Warning |
When you use Switch and/or Update
Asset widgets in your dashboard, you enable your dashboard users
to directly update the PLC. |
Update Asset widgets enable a dashboard user to directly access a controller and modify tag values, writing the new values to the controller memory
Note that in order for these widgets to access a specific controller, the Dashboard must contain one or more additional widgets, where Filter by ID is enabled. When the Dashboard is filtered for an Asset, the widget will connect to that asset’s PLC and access the tags defined in the widget, via secure UniCloud.
The following example uses an Update Asset widget in conjunction with a Table widget.
1. Drag & drop the widget onto the Canvas, the Warning for Update Asset opens; click Confirm to continue and the Widget Wizard will open automatically.
1. Asset Type: click the drop-down arrow, and select the asset with the data you want to display
2. Click Data Tags for Widget; note that
the Update Asset widget does not support Asset Properties.
Under Tag Data, select the tags you want to enable the
dashboard user to access via the Update Asset widget.
Tip |
Note that in order to enable the user to write to these tags, the tag Access level must be set as Read/Write in the Asset type, whether for UniStream or controllers whose Asset Type is defined in a UCR router. |
After making your selection, the screen may resemble the image below.
3. Click Next to continue.
Here, you have the option to multiply or divide a value.
Note that Multiply (or
Divide) by Factor is available for the Update Asset Widget only.
Previous to June 2022, this feature was available for use in other widgets.
If this feature was used in dashboards created previous to June 2022,
the functionality remained, and was automatically replaced by Tag
Calculations.
In Update Asset Widgets, you can apply a factor to multiply or divide the
value of a numerical tag or aggregated data, in order to display the modified
values on Dashboards.
To apply a Factor:
Click the Multiply by Factor drop-down; the tags you included in Data and Metrics will be listed there.
Under Action, click and select Multiply or Divide.
Under Factor, click in the field and use the Up/Down arrows to select a value
As you edit your selections, the Data Preview will adjust the values to show your changes.
The Customize options depend on the tags you selected in Step 1.
Customize options for different tag types include:
Boolean tags: this will display a Switch Button, offering options for the button text and color. This enables a dashboard user to directly access a controller and click a button to modify a single Boolean tag value, changing the value in the controller memory. Each time the button is toggled on the dashboard, and the user presses the Update button, the Boolean tag changes state in the controller.
Date/time tags: this contains a
drop-down enabling the user to select date and time. This enables
the user to enter a value to change the tag value in UniCloud; note
that a Date/Time tag is a simple UINT32 value.
Entering a value in the widget and pressing Update will modify the
UINT32 tag value, but does not
cause any changes to the controller's date and time.
Numerical (integer and float)tags:
note the Validate checkbox; check it and enter Min/Max values to limit
the range of values that may be entered. In the case of ASCII tags
Min/Max refers to the number of characters.
Note that if Min\Max values are not defined, Validation will be performed
according to the boundaries of the data type.
In the next image, note that when the values entered are not within
the Min/Max range, the Update button is disabled and a message displayed
to the end-user.
The next image shows Customize options along with the Preview window.
For all tags, you can enter Display Names to be shown in the widget instead of Tag Names.
You can add a remark, customize the text and appearance of the Update button, as well as the message displayed to the user after pressing the Update button.
When you are done, click Finish. The widget you have just configured will be displayed at its default size.
You can drag it to reposition it on the Canvas, and can drag the widget borders to resize it.
In the Table widget, select Navigate per Asset Type and Filter by Asset ID.
Under Navigates to Dashboard, select the Dashboard that contains your Update Asset widget. (The Update widget and Table widget can be in the same Dashboard, and you can select it.)
This
will reveal the Filter by Asset option; select it.
2. When the user clicks on the desired Asset, UniCloud will display that Asset's Update Asset widget, enabling the user to enter and update values in that Asset's controller.