17 November 2008

LogixView Utility Version 4 Release Notes

LogixView Utility is a tool for reducing configuration time of Logix controllers and FactoryTalk View HMI applications. Development time is reduced through the application of user-configurable Logix code libraries and HMI components libraries. LogixView is an engineering workstation software that is intended to complement, not replace, the use of RSLogix 5000 and FactoryTalk View Studio.

LogixView consists of four sets of tools: (1) Logix library builder tool, (2) HMI library builder tools, (3) Logix controller configuration tools, and (4) FactoryTalk View HMI configuration tools. HMI development time is reduced by integrating information from the Logix controller configuration with HMI project components. These configuration tools are described below. Note that most of the tools function independently of each other. It is not necessary to create complete Logix libraries or complete HMI libraries to use LogixView. You can pick the tool to use that will help reduce your development time.

The software can be used by two types of users: library builders and process control engineers or configuration technicians. An example of library builders is Corporate Engineering responsible for maintaining consistency and standards across all the plants in the company. Corporate Engineering is responsible for developing thoroughly tested libraries for reuse in the plants. Another example of library builders is System Integrators (SI). SI wants to increase profitability by reducing engineering cost through the reuse of configuration templates. Process control engineers or configuration technicians are responsible for building the Logix controller configuration and HMI application by deploying the library templates.

While the number of LogixView tools and the size of the user manual may seem overwhelming, the user can choose the tool to use and the section to read. Two tutorials provide step-by-step instructions in creating a sample Logix and SE application using the LogixView tools.

1.1 Logix and HMI Library Builder Tools

The following library builder tools are provided for building Logix templates and HMI library components:

1. Logix Library Builder Tool. Logix control strategy templates are created by the user using RSLogix 5000. LogixView can add code to a target controller by creating an instance of the control template and replacing the tag names and tag data in the template with user-specified values. The templates can be created using any of the standard programming languages (ST, RLL, SFC, and FBD). Equipment phase programs can also be used as templates. The templates can contain UDTs, AOIs, and any predefined data type. Each controller ACD file containing these templates can be considered a source library file. Multiple libraries can be created for different applications or different customers by using different source ACD files.

The Logix Library Builder Tool is used for defining the template parameters. LogixView uses this information to determine what variables in the templates are to be substituted when the template is instantiated, how the variables are deployed (controller scope or program scoped), if the variables are mapped to IO, and if HMI graphic library displays are associated with the template.

2. HMI Alarms Builder Tool for Logix Data Types. LogixView provides an alarm builder tool for the following HMI server based alarm systems:

SE AE tag-based alarms (for use with FactoryTalk View Version 5). SE HMI alarms (for use with FactoryTalk View Version 4 or Version 5). ME HMI alarms (for use with FactoryTalk View Version 4 or Version 5).

Unfortunately, none of the alarm database files for the above alarms systems are compatible with each other and none of them share common definitions. LogixView uses common alarm definitions that can be used for generating all three types of alarms. Alarm definitions are based on Logix tag data types. For example, suppose you want to use the following PID_ENHANCED data type elements for alarming:

a. Use PVHHAlarm and PVLLAlarm Boolean outputs for PV high-high and PV low-low alarms, respectively. The alarm server raises an alarm when the PVHHAlarm and PVLLAlarm are non-zero.

b. Use the PV real input as an analog input. Use the PVHLimit and PVLLimit values as the alarm limits. The alarm server polls the PV value and the current PVHLimit/PVLLimit values. If the PV value goes outside of the alarm limits, the alarm server generates an alarm.

c. Use the Status1 bit values for alarms. If any of the bit value changes to 1, an alarm is generated and the alarm message corresponding to the bit value. For example, the “Status1.0” bit indicates instruction fault, “Status1.1” bit indicates PV faulted, etc.

With the LogixView alarm definition, the same PID_ENHANCED alarm definition can be used for all three types of alarm servers. There would be additional configuration parameters for each particular type of alarm servers (e.g., the alarm severities are defined differently in the different alarm servers).

3. HMI Alarms Builder Tool for Logix I/O Modules. Alarms for I/O modules are useful to provide notification in the HMI that there are problems with hardware. Building alarm definition for I/O modules is more difficult because different data types can be used for the same module type. The I/O tag data type depends on the communication format configured for the module. Instead of having to know a priori the module data type you want to build alarms for, LogixView provides an tool for building I/O alarms.

4. HMI Graphic Objects Builder Tool. Most process graphic displays are developed using common dynamic graphical symbols. The following process display contains many valve symbols. Clicking on a valve symbol opens the corresponding PIDE tag faceplate. Configuring each symbol and linking them to the correct controller tag can be very time consuming. LogixView provides a graphics symbols builder tool that can automatically create the graphic symbols with the dynamic links preconfigured. The user creates HMI graphic object templates using FactoryTalk View Studio. The object templates can contain FactoryTalk View global objects. These templates are exported into XML format so that they are readable by LogixView. The LogixView tool is used for defining the dynamic links in the templates to Logix data types. The tool can be used for FactoryTalk View SE and ME.

5. HMI Display Template Builder Tool. In many applications there are common units that have the same or very similar displays. These common units are often combined into new displays to represent graphics for a new or unique process. The LogixView Display Template Builder Tool is used for building display templates that contain references to multiple tags of the same or different data type. These references can point to objects configured with the LogixView HMI objects builder tool or other HMI objects. The procedure for building display templates is very similar to the procedure for building graphic object templates for specific Logix data types.

6. HMI Library Container. HMI library components can be organized using the LogixView HMI project tree. A project tree example is shown below. The library components are organized into separate “framework” folders to distinguish them from application specific components. When a new HMI application is created, LogixView provides a function to copy the HMI library components to the HMI application server directories. Several sample HMI framework libraries are included with the LogixView package.

1.2 Logix Configuration Tools

The following Logix configuration tools are provided to reduce controller development time:

1. Creating new controller file by either copying an existing ACD file template or creating a new one with some default features different from RSLogix 5000.

2. Adding new tasks, programs, and routines.

3. Deleting tasks, programs, and routines. Tasks and programs can be deleted without having to unscheduled the program from the task beforehand.

4. Use Logix library templates to add code to the controller.

5. Edit tag data using filters. The tag data editor window allows the user to configure reusable data element filters. For example, define a filter for the PID_ENHANCED data type that shows only the P, I, and D tuning parameters; define another filter showing the engineering unit scaling parameters, etc. This simplifies tag data editing by not having to scroll through all the tag data elements to find the ones to edit.

6. Map IO tag elements to alias tags.

7. Map IO tag elements to tag buffers. LogixView automatically generates structured text code for mapping IO tag values to specified tag elements.

8. Tag Description Export and Import Tool. The RSLogix 5000 controller tag description is commonly configured with tag information (e.g., tag label, tag descriptor, engineering unit, drawing number, etc.). LogixView can extract the information from the controller file based on user-defined field formats (e.g., the tag description can be viewed as containing several fields, with each field separated by a delimiter – tab, carriage-return, etc.). LogixView uses the tag label, tag descriptor, and engineering units in the other tools.

The LogixView tag description tool exports selected tag descriptions into a text file. The text file can be edited using a text editor or spreadsheet program (e.g., Microsoft Excel). The edited file can be imported back to the RSLogix 5000 controller ACD file.

9. Tag Data Export and Import Tool. RSLogix 5000 controller tag data values for selected tags and selected data type elements can be exported into a text file. The tag data can be edited using a text editor or spreadsheet program. The edited data file can be imported back into the RSLogix 5000 controller ACD file. This

allows easy off-line bulk editing of controller data. A conversion tool is provided that converts the tag data text files to a format used by the RSLogix 5000 Tag Data Upload / Download tool – this allows bulk editing of online controller tag data.

1.3 FactoryTalk View HMI Configuration Tools

The following HMI configuration tools are provided to reduce HMI development time:

1. Alarms Builder Tool. Using the Logix data types HMI alarm library definitions this tool creates HMI alarm import files for use with the FactoryTalk View SE HMI alarm server, Alarms & Events (AE) tag-based alarm server, and the ME HMI alarm server.

2. Module IO Alarms Builder Tool. Using the Logix I/O modules HMI alarm library definitions, this tool creates HMI alarm import files for use with the FactoryTalk View SE HMI alarm server, Alarms & Events (AE) tag-based alarm server, and the ME HMI alarm server.

3. Graphic Objects Builder Tools for SE and ME. Using the HMI graphic objects library, this tool creates instances of the HMI objects for selected Logix controller tags. For example, the HMI library may contain a valve symbol template to associate the valve with PID data types. The valve symbol may contain a numeric value that displays the PID controller output, a tag description text and a touch animation for launching the PID faceplate. The tool creates instances of the valve for all selected PID tags. Each instance would automatically be configured with the tag description, faceplate name and the Logix tag address.

4. Display Builder Tool. Using the display template libraries, this tool allows you to create HMI displays by dragging-and-dropping Logix tags to the configuration window.

5. Global Objects Link Breaker Tool. Global objects are very useful for creating graphic templates. Changes to the global object templates (base objects) are automatically reflected in the linked instance objects (reference objects). Unfortunately, if there are “many” instances of global objects in a display or if the global objects are “complex” (e.g., contains a great deal of animations and tag values), then loading the display can be very slow. There are no rules that define what is too “many” and what is “complex”. If you observe that displays with global objects are loading too slowly, then you can use the Global Objects Link Breaker Tool to remove all the global object links from the display. You can keep a copy of the displays that contain the global objects for development and you can create a copy of the displays for deployment that do not have global object links.

6. LogixView HMI organizer and library container. LogixView automatically organizes the parameter files that it creates for the different tools (e.g., separate folders for navigation trees, drop-down menus, toolbars, tag parameter files, IO parameter files). The user can also organize process displays and faceplate displays into user defined folders. Commonly used components can be organized under “framework” folders to denote them as library files for reuse in different View HMI projects. LogixView provides tools for organizing the files under different library folder names – e.g., organize the libraries based on industry or customers. Tools are also provided that can copy the library files to and from the HMI application directories.

7. Navigation Tree Builder Tools for SE. The navigation tree builder tool generates specially formatted parameter files that can be used with the LogixView navigation tree ActiveX control. Error: Reference source not found provides instructions on using the ActiveX control. SE displays using the ActiveX control is used for showing the following list types in a tree view structure:

a. Module IO list. Similar to the appearance of the IO configuration tree in RSLogix 5000. Clicking on a tree branch launches a module faceplate. Custom module faceplates can be associated with module IO types. If custom module faceplates are not configured, LogixView provides a generic faceplate that displays the module’s input configuration data. If the controller configuration contains code generated by the Logix Connection Status Code Generator Utility, then the IO module connection status faceplate is also automatically launched when a tree branch is clicked.

b. Controller tag list. A list of all controller tags with faceplates associated with the tag data type. Clicking on a tree branch launches the tag faceplate.

c. Display tag list. A site map of all process displays in the HMI application can be easily created. By organizing process displays under user-defined folders in the LogixView HMI tree, the site map automatically reflects the folder structure. Clicking on a tree branch launches the display.

8. Toolbar and Drop-Down Menu Builder Tools for SE. Similar to the navigation tree builder, the toolbar and drop-down menu builder creates specially formatted parameter files. SE displays containing VBA code reads the parameter file and populates SE button objects with captions and SE commands. Sample displays are provided with the LogixView HMI libraries. LogixView provides a graphical interface for configuring the toolbars and drop-down menus using simple drag-and-drop operations.

A new feature is added in LogixView Version 4 that creates navigation parameter files for FactoryTalk View Version 5 navigation displays that do not use VBA coding.

9. Sample LogixView HMI libraries for SE and ME. Two sample SE HMI libraries are included. One that can be used in RSView Version 4 or FactoryTalk View Version 5. The other is used for FactoryTalk View Version 5 that includes the new AE alarm objects and the option of using the new display docking features. It also provides sample displays for use with the other LogixView tools. When used with the LogixView tools, the sample HMI libraries provide a quick-and-easy way of developing HMI applications that have many features expected from traditional DCS HMI users.

10. QuickBuild Tools. The LogixView QuickBuild tools execute several other tools with a single click. Running QuickBuild copies HMI library files to the HMI project directory, creates alarm import files, creates controller tag list and IO module list. Without doing anything else, QuickBuild provides a running application with alarming and access to controller tags via faceplates. Use the other LogixView tools to build a full featured HMI client with display navigation and process graphics.

1.4 Software Installation

Authorized users are given instructions to access a FTP site for downloading the LogixView software package. Access instructions are not provided in this document.