Text Tab - Advanced Animations Dialog Box

The Text tab of the Advanced Animations dialog box displays the following items:

Properties

Provides options that allow you to select the properties that you want to animate. For a brief description of each property, read the property description on the right side of the dialog box.

Animate

Select this check box to open dynamic settings for the visible property. When selected, the Dynamic Setting for Property area appears directly below the Properties area.

Dynamic Settings for Property

Data Source

Allows you to enter a data source or expression for this object.

Data source refers to a reference to a source of information, such as iFIX tagnames and historical files, or other OPC-compliant data servers. A data source may also consist of iFIX objects (such as shapes, charts, and variables) or 3rd party OLE controls.

Expression refers to constants, data sources, or a combination of constants and data sources that are connected with one or more operators. Use the Browse (...) button to open the Expression Builder dialog box. Use the Quick Modify button to modify a database block directly without launching the Database Manager.

Animation Properties Tab

The Animation Properties tab contains the following items:

Item

Description

Data Conversion

Allows you to select the type of data conversion to apply to the data from the source listed in the Data Source field. A data conversion defines how the incoming data should be processed or formatted so that your objects behave according to the properties you have assigned to them. You can apply any of the following data conversion:

  • Range – uses a range of values on which to animate an object.
  • Table – attempts to match the incoming value from the data source to an entry in a lookup table. If a match occurs, the selected property is changed to match the output value.
  • Format – provides several options for formatting text data.
  • Object – processes the data received from the data source at its exact value. This option is not supported for data from Proficy Historian.

NOTE: If you change the Data Conversion option from Format to Range, Table, or Object, the bottom half the dialog box changes accordingly.

Output Error Mode

Allows you to configure how an animation behaves if an error occurs. Depending on the type of data conversion, the output error mode can be any of the following:

  • Use Current Output – Displays the data exactly as it appeared in when the error occurred.
  • Use Error Table – Displays an error message that matches the current error, based on the error definitions in the Animations Data Error Defaults tab of the User Preferences dialog box.

Type

Allows you to configure whether or not operators can enter data into the animation at run-time. To allow operators to enter data into animation and write a new value to the database tag during the next scan cycle, select In-Place from the list. To prohibit data entry at run-time, select None.  

Confirm

When selected, requires operators to confirm that they want to write data to the database after they have entered a new value into the animation at run-time.

This option is only available if In-Place is selected in the Data Entry Type list.  

Raw Format

Allows you to enter data in its raw (or native C code) format. If this check box is enabled, you can edit the format by entering a C format string in the Format field.  

Format

Allows you to enter a C format string to display data in its raw, native C code format. You can also enter a string of any kind preceding the raw format string (for example, to introduce what the data string represents).  

This option is only available if Raw Format is selected.

Justify

Allows you to justify the alignment (left, center, or right) of data in the animation.  

This option is only available if the Raw Format check box is cleared.

Type

Allows you to configure whether the data represented by the animation should be formatted as numeric or alphanumeric data. To format numeric data, select Numeric from this list and enter an integer from 0 to 7 in the Whole Digits field and 0 to 5 in the Decimal field. To format alpha-numeric data, select Alpha-Numeric from this list and enter the number of lines and the desired number of characters per line.  

This option is only available if the Raw Format check box is cleared.

Lines

Allows you to enter the number of lines that you want to display in an alpha-numerically formatted animation.  

This option is only available if the Raw Format check box is cleared.

Chars/Line

Allows you to enter the number of characters per line that you want to display in an alpha-numerically formatted animation.  

This option is only available if the Raw Format check box is cleared.

Historical Properties Tab

The Historical Properties tab allows you to set the parameters for a query that fetches historical data from Proficy Historian. The tab contains the following items:

NOTE: The following fields, with the exception of the Update Rate fields, are only available if you select a Historical Mode other than Current Value.

Start Date

Item

Description

Fixed Date

Specifies whether to enter a specific start date for the query of the data source.

Days Before Now

Specifies whether to enter the number of days prior to today to fetch data from Proficy Historian. For example, if you want to display data collected for the data source two days ago, enter 2.
Start Time

Item

Description

Fixed Time

Specifies whether to designate a specific time to start. If selected, allows you to enter an explicit start time.

Lock Time

Locks the Fixed Time, even if you change the time zone in the Date and Time Properties dialog box in the Control Panel. This field is available only when you designate a specific time to start using the Fixed Time field.

Duration Before Now

Specifies whether to enter the duration prior to the current time to start. The minimum duration is 0 seconds; the maximum is 23 hours, 59 minutes, and 59 seconds.
Time Zone

Item

Description

Time Zone

Allows you to select the time zone to associate with the start time. You can select the client time (time zone for your computer), the server time (time zone used by the Historian server), or the tag time (uses the time zone bias of the tag, which is set in Historian). The default time zone is that of the client machine. This field is available only when Historian is used.

Adjust for Daylight Savings Time

Adjusts the time if the zone you selected is experiencing daylight saving. This field works only if you selected the Automatically adjust clock for daylight saving changes check box located on the Time Zone tab of the Date/Time Properties dialog box in the Control Panel.

Historical Mode

Allows you to determine how iFIX selects and fetches data from a historical data source and, determines what each displayed value represents. The options are:

  • Sample – The last valid value found, up to and including the start of the specified interval.
  • Avg – The average of all valid data found during the specified interval.
  • High – The highest valid data point value found during the specified interval.
  • Low – The lowest valid data point value found during the specified interval.
  • Interpolated – The data is interpreted by assuming that the line between two values is a straight line. All points along that line are estimated except the starting point and the ending point.
  • Current Value – The current value of the data point.

    IMPORTANT: The Current Value may update at a rate different from the rate set in the Update Rate field. The update rate is not set solely by the rate entered in the Update Rate field. It also depends on the collection rate, the rate for querying Historian, and the time required to request an update from the Historian server and send it back to the client. As a result, the time it takes to display the updates may be longer than anticipated. Additionally, please be aware that the timestamp for this mode represents the timestamp from the Historian server, not the client.

  • Standard Deviation – The standard deviation of all valid data found during the specified interval.
  • Total – The total of all valid data found during the specified interval.
Duration

The duration determines the time range for the historical data source. The minimum duration for a fetch is one second; the maximum is 999 days, 23 hours, 59 minutes, and 59 seconds.

Item

Description

Days

Allows you to enter the number of days. This field can be used in conjunction with the other fields in this area.

Hours

Allows you to enter the number of hours for the duration for the data fetch query. This field can be used in conjunction with the other fields in this area.

Mins

Allows you to enter the number of minutes for the duration for the data fetch query. This field can be used in conjunction with the other fields in this area.

Secs

Allows you to enter the number of seconds for the duration for the data fetch query. This field can be used in conjunction with the other fields in this area.
Update Rate

Allows you to specify the rate at which the data is updated. The default rate is five seconds. Zero is permitted for a one-time fetch. The fastest update rate is five seconds, the slowest, 1:59:59.

Item

Description

Hours

Allows you to enter the number of hours for the rate of data update. This field can be used in conjunction with the other fields in this area.

Mins

Allows you to enter the number of minutes for the rate of data update. This field can be used in conjunction with the other fields in this area.

Secs

Allows you to enter the number of seconds for the rate of data update. This field can be used in conjunction with the other fields in this area.