Introduction
iFIX® allows developers and process engineers to create dynamic pictures with minimal effort. By providing an open-environment, ActiveX format, iFIX lets you incorporate internet controls (OCXs), reuse elements from other sources (such as bitmaps), or embed other OLE automation applications into your pictures.
While creating pictures in the iFIX WorkSpace, you can utilize features that give you the control you need to customize your drawings. You can view your pictures by merely switching to the run-time environment with the click of a mouse.
Picture Coordinate Systems
Before creating or editing pictures or dynamo sets, it is important to be aware of the coordinate system you are using. iFIX 5.8 supports the following two coordinate systems:
- Logical
- Enhanced
The Logical Coordinate System is the legacy system that supports graphics created with iFIX 5.5 or earlier. The Logical Coordinate System uses logical units for measurement, and provides graphic scaling that is dependent on the screen resolution (or aspect ratio) of the terminal used to create the graphic; thus, graphics may not accurately scale to different screen sizes.
The Enhanced Coordinate System is a feature of iFIX 5.8, which uses postscript points for units of measurement instead of logical units. The Enhanced Coordinate System is a screen independent coordinate system, which accurately scales across different screens sizes. When the screen resolution (or aspect ratio) changes, the picture automatically adjusts to the new resolution (or aspect ratio).
iFIX 5.8 also provides a means to easily upgrade Logical Coordinate System graphics to the Enhanced Coordinate System. For more information on this feature, refer to the Picture Coordinate System section.
