValues;
ShowGraphic( graphicInfo );

Note that the “CustomPropertyValuePair” array can be defined with more elements if the graphic you are calling has more Custom Properties which you would need to link in order for the instance of the pop-up to work. For example, in a similar graphic representing a VFD, I also needed to link authorization tags, so the cpValues length was ‘3’.

Dim graphicInfo as aaGraphic.GraphicInfo;
dim cpValues[3] as aaGraphic.CustomPropertyValuePair;
graphicInfo.Identity = sVFDName;
graphicInfo.GraphicName = "DMC_VFDPopUp";
graphicInfo.WindowLocation = aaGraphic.WindowLocation.Center;
graphicInfo.WindowType = aaGraphic.WindowType.Modal;
graphicInfo.TopMost = true;
graphicInfo.KeepOnMonitor = true;
cpValues[1] = new aaGraphic.CustomPropertyValuePair("VFDName",sVFDName,true);
cpValues[2] = new aaGraphic.CustomPropertyValuePair("sModeAuthTag",sModeAuthTag,true);
cpValues[3] = new aaGraphic.CustomPropertyValuePair("bMaintAuth",bMaintAuth,false);
graphicInfo.CustomProperties = cpValues;
ShowGraphic( graphicInfo );

Dim graphicInfo as aaGraphic.GraphicInfo;
dim cpValues[3] as aaGraphic.CustomPropertyValuePair;
graphicInfo.Identity = sVFDName;
graphicInfo.GraphicName = "DMC_VFDPopUp";
graphicInfo.WindowLocation = aaGraphic.WindowLocation.Center;
graphicInfo.WindowType = aaGraphic.WindowType.Modal;
graphicInfo.TopMost = true;
graphicInfo.KeepOnMonitor = true;
cpValues[1] = new aaGraphic.CustomPropertyValuePair("VFDName",sVFDName,true);
cpValues[2] = new aaGraphic.CustomPropertyValuePair("sModeAuthTag",sModeAuthTag,true);
cpValues[3] = new aaGraphic.CustomPropertyValuePair("bMaintAuth",bMaintAuth,false);
graphicInfo.CustomProperties = cpValues;
ShowGraphic( graphicInfo );

In each of the above examples, you can see that the scripts use Custom Properties of the object calling them. Therefore, nothing in the pop-up is hardcoded and the calling object propagates all of the necessary parameterizations.

Embracing Symbol Wizard

My final tip is to get savvy with the Symbol Wizard functionality in order to really make your objects reusable.  As you could see in my example image, I created different orientations for the valve object.  This orientation was selectable from the Wizard Options when instantiating the object. 

If you’re familiar with the built-in Wonderware Object libraries, there are many Wizard Options for each object type.  The important thing to understand when adding Wizard Options is that Object Layers can be used to add logic to the runtime visualization of our object options. When an Option is added to an object, ArchestrA Editor adds a layer corresponding to that option. Any element of the object that is added to that layer will then only exist in the object when that Option is active. However, in “Layer Properties”, “Rules” can be added in order to create additional logic and configurability of the overall object.

Figure: Example Symbol Wizard Options for Object

An example of why this is useful is when two or more Wizard Options affect an element in your ArchestrA object.  In my Valve object, I had options to select Orientation and whether clicking on the object will show a pop-up.  For my pop-up, I needed to have an invisible element inside the object to produce the click area. Therefore, the right-hand orientation pop-up element should only display in runtime if the user had selected the right-hand orientation and clicks were enabled. 

I created a separate layer that contained only the right-handed click element and set up a Rule for when the element should be shown.  It is always good to use the Symbol Wizard Preview Tool in order to check how your object will look because Rules and Options can be a little tricky to get right!

Figure: Symbol Options, Layers, and Rules Example for Valve Orientation and Pop-Up Options.  Make sure to use Symbol Wizard Preview to take a look at how your Options and Rules will resolve.

Final Examples

I’ve used these tips and tricks to make many other objects with great success and less overall development time.  These standard objects help our end clients and operators know what to expect across a plant, thereby reducing training time.  As another example, here’s a set of pump graphics that were developed:

Figure: Pump Running, Interlocked and Errored.  Corresponding Starting and Manual pump states.

Contact DMC for assistance on your next SCADA project.

Learn more about DMC’s HMI and SCADA programming solutions.

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To speed up this process, we use InTouch's DBDump and DBLoad features, which allows the use of Microsoft Excel to change the tagname dictionary.

Method 1 – Manual Tag Creation (Small Projects)

Start in InTouch WindowMaker by opening the Tagname Dictionary from the Tools sidebar. 

This will open up a pop-up window. Here you can add a tag, set the type, comment, group, etc., then save the changes.

Click New to add another tag, and repeat until all your tags have been added.

Method 2 – DBDump and DBLoad (Large Projects)
 

Export Tags from Logix 5000

To start this process, export the tag list from the PLC project to a CSV file. This will make it easier to copy and paste the tag names and descriptions into our InTouch CSV file.

In Logix 5000, right click on controller tags and select the Export Tags… option.

Open the CSV file in Excel, and then highlight the header row and turn on filters. Then, filter the TYPE column by “TAG”, and sort the DATATYPE column. This will make sure our list only contains tags and groups them by data type, which will make it easier to copying them to the InTouch CSV file.

DBDump Tags from InTouch

Next, we will export our existing tagname dictionary from our InTouch project. To do this, close your InTouch project and open the InTouch Application Manager. Right-click on the project you want to export and select DBDump. Save the file to a known location.

This will create a CSV file that contains the tags from the selected InTouch Project. The InTouch CSV file format has tags grouped by type, then sorted alphabetically in each category. 

Add Tags to InTouch CSV File

Now we can add our new tags to the InTouch CSV file. Open it in Excel and add rows under each data type for the tags you'll need.

In addition to the InTouch tag name and comment, make sure to specify the Group, AccessName, and ItemName for your tags.

Save CSV file and DBLoad to InTouch

While saving your CSV file, it is imperative that you select "CSV (Comma delimited) (*.csv)" file type to avoid any issues when running the DBLoad process.

Next, open the InTouch Application Manager and right-click the project that you would like to import to. Right-click the project and select DBLoad. Navigate to your CSV file and click Load.

If the import is successful, you'll receive a confirmation message at the end. Otherwise, take a look at the Log Viewer in System Management Console for a list of any issues found.

Learn more about DMC's Allen-Bradley and Wonderware expertise.

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What is the Wonderware SI Partner Program?

Per Schneider Electric, “The Wonderware SI Partner Program is a multi-tier support system that recognizes participants by their level of experience and certification with Schneider Electric brands, market focus, and industry-related expertise.”

“The SI Partner Program provides ready access to experienced, skilled professionals around the globe and is backed by an established product certification program.”

DMC as a Certified Systems Integrator

Certified SIs have proven project delivery using certain products, integrating solutions on the Wonderware System Platform, or with specific vertical industry applications or technology toolkits. To become a Wonderware Certified Systems Integrator, DMC needed two engineers to pass a series of certification exams. 

Ben Griffith and Furqan Ayub spent tons of time studying to pass the exams. Both needed to pass (4) 6-hour exams which is not easy! Both Ben and Furqan are now Wonderware InTouch Certified Engineers. 
 

 
Additionally, DMC needed to demonstrate significant Wonderware experience on past projects. DMC has worked on a wide range of Wonderware projects from small-scale to large-scale organizations. Check out a few of the cool projects we’ve worked on in these case studies. 
 
What is InTouch?
 
InTouch is a scalable, extensible and intuitive Human Machine Interface (HMI) and process visualization software.

It provides graphic visualization which takes your operations management, control, and optimization to a whole new level.

Wonderware describes InTouch as going, “beyond simplistic graphics to enable application builders to focus on creating meaningful content that will drive enterprise-wide operations productivity and cost savings.” 

They say, “InTouch empowers operators to optimize their routine human interactions with industrial automation systems.  This results in a quantifiable net increase in operator effectiveness.”

What is System Platform?

System Platform is an integrated supervisory platform that serves as the single source of actionable information for operational, engineering and corporate business users. 

Wonderware says, “System Platform empowers users with rich visualization, intelligent alarming, flexible analysis, and reporting tools in addition to plug-in extension applications such as MES, workflow, quality, batch and enterprise Integration for sustainable production and operations performance improvement.”

Congratulations again to Ben Griffith and Furqan Ayub! 

Find out more about DMC’s HMI/SCADA offerings.  

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Indusoft Tip 1: Refer to the PLC

Make sure that your driver sheet I/O addresses refer to something in the PLC. If you are using symbolic tags, the tag must exist in the PLC or Indusoft will not work properly.

Figure 1: Main Driver Sheet

For example, in the above picture, if the tag “gHmi.FaultHistory[0].iFault” did not exist in the PLC, Indusoft would have a communication error and would not display the value of any tags.

Indusoft Tip 2: Update Tags Together

Having trouble getting your tags to update together? Try adding another driver sheet. While this will not change the speed of the tags being read, it will make sure that the block of tags updates sequentially. 

For example, if you are writing to a SQL database, it’s important to make sure all relevant tags are updated before you trigger the send. If you have a lot of tags in a regular driver sheet, you may run into issues with certain tags being sent before being updated. 
 

Figure 2: Driver Sheet Options

In the picture above, note that there is a driver sheet called Coil Results. All the tags that are related to the Coil Results (that will be subsequently written to an SQL database) have been added to this sheet.

Indusoft Tip 3: Copy a Screen

If you want to copy a screen, select the screen, then select File > Save As. Rename the folder, and then you will have an additional identical screen under the new name.

Note: The new screen will not automatically open; make sure to open the new screen to edit it.

Indusoft Tip 4: Copy from Another Program

To copy a screen from another program, open up the project file, then grab the desired .SCR, .TAG, and .TXT  from the screen folder (Project Folder > screen). These can be copied over into another project’s screen folder to copy over any screen.

 
Figure 3: Screen Copy

Indusoft Tip 5: Troubleshoot Tags

To troubleshoot missing or errant tags, open an instance of Indusoft on the PC that is running the runtime. From here, you can go to View > Database Spy and View > Output Window. 

Figure 4: View Window

Database Spy will allow you to monitor and change the values of tags, a valuable tool for verifying that the PLC is functioning as expected. The output window will show any errors that Indusoft finds, such as tags not found (see Step 1 above), or script/stored procedure errors.

Figure 5: Database Spy/Output Window

Indusoft Tip 6: Remove Extra Spaces Between Variables

If you are using additional driver sheets (see Step 3 above), make sure that you don’t have additional spaces between variables. This can cause Indusoft to try (and fail) to correlate a variable that is not defined. If you do encounter this issue, you can simply delete lines with empty tags.

Figure 6: Extra Driver Sheet Configuration

That’s it! For more information, learn more about DMC’s HMI and SCADA systems expertise.
 

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• Two or more developers must complete individual product training and pass CSI tests.
• Two successful projects must be executed and documented to earn product level certifications.

A special thanks to Ken Brey and Jody Koplo of DMC for their Wonderware project work and for passing the certification exams.

Check out our Aveva partnership status.

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Prior to taking the test, Ken had completed several key projects using the Wonderware historian product. His experience paid off as he was easily able to pass the challenging exam on his first try.

Jody recently completed a project that integrated a Wonderware InTouch HMI system with over 30 Allen Bradley PLCs to monitor and provide control for an entire manufacturing facility. Using this experience, he took and passed the InTouch certification exam. He is now a Wonderware Certified InTouch Integrator.

InTouch is an advanced HMI/SCADA product offered by Wonderware that allows large, complex systems to be controlled and monitored. It is easily scalable and can be remotely managed on multiple thin clients distributed throughout a factory.

Learn more about DMC’s HMI and SCADA expertise.

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