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Omron CX-SUPERVISOR - V2.0 User Manual

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Cat. No. W10E-EN-01
Software Release 2.0
CX-Supervisor

USERS MANUAL

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Summary of Contents for Omron CX-SUPERVISOR - V2.0

  • Page 1: Users Manual

    Cat. No. W10E-EN-01 Software Release 2.0 CX-Supervisor USERS MANUAL...

  • Page 2: User Manual

    CX-Supervisor User Manual Software Release 2.0...
  • Page 4 OMRON Product References All OMRON products are capitalised in this manual. The word “Unit” is also capitalised when it refers to an OMRON product, regardless of whether or not it appears in the proper name of the product. The abbreviation “PLC” means Programmable Logic Controller and is not used as an abbreviation for anything else.
  • Page 5 CX-Supervisor – User Manual OMRON Page ii Revision 2.0...
  • Page 6 OMRON CX-Supervisor – User Manual Visual Aids The following headings appear in the left column of the manual to help you locate different types of information. Indicates information of particular interest for efficient and convenient Note: operation of the product.
  • Page 7 CX-Supervisor – User Manual OMRON Page iv Revision 2.0...

  • Page 8: About This Manual

    Chapter 13 - Multilingual Features. This chapter describes the Multilingual features, including creation of dynamically switching applications. Chapter 14 - OPC Client. This chapter introduces OPC Server to a new user, and explains how to use CX-Supervisor as an OPC Client Revision 2.0...
  • Page 9 Chapter 16 - Connecting to Omron Industrial Components. This chapter details connecting CX- Supervisor to Omron's Industrial Components. Chapter 17 – Best Practices. This chapter details the best practices to get the most from CX- Supervisor including how to plan and design your application.

  • Page 10: Table Of Contents

    Grid........................11 Chapter 2 - Pages................13 Creating a Page....................13 Amending a Page ....................14 Defining the Properties of a Page ................ 14 Printing a Page ..................... 16 Saving a Page to a Project................... 20 CX-Supervisor Preferences.................. 20 Chapter 3 - Points................. 23 What is a Point? ....................
  • Page 11 CX-Supervisor – User Manual OMRON Page viii Revision 2.0...
  • Page 12 Chapter 5 – ActiveX Objects ............69 Overview....................... 69 Inserting a new object ..................69 Editing Properties at Design Time................ 70 Reading and Writing Properties at Run Time............72 Calling Methods at Run Time ................72 Responding to Events ..................72 Chapter 6 - Projects..............75 Overview.......................
  • Page 13 CX-Supervisor – User Manual OMRON Page x Revision 2.0...
  • Page 14 Chapter 8 - Alarms ..............111 What is an Alarm? ....................111 Alarm Settings ....................111 Viewing the Contents of the Alarm Database ............ 113 Creating a New Alarm ..................114 Updating an Existing Alarm ................118 Copying an Existing Alarm Definition ..............119 Deleting an Existing Alarm .................
  • Page 15 CX-Supervisor – User Manual OMRON Page xii Revision 2.0...
  • Page 16 Animation Editor ....................123 Runtime Actions ....................129 Chapter 10 - Recipes ..............157 What is a Recipe? ....................157 Recipe Components ................... 157 Viewing Recipes in the Recipe Editor ..............158 Creating a New Recipe ..................160 Revision 2.0 Page xiii...
  • Page 17 CX-Supervisor – User Manual OMRON Page xiv Revision 2.0...
  • Page 18 CX-Supervisor – User Manual Table of Contents chapter 10 continued Page Updating an Existing Recipe ................162 Copying an Existing Recipe Definition ............... 164 Deleting an Existing Recipe ................164 Recipe Security Levels ..................164 Printing Recipes ....................165 Using Recipes in Runtime .................. 166 Chapter 11 - Data Logging ............
  • Page 19 CX-Supervisor – User Manual OMRON Page xvi Revision 2.0...
  • Page 20 Data Log Viewer ....................222 Adding Unsupported Runtime Languages ............222 Popup Keyboard Layout..................223 Chapter 14 – Using CX-Supervisor as an OPC Client ... 225 An Overview of OPC? ..................225 Using CX-Supervisor with OPC Servers ............230 Using with Omron’s CX-Server OPC ..............235 Chapter 15 –...
  • Page 21 CX-Supervisor – User Manual OMRON Page xviii Revision 2.0...

  • Page 22: Glossary Of Terms

    Page Appendix A – Configuring a PC for remote connection ..259 Configurating a Client PC running Windows XP Service Pack 2 ....... 259 Configurating a Client PC running Windows XP ..........260 Configurating a Client PC running Windows NT or 2000 ........260 Configurating a Server PC running Windows XP Service Pack 2......

  • Page 24: Chapter 1 - Graphics Editor

    Refer to chapter 5 for further information on ActiveX Objects. The tools are contained on a Control Bar, and within palettes. The palettes allow all similar types of tool to be kept together, and are contained within a free floating window. The various tools and palettes are discussed in the following chapters.

  • Page 25: Colour Palette

    To apply a colour to a previously created object, select the object on the page and click with the left mouse button in the appropriate square in the Colour Palette.

  • Page 26: Fill Pattern Palette

    To apply a fill pattern to a previously created object, select the object on the page and click in the appropriate square in the Fill Pattern Palette. With a fill pattern applied to an object, clicking in the Colour Palette with the left mouse button allows the foreground colour of the chosen fill pattern to be changed.

  • Page 27: Graphic Object Bar

    Object bar is active, and operation involves merely clicking on the desired tool to select it, and then clicking and dragging to the appropriate point in the page. This is not the case with the text, polygon or polyline tools, however the operation of these tools is fully discussed in chapter 4, Objects.

  • Page 28: Object Identification

    OK pushbutton to proceed with the name change or the Cancel pushbutton to abort the operation. It can at times be difficult to select a particular object if it is mostly obscured by other graphic objects. The Object Identification control allows an object to be selected by simply selecting its name from the presented list.

  • Page 29: Lower Down One

    With an object selected, clicking the button once moves the object down one layer. This continues until the object is at the bottom. Clicking the button with the object at the bottom of a group has no effect.

  • Page 30: Horizontal Mirror

    With an object selected, clicking the button once “flips” the object producing a vertical mirror image. The following example illustrates the state of an object before and after clicking the Mirror Vertical button with the object selected: Before...

  • Page 31: Status Bar

    The Status Bar has two main active areas: the Help Message area, and the Cursor Co-ordinates area. The Help Message area is used by CX-Supervisor to display helpful information concerning menu selections and controls. It is located at the left hand end of the Status Bar, and can display messages similar to the following: The Cursor Co-ordinates area provides position information for the current location of the mouse pointer as it tracks around the active page within the CX-Supervisor window.

  • Page 32: Text Bar

    Width Height The first two panels contain the distance of the top left corner of the object from the top left of the page in pixels. The second two panels show the extent of the object in pixels.

  • Page 33: Font Size

    However, selecting a font from the supplied list (or typing in a new point size) still sets the point size for all the selected blocks of text.

  • Page 34: Grid

    CHAPTER 1 – Graphics Editor Text Bold On/Off The Text Bold button allows any selected text objects to be set to bold when the Text Bold button is pushed in, or normal when the Text Bold button is released. Text Bold only applies to text, block text, and to text on buttons, other controls and graphics cannot be emboldened.
  • Page 35 Note: The toolbar buttons can be customised to remove or add favourite functions. Tip of the Day On startup, a Tip of the Day dialog is displayed. All tips can be reviewed using the Next and Previous buttons. This dialog can be turned off, or turned back on from the Help menu.

  • Page 36: Creating A Page

    To create a new page, CX-Supervisor must currently have a project open. If no project is currently open, either click on the Open button from the toolbar to open a previously saved project, or select New from the Project menu to create a new project.

  • Page 37: Amending A Page

    A page has certain attributes, or properties. These properties may be viewed and edited in two ways. The simplest way to access the properties of a page is to double click with the left mouse button in the background area of the page.
  • Page 38 OMRON CHAPTER 2 – Pages Enter a title for the page in the Page Title: field up to a maximum of 32 1, 2, 3… characters. Add a description (if required) in the Page Description field. Enter the co-ordinates for the top-left corner of the page in the Top and Left field.

  • Page 39: Printing A Page

    Background check box is automatically ticked. Printing a Page Print Setup Before printing a page, ensure that the printer has been set up correctly. To check the printer settings, select Print Setup from the File menu. CX-Supervisor displays the Print Setup dialog in response: Page 16 Release 2.0...

  • Page 40: Print Preview

    OMRON CHAPTER 2 – Pages The current printer selection is defined in the Name: control box. To alter the settings, proceed as follows: To change the current printer selection, click the Name: field and select 1, 2, 3… from the list presented.
  • Page 41 To zoom out from a zoomed in view, click the Zoom Out pushbutton. Click a second time to zoom right out. To close the preview screen, click the Close pushbutton. Printing To print a page, click the Print Page button from the toolbar. The Print dialog is displayed. Page 18 Release 2.0...
  • Page 42 Click the Pages setting and enter a range of pages in the from and to fields. To change the number of copies to be printed, enter a new value in the Copies field.

  • Page 43: Saving A Page To A Project

    Saving a Page to a Project Once a page has been created it is wise to save it into the project in which it is planned to reside. It is good practice to ensure that pages are saved regularly, for example to minimise the loss of work in the event of a power failure.

  • Page 44: Startup Preferences

    Revert to ‘Select Mode’ after Drawing Operations setting. The use of double-clicking on an object can be defined: when a check mark is present in the Enter Edit Mode field, a double-click on an object of that type causes it to enter Edit Mode.

  • Page 45: General Preferences

    CHAPTER 2 – Pages OMRON General Preferences General Preferences allow the default script language to be chosen. When new scripts are added, CX- Supervisor will default to saving scripts in the select language. Page 22 Release 2.0...

  • Page 46: Chapter 3 - Points

    The typeface of the editor can be amended by selecting Preferences from the File menu. This is especially useful when printing. Note: To select a range of points, click on a point to mark the start of the range and click again with the <Shift> key down to mark the end. Release 2.0...

  • Page 47: Viewing Points In The Point Editor

    Windows Clipboard, points may be pasted to another CX- Supervisor application. See also Chapter 3 Quick creation of many points. Note: If the I/O type ends with ‘∗’ and a number, it is an array point with the shown number of elements. Viewing Points in the Point Editor The Point Editor view of the points database can be tailored by filtering or sorting the available points.

  • Page 48: Changing The Viewing Mode

    Select the List button to view details as a list. Select the Details button to view details as a list including name, type, I/O type, address and description information. The details can be sorted in ascending order by clicking once or in descending order by clicking twice, in the appropriate field.
  • Page 49 Drop the point at the position of the target control object. An invalid “drop” is denoted by the mouse pointer changing to a circular symbol. For further information of the use of points with objects, refer to chapter 4, Objects. Page 26...

  • Page 50: Creating A Point

    Cancel pushbutton aborts the add operation. General Attributes The name of the point is entered in the Point Name: field. The point name can be up to 20 alphanumeric characters, and must not begin with a digit or include mathematical operators such as “+”, or be identical to a script reserved word such as “IF”...

  • Page 51: Point Attributes

    For a Boolean point, the following attributes are displayed: The default state of the point is defined by selecting either the State 0: or State 1: setting. Associative text (such as ‘OFF’ or ‘FALSE’ for state 0) can be applied in the related Default Text: fields.

  • Page 52: Memory Attributes

    Note: Memory Text points can have 32768 characters but PLC I/O Text Points are limited to 1024 characters. I/O Type The I/O type states the scope of the point, i.e. whether it is purely an internal variable or whether it communicates with a PLC. ♦...
  • Page 53 The On Change option specifies that communication with the PLC occurs automatically as a result of a value change. The On Request option specifies that data updates with the PLC will be manually requested using the scripting commands InputPoint and OutputPoint. The point is updated internally but only communicates with the PLC when requested to by the script commands.

  • Page 54: Plc Attributes

    The point type associated with the PLC Connection attributes is shown in the title bar. The required PLC can be selected from the PLC: field. If no PLCs exist in the PLC: field then one must be added. This is achieved by clicking the Add PLC pushbutton and configuring one. A point cannot be configured to have a PLC connection unless all the PLC connection attributes are correctly configured.

  • Page 55: Data Transfer Actions When Opening A Plc

    The Modifier: field indicates the command to be performed on the data at this address. An example of a modifier is for a bit: a modifier might declare that a bit is to be forced set and not to be written normally.

  • Page 56: Amending An Existing Point

    Select the Validate Point is Within Specified Range check-box. This option is only available for Input or I/O points of type Integer or Real. When checked, an error message is displayed in the error log if the data passed to CX-Supervisor is outside of the specified Minimum and Maximum range.

  • Page 57: Deleting An Existing Point

    Note: It is possible to delete more than one point by either selecting points within a range or by selecting individually several points. To select a range click on a point to mark the start of the range and click again with the <SHIFT> key down to mark the end.

  • Page 58: Quick Creation Of Many Points

    1, 2, 3… Open the Point Editor. Select the points to edit, or a single point to act as a template and Copy to the Windows Clipboard Start Excel. Position the cursor in column A and paste the CX-Supervisor Points into Excel. The worksheet should resemble the following: Each row is a single point, and each column is a setting of that point.

  • Page 59: Runtime Point Maintenance

    G and K) these can quickly be copied by selecting the correct value e.g. G1 then using the square box to highlight the column of data to fill. To see the fill options hold down the right mouse button before draging the square box. Repeat for each column.

  • Page 60: Optimisation Of Plc Communications

    CHAPTER 3 – Points To monitor and change the value of a point in runtime, select a point from the Point Name: field. The Filter Options: field and settings refines the points listed in the Point Name: field. Select the Get Value pushbutton to retrieve the current value of the selected point.

  • Page 61: System Points

    All system points can be selected from the System Point dialog. System points are listed in the points list, and are denoted by a ‘$’ symbol preceding the point name. To view system points only, select System Points from the Group: field. Once listed, the Boolean Points, Integer Points, Real Points, Text Points and All Points pushbuttons on the toolbar are unavailable for selection.

  • Page 62: Date Points

    Integer 0-59 Seconds. $Time Text — Time (e.g. 09:46). Date Points The following table describes system points for use with date based operations. Provisions are given for numerical and alphanumerical formats. System point Point type Point range Remarks $Date Text —...

  • Page 63: Display Points

    0-2,147,483,647 Screen width. $ScreenSizeY Integer 0-2,147,483,647 Screen height. Mouse Points The following table describes system points for use in mouse movement and operation. They are updated on a left button click. System point Point type Point range Remarks $MouseX Integer 0-65535 Mouse X co-ordinates.

  • Page 64: Plc Communications Points

    User currently logged on. Printing Points Print Setup The Point Editor can be printed in the same way pages can. Before printing, ensure that the printer has been set up correctly. To check the printer settings, refer to chapter 2, Pages. Print Preview To preview the page before printing, select Print Preview from the File menu.

  • Page 65: Point Substitution

    As well as using point names in expressions, in many cases where text is entered this can be made dynamic by using point substitution. Part or all of the text may be a point name, enclosed in the Point Substitution characters (double round brackets by default).
  • Page 66 As parameter to MessageBox. This is useful to help convert numbers to strings e.g. MessageBox(“Error ((ErrorNum)) occurred”) • As parameter to LogError or LogEvent. This too is useful to help convert numbers to strings e.g. LogError(“Error ((ErrorNum)) occurred”, priority) •...

  • Page 68: Chapter 4 - Objects

    Control objects can only be reshaped using Wizards. To change the shape of a graphical object, choose Edit Object from the Edit menu to bring up the red editing grab handles. Click and drag the handles until the object is of the desired shape.

  • Page 69: Creating And Editing Graphic Objects

    Graphic Object bar. Click or click and drag on the page. To edit the arc, obtain the red grab handles. Click and drag to change the angle subtended by the arc. To finish editing, click elsewhere on the page or press <Esc>.

  • Page 70: Round Rectangle

    <Esc> or double click the left mouse button. To edit the polygon obtain the red grab handles. Click on an edge to add a vertex or click and drag a vertex to move it.

  • Page 71: Creating And Editing Control Objects

    To create a rounded rectangle frame, click the Round Rectangle Frame. Alternatively, select a filled round rectangle and click the Transparency button from the Control Bar. Click on the page to draw a rounded square, or click and drag to create a rounded rectangle of the required size.
  • Page 72 OMRON CHAPTER 4 – Objects Alarms are defined using the Alarm Editor; refer to chapter 8, Alarms for information on using the Alarm Editor. The Alarm Wizard allows entry of the alarm group filter, alarm status colour codes and various style attributes.

  • Page 73: Bar Chart

    Cancel pushbutton to leave the alarm object unchanged. Bar Chart Click the Chart button, then click or click and drag on the page to insert the Chart. To edit a Bar Chart, double click on it. The Chart Wizard dialog is displayed as follows: Page 50...
  • Page 74 Exit the Wizard by clicking the OK pushbutton to accept the new chart attributes, or click the Cancel pushbutton to leave the chart unchanged. To select the chart scaling, click the Scaling pushbutton; the Axis Scaling dialog is displayed as follows: Release 2.0...
  • Page 75 The Configuration Attributes fields can be altered by typing over the existing entries. The Style Attributes fields can be amended by clicking on the settings. Exit the Axis Scaling dialog by clicking the OK pushbutton to accept the scaling attributes, or click the Cancel pushbutton to leave them unchanged.

  • Page 76: Linear Gauge

    A Gauge provides a display of operational values. Click the Linear Gauge button, then click or click and drag on the page to insert the gauge. To edit a Linear Gauge object, double click on it. The Gauge Wizard dialog is displayed as follows: Release 2.0...
  • Page 77 The Wizard allows a pushbutton to be assigned a style or text or both to signify its purpose. To select a style, click on an option in the Button Style field. To enter button text, type in the Button Text field (the Style Attributes: dialog is automatically updated).

  • Page 78: Rotary Gauge

    OMRON CHAPTER 4 – Objects The colour of the coloured pushbutton is red by default, but can be changed by using the Palette. Rotary Gauge A Gauge provides a means of displaying the value of an operation or the value of a point.

  • Page 79: Scatter Graph

    CHAPTER 4 – Objects OMRON To select a style, click on an entry in the Gauge Style field. To select an Expression Attribute, click on the Browse pushbutton and select a point from the displayed list. The Select Required Item dialog is displayed;...
  • Page 80 Cancel pushbutton to leave the scatter graph unchanged. To configure the X axis, click the X-Axis pushbutton. To configure the Y-axis , click the Y-Axis pushbutton. The Axis Scaling dialog is displayed: Release 2.0...
  • Page 81 The Wizard allows entry of in the Slider Style:, Style Attributes: and Configuration Attributes: fields. To select a style, click on an option from the list box. The Style Attributes: can be either Display Vertical or Display Horizontal. To select a Boolean point, click on the Browse pushbutton and select a point from the displayed list.

  • Page 82: Toggle Button

    It also allows selection of a Boolean point. To select a style, click on an option from the list box. To enter button text, type in the Text fields for States 0 and 1, or select ON and OFF (the Style Attributes: dialog is automatically updated).
  • Page 83 CHAPTER 4 – Objects OMRON Only viable points can be viewed from a Select Required Item dialog. The list of items in the Point Names: field can be refined by selecting an option from the Group: field. Click the OK pushbutton to accept the new point or click the Cancel pushbutton to leave the point unchanged.

  • Page 84: Trend Graph

    To edit the Trend Graph, double click on it. The Trend Graph Wizard dialog is displayed as follows: The Wizard allows entry of Configuration Attributes: and assignment of line colours and expressions.
  • Page 85 Configuration Attributes: can be altered by typing over the existing entries. The Style Attributes: can be amended by clicking on the settings. Exit the Trend Graph Scaling dialog by clicking the OK pushbutton to accept the scaling attributes, or click the Cancel push button to leave unchanged.

  • Page 86: Manipulating Objects

    Web Server. The Web Browser object includes a Java Virtual Machine (JVM) allowing execution of Java Script and Java Applets. Double click the object to show the property page, and enter the file to be displayed either as a filename, or a fully qualified URL, for example with http: prefix.
  • Page 87 ‘dragged’ to their new location. Where objects are to be moved between pages, it is often useful to cut them without having to insert a new object. CX-Supervisor has the ability to cut and paste objects. Objects which are cut and pasted retain the properties assigned to them, for example animation or alarms.

  • Page 88: Mirror Image

    Further details on transparency are contained in chapter 1, Graphics Editor. Group When there are a number of objects together they can be moved around in a group, keeping their relative position. To group a number of objects, select them, activate the Edit menu and click on Group.

  • Page 89: Raise And Lower

    Objects inserted on a page can look messy unless they are aligned relative to each other. CX- Supervisor helps by allowing the contents of a page to align on a grid. The grid can be turned on and off as required.
  • Page 90 The alignment operations available at any one time vary according to the number of objects selected. Zoom It is often useful to be able to view an object in more detail. The Zoom option allows selected objects to be magnified up to four times their normal size.

  • Page 91: Applying Tooltips

    OMRON Applying Tooltips In the runtime environment, it is possible to provide instant help for the object currently selected by the cursor. This is achieved by tooltips that can be applied to all objects. In the development environment, select the object to apply a tooltip.

  • Page 92: Chapter 5 - Activex Objects

    Properties, Methods and Events. Properties are like settings, for example a control’s colour would be a property. Methods are like functions or actions that can be called for example a control might support a Redraw method. Events are actions the control may create, like OnLeftClick.

  • Page 93: Editing Properties At Design Time

    Draw a rectangle in the desired position Editing Properties at Design Time The properties of ActiveX objects can be edited during the design stage using the following procedure: 1, 2, 3… Open the ActiveX Property Browser by clicking the ActiveX Property Browser button in the toolbar or by selecting the ActiveX Property Browser option from the Utilities menu.
  • Page 94 In addition to editing properties with the Property Browser, many ActiveX controls support their own custom Property Pages. These may be accessed in design time by either double clicking the control, or right clicking the control and selecting Properties from the Object’s popup menu: Release 2.0...

  • Page 95: Reading And Writing Properties At Run Time

    This shows all the event types for this control and any parameters the event may pass, for example the code number of the key pressed. Select the event name to add or edit the script for, and click the square edit button.
  • Page 96 OMRON CHAPTER 5 – ActiveX Objects Note: In previous versions Event scripts could be added from the Animation Editor but the method above provides more efficiency as all event scripts are loaded just once on page initialisation. Release 2.0 Page 73...

  • Page 98: Chapter 6 - Projects

    A project may consist of many pages, or simply a single page. Projects may be built and tested within the CX-Supervisor development environment, and run “stand-alone” under the CX- Supervisor run-time environment.

  • Page 99: Creating A Project

    MS Excel, dBase, CSV Note: Once the limits shown are reached, no more of those objects can be created. Note: Remember that although either target can be chosen easily, you must purchase the correct USB Dongle in order to run Note: The CX-Supervisor Runtime no longer recognises Software Tokens, Hardlock (parallel port) dongles or USB Dongles from older versions.
  • Page 100 Alternatively, click the Project Info pushbutton to open the Project Information dialog, and enter a title and some descriptive text for the new project. For details of using the Project Information dialog refer to chapter 6, Project Information. Click the OK pushbutton on the New Project dialog to create the project.

  • Page 101: Amending A Project

    Saving a Project Once a project has been created it is wise to save it. It is good practice to ensure that projects are saved regularly, in case of an event such as a power failure. To save a project, select Save from the Project menu.

  • Page 102: Device Configuration

    Device Setup button from the toolbar. This results in the Setup Devices dialog being displayed. Creating a PLC Connection A new device can be added by clicking on the Add pushbutton on the Setup Devices dialog. Note: CX-Supervisor calls an external application to change PLC information. The functions described in the following paragraphs may differ slightly depending upon which application and version has been invoked.
  • Page 103 CHAPTER 6 – Projects OMRON Select the PLC from the Device Type: field. To add a temperature controller, select a temperature controller from the Device Type: field, e.g. E5AF-AH. See also Chapter 14 for details on other models. Clicking the Setup pushbutton results in the Device Type Settings dialog being displayed allowing the device type of the PLC to be configured.
  • Page 104 The Destination Network Address and Destination Node Number identify the connection point to the network. A PLC can be selected to act as a gateway to the PLC being edited; this list is restricted to the PLCs contained in the current project.

  • Page 105: Modifying A Plc Connection

    Device List on the Setup Devices dialog, and clicking the Modify pushbutton. This results in the Change PLC dialog being displayed. A new name can be entered in the PLC Name: field. If an invalid PLC name is entered, an error message is displayed on clicking the OK pushbutton.

  • Page 106: Accessing Plc Connection In Runtime

    CHAPTER 6 – Projects Accessing PLC Connection in Runtime It is possible to reconfigure PLCs at runtime via the right mouse button floating menu option PLC Maintenance List. The list of currently configured PLCs is displayed via the PLCs in Project dialog box.
  • Page 107 CHAPTER 6 – Projects OMRON Selection of the Communication Settings option displays the Communication Settings dialog, showing the current settings for the PLC: Page 84 Release 2.0...

  • Page 108: Settings

    General Settings Colour Palette A specific set of colours may be defined for use within a project. This may include a maximum of 66 unique colours. To adjust the colours, select General Settings from the Projects menu, and select Colour Palette from the sub-menu.

  • Page 109: Runtime Settings

    Project menu, displays the standard font dialog: This dialog is used to set the default font specification to be used for all text displayed on push buttons created using the graphics editor. Any button can also have its font changed from the default, using the relevant Wizard in the graphics editor.
  • Page 110 ♦ To select items in a specific tab order: use the <Tab> key to move around the page items in a specific order, using the ‘move to top’ feature. Start at object number 1 and end with the last object, i.e.
  • Page 111 Alternative additional keys have been added to compensate for this. They are the number pad cursor keys (i.e. 2, 4, 6, and 8). However, these can only be used when the <Num Lock> key is on.
  • Page 112 OMRON CHAPTER 6 – Projects Any conversion problems are reported in the Notes at the bottom and conversion is prevented if it is not allowed. Non-Volatile Rate The Non-Volatile rate specifies how often the value of points flagged as ‘non-volatile’ are saved to disk, in seconds.
  • Page 113 OMRON Screen Size To open the Screen Size dialog, select Screen Size from the Runtime Settings menu. The dialog is displayed as follows: Type valid values into the Screen Width: and Screen Height: fields. These values are used to define the screen size of the runtime application, but do not affect Maximise and Minimise dialog states.
  • Page 114 The values shown above are sensible defaults. In the Alarm Status Messages area, if the User Defined Text option is set, default messages for Raised Text, Cleared Text, Acknowledge Text, and Auto Acknowledge Text can be applied. If the Use Language File Text option is set, the alarm status messages default to the supplied language file.
  • Page 115 The dialog is displayed as follows: Set the Maximum entries in Event/Error field and the Automatically Display Event/Error Log on: options as desired. Click the OK pushbutton to accept the changes, or the Cancel pushbutton to abort. In the runtime environment, the Event/Error Log dialog can be displayed at any time.
  • Page 116 OMRON CHAPTER 6 – Projects The events can be sorted, based on a designated field type: date, time, reported by, priority or associated message. By selecting the Date field, the events are sorted alphanumerically by date. The Time, Reported by, Pri/Event and Message fields react in the same way. The Event/Error Log display shows the log listed in date order.

  • Page 117: Language Settings

    Examples of events are system startup, system shutdown and user security notices. The Print button prints the current contents of the error and event log. Ensure that the printer is correctly set up before printing.

  • Page 118: Advanced Settings

    The enclosing characters associated with a report can be changed via the Point Substitution Settings dialog. Once set, these characters must be fixed for all reports generated by the project. Select Runtime Settings from the Projects menu, followed by Point Substitution Settings to display the Point Substitution Settings dialog.
  • Page 119 This could indicate a communication failure, or Bad Quality status in an OPC Server. If you may need to option to edit the PLC settings in the runtime without recompiling in the developer then untick the “Embed CX-Server Project within CX-Supervisor .SR2 file” option. This is useful for example if it is possible the COM port driver number may change, remote telephone number or network node number or even the PLC CPU model.

  • Page 120: Runtime Security

    Runtime Security Configured Users In a runtime application, it is possible to apply security measures in the development environment so that only sufficiently privileged users of the runtime application can access certain elements. It is also possible to housekeep security information within the runtime environment, with privileged users able to add, amend or remove users.
  • Page 121 In the runtime application, to make use of the designated privilege, the user must log in. Login can be accessed in a variety of ways, and so is dependent on the setup of the runtime application. Some applications may require login as soon as the application is run, others may allow login from a context-sensitive floating menu.

  • Page 122: Menu Option Access Levels

    ‘*’ symbol. This is so that a new user can apply their own password, and that only they know the password. Verification is required to ensure the password was typed correctly in the first instance.

  • Page 123: Exit Level

    General, Utilities and Communications. It is also possible to assign a level of user privilege to the menu, so each level of user sees a different floating menu. This is achieved by selecting a user privilege from the relative drop down list. The Communications tab permits the activation of CX-Server components such as the PLC Data Trace and PLC Memory Card components.

  • Page 124: Save Runtime As

    CHAPTER 6 – Projects Save Runtime As Once the project has been compiled and run, the compiled version of the project may be saved into another directory location or onto another disc for issue to the target equipment. CX-Supervisor asks for a location and name for the runtime project.

  • Page 125: Project Information

    Project Information Information may be stored concerning a project, by using the Project Information dialog. This dialog may be accessed, either when a project is first created, from the New Project dialog, or by selecting Information from the Project menu.

  • Page 126: Find

    OMRON CHAPTER 6 – Projects The 3 columns are seperated by tabs and are the Alias text to be used, the actual value to be used and an optional comment, (starting with ‘ character) respectively Find The project can be searched to find occurrences of text or a point name. It can also be used to search for text within script e.g.

  • Page 127: Output Window

    Output Window The output window shows output from the Build and Find functions. The window can be docked to any side of the screen or floated above other windows. To enforce floating, press <Ctrl> while moving the window. Build results are shown automatically during building and remain on screen if there are errors or warnings.

  • Page 128: Project Editor

    The Project Editor provides a window into the contents of a project. It lists all the pages currently comprising a project, and allows for pages to be moved into or out of projects. An example of the Project Editor dialog is shown as follows: The Project Editor consists of a control bar and a display area.

  • Page 129: Opening A Page Via The Project Editor

    Selecting Pages for Display on Run When a project is run the first pages to be displayed can be selected. To display a page when a project is run, open the Project Editor, select the page by clicking on its description and click the Display Page Upon Run button on the toolbar.

  • Page 130: Viewing Project Details

    Standard multiple-selection facilities can be used within the Project Editor. To select an additional line hold the control key down while clicking; to select all lines between the anchor line (the last line clicked on) and another line hold the <Shift> key down while clicking. The buttons can then be used to apply to all the selected lines at the same time.

  • Page 131: Using Full Screen Mode

    Selecting Full Screen from the View menu shows the Pages area using the full area of the screen. The normal menu appears when the mouse is at the top of the screen, or click the “Close Full Screen” to revert to normal editing.

  • Page 132: Chapter 7 - Graphics Library

    Library and can be removed or copied, allowing quick addition of frequently used objects to pages or which appear in a project a number of times. Libraries are not project dependant, so objects can be copied from one project to another.

  • Page 133: Opening A Library

    CHAPTER 7 – Graphics Library OMRON Enter the name of the new Library file and click the OK pushbutton, or cancel the addition of the Library by clicking on the Cancel pushbutton. If an object is dragged into the Library without a Library file open, then the Add New Library dialog is displayed.

  • Page 134: Manipulating Objects

    (this is the name used by the Library). Enter a text description in the Description: field and an identifier for the object (this is used when it is inserted on a page) in the Identifier: field.

  • Page 135: Modify Library Element

    Using a Graphic Library Object in the Graphics Editor A library object can be added to the Graphics Editor in the same way that the Graphics Editor is used to build libraries, by dragging from one dialog to another. Once a library object is added to the Graphics Editor, it can be further modified since each library object is simply a group of objects.

  • Page 136: Default Graphic Library Objects

    The *.MAT files reside in the same directory as the CX-Supervisor application. Using file utilities on the PC, it is possible to copy one or more *.MAT files onto a diskette or a network, and transfer them to a CX-Supervisor directory on another PC. Consult the Microsoft Windows User Guide for details on copying files.
  • Page 137 CHAPTER 7 – Graphics Library OMRON Page 114 Release 2.0...

  • Page 138: Chapter 8 - Alarms

    Alarms range from incidental to catastrophic in nature. In runtime, the occurrence of an alarm condition, and any subsequent change of state, is recorded in a log file known as the Alarm History log.
  • Page 139 (respectively) displays automatically in runtime when an alarm occurs. Set the Maximum entries in Status and Maximum entries in History Log fields to the desired values. The numbers specify how many messages are displayed in the respective viewer dialogs in runtime.

  • Page 140: Viewing The Contents Of The Alarm Database

    Choosing a waveform file with this dialog does not in itself cause the warning sound to be heard when an alarm is raised. To hear the audible warning for any alarm, the Play Sound setting in the alarm definition must be ticked. Also, the PC on which CX-Supervisor is running must be equipped with a suitable sound card and audio capability.

  • Page 141: Creating A New Alarm

    A summary of alarm information is available by selecting the Display Information on Alarms button from the toolbar. The resultant dialog shows an overall summary and a breakdown on the number of alarms per type. To exit the dialog, click the Close pushbutton. The Alarm Information dialog is shown as follows:...

  • Page 142: Alarm Header Information

    Alarm Header Information The name of the alarm is entered in the Name: field. The alarm name can be constructed of up to 20 alphanumeric characters. Any other characters, including spaces, generate an audible error, or an Invalid Alarm Name entered message. This field is visible from the Alarm Editor dialog.
  • Page 143 For a Simple alarm, the following attributes are displayed: An expression based on a point is entered in the Expression: field. The alarm is raised once the point meets the expression. The alarm is cleared when the point value subsequently fails to meet the expression.
  • Page 144 OMRON CHAPTER 8 – Alarms A point may be inserted into any of the alarm types’ Expression: field by either typing in the point name or by selecting the Browse pushbutton, which results in the Select Required Item dialog being displayed, at the position where a point should be inserted.

  • Page 145: Updating An Existing Alarm

    To modify an existing alarm, highlight the alarm entry from the alarm list and select the Modify Alarm button from the toolbar. This results in the Modify Alarm dialog being displayed (a dialog based on the Add Alarm dialog), as shown below: Page 122 Release 2.0...

  • Page 146: Copying An Existing Alarm Definition

    It is possible to copy many alarms at once by highlighting all the desired alarms in the alarm list. Press and hold the <Ctrl> key and use the mouse to select alarm definitions one by one, or press and hold the <Shift> key and use the mouse to select blocks of alarm definitions. Once the desired alarms have been highlighted, the alarm definitions may be copied and pasted in the usual way.

  • Page 147: Alarm Reporting In Runtime

    Alarm messages are queued so that as each message is acknowledged, the next in the queue becomes visible. If a new alarm occurs which has higher or equal priority the details are updated to show this newer/more important alarm first. The dialog disappears when there are no further alarm messages to be reported.

  • Page 148: Current Alarms

    Alarm messages recorded in the log can be displayed using the Alarm History dialog. The Alarm History dialog can be accessed in a variety of ways, and is dependant on the setup of the runtime application. Some applications may allow access to the dialog via the context-sensitive floating menu, whilst others may allow access via a pushbutton.
  • Page 149 OMRON This dialog always shows the log listed in date and time order. The widths of the alarm fields can be widened or narrowed as required using the mouse to drag the column boundaries. The Print Contents of Alarm Log View toolbar button causes the messages in the Alarm History dialog to be printed.

  • Page 150: Chapter 9 - Animation

    Animations are actioned using the values or states of one or more points. For example, an integer point is assigned to an object, the colour of the object is black when the value of the point is “0”. The system causes the value of the point to be changed to the value “5”, which changes the colour of the object to red.
  • Page 151 Page Actions. When opening the Animation Editor whilst no selection is made, the Actions field defaults to Project Actions. The actions that may be applied to an object are dependant on the type of object selected. Only one type of action, Execute Script, can be applied to a Page or Project script.

  • Page 152: View Mode

    Animation Editor dialogs. Highlight part or all of a field and type <Ctrl>+X to cut the text or <Ctrl>+C to copy the text; insert the cursor at the desired dialog field and type <Ctrl>+V to paste the text. Since the cut and copy operations store the information in the Windows Clipboard, it may be pasted to another dialog or application.
  • Page 153 Actions cannot refer to graphical objects that appear in other pages. In other words, page scripts are used to drive a number of actions on the occurrence of a particular event. An example of page script code is as follows:...
  • Page 154 The script is defined using the Execute Script entry in the Animation Editor list. Objects One object or a selection of objects defined as a group are animated in a number of ways (refer to chapter 1, Graphics Editor for applicable objects): ♦...
  • Page 155 Refer to chapter 1, Graphics Editor for further details. In addition, an object can be animated in the form of a script. A script is made up of one or more statements. An example of object script code is as follows:...

  • Page 156: Printing The Animation Editor

    Refer to chapter 2, Pages regarding the use of the Print dialog. Runtime Actions Script A script, controlling the actions of an object, page or project can be created and updated using the Script Editor dialog. Release 2.0 Page 133...
  • Page 157 To access the Script Editor dialog to add an action, select Execute Script from the animation list and click on the Add Action button on the toolbar. To access the Script Editor to modify an action, select Execute Script from the animation list and click on the Modify Action button on the toolbar.
  • Page 158 Only relevant points are listed in the Point Names: field. Select the desired point from the Point Names: list, and click the OK pushbutton. Clicking the Cancel pushbutton aborts the selection. To add a new point click the Add Point pushbutton; for details on adding a point refer to chapter 3, Points.

  • Page 159: Execution Attributes

    CHAPTER 9 – Animation OMRON Use the Select Required Object dialog to assign an object to an action. It is accessed from an entry in the script code. This results in the Select Required Object dialog being displayed: Select an object from the Object Names: field. Click the OK pushbutton to proceed, or the Cancel pushbutton to abort.

  • Page 160: Script Code

    If an invalid time is entered, an error message is displayed when the OK pushbutton is clicked. Script Code Script code is entered in the script code text field. To start a new line, press <Return>. Refer to the Script Language Manual for explicit details regarding the construction and syntax of script code.
  • Page 161 CHAPTER 9 – Animation OMRON Scripts can be generated either by typing directly into the script code text field or by using the pull down menu commands. When using the pull down menu commands the user is assisted in the completion of the parameters to the command via a series of dialogs.

  • Page 162: Script Completion

    In this example, the error is caused by a spurious ‘ENDIF’. This dialog informs the user where an error has occurred and its type. If necessary, use the scroll bars to see the whole error message. Click the OK pushbutton to remove the Compilation Error(s) dialog and return to the Script Editor to fix the error.

  • Page 163: Horizontal Move

    Maximum Value. The Minimum Offset specifies the number of pixels to the left (from its initial position) that the object moves, when the result of the expression reaches the Minimum Value. A value within the maximum and minimum values results in a proportionate movement between the left and right positions.

  • Page 164: Resize Width

    OMRON CHAPTER 9 – Animation To define the animation, an expression based on the status of a point must be entered in the Expression: field. The boundaries in which the object moves are inserted into the Active Expression Range/Required Position: fields. The Maximum Offset specifies the number of pixels upwards (from its initial position) that the object moves, when the result of the expression reaches the Maximum Value.

  • Page 165: Resize Height

    The resizing also requires an anchor and direction in which to stretch or shrink. This can be specified as the left of the object, right of the object or centrally to the object, by selecting the appropriate Justification: setting.

  • Page 166: Horizontal Percentage Fill

    The resizing also requires an anchor and direction in which to stretch or shrink. This can be specified as the top of the object, bottom of the object or centrally to the object, by selecting the appropriate Justification: setting.

  • Page 167: Vertical Percentage Fill

    (Vertical) dialog to modify an action, select Percentage Fill (Vertical) from the animation list and click the Modify Action button on the toolbar. Refer to chapter 9, Objects, for a list of the objects to which this action is applicable.

  • Page 168: Display Page

    The page entry now appears in the Pages to be Displayed: list. More than one page can be selected for display. If a selected page is no longer required, select the entry from the Pages to be Displayed: list, and click on the Remove pushbutton.
  • Page 169 On selection of the Close Page action, the Close Page dialog is displayed: To specify a page for removal, select a page from the Available Pages: list and click on the Add pushbutton. The page now appears in the Pages to be Closed: list. Multiple pages can be selected for removal.
  • Page 170 (Analogue) dialog to modify an action, select Colour Change (Analogue) from the animation list and click the Modify Action button on the toolbar. Refer to chapter 9, Objects, for a list of the objects to which this action is applicable.
  • Page 171 For example, choose the colour blue for the first colour, and the value 20 for the first threshold. The object then changes to blue until the value reaches 20, at which point it changes to the second colour. To apply the change to the frame of the object, select the Apply colour changes to object frame setting.
  • Page 172 An object can be rotated about its centre. Specify this using the Rotate dialog. To access the Rotate dialog to add an action, select Rotate from the animation list and click the Add Action button on the toolbar. To access the Rotate dialog to modify an action, select Rotate from the animation list and click the Modify Action button on the toolbar.
  • Page 173 Add Action button on the toolbar. To access the Visibility dialog to modify an action, select Visibility from the animation list and click the Modify Action button on the toolbar. For a list of the objects to which this action is applicable refer to chapter 9, Objects.
  • Page 174 Add Action button on the toolbar. To access the Display Value (Digital) dialog to modify an action, select Display Status Text from the animation list and click the Modify Action button on the toolbar. For a list of the objects to which this action is applicable refer to chapter 9, Objects.
  • Page 175 Text for Boolean State 0 and Boolean State 1 are entered in the State 0 Text: field and State 1 Text: field. To abort the Display Status Text edit, click the Cancel pushbutton. By clicking the Browse pushbutton, a point may be directly specified, as described in chapter 9, Runtime Actions.
  • Page 176 To include a ‘#’ character as part of the text, insert it as an escape character. For example, to display ‘Box # 1’ type ‘Box \# #’. Only hashes typed to the left of the # required for value display need escape characters, since the first hash without an escape character is taken to be the point at which the value should be displayed.
  • Page 177 A Boolean point must be entered. This is typed into the Boolean Point: field. A text string to use as the caption of a user dialog can be entered in the Caption: field. The range of input for the value, and the representations of Boolean State 0 and Boolean State 1 are specified in the State 0 Text: field and State 1 Text: field.
  • Page 178 (Analogue) dialog to modify an action, select Edit Point Value (Analogue) from the animation list and click the Modify Action button on the toolbar. For a list of the objects to which this action is applicable refer to chapter 9, Objects.
  • Page 179 When a value is edited, a Numeric Keypad dialog is displayed which allows editing by clicking on screen. If the In Place Edit option is checked, instead of the popup editing dialog, the value can be edited on the page in a standard Windows edit box.
  • Page 180 On selection of the Edit Point Value (Text) action, dialog is displayed: A text point must be entered. This is typed into the Text Point: field. A text string to use as the caption of a user dialog can be entered in the Caption: field. Selecting the Echo Off setting ensures that text typed at runtime appears hidden as asterisks.

  • Page 181: Common Colour Palette

    Common Colour Palette If an object or action has a colour associated with it, the colour can be changed by clicking on the sample of the colour in the dialog which describes the object or action. The Colour Palette dialog is displayed so that a new colour can be specified.
  • Page 182 Colour Name: field. The selected colour within the palette can be mixed by using the red, blue and green scroll bars to the right of the palette. Each colour in the colour palette is numbered from 0 to 65, number 0 located in the top-left position of the palette, with numbers reading consecutively across, then down, with colour number 65 in the bottom-right position of the palette.
  • Page 183 CHAPTER 9 – Animation OMRON Page 160 Release 2.0...

  • Page 184: Chapter 10 - Recipes

    What is a Recipe? A recipe is a means of preparing a sequence of steps which can be repeated verbatim as and when required. A typical use for a recipe is to initialise some point data values prior to the commencement of a particular operation under the control of a CX-Supervisor project.

  • Page 185: Viewing Recipes In The Recipe Editor

    The Recipe Editor allows the creation, editing, copying and deletion of recipe definitions. To use the Recipe Editor, CX-Supervisor must currently have a project open. If no project is currently open, select Open from the Project menu to open a previously saved project, or select New from the Project menu to create a new project.

  • Page 186: Creating A New Recipe

    Creating a New Recipe Open the Recipe Editor as described in chapter 10, Viewing Recipes in the Recipe Editor. To add a new recipe, select the Add Recipe button from the toolbar. This results in the Add Recipe dialog being displayed.

  • Page 187: Recipe Configuration Attributes

    Quantity/Expression field is used to define the value which is assigned to the point by this ingredient. This may be a fixed value, such as 50 as in the above expression, or it may be any valid CX- Supervisor script language expression featuring one or more point names.

  • Page 188: Recipe Validation

    Recipe Validation Recipe validation is an optional safety check which may be made in runtime as the recipe is about to be downloaded. If the validation fails, the recipe is not downloaded. If no validation is required, make sure the Validate Recipe Before Download setting is set to ‘OFF’.

  • Page 189: Updating An Existing Recipe

    The point value being checked is the value of the ingredient about to be downloaded, or the current point value if the point is not an ingredient of the recipe being downloaded.
  • Page 190 To modify an existing recipe, highlight the recipe entry from the recipe list and select the Modify Recipe button from the toolbar. This results in the Modify Recipe dialog being displayed, a dialog based on the Add Recipe dialog, as shown below: The selected recipe can be redefined as described in chapter 10, Creating a New Recipe.

  • Page 191: Copying An Existing Recipe Definition

    It is possible to copy many recipes at once by highlighting all the desired recipes in the recipe list. Press and hold the <Ctrl> key and use the mouse to select recipe definitions one by one, or press and hold the <Shift> key and use the mouse to select blocks of recipe definitions. Once the desired recipes have been highlighted, the recipe definitions may be copied and pasted in the usual way.

  • Page 192: Printing Recipes

    To do this, display the Recipe Editor dialog as described earlier and then highlight the appropriate recipe from the list of recipes. Click the Print Recipe button on the toolbar to send a copy of the recipe to the printer. The recipe is formatted similar to the following example: Recipe: Coffee(British) Description: Makes weak, washy, British style coffee.

  • Page 193: Using Recipes In Runtime

    Recipe Viewer. Recipes may be downloaded using the Recipe Viewer. Recipe Viewer The Recipe Viewer can be displayed in one of two ways in the runtime environment. It may be displayed by any CX-Supervisor script code attached, for example, to a pushbutton. The function call is simply ‘DisplayRecipes()’.
  • Page 194 OMRON CHAPTER 10 – Recipes This runtime version of the dialog is rather more limited in the power it offers than the equivalent dialog in the development environment; this is so that recipes which have been painstakingly created in the development environment cannot be accidentally overwritten or destroyed in the runtime environment.

  • Page 195: Downloading A Recipe

    Recipe Editor. Note that it is possible to change the name of an existing recipe in runtime simply by typing a new name in the Recipe Name: field of the Modify Recipe dialog and then clicking the OK pushbutton.

  • Page 196: Uploading A Recipe

    Uploading a Recipe There are two ways of uploading a recipe definition in runtime. The first method is to use a CX- Supervisor script function attached to a graphical object on a page, such as a push button. The function call is: UpLoadRecipe(“<NameOfRecipe>“)
  • Page 197 “The recipe failed its validation checks. Upload aborted”. Each recipe upload must be completed before another can be started. If a recipe upload is already in progress when another is started, the following error message appears: “A recipe Upload or Download is currently in progress”.

  • Page 198: Chapter 11 - Data Logging

    Microsoft Excel. The recorded events are stored in one or more Data Sets, which can then be viewed using the Data Log Viewer. The events to be recorded are defined by the developer and any number of Data Sets may be used to record specific areas or types of events either automatically at runtime or as specified by the developer.
  • Page 199 The functionality of the Items is determined by their expression. If the expression is a single point name, the item is shown as the same type as the point as configured in the point editor, i.e. memory, input, output or input/output. If the expression contains calculations, constants and/or multiple point names, the item is shown as a script calculation.

  • Page 200: Editing Item Properties

    The Period fields allow a period to be entered in Hours, Days, or Months and defines the period of data to be grouped into a single file. For example, if the Period is set to 1 month, any data logged for the current month is saved to the same data file, even when the system is stopped and restarted.
  • Page 201 The Item Name field allows the Item to be given a meaningful name. The entry should be kept short but also be logical for clarification. A maximum of 26 characters is allowed.

  • Page 202: Sample Rate

    Data Set Group and then pasted into another. As Item names within a Data Set must be unique, when a copied Item is pasted back into the same Data Set the name is given a numerical suffix.

  • Page 203: Data Logging At Runtime

    All data logging is performed on Items, which are stored in a Data Set. The System can contain many Data Sets and each Data Set can contain many Items. Each Data Set will have its own set of files when the System is run (see the chapter 11, File Management). The amount of data that is stored in a single Data Set file is determined by the specified period when the Data Set is created.
  • Page 204 ‘Live’ file and the previous file is now known as a ‘Dead’ log file. Over a period of time there can be many ‘Dead’ files in a Data Set but only one live one. If a limit has been set on the number of dead files to be kept when this number is reached the oldest file will be purged automatically as each new file is created.
  • Page 205 Invalid files are not part of the Data Set files and can not be purged or found by the File Management ‘next’ or ‘previous’ searches. The data recorded in these files is not lost and can be viewed using the Data Log Viewer and exported from them using Export Log.

  • Page 206: Data Records

    ..The first file will only contain 1 hour of data, all subsequent files contain the full 24 hours of data. 3) Data Set period = Months If a Data Set named Shifts starts logging at 22:00 on 29...

  • Page 207: Invoking The Data Log Viewer

    The Data Log Viewer can be invoked by Selecting Data Log Viewer from the popup menu (if privileged) in the runtime. From script function ‘OpenLogView’ with the Data Set and Traces to show as arguments, and also closed by ‘CloseLogView’ script function.

  • Page 208: Remote Data Log Viewer

    Data Set. ♦ On start-up, a dialog allowing selection of traces to view from the Data Set will be shown. Up to 10 analogue traces and 50 digital traces may be shown at once. Alternatively, script parameters can be used to automatically select the traces to show.

  • Page 209: Data Log Export Facilities

    Data Log Export Facilities Exporting Data via the Export Dialog All the export facilities described in the ExportLog function can be carried out from the Export dialog, which can be invoked from the CX-Supervisor right menu, script or the Data Log Viewer:...

  • Page 210: Single Selections

    During the generation of files then obviously duplication of names can occur. To avoid this the following convention is used: “_nnn” will be appended to any duplicate filenames, to make them unique, where nnn = 1 to 999. (If you run out numbers the export will fail, tidying up will remedy the problem).

  • Page 211: Data Logging

    Data Logging Overview As well as the inbuilt datalogging features, it is also possible to log data directly to an existing Database. This provides direct storage of data in third party format, allowing for easy analysis using familiar tools, and there is no need for scripts to export data. However slower speed means logging to a database may be unsuitable for tasks with large data throughput or high logging speed.

  • Page 212: Add Database Link Dialog

    CHAPTER 11 – Data Logging Add Database Link Dialog The Add Database Link dialog show below is show when the 'Add Db Link...' menu option is selected from the Data Log editor, and the identical Modify Database Link dialog when the 'Edit' menu is selected.

  • Page 213: Add Field Link Dialog

    Data Type Set the type of the data to be stored. For a point, this is automatically set to the same as the point type when selected using the Browse button. However, for an expression this must be specified, for example, an expression $Second / 3 will create a Real value, but the required data may be just the integer part, so the Data Type would be set to Integer.
  • Page 214 However, the desired action may be to change several fields, and then log the new values to a single record. To achieve this action, the 'Trigger on change of value' should be checked for all fields within a record that may be read or calculated at different times.

  • Page 216: Chapter 12 - Databases

    CX-Supervisor Database facilities provide fast, transparent access to many different data sources, via a database technology called ADO. Database design is not covered here, as it is a large subject explained fully in any of the many books available. It is assumed that developers using these database facilities have a working knowledge of databases.

  • Page 217: Configuring A Connection

    CHAPTER 12 – Databases OMRON This editor is unique in CX-Supervisor, in that actual database connections can be tested online in the Development Environment. The ability to connect online also has the added benefit of providing assistance in creating objects lower down in the hierarchy. This editor has been designed to enable a large proportion of the database functionality, to be performed automatically (i.e.
  • Page 218 For convenience, a unique Connection name is created automatically. This can be changed to give a more meaningful description of the connection, if required. Data Source Enter the database file to be used as a Data Source, or locate using the Browse button. The following data source file types are supported: ♦...

  • Page 219: Testing Connections In The Development Environment

    ‘Show Last Error’. Whenever an error is generated by a Data Provider a description of the error and its source will be displayed in a Dialog. The ‘Show Last Error’ option is specific to each Connection.
  • Page 220 User Id and Passwords If a connection to a database requires a user id or password, this can be supplied by means of the connection string, which can be modified via the Advanced Dialog as follows: If you make a mistake while editing the ‘connection string’, the original string can be restored by selecting the ‘Build Connection String’...

  • Page 221: Creating A Data Source Name File

    Creating a Data Source Name file A Data Source Name file (or DSN for short) stores information about a database connection in a file. The file has the extension .DSN and by default is stored in the "$\Program Files\Common Files\ODBC\Data Sources"...
  • Page 222 Driver={Microsoft Excel Driver (*.xls)}; DBQ=C:\WorkBook.xls; ReadOnly=False; Excel files can also be updated by accessing the file via the ODBC DSN driver. This is achieved by carrying out the following steps: ♦ Create a File DSN for the required Excel file with the following options (see Chapter 12, Creating a Data Source Name file) ♦...
  • Page 223 OMRON ♦ Add a Recordset to the connection and select the Named Range (which will appear in the list of available tables, if the connection is live) as the Table name. Records in this table can now be added or modified as with any other database table (Note: If records are added to this type of table the Named Range will increase in size accordingly automatically).

  • Page 224: Configuring Recordsets

    Connections to CSV or Text files using the Provider installed with ADO version 2.0, like Excel files, are also read only hence Records can not be added or amended. However, CSV and Text files can be updated by converting the data into an Excel spreadsheet and accessing the file via the ODBC DSN driver.
  • Page 225 This will bring up a dialog with a list of all valid files in the ‘Directory’ specified for the Connection. After choosing a file and exiting from the ‘Build SQL’ dialog the required SQL Text is built. In the above example, the file ‘Tables.txt’...

  • Page 226: Configuring Field Associations

    Recordset, thus enabling data transfers to be made between Points and Records. By creating a Field Association for each field in a record, data can easily be read from a record in the database to its associated points, and written from the points to the current record in the database.

  • Page 227: Field Property

    CHAPTER 12 – Databases OMRON Point The name of the point that will be used in data transfers. The Browse button may be used to select a current point, or add a new one. Field The name of the Recordset field to be associated with the above point. If the Recordset is open, this list will automatically show all available fields.

  • Page 228: Configuring Parameter Associations

    Array point used in Field Associations, i.e. if an array point with 10 elements is used then a page size of 10 will be used. In order for paging to work sensibly, you should ensure that all array points used in multiple field associations for a particular Recordset are of the same size.
  • Page 229 When unchecked, the constant Value specified is passed as the parameter to the query. When checked, the current value of the point is passed as the parameter. Point The name of the point to be used. The Browse button may be used to select a current point, or add a new one. Value The constant value to be used.

  • Page 230: Configuring Schemas

    The information to be returned from the Provider is determined by specifying a Schema Type and a Criteria. The Criteria argument is an array of values that can be used to limit the results of a schema query. Each Schema type has a different set of Criteria that it supports.

  • Page 231: Read On Connection

    Preview If the Connection is live, then the Preview button will be enabled on the dialog, which allows you to view the results of the configured Schema. The Schema ‘Type’, ‘Criteria’ and ‘Filter’ values can be modified at Runtime via the DBSchema() function.
  • Page 232 OMRON CHAPTER 12 – Databases GRANTEE Schema Columns TABLE_CATALOG TABLE_SCHEMA TABLE_NAME COLUMN_NAME Schema Constraint Column Usage TABLE_CATALOG TABLE_SCHEMA TABLE_NAME COLUMN_NAME Schema Constraint Table Usage TABLE_CATALOG TABLE_SCHEMA TABLE_NAME Schema Foreign Keys PK_TABLE_CATALOG PK_TABLE_SCHEMA PK_TABLE_NAMEFK_TABLE_CATALOG FK_TABLE_SCHEMA FK_TABLE_NAME Schema Indexes TABLE_CATALOG TABLE_SCHEMA INDEX_NAME...
  • Page 233 CHAPTER 12 – Databases OMRON PROCEDURE_NAME PROCEDURE_TYPE Schema Provider Specific See Remarks Schema Provider Types DATA_TYPE BEST_MATCH Schema Referential Constraints CONSTRAINT_CATALOG CONSTRAINT_SCHEMA CONSTRAINT_NAME Schema Schemata CATALOG_NAME SCHEMA_NAME SCHEMA_OWNER Schema SQL Languages <none> Schema Table Constraints CONSTRAINT_CATALOG CONSTRAINT_SCHEMA CONSTRAINT_NAME TABLE_CATALOG TABLE_SCHEMA...

  • Page 234: Using Transactions

    Criteria constraints listed above for those schema queries. Using Transactions Modifications of data in the database i.e. adding, modifying and deleting records, can be grouped so that all modifications take place at the same time. This group of modifications is called a Transaction.

  • Page 235: Saving Recordsets As Xml

    XML, however, allows developers to define an unlimited set of tags, bringing great flexibility to authors, who can decide which data to use and determine its appropriate standard or custom tags.

  • Page 236: Simple Relation Hierarchy Example

    After successfully adding a Datashape Recordset it is now possible to add a Child Recordset to the existing Recordset by selecting the right menu option ‘Add Recordset’ which will now be enabled. If the Connection is ‘Live’ a list of valid child recordset names will be entered in the Source ComboBox ♦...

  • Page 237: Compound Relation Hierarchy Example

    RELATE orderid TO orderid)) AS rsOrders RELATE customerid TO customerid) In addition to the Simple Relation Hierarchy example, the Order ID is now used to create a recordset containing the order details for the shown order. Hierarchy with Aggregate example:...

  • Page 238: Multiple Groupings Example

    COMPUTE rsOrders, SUM(rsOrders.OrderTotal) AS CustTotal, ANY(rsOrders.contactname) AS Contact customerid Note: The inner SHAPE clause in this example is identical to the statement used in the Hierarchy with Aggregate example. Multiple Groupings example: SHAPE (SHAPE {select customers.*, od.unitprice * od.quantity as ExtendedPrice from (customers inner join orders on customers.customerid = orders.customerid) inner join...

  • Page 239: Grouped Parent Related To Grouped Child Example

    Note: The missing BY clause in the outer summary. This defines the Grand Total because the parent rowset contains a single record with the grand total and a pointer to the child recordset. Grouped Parent Related to Grouped Child example:...

  • Page 240: Chapter 13 - Multilingual Features

    Runtime. Users of each section have different needs and so these sections function completely separately. For example, it is possible to develop an application in any language, but this does not affect which language the user must use at runtime in any way.

  • Page 241: Development Features

    The developer will be required to create the runtime application to run in at least 1 language. This is often English but does not have to be. It could be the same language as the developer or even a completely different language for the end user. All translations for all system text, like dialogs and menus, are installed automatically.

  • Page 242: Setting The Default Language

    User defined text entered at development time (like button captions, static text like “Value =”, graph titles etc.) can be exported to a text file for easy translation into as many additional languages as required. At runtime the user can then change languages dynamically i.e. without having to exit and restart the application.

  • Page 243: Changing Language At Runtime

    • Chart and Graph titles The system always loads user defined text from files with the file name exactly the same as the language selection, and extension “.UDT”. The file names for installed languages are: English, Czech, Danish, Deutsch, Español, Finnish, French, Italiano, Nederlands (België), Norwegian, Polish, Português, Russian, Slovenija, Srpski and Swedish.

  • Page 244: Translating User Defined Text With The Translation Tool

    Notepad, select Save As and choose Encoding “Unicode” and change the extension to UDT. Note: If both a UDT and old style USL file are present the Runtime will load and use translations from the newer UDT file. Translating User Defined text with the Translation Tool At any time during development, select Translation Tool from the Tools menu.

  • Page 245: Translating User Defined Text Manually

    Red as below, as if the Application text is missing. Note: Where there are translations for text that is not in the Application Text, the whole row is shown in Red. To correct this problem either copy the old translations to the correct row, or just delete the unwanted translation.

  • Page 246: Configuring Windows For Language Support

    The object ID (e.g. “Text_1”) is optional but can be supplied if specific text requires different translations for different objects. For example “Run” in English could be used as a verb on a button, and as static text for a run number. In this case different translations can be supplied depending on the object.

  • Page 247: Windows 2000

    If some extended characters in standard Windows controls (like listboxes, editboxes etc) appear as solid boxes it may be necessary to select the required language on the Advanced tab for Language for non-Unicode programs. Microsoft does not document the reason for this.
  • Page 248 OMRON CHAPTER 13 – Multilingual Features Note: As always, when updating the format of the project file to a new file version always keep a copy of the old project for backup purposes. Note: For the conversion process to work properly, and all extended characters to be correctly converted it is vital that the conversion takes place while the computer is configured to correctly display these characters.
  • Page 249 CX-Supervisor version and confirming all characters are correctly shown Install the new CX-Supervisor version and load the old project. Open each page and select “File menu|Save Page” to force the pages to be written in the new Unicode format Select “Project menu|Save”...

  • Page 250: Data Log Viewer

    Runtime application, it automatically starts in the same language as the runtime application. If it is started from the “Start” button, it always starts in English. The language can be selected from the standard dialog from the menu “Options|Language Settings”.

  • Page 251: Popup Keyboard Layout

    The layout of characters shown on the Alphanumeric popup keyboard can be set for existing or new languages. The layout is updated when a new language is selected. All keyboard layouts are saved in files with .KBD extension and have the same name as the selected language.

  • Page 252: Chapter 14 - Using Cx-Supervisor As An Opc Client

    Instead of having to learn how to use 100 or more custom toolkits, users will only have to learn one set of tools, because all OPC drivers will work the same way. OPC’s purpose is to compel the automation industry suppliers to push all device drivers toward a standard form.

  • Page 253: A Brief History Of Opc Data Access

    OMRON A Brief History of OPC Data Access In the early 1990s a group of people from several important companies involved in the creation of SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) systems began meeting at Microsoft’s headquarters in Redmond. Their interests focused on the use of the Windows operating system within the factory automation environment, in particular for the acquisition of real time data.

  • Page 254: Key Technologies Used By Opc

    This section provides, for convenience, a brief introduction to some key technologies that are used by, or that form part of, OPC. Some of these are described in more detail in the appendices; plentiful reference books are available elsewhere describing all of them in any required level of detail.
  • Page 255 Basic) without those applications needing to know anything about the “internals” of the object. DCOM is simply the distributed version of COM – i.e. the objects can be spread across a network. It is a very powerful system, although some machine-level and security configuration may be required to allow it to work correctly and reliably.
  • Page 256 Netscape and Internet Explorer can browse the web equally well, but people use the browser they like best. As a result of this freedom of choice, vendors will need to become more competitive and offer superior products and solutions to maintain their customers. Besides freedom of choice, the user also has vendor independence, or “freedom from a proprietary lock.”...

  • Page 257: Using Cx-Supervisor With Opc Servers

    Open the Point Editor by selecting the Point Editor option from the Utilities menu or by clicking the toolbar button. In the Point Editor dialog click the Add Point button in the toolbar to open the Add Point dialog. In the Add Point dialog move to the I/O Type: options and select the Input, Output or Input / Output option as appropriate.
  • Page 258 Items: The Items within the selected Group are listed. The Item Attributes dialog can be used to add or edit the items. To Add, Modify or Delete an Item click the Info button. Selecting the Add or Modify option will open the Items Attributes Release 2.0...
  • Page 259 Clicking the Info button opens the Server Status Information dialog for the selected server, check the information is correct and click the OK button. Note: If the server is not shown in the drop down list, the server may not Page 236 Release 2.0...
  • Page 260 OPC version 2 compliant. Check the server documentation. Project File: – This is the name of the current Project file which stores the setup of the OPC items. If no name is shown or it is incorrect click the New or Open button as appropriate.
  • Page 261 Enter the rate as a numerical value and select the units from the drop down list. The minimum value is 100msec;...

  • Page 262: Using With Omron's Cx-Server Opc

    For step 7-1-a-i, the correct Server Name is “Omron.OpenDataServer.1” For step 7-1-c-i, the Item ID should be the name of the point in the CX-Server project (.CDM) file configured in the server. The Access Path is not used, and may be left blank.

  • Page 264: Two Tier, Client-Server Or Master-Slave

    Two Tier, Client - Server or Master - Slave One application is configured as a Server application or Master. The Server is often the main station, and is permanently switched on, and often used locally for HMI for example but could have no graphical element, which is termed a Blind Server.

  • Page 265: Peer To Peer

    Several applications are written to share data with each other. Actually, an application is written as a Server to connect directly to a device, but is also a Client using other Servers to connect to other devices through the corporate network.

  • Page 266: Redundant Server

    Several applications are configured as Servers for direct connection to the same Devices or Device network. The same data is collected by all Servers. One or more clients can collect the data from any single Server, and in the event of a Server failure, can be written to switch to data from an alternative Server.

  • Page 267: Creating A Cx-Supervisor Client Application

    Open the Point Editor by selecting the Point Editor option from the Utilities menu or by clicking the toolbar button. In the Point Editor dialog click the Add Point button in the toolbar to open the Add Point dialog. In the Add Point dialog move to the I/O Type: options and select the Input, Output or Input / Output option as appropriate.
  • Page 268 Items: The Items within the selected Group are listed. The Item Attributes dialog can be used to add or edit the items. To Add, Modify or Delete an Item click the Info button. Selecting the Add or Modify option will open the Items Attributes window from where the item details can be added or updated.

  • Page 270: Chapter 16 - Connecting To Omron Industrial Components

    See the device documentation for available parameters and their description. This is achieved in CX-Supervisor by creating a point and linking it to the required parameter. Device ranges supported are following models that support communication (where ‘*’...
  • Page 271 Delete an object click the Info button. Selecting the Add option will open the Communications Control dialog. From the list of control objects select the one to be added and click the OK button. Clicking the OK button in the Communications Controls dialog will open the Communications Control Properties dialog from where the details can be added or updated.
  • Page 272 Project File: - This is the name of the current Project file that stores the setup of the items. If no name is shown or it is incorrect click the Info button and select Create… or Open… as appropriate.
  • Page 273 The CX-Supervisor Point will now be connected to Device parameter and can be used like all other CX-Supervisor points, i.e. to drive animations, in alarm expressions, in recipes, for data logging etc. The application can now be run by clicking on the Run Project button in the toolbar.
  • Page 274 OMRON CHAPTER 16 – Connecting to Omron Industrial Components Release 2.0 Page 251...

  • Page 276: Chapter 17 - Best Practices

    When a page is no longer needed close it. CX-Supervisor will update all pages that are open, therefore if lots of pages are open then it may be doing a lot of unnecessary work that will slow down the application. For pages that are displayed in the same place, set the 'Display Mode' property to 'Replace'.

  • Page 277: Performance

    Although today’s PCs have excellent maths performance consider the format of the PLC data and how it will be used. It can be temping to scale a point value when read e.g. to change the units of measurement, or always perform a calculation e.g. calculate a running average or to format it e.g.
  • Page 278 In Figure (1) we see the PLC Programmer has arbitrarily chosen to group data by its format: Integers, then BCD then Floats (or even worse not at all!). When the SCADA is written, this data is used by different pages and different update rates. The different colours are to indicate that each block must be read individually, totalling 9 communication requests, which could be for as few as 9 memory addresses.
  • Page 279 However in Figure (2) we see the PLC Programmer and SCADA developer have reorganised the memory now there are only 3 blocks, which would be the same for up to 3000 memory addresses. This is clearly far better than just 9 memory addresses with 9 communication requests. To achieve this, design your application using the following rules: Group together points that will be configured as “Always Update”...

  • Page 280: Points

    Control communications Use the 'On Request' update type to give you complete control over when the value of a point is read from the PLC or written to the PLC. The 'InputPoint' script function is used to input the value of a specified point and the 'OutputPoint' script function is used to output the value of a specified point.

  • Page 281: Drawing

    • Use sensible update rates. Aim to keep update rates low. 5 seconds or 1 second updates should suffice. If faster than 1 second updates are needed always question “Why?”. If fast update rates are required pay special attention to consider if they can be disabled when not required.

  • Page 282: Scripts

    • Use cursor keys for fine adjustments The cursor keys move selected objects by 1 pixel, or snaps to grid if <Ctrl> held, and vice-versa when ‘Snap to grid’ is active. This is a lot easier than using the mouse.

  • Page 283: Data Logging

    If it is used for logging - use the logging facilities instead • If it is used for timing - use PLC ladder instead as this is much more reliable. • When they start with (or contain) “IF <condition> THEN …” you should probably be using an “On Condition”...
  • Page 284 Consider using the deadband option, especially for noisy analogue signals to reduce the actual logging and storage requirements. • Don’t “Keep all files” The Dataset “Keep all files” checkbox defaults ‘On’ for complete data retention but this should be cleared to stop the Hard Disk filling up. Release 2.0 Page 261...
  • Page 286 However, the Client, or indeed multiple Clients, can be run on different networked PCs and will automatically read and write data over the PC network. To do this, the PC running the Server must be correctly configured. If necessary refer to your OPC server documentation. For full details of DCOM configuration and security issues see your Microsoft documentation.
  • Page 287 Configuring a Server PC running Windows XP Service Pack 2 Windows XP Service Pack 2 includes a communications ‘Firewall’ to protect your computer from malicious communications. By default, this firewall is turned on, and so will block all OPC and DCOM communications.
  • Page 288 OpenDataServer and OpcEnum. On the Security tab, add the required users to each of the Custom Permissions. The users added should have Administrator rights on the local PC. If not, it may be necessary to add user groups ‘INTERACTIVE’ and ‘NETWORK’ as well.
  • Page 289 Connect and the Default Impersonation Level to Identify. Setup the access permissions by either: a) On the Default Security tab, adding the user to the Access, Launch and Configuration lists by clicking the Edit Default… button in each case. The user added should have Administrator rights on the local PC.

  • Page 290: Frequently Asked Questions

    In theory each of these could be an array of 1024 elements totalling 512,000 addresses. For PLUS edition there is a limit of 8000 user defined points, totalling over 8 million addresses if using arrays !! In practice the communications medium, number of active points and their frequency of updates determine the maximum limit.
  • Page 291 APPENDIX B – Frequently Asked Questions OMRON CS1H 1800 1556 1600 1500 1400 1200 1000 986.4 1000 430.8 CVM 1-V2-CPU21 / CV500-V1-CPU21 1200 1000 1000 1000 1000 1000 138.58 68.56 Page 268 Release 2.0...
  • Page 292 OMRON APPENDIX B – Frequently Asked Questions C200HX-CPU64 1200 1000 1000 1000 1000 32.07 15.38 CQM1H-CPU51 1200 1000 1000 SYSMAC-WAY(9600) Toolbus(9600) Release 2.0 Page 269...
  • Page 293 This tool is available in the CX-Supervisor run-time by right clicking and selecting Performance… ( if security privileges allow). It can be used to see how much of the available bandwidth is in use. You can also see how many points are waiting to be processed and the latency of actual communications.
  • Page 294 On the same specification machine Windows NT provides the best overall performance. It is understandable that newer, larger Operating Systems run slower on the same specification machine. This is not usually a problem as newer operating systems are usually delivered on newer specification machines.
  • Page 295 OMRON Q How does upgrading CX-Supervisor affect communications performance? The graphs below show that this does not have an impact itself, which is not surprising as a communications functions, and therefore performance, are governed by the communication middleware: CX-Server. The graphs show: •...
  • Page 296 Write time under increasing load CX-Supervisor 1.0 CX-Supervisor 1.1 CX-Supervisor 1.2 (12) CX-Supervisor 1.22 (7) 1000 2000 No. of Active Points Note: lower write time indicates greater performance See -> "How does upgrading CX-Server affect communications performance?" Release 2.0 Page 273...
  • Page 297 OMRON Q How does upgrading CX-Server affect communications performance? The graphs below should show that this does not have a significant impact. The graphs show: • Time to perform instantaneous read and writes are slightly slower on average, although this is in the order of a few milliseconds so is not ordinarily visible.
  • Page 298 OMRON APPENDIX B – Frequently Asked Questions Performance difference between PC specifications Read (1.7) Write (1.7) Subscription (1.7) Read (2.2) Write (2.2) Subscription (2.2) 450 Mhz 1.1 Ghz 2.4Ghz Write time under increasing load 450Mhz (1.7) 450Mhz (2.2) 1.1 Ghz (1.7) 1.1 Ghz (2.2)
  • Page 299 CX-Supervisor (and CX-Server) require Administrator rights to be installed on a computer, but other users can then run the software. The runtime will run without problems as a Standard User (member of Power Users group) and will run as a Restricted User (member of Users Group) although will show errors when trying to update the registry.
  • Page 300 OLE Access is Read Only. This in effect edits each point, also correcting the corruption. If this error occurs in the Runtime is means the point has been deleted or renamed but a script or animation is still using the Point. Run the Analyse Application tool to highlight and fix References to non-existent points.
  • Page 301 APPENDIX B – Frequently Asked Questions OMRON Vendor Server Name Product Version Result 4CE Industry OPCSysDiag Pass 4CE Industry Modbus Server 2.0.4 Pass Alstom FBSOPC 1.30a Pass Technology (although noted not compliant) Amersham UNICORN Zappa build 313 Pass Biosciences Applicom applicom IO 2.1 (reported as 2.1 (1000))
  • Page 302 OMRON APPENDIX B – Frequently Asked Questions Vendor Server Name Product Version Result National 4.5.3 (beta) Pass Instruments Northern Dynamic OPC Server Toolkit 2.01 Pass OSI Software Inc OPC Data Access 1.0.0.14 Pass & Historical Data (although Access Server for...
  • Page 303 There is no set limit, and some applications have had many hundreds of lines. However it is not practical to have too many lines and a limit of 30 lines should be considered, not as a system limit but as a warning that the application is not correct.
  • Page 304 Q What is the maximum limit of number of entries in the Alarm Log? The number of lines in the alarm log and the error log is set in the Project / Runtime Settings / Alarm and Event settings dialogs. The maximum limit is currently 2000.
  • Page 305 APPENDIX B – Frequently Asked Questions OMRON This will force the page to be reloaded, every 5 seconds. The value after the content= (e.g. "5") is the refresh rate in seconds. Be aware that 5 seconds may practically be the fastest update, as some pages may take several seconds to download.
  • Page 306 When closing a file using the 'CloseFile' script function, if TRUE is passed as a parameter e.g. CloseFile(TRUE) then the blank spaces at the end of each line will be removed, thus reducing the size of the file. Care should be taken if the file is being used by multiple systems over a network drive.

  • Page 307: Disk Drives

    When a group is selected the point list is refreshed and re-sorted. The sort algorithm takes longer if it has a large list to sort. This is normally quick but if the list is large and the points are already in the correctly sorted order in the database, then it can take a while because of the way the sorting algorithm works.
  • Page 308 APPENDIX B – Frequently Asked Questions Q Can I print accented characters on alarm printers? There is a limitation with Windows, such that it is not possible to print accented characters to a line printer a line at a time. The only alternatives are: •...
  • Page 309 Note 4: Because of Note 2 and Note 3 above, Sleep should not be used for creating output or logic pulses e.g. setting a bit on, sleeping, then setting the bit off. Instead, just use the PC to set the bit and allow the PLC to clear the bit, either after a duration timed by the PLC real time clock or when the triggered process is complete.
  • Page 310 Access CX-Supervisor points from Visual Basic style scripting called VBScript couldn't be simpler – just use the point name normally, e.g. MsgBox(MyPoint). However note that '$' is a reserved character so System Points can be accessed with 's_' prefix instead e.g. MsgBox(s_Second) for $Second system point.
  • Page 311 Q Why does CX-Supervisor show different ActiveX properties to Visual Basic or Excel? Properties of ActiveX controls shown in the CX-Supervisor "ActiveX Property Browser" may differ from those seen in the Visual Basic or Excel property browser. This can be for one or more of the following reasons: •...
  • Page 312 The Product versions listed above vertically, will work with the token versions listed horizontally which have a ‘Yes’. If using CCMOVE, the token disk, and the token being moved must all be the same version. Doing it from a native DOS prompt is recommended.
  • Page 313 Q What is the maximum limit of number of objects on a page? There is no theoretical limit to the number of objects on a page, but 1,000 should be considered the limit for normal PC configurations. Since each object consumes resources, Operating Systems like Windows NT, Windows 2000 and Windows XP will support larger applications than Win98 or ME.
  • Page 314 Failed to install MSVCRT.DLL: Access Denied This file is locked by the system so must be configured to install on the next reboot. However, the current user priviledges prevent access to the system registry to do this. This problem has only been...
  • Page 315 Another problem in this area has been that the format of the data can change from ‘Number’ to ‘Text’ (i.e. ‘333) formats in the cell of the spreadsheet. The exact cause of this error is unknown, but can be resolved by clearing the cell formats (Edit | Clear | Formats) of the spreadsheet that will be receiving the data.
  • Page 316 OMRON APPENDIX B – Frequently Asked Questions Controller Link 250.00 206.65 200.00 150.00 129.86 124.05 100.00 100.00 50.00 0.00 CVM1 CS1H CQM1H C200HX Sysmac Way (9600) 140.00 120.51 120.00 100.00 100.00 80.00 56.78 54.98 53.73 60.00 40.00 20.00 0.00 CVM1...
  • Page 317 APPENDIX B – Frequently Asked Questions OMRON Toolbus (9600) 188.41 200.00 180.00 160.00 128.09 140.00 122.51 120.00 102.59 100.00 100.00 80.00 60.00 40.00 20.00 0.00 CVM1 CS1H CQM1H CQM1 C200HX Sysmac Net 200.00 171.67 180.00 160.00 140.00 120.00 100.00 100.00 80.00...
  • Page 318 OMRON APPENDIX B – Frequently Asked Questions Sysmac Link 600.00 555.00 500.00 400.00 300.00 200.00 100.00 84.56 100.00 0.00 CVM1 CS1H C200HX Release 2.0 Page 295...

  • Page 320: Troubleshooting

    When an expected animation or script execution has not occurred, the Point Maintenance can quickly show if the data is not the expected value. If the data is the correct value then the fault must lay with the animation or script.
  • Page 321 The ‘PLC Average Latency (ms)’ field shows the physical delay of the network and PLC response time. Depending on the PLC, setup and network this should be 9-30ms. If this is drastically higher it could be the cause of performance problems. Try some of the following steps to reduce it: The ‘PLC Average Latency (ms)’...
  • Page 322 This depends on the frame size, which in turn depends on the network type. This is why use of arrays and good memory layout are essential to performance. To reduce the Active Messages see Chapter 16 Best Practices, Performance and Chapter 16 Best Practices, Points.
  • Page 323 • “Auto Update” refreshes the data twice a second. • Total Active Points: Number of CX-Server points (both input and output) currently active. • Average Active Pts/Sec: Measured number of CX-Server Inputs per second, since application started (or since “Clear” pressed). With ‘Input On Change’ optimisation this can be very small.
  • Page 324 VBScript Syntax errors These are seen during runtime as errors in the Error Log, often giving the line and character of the error. Referring back to the original script should easily display the problem. Note that if the @VBScript syntax is used within CX-Supervisor script the line number reported refers just to the lines of VBScript, with the @VBScript being line 1.

  • Page 325: Runtime Errors

    As a test, use hardcoded values for parameters using known valid values Runtime errors If any script has correct syntax but generates an error at runtime e.g. trying to open a file that does not exist, the error is recorded in the Error Log.

  • Page 326: Database Errors

    Once a problem can be reproduced, the next step is to refine the steps to determine the exact cause. The process should be repeated, attempting to leave out one step at a time to confirm if that step is required. Where scripts are executed, each line should be removed to determine just the required steps to reproduce the problem.
  • Page 327 APPENDIX C – Troubleshooting OMRON • Your software licence key • The software version and build number e.g. 1.2 (12). Also state if the project was upgraded from a previous version • The EXACT wording and spelling of any error message •...
  • Page 328 Supervisor menu and type in the code displayed. Alternatively, the full list of causes is below. Note that the cause is only the last 2 digits of the error code for example, if the error shown is “0x8a1b” then ignore the “8a” and just look up “0xnn1b”:...
  • Page 329 The function or CDMPLCCommand is not supported in this version of CX-Server. 0xnn18 The PLC could not be opened or the operation failed because the PLC is open for communications. Check the communication settings and that another application is not currently using the connection method e.g Mouse configured and using COM1 port.
  • Page 330 OMRON APPENDIX D – CX-Server Error Codes 0xnn24 The data cannot be converted to BCD as it contains Hexadecimal values between 0xA and 0xF Release 2.0 Page 307...

  • Page 332: Appendix E Using With The Omron Dyalox

    If not, the software can be installed on an additional compact Flash drive within the IPC. General Use The DyaloX IPC is designed to be a run time, end user platform and is ideal for running the “CX- Supervisor Runtime Only” package. Runtime applications can be created on a workstation with the “CX-Supervisor Full Package”...

  • Page 333: Communication Settings

    Communication Settings The USB port can be used to communicate with compatible Omron hardware. The CX-Server USB drivers for the USB PLC must be installed manually if required, and can be found in the CX-Server installation directory. Note: At runtime, the DyaloX IPC can only use the COM ports that are configured in the operating system.

  • Page 334: Obsolete Features

    Details are included here to assist maintaining old projects still using these features. These features should not be used in development of new solutions as it is likely support for the following features may and will be removed from the next or future releases.
  • Page 335 Registry network service to be installed with the operating system and correctly configured on both the server and client machine. To check: start the Control Panel and view the Network settings. In the list of network components, look for Microsoft Remote Registry. If it does not exist, follow these steps to add it.
  • Page 336 All CX-Supervisor DDE data transfers are carried out on points and are asynchronous transfers. There are two types of DDE points that can be created, namely ‘DDE Client Points’ and ‘DDE Server Points’. Release 2.0...
  • Page 337 CX-Supervisor DDE Client capabilities. In order for data to be transferred between a point and a server application the point must uniquely identify the application and the data that is to be used in the transfer. DDE applications use a three-tiered identification system to distinguish themselves from other DDE applications.
  • Page 338 It is not necessary to give ‘DDE Client Points’ DDE access via the Advanced dialog - this field is only used in the creation of ‘DDE Server Points’. If the DDE Access Read/Write setting is set ‘ON’, this point’s value would then be ‘exposed’ to change by external DDE server application(s) which may not always be desirable.
  • Page 339 Refer to the CX-Supervisor Script Language Reference Manual for further details. DDE Client Array Points This chapter explains how to create DDE Client Array points. This is similar to the way normal DDE Client points are created, except extra information is required to specify the range of the array and also whether it is to be stored as a row or column in the Server application.
  • Page 340 DDEArray[2] = 6 ENDIF DDE Script Functions The existing DDE Script functions DDEPoke() and DDERequest() can be used with any array points as the following example CX-Supervisor Scripts show: 1) Example CX-Supervisor Script demonstrating DDEPoke() with arrays chan = DDEInitiate(“Excel”, “Book1:Sheet2”) IF chan >...
  • Page 341 All the above points must have DDE Read/Write access set. DDE Server Array Points The value of an array point named ‘ddearray’ in a CX-Supervisor project called ‘ddetest.srt’ can be read from a Microsoft Excel worksheet by entering the following formula format into a cell.
  • Page 342 Microsoft Excel is informed of the row/col requirement by specifying a Range of cells in either row or column format. Both the Microsoft Excel and CX-Supervisor specifications must match in order for the call to be successful. It is not necessary to specify rows or columns if a single element of an array is required.
  • Page 343 OLE Automation provides a mechanism whereby one application can control another. In order to access a CX-Supervisor points value via OLE Automation, it must be given either OLE Read or OLE Write access. This can be achieved by checking the appropriate box in the Advanced Point Settings dialog when the point is created or modified.
  • Page 344 The Object Packager is a Windows application which enables objects to be “wrapped” for insertion into documents. It can be used to either create a link to a file held on disk or to embed an object into a page. Once embedded or linked, the object can be moved and positioned in a similar way to any other object created within CX-Supervisor.
  • Page 345 To display the object as an icon, click on the Display As Icon setting. The icon displayed is the first one which is stored in the icon resource table for the application which created the object (in the case of the example shown, a Paintbrush icon).
  • Page 346 Default: setting; and click the OK pushbutton to return to the Insert Object dialog. Should a different label be required to display beneath the inserted icon, delete the contents of the Label: field and type in a new label (the default label offered is the filename of the file containing the inserted object).
  • Page 347 Click the Create From File: setting and the dialog changes to a format similar to that of the following: Type the full path of the file containing the object to be inserted, ending with the full file name, into the Create from File: field. To locate an existing file name or a different path, click the Browse pushbutton to display the Browse dialog.
  • Page 348 To display the object as an icon, follow the procedure detailed in the previous chapter and click the OK pushbutton to return to the current page and embed the selected object, in icon form, into it at the current insertion point.
  • Page 349 Supervisor. Note: The Update and Exit command varies from application to application. If the object is an animation or sound file, when activated it is played through until it ends, at which point control is returned to CX-Supervisor. Note: If the application which created the object no longer be available, CX-Supervisor reports an error.
  • Page 350 OMRON APPENDIX F – Obsolete Features Converting a Package Object Certain types of object may be converted from one form to another. To initiate conversion: Select the object on the page. 1, 2, 3… Activate the Edit menu and select Package Object (displayed as the last item on the Edit menu).
  • Page 352 A logic operator used to interrogate Boolean type points. AND returns ‘TRUE’ if all arguments are ‘TRUE’. An example of AND is that if a is a statement and b is a statement, AND returns ‘TRUE’ if both a and b are ‘TRUE’.
  • Page 353 Database Recordset A Database recordset (or Recordset for short) is a set of records. This could either be an actual Table in the database, or a table that has been generated as a consequence of running a Query. Database Schema A Database Schema (or Schema for short) obtains database schema information from a Provider.
  • Page 354 DBCS DBCS stands for Double Byte Character Set and is a Microsoft extension of ASCII which uses 2 bytes (16 bits) to define character codes. With this larger range it can include accented characters, extended ASCII characters, Nordic characters and symbols.
  • Page 355 Each recipe consists of at least one ingredient. Each ingredient must be related to an existing point. Integer type A type of point where the value of the point can only be a whole positive or negative number. Item Within the CX-Supervisor script language, Item is a generic term for a point, OPC item or Temperature Controller item.
  • Page 356 ‘TRUE’ if any of the supplied arguments are ‘TRUE’. An example of OR is that if a is a statement and b is a statement, OR will return ‘TRUE’ if either a and b are ‘TRUE’. If both statements return ‘FALSE’ then OR will return ‘FALSE’.
  • Page 357 Point A point is used to hold a value of a predefined type - Boolean, Integer, Text, etc. The contents of a point may be controlled by an object or I/O mechanism such as PLC communication. The contents of a point may control the action or appearance of an object, or be used for output via an I/O mechanism.
  • Page 358 PLCs and other I/O mechanisms. Target Value An ingredient must specify a target value for its related point. This is the value to which the point will be set in runtime when the recipe is downloaded.
  • Page 359 GLOSSARY OF TERMS – CX-Supervisor User Manual OMRON Page 336 Release 2.0...
  • Page 360 Overview · 69 Delete animation · 125 Properties · 72 Digital Colour Change · 128 Adding Pages to a Project – Project Editor · 103 Digital Colour Change · 144–45 Adding unsupported runtime languages · 222 Digital Display Value · 128, 147–48 Advanced Point Settings–...
  • Page 361 Rotate · 128 Changing the Viewing Mode - Point Editor · 25 Runtime · 129 Closing a Page - Saving a Page to a Project: · 20 Script, Execute · 128, See also Script Editor Colour Palette - Graphics Editor: · 2 Show Page ·...
  • Page 362 I/O Attributes · 30 Double Byte Character Set · See DBCS I/O Types · 29 Drop and Drag of Points - Point Editor · 25 I/O Update Rate · 30 Dynamic Data Exchange · See DDE Memory Attributes · 29 Dynamic Link Library ·...
  • Page 363 Justification · 11 Fill Pattern Palette - Graphics Editor: · 3 Library, using the Graphics · 108 Filtering Points in the View via Group - Point Editor · Lower down one · 6 Mirroring · 7 Filtering Points in the View via Point Type - Point Object identity ·...
  • Page 364 Icon · 324 Linear Gauge - Control Objects · 53 Industrial Components Linking Pages in a Project – Project Editor · 103 Connecting · 243 Lower Down One – Control Bar: · 6 Internal Points - Point Import: · 39 Item ·...
  • Page 365 Display Points · 40 What is it? · 225 Error Logging Points · 40 Opening a Page via the Project Editor – Project Editor · Internal Points · 39 Mouse Points · 40 Opening Graphics Library - Graphics Library · 106 PLC Communication Points ·...
  • Page 366 Print Setup Animation · 123, 130, 134 Printing a Page · 16 Boolean · 24, 27, 28, 38, 144, 147, 148, 150, 321 Print Setup - Printing Points: · 41 Constant · 322 Print Setup – Printing from Project Editor · 104 Editor, Point ·...
  • Page 367 Removing a PLC Connection – Device Configuration · Inserting a pushbutton · 54 Wizard · See Wizard Removing Pages from a Project – Project Editor · 103 Pushbutton - Control Objects: · 54 Re-shaping Objects - Editing Objects · 45 Re-sizing Objects - Editing Objects ·...
  • Page 368 Runtime · 93 Runtime environment user configuration · 96 Supervisor user privilege · 93 Save Page As - Saving a Page to a Project: · 20 User configuration, development environment · 94 Save Runtime As · 98 User configuration, runtime environment · 96 Saving a Page to a Project ·...
  • Page 369 Slider - Control Objects · 58 $WeekDayName · 39 Sorting Points in the View - Point Editor · 24 $WeekOfYear · 39 Sorting Points in the View by I/O Type - Point Editor · $Year · 39 Description of · 38 Startup Preferences · 21 System Points ·...
  • Page 370 Viewing Points · 24 Slider Wizard · 58 Viewing Project Details – Project Editor · 103 Toggle Button Wizard · 59 Viewing the Contents of a Project – Project Editor · 102 Trend Graph · 61 Views Wizards - Editing Objects · 46 Details view ·...

This manual is also suitable for:

Cx-supervisor 2.0

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