PI ProcessBook 2014

User Guide

OSIsoft, LLC
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PI ProcessBook 2014 User Guide
1994-2014 by OSIsoft, LLC. All rights reserved.
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52.227, as applicable. OSIsoft, LLC.
Version: 3.4
Published: 25 June 2014

Contents
Introduction.............................................................................................................. 1
What's new in PI ProcessBook 2014................................................................................................................. 1

PI ProcessBook essentials........................................................................................... 3

What can you view with PI ProcessBook.......................................................................................................... 3

Start PI ProcessBook....................................................................................................................................... 3
Servers and connections..............................................................................................................................4
Workspace...................................................................................................................................................7
Run mode and Build mode...........................................................................................................................8
Add-ins........................................................................................................................................................... 8
Load add-ins................................................................................................................................................9
Menus and toolbars....................................................................................................................................... 10
Command menus...................................................................................................................................... 10
Customize toolbars....................................................................................................................................10
Toolbar buttons......................................................................................................................................... 11
Browser toolbar............................................................................................................................................. 11
Browse ProcessBooks and displays............................................................................................................ 11
View browsing history................................................................................................................................12
Set a Home Page....................................................................................................................................... 12
Bookmarks and browser history.................................................................................................................12
Keyboard shortcuts....................................................................................................................................... 14
Assign a keyboard shortcut........................................................................................................................14
Remove a keyboard shortcut..................................................................................................................... 15
Preference settings....................................................................................................................................... 16
General preferences.................................................................................................................................. 16
Table of Contents preferences................................................................................................................... 18
Display Window preferences......................................................................................................................19
Trend preferences......................................................................................................................................21
Trend Elements preferences...................................................................................................................... 22
Print.............................................................................................................................................................. 24
Page Setup for printing..............................................................................................................................24
Print Preview............................................................................................................................................. 24
Set up printer.............................................................................................................................................25
Change the language used for PI ProcessBook.............................................................................................. 25
About PI ProcessBook................................................................................................................................... 26

Work with a ProcessBook......................................................................................... 27

Basic steps to build a ProcessBook.................................................................................................................27

Create a new ProcessBook.............................................................................................................................27
Add ProcessBook entries...............................................................................................................................28
Create a text or display entry..................................................................................................................... 29
Linked display entry...................................................................................................................................30
Linked ProcessBook entries....................................................................................................................... 32
Operating system command entry............................................................................................................ 32
Arrange ProcessBook entries.........................................................................................................................34
Book View..................................................................................................................................................35
Outline View.............................................................................................................................................. 37
Copy and paste an entry............................................................................................................................ 40
Remove an entry....................................................................................................................................... 40
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Save and close a ProcessBook................................................................................................................... 40
Open an existing ProcessBook.......................................................................................................................41
Work with multiple ProcessBooks..............................................................................................................41
Properties......................................................................................................................................................41
Summary information in ProcessBook.......................................................................................................42
PI ProcessBook file properties................................................................................................................... 42
PI ProcessBook display properties............................................................................................................. 44
Import files to a ProcessBook........................................................................................................................ 45
File sharing capability....................................................................................................................................46
Moving a ProcessBook to another PC............................................................................................................ 46

Work with a display.................................................................................................. 47

Overview of display elements........................................................................................................................ 47

Static symbols........................................................................................................................................... 47
Dynamic symbols...................................................................................................................................... 48
Buttons..................................................................................................................................................... 48
OLE objects............................................................................................................................................... 48
Manage displays and independent display files............................................................................................. 48
Open a display...........................................................................................................................................49
Zoom display size...................................................................................................................................... 50
Use Full Screen mode................................................................................................................................ 51
Search for a display....................................................................................................................................51
Reduce a display to an icon to save space.................................................................................................. 52
Save a display............................................................................................................................................ 52
Display Settings window............................................................................................................................ 53
Display scrolling properties........................................................................................................................ 55
Status bar indicators.................................................................................................................................. 55
Drawing tools................................................................................................................................................ 56
Organizing symbols................................................................................................................................... 56
Drawing area............................................................................................................................................. 57
Drawing grid.............................................................................................................................................. 57
Formatting.................................................................................................................................................... 58
Editable formatting attributes................................................................................................................... 58
Set font..................................................................................................................................................... 59
Set line color..............................................................................................................................................59
Set fill color............................................................................................................................................... 60
Set background color................................................................................................................................ 60
Set line weight...........................................................................................................................................61
Set line style.............................................................................................................................................. 61
Set line ends.............................................................................................................................................. 61
Set formatting paintbrush......................................................................................................................... 62
ToolTip Statistics window............................................................................................................................. 62
Time Range and Playback toolbar................................................................................................................. 63
Scroll Options window...............................................................................................................................65
Scroll period.............................................................................................................................................. 66
Display range............................................................................................................................................. 67
Time Range toolbar.......................................................................................................................................69
Revert time range...................................................................................................................................... 70
Change the time range.............................................................................................................................. 70
Use the scrolling time range.......................................................................................................................72
Use time forward and back buttons........................................................................................................... 72
Set time range for future trends................................................................................................................. 73
Layers within displays.................................................................................................................................... 73

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Create layers..............................................................................................................................................74
Assign symbols to layers............................................................................................................................ 75
Layers and composite symbols.................................................................................................................. 76
Active Layers status bar............................................................................................................................. 76
Migrating displays to another PI Server..........................................................................................................77
AF Modeler and AF Display Builder displays...................................................................................................78
Disable the AF Display Builder add-in.........................................................................................................78

Symbols in a PI ProcessBook display..........................................................................79

Trends........................................................................................................................................................... 79
Create a trend............................................................................................................................................80
Edit a trend................................................................................................................................................85
Define Trend window................................................................................................................................ 85
Configure Trend Scale............................................................................................................................... 89
Trend analysis tools................................................................................................................................... 90
Change time range.................................................................................................................................... 93
How trends refresh.................................................................................................................................... 93
Trend appearance..................................................................................................................................... 94
Ad hoc trends............................................................................................................................................ 99
OpenVMS trends and graphics.................................................................................................................100
Add AF attributes to trends......................................................................................................................102
XYPlots........................................................................................................................................................102
Draw an XYPlot........................................................................................................................................104
Linear regression by least squares............................................................................................................ 117
Correlation coefficient..............................................................................................................................117
Interpreting an XYPlot............................................................................................................................. 118
Zoom and Revert functions...................................................................................................................... 118
Change time range feature...................................................................................................................... 120
XYPlot cursors..........................................................................................................................................121
Bad status indicators................................................................................................................................121
Out of range indicators............................................................................................................................ 122
Too many points...................................................................................................................................... 122
Examples of XYPlots................................................................................................................................ 122
Additional dynamic symbols........................................................................................................................124
Values......................................................................................................................................................124
Button..................................................................................................................................................... 126
Bars......................................................................................................................................................... 128
Multi-state symbols..................................................................................................................................... 132
Create dynamic multi-state symbols........................................................................................................ 133
Static symbols............................................................................................................................................. 135
Text symbol............................................................................................................................................. 135
Line symbol..............................................................................................................................................137
Rectangle, square, arc, ellipse, and circle symbols.................................................................................... 137
Polygon symbol....................................................................................................................................... 138
Polyline symbol........................................................................................................................................139
Graphic symbol........................................................................................................................................140
Symbol Library........................................................................................................................................ 142

Work with symbols................................................................................................. 145

Details and annotations............................................................................................................................... 145

Details window........................................................................................................................................ 145
PI annotations maintenance.....................................................................................................................147
Data Favorites add-in.................................................................................................................................. 149
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Select a default symbol for data favorites................................................................................................ 149
Search for data favorites.......................................................................................................................... 150
Favorites panel........................................................................................................................................ 150
Select and move a symbol............................................................................................................................151
Select multiple symbols............................................................................................................................... 152
Rotate a symbol...........................................................................................................................................152
Flip a symbol................................................................................................................................................ 153
Delete a symbol........................................................................................................................................... 153
Stacking order............................................................................................................................................. 153
Move a symbol forward or backward in the stack..................................................................................... 154
Align multiple symbols................................................................................................................................ 154
Connectors.................................................................................................................................................. 155
Connect symbols......................................................................................................................................155
Connection points....................................................................................................................................156
Attach a symbol to a connector................................................................................................................159
Connectors window................................................................................................................................. 160
Detect connections and attachments...................................................................................................... 164
Reroute a connector path........................................................................................................................ 165
Item Definition button................................................................................................................................. 165
Display or change item definition.............................................................................................................165
Status report for dynamic symbols.............................................................................................................. 166
Status flags for data..................................................................................................................................... 167
Create composite symbols........................................................................................................................... 167
Group, ungroup, or regroup symbols....................................................................................................... 168
Modify composite symbols...................................................................................................................... 168
Analyze symbols in PI Coresight.................................................................................................................. 169
AF-based symbols....................................................................................................................................... 169
Connect to a PI AF database.....................................................................................................................170
Assign symbols to AF element templates................................................................................................. 171
Assign symbols to AF elements................................................................................................................ 171
Verify AF-based symbol assignment........................................................................................................ 172
Build displays with AF-based symbols...................................................................................................... 173
Find AF elements and attributes in displays..............................................................................................174
Element Relative Display (ERD)................................................................................................................175

PI System data....................................................................................................... 181

About PI data...............................................................................................................................................181
PI tags (PI points)..................................................................................................................................... 182
PI AF assets..............................................................................................................................................182
PI AF attributes........................................................................................................................................ 182
Time series data.......................................................................................................................................182
Calculated data........................................................................................................................................182
Contextual data....................................................................................................................................... 182
PI time......................................................................................................................................................... 183
PI time abbreviations............................................................................................................................... 183
PI time expressions.................................................................................................................................. 184
Time-stamp specification........................................................................................................................ 184
Time-interval specification.......................................................................................................................185
PI tags (PI points).........................................................................................................................................186
PI Server.................................................................................................................................................. 186
Updates to PI data................................................................................................................................... 186
PI Tag Search window.............................................................................................................................. 187
View PI point attributes........................................................................................................................... 189

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PI Server data types................................................................................................................................. 191
Data sets..................................................................................................................................................... 192
PI Calculation data sets............................................................................................................................ 193
ODBC data sets........................................................................................................................................197
Custom data sets..................................................................................................................................... 199
Placeholders............................................................................................................................................ 199
Verify a data set is in use..........................................................................................................................202
Data set details........................................................................................................................................202
Add a data set to a trend..........................................................................................................................202
Time intervals for plotting tags and data sets.......................................................................................... 204
Refresh a trend containing a data set.......................................................................................................204
Add data sets to bars or values in a display.............................................................................................. 204
Run PI ProcessBook when data sets are included..................................................................................... 205
Edit a data set..........................................................................................................................................205
Delete a data set......................................................................................................................................206
Copy a data set to another ProcessBook.................................................................................................. 207
Loading custom data sets........................................................................................................................ 207
Configure a symbol with an AF attribute.................................................................................................. 207
Configure the AF2................................................................................................................................... 208
ODBC.......................................................................................................................................................... 209
ODBC Driver Manager............................................................................................................................. 209
ODBC drivers...........................................................................................................................................209
ODBC data sources.................................................................................................................................. 210
ODBC data access....................................................................................................................................210
Open ODBC Data Source Administrator.................................................................................................. 210
Prepare for ODBC.................................................................................................................................... 211
Configure the ODBC data source..............................................................................................................211
Use MS Query to build data sets.............................................................................................................. 212
Assumptions about time stamps and data sets........................................................................................ 212
Stored procedures in queries................................................................................................................... 212
Troubleshoot ODBC data sets.................................................................................................................. 213
Trace ODBC calls..................................................................................................................................... 213
Delete an ODBC driver.............................................................................................................................214
Delete an ODBC data source....................................................................................................................214
Edit an ODBC data source........................................................................................................................214
AF elements................................................................................................................................................ 214
View AF element properties..................................................................................................................... 215
Configure display settings in AF Browser................................................................................................. 215
Toggle panes for AF elements in PI ProcessBook..................................................................................... 216

PI Notifications in PI ProcessBook............................................................................217

Start PI Notifications....................................................................................................................................217
Notifications window in PI ProcessBook.......................................................................................................217
Receive notifications................................................................................................................................219
Filter notifications....................................................................................................................................219
Open displays associated with a notification............................................................................................219
Work with notifications........................................................................................................................... 220
Contacts window.........................................................................................................................................220
Open Contacts window............................................................................................................................221
Notification Contacts panel..................................................................................................................... 221
MS Office Communicator Contacts panel................................................................................................ 222
Work with contacts..................................................................................................................................222
Contacts presence................................................................................................................................... 223
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Embedding and Linking.......................................................................................... 225

Overview of Microsoft OLE compound documents......................................................................................225

OLE Automation in PI ProcessBook............................................................................................................. 225
Embedded objects...................................................................................................................................... 226
Embed in PI ProcessBook........................................................................................................................ 226
Edit the contents of an embedded object................................................................................................ 228
Share ProcessBook displays with other applications................................................................................ 228
Linked objects............................................................................................................................................. 229
Link a file to a display...............................................................................................................................230
Dynamic and manual updates of a linked object...................................................................................... 230
Edit, update, or break links.......................................................................................................................231
How links are stored.................................................................................................................................231
Select a new source link........................................................................................................................... 231
Edit the contents of a linked object.......................................................................................................... 232
Link a ProcessBook to another application...............................................................................................232
Should you link or embed?........................................................................................................................... 233
Example of embedded and linked objects in a ProcessBook display......................................................... 233
Add an Active X control............................................................................................................................... 234
Work with OLE objects................................................................................................................................ 234
Icons versus graphics............................................................................................................................... 235
Windows drag and drop........................................................................................................................... 236
Edit the appearance of an OLE object...................................................................................................... 236
Commands that ignore OLE objects.........................................................................................................237
Placement of OLE objects........................................................................................................................ 237
OLE object colors..................................................................................................................................... 237
Edit contents of OLE objects.................................................................................................................... 237
Delete an OLE object from a display........................................................................................................ 238
OLE container or server........................................................................................................................... 238

Visual Basic for Applications in PI ProcessBook......................................................... 239

VBA commands...........................................................................................................................................239
ActiveX Automation.................................................................................................................................... 239
What you can do with ActiveX Automation in PI ProcessBook..................................................................... 239
Automation vocabulary............................................................................................................................... 240

System administrator notes.................................................................................... 241

Installation.................................................................................................................................................. 241
System requirements...............................................................................................................................241
64-bit operating systems......................................................................................................................... 241
Upgrade from a previous version of PI ProcessBook................................................................................ 242
Compatibility with other PI System client products................................................................................. 242
Silent installation.....................................................................................................................................242
Installation test........................................................................................................................................242
Installed files............................................................................................................................................243
Configuration settings for high availability.................................................................................................. 243
Recommended setting for connection preference .................................................................................. 244
MDB to PI AF migration...............................................................................................................................245
Module Relative Display Add-in............................................................................................................... 245
Considerations for multiple versions of PI Server or PI ProcessBook........................................................ 245
Matrix of display behavior....................................................................................................................... 246
Migrate a Module Relative Display (MRD) to an Element Relative Display (ERD)..................................... 246
Default settings for the Playback toolbar..................................................................................................... 247

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DEP security................................................................................................................................................248
Read and write data access for users........................................................................................................... 248
Machine address......................................................................................................................................... 248
PROCBOOK.INI...........................................................................................................................................249
Startup section........................................................................................................................................ 249
ProcessBook View section....................................................................................................................... 254
Conversion section.................................................................................................................................. 254
Data Manager section..............................................................................................................................254
Trend Definition section.......................................................................................................................... 255
Colors section.......................................................................................................................................... 257
Time Range Scroll section........................................................................................................................ 257
ProcessBook Level section.......................................................................................................................258
Display Colors section..............................................................................................................................258
XYPlot Definition section.........................................................................................................................259
View-only mode...................................................................................................................................... 260
Macro protection.....................................................................................................................................260
INI security.............................................................................................................................................. 260
IMPPIGP.INI................................................................................................................................................ 261
SETUPProcessBook.LOG............................................................................................................................ 263

Troubleshooting tips.............................................................................................. 265

Display cannot find data.............................................................................................................................. 265

Trend cursor does not appear...................................................................................................................... 265
Trend legend does not appear..................................................................................................................... 265
Cannot change or save a display.................................................................................................................. 265
Is an XYPlot updating?................................................................................................................................ 266
Is an OLE object in a display linked or embedded?.......................................................................................266
Linked object data is not updating...............................................................................................................266
Missing ODBC trace.....................................................................................................................................267
Missing ODBC data sources......................................................................................................................... 267

Technical support and other resources..................................................................... 269

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PI ProcessBook 2014 User Guide

Introduction
PI ProcessBook is an easy-to-use graphical display interface to the PI System that enables you
to:
Efficiently display current and historical data residing in the PI System and other sources
Create interactive graphical displays that can be saved and shared
Quickly switch between view and configuration modes
Create dynamic, interactive displays and populate them with live data
Write scripts that automate displays and trends using Microsoft Visual Basic for
Applications, which is integrated into PI ProcessBook
Use OSIsoft add-ins to perform PI Batch and other analyses

What's new in PI ProcessBook 2014

Create reusable AF-based symbols to represent your PI Asset Framework elements
AF-based symbols are customized and assigned to AF elements so that you can drag and
drop the AF element onto displays from your AF Browser.
Convert PI ProcessBook displays created with AF Modeler
You can update displays created with the AF Modeler to improve performance.
Launch PI Coresight analyses from PI ProcessBook displays
You can select one or more elements within a display and then launch a PI Coresight
analysis with a single click.

PI ProcessBook 2014 User Guide

Introduction

PI ProcessBook 2014 User Guide

PI ProcessBook essentials
Topics in this section
What can you view with PI ProcessBook
Start PI ProcessBook
Add-ins
Menus and toolbars
Browser toolbar
Keyboard shortcuts
Preference settings
Print
Change the language used for PI ProcessBook
About PI ProcessBook

What can you view with PI ProcessBook

A PI ProcessBook display entry may contain PI System data from any or all of the following
sources:
PI Servers
PI Asset Framework (PI AF) Servers
Calculations from PI data
Databases with ODBC connectivity
Databases with custom interfaces to PI ProcessBook
Spreadsheets, documents, schematics, graphics, photos, and other Windows applications
through OLE linking and embedding
VBA code
ProcessBook displays may be linked to other displays within the same ProcessBook, or to
displays in a separate ProcessBook. You can also include buttons that launch other
applications.

Start PI ProcessBook
Procedure
1. Launch the application.
2. Connect to a PI Server.
3. Open a ProcessBook file or display.

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PI ProcessBook essentials

Topics in this section

Servers and connections
Workspace
Run mode and Build mode

Servers and connections

See the PI SDK Controls and Dialogs User Help to find comprehensive and up-to-date
information on connecting PI ProcessBook to a PI Server. You can access this Help from the
Help menu in the Connections window (File > Connections).

Topics in this section

Connect to a PI Server
Network errors
Displays and connection failure
Node identifiers for multiple PI Servers

Connect to a PI Server
Use the PI Connection Manager window to manage connections to PI Servers.

Procedure
1. Click File > Connections.
The PI Connection Manager window appears. The window lists the configured servers to
which you can connect. It also shows the server you have chosen as the default server.
A selected checkbox next to a server name in the Connections window indicates an open
connection to the PI Server.

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2. Manage connection settings:

Click to select a check box and open a connection to a PI Server in the list.
Clear a check box to close a connection.
Select a PI Server in the server pane to access connection settings.
Note:
If you select more than one server, the application tries to connect to each server
using the same user ID and password. If it fails, a new PI Server Login window appears.
If you already are logged in to the server from a different PI application, such as PI
DataLink, the application uses the user ID and password with which you logged in. See
the PI SDK Controls and Dialogs User Help for more detail.

PI Server security
PI ProcessBook is designed to support whatever security is configured on the PI Server.
When PI ProcessBook attempts to connect to a PI Server, the application first attempts to
pass your Windows login credentials. The PI SDK will try to use them directly or find a
Trust for the user, domain, application or machine (per Trust configurations).
If all attempts to login to the PI Server using Windows credentials or other machine-related
information fail, then you must have a PI user account (not Windows security-based). In
this case, the PI SDK attempts to use the default PI user account configured for the Server
(you can see this in the Connections window in PI ProcessBook). See Connect to a PI Server.
If the default PI user account does not require a password, then you are automatically
logged in. If the default account does require a password, a login window appears, which
expects the PI user account and password.

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PI ProcessBook essentials
Note:
For more detailed information on PI Server security see PI Server Configuring Security,
which is available on the OSIsoft Technical Support website. As of PI Server 3.4.380, PI
Server can be configured to take advantage of significantly enhanced security options.

Network errors
Network errors update the Status Report window, rather than displaying error messages on
your monitor. When a display is opened but the server is not available, only one Select New
Node window appears. The window appears once for each server that is not available. See
Status report for dynamic symbols and Displays and connection failure.

Displays and connection failure

If the connection to your data is not successful, the display is still drawn, but data in dynamic
elements are replaced with indicators signifying that no data is available.
Trends are labeled Invalid and no information is plotted.
Values are replaced with pound signs (###) and the message Disconnected appears.
Bar graphs are drawn using hash marks (//////).
Multi-State symbols show the configured color for bad data.
If a server has been disconnected, and/or cannot be reached, the Select New Node window
appears.

Click Connections to launch the PI Connection Manager window. From there you can choose a
new server from the drop-down list of connected servers.

Node identifiers for multiple PI Servers

A node identifier is stored with each tag name used in a display to point to the correct server. If
you define PI Server nodes in the PI Connection Manager window, the identifiers are the same
on each PC on the network as long as the node names for the PI System are the same.

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PI ProcessBook essentials

Workspace
When you start PI ProcessBook, it appears as an open window or workspace on the desktop.
Depending on your settings, you may initially see an empty workspace, or an open
ProcessBook in either Book View or Outline View view.
Within the PI ProcessBook workspace you can open a ProcessBook or independent display.

Topics in this section

ProcessBook (.piw)
Display
Create a new ProcessBook or display

ProcessBook (.piw)
In PI ProcessBook a ProcessBook is the container for the information and analysis of the
process you are monitoring. A ProcessBook may appear as either a tabbed book - Book View,
or an outline - Outline View, and is saved as a separate file with a .piw extension.
A ProcessBook is a collection of individual displays of data and analysis. Use a ProcessBook to
organize data from the PI System and other sources so that you can analyze the processes you
monitor or the tasks you perform.
A ProcessBook and its displays are stored in a single file.

Display
The main unit for creating presentations of data in PI ProcessBook is the display. A display can
stand on its own (.pdi or .svg), or it can be part of a ProcessBook (.piw). A display contains
all the symbols used to represent an operational environment using real-time, production data
from the PI System as well as data from other sources. In addition to containing this collection
of data elements, the display has its own set of features and properties that affect the collection
of data elements.
Displays can show a variety of elements, such as a schematic representation of a production
line, a plot of readings taken from a production line, or a comparison of lab data and batch
specifications. Displays can also be linked to other ProcessBooks, displays in other
ProcessBooks, or other applications.

Create a new ProcessBook or display

Use the New window to create new ProcessBook, add ProcessBook entries, or open a display.

Procedure
1. Click File > New to launch the New window,

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See Create a new ProcessBook, Add ProcessBook entries, or Open a display

Run mode and Build mode

When you work with a ProcessBook or an independent display, you work in one of two
operating modes, Run mode or Build mode.
Build mode

Most of the functions that you use when you create or modify a ProcessBook require the
Build mode pointer. Use Build mode to add, remove, or move symbols on a display, to add,
remove, or organize entries in a ProcessBook, and for access to symbol definitions and
formatting tools.
Run mode

Run mode is used to open entries and execute commands after a ProcessBook is built. You
can make some changes to a display while in Run mode; however, working in Run mode
keeps you from accidentally making permanent changes to items in a display.
You switch between modes by clicking the Run mode pointer

or the Build mode pointer

, which are located on the Tools menu and the Drawing toolbar. Your preferred mode of
operation is set as a default in your Preference settings.
Note:
You can choose Build or Run mode as your preferred mode of operation by clearing or
selecting the Prefer Run Mode check box in the General preferences tab of the
ProcessBook Preferences window. This is a helpful preference if you spend most of your
time building or editing displays.

Add-ins
By default, PI ProcessBook installs with the following add-in components. You can load or
unload these and other add-in components by using the Add-In Manager.

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PI ProcessBook essentials
AF 2.x Data Set
Browser toolbar
Data Favorites add-in
Details window
Element Relative Display (ERD)
PI Notifications in PI ProcessBook
ProcessBook SVG File Converter
Enables you to save displays as SVG files, which can then be used by PI WebParts.
Time Range and Playback toolbar
ToolTip Statistics window
See Load add-ins.
You can install other add-ins with PI ProcessBook, but they do not become available until you
add additional applications:
PI BatchView

Load add-ins
The Add-In Manager lists the add-ins available in your PI ProcessBook installation. Use this
window to control whether the add-ins are loaded whenever you use PI ProcessBook.

Procedure
1. Click Tools > Add-in Manager.
The Add-In Manager window appears.
2. Click an available add-in from the Available Add-Ins list.
A description of what the add-in does appears in the Description box.
3. Under Load Behavior, select the appropriate check boxes:
Loaded/Unloaded
Loads or unloads the selected add-in. The add-in's current status appears in the Load
Behavior column at the top.
Load on Startup
Loads the selected add-in on startup of PI ProcessBook. The add-in's current status
appears in the Load Behavior column at the top.
Command Line
Loads the selected add-in when PI ProcessBook is started from the command prompt or
from a script.
4. Click OK to complete the action and close the window.

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PI ProcessBook essentials
Note:
If the add-in is unloaded and then reloaded, you must click the Revert toolbar button
to re-synchronize any symbols using the add-in.

Menus and toolbars

Topics in this section
Command menus
Customize toolbars
Toolbar buttons

Command menus
The active components of menu bars change depending on the active window and current
selections. There are five different collections of menu commands.
Menu Bar

Function

Default

Displays when no documents are active

Book

Displays when a PI ProcessBook workbook is

active

Display

Displays when a PI ProcessBook display document

is active

View-Only Book

Displays when PI ProcessBook is running in noedit mode and a PI ProcessBook workbook is

active.

View-Only Display

Displays when PI ProcessBook is running in noedit mode and a display or workbook document is
active.

Customize toolbars
Toolbars may be displayed or omitted.

Procedure
1. Click View > Toolbars.
The Toolbars tab of the Customize window opens.
2. Check the toolbars you wish to display, and click OK.
Note:
Click the Commands tab to see what buttons appear on each toolbar.
3. To move a toolbar, click on the double vertical bar at the left end and drag to the new
location.
If the toolbar has no move handle, click on the title bar instead.
4. To reshape a floating toolbar (one without move handles), grab one of its edges and drag to
a new shape.
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Toolbar buttons
Many of the menu commands in PI ProcessBook can be selected by clicking a button on a
toolbar. To determine the use of a button on a toolbar, hover the mouse pointer over the
button to display a tooltip.
You can configure toolbars to display as view-only to omit unnecessary buttons. View-only
toolbars and others can be specified in procbook.ini. See PROCBOOK.INI for details.

Add buttons to toolbars

You can change the icons that appear on the toolbars or create your own custom toolbar.

Procedure
1. Click View > Toolbars.
2. From the Commands tab of the Toolbars window, you can select a particular toolbar in the
window and drag buttons to existing toolbars in your PI ProcessBook window.
3. While the Commands tab is open, you can also drag buttons off of a toolbar to remove them
from your window.

Browser toolbar
The Browser add-in provides a toolbar that resembles the controls of a typical web browser.
The toolbar is automatically loaded when you install PI ProcessBook, and allows you to
navigate recently-used ProcessBooks and displays.

Topics in this section

Browse ProcessBooks and displays
View browsing history
Set a Home Page
Bookmarks and browser history

Browse ProcessBooks and displays

Procedure
1. Click View > Toolbars.
2. In the Toolbars list, make sure the Browser Toolbar and Time Range and Playback Toolbar
are selected.
Note:
These toolbars are open by default when you first launch PI ProcessBook.
3. From the Browser toolbar, click either the Forward or Back buttons

to view

previously opened ProcessBooks or displays.

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Only displays opened during the current session of PI ProcessBook are included in this
navigation.
4. You can also use the Address box to open ProcessBooks and displays.
a. Click the arrow to the right of the Address box to see the last ten valid file paths you
entered.
The last entry in the list is Browse.
b. Click Browse to launch an Open File window where you can browse for a file.
You can also enter a URL to open a file.

View browsing history

Procedure
1. Click the small black arrow to the right of the Back or Forward buttons

to see a

drop-down box that lists the last ten ProcessBooks and/or displays that you visited during
the current session.
2. Click an entry to return to that item.
The final entry in the list is History.
3. Click History to open the History tab of the Organizer window, from where you can find an
alphabetical list of all ProcessBooks and displays visited during the current session.
See History tab and Bookmarks and browser history for details.

Set a Home Page

The Home Page is the startup file that is defined in PI ProcessBook preferences. It can be
a .pdi (display), .piw (ProcessBook), or a display entry.

Procedure
1. On the Browser toolbar, click the small arrow next to the Home button

2. From the drop-down menu, select one of the following:

Use Default to make PIDemo.piw your default file.
Use Current to set the start file to the current, active ProcessBook or display.

Bookmarks and browser history

The Organizer is a docking window that allows you to organize and use bookmarks and the
current session's history. By default this window is hidden. Click the Bookmarks button on the
Browser toolbar to make it appear. See Browser toolbar for details.

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The Organizer window has two tabs: Browser and HIstory.

Topics in this section

Bookmarks tab
History tab
Add or edit bookmarks

Bookmarks tab
New bookmarks are automatically added to the root level of the bookmarks tree. You can
organize the entries into a hierarchical tree structure by dragging and dropping entries. Rightclick the Bookmarks tab to select one of the following from the menu:
New Folder inserts a new folder at the top level of the tree or as a subfolder of a selected
folder.
Rename makes the entry name of the selected entry editable.
Edit opens a window where you can enter a new name and file path for the selected
bookmark.
Select All selects every entry.
Deselect All clears every entry.
Send To File opens a Save File window for the location to store the list of bookmarks.
Bookmarks are saved as XML and can be subsequently imported. Only files or folders that
are selected (checked) in the tree are exported.
Send To E-Mail opens a pre-populated Outlook email with the selected bookmarks ready to
be sent as an attachment with the same format as the Send to File option. Only files or
folders that are selected (checked) in the tree are exported.
Note:
The Send To options are only visible if at least one entry is checked or when rightclicking an item.
Import opens an Open File window where you can select a bookmarks file to import.

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History tab
The History tab contains an alphabetical list of all ProcessBooks and displays you have visited
during the current session. From there you can click an entry to return to that item.
The icon of the entry indicates its file type. Hover over an entry to see its full path in a tooltip.

Add or edit bookmarks

Procedure
1. On the Browser toolbar click the Bookmark button

to open the Bookmark tab of the

Organizer window.
From there you can browse, modify, or delete stored file locations.
2. Click
3. Click

to add a bookmark.
to edit a bookmark.

If the active file is already bookmarked, the same icon appears as the Edit Bookmark icon.
Click this button to edit the bookmark's label and file path.

Keyboard shortcuts
A keyboard shortcut is a combination of keystrokes to use for frequent actions. Several of these
are already assigned in PI ProcessBook. They appear to the right of the corresponding menu
command on the drop-down menus.
PI ProcessBook lets you assign new combinations of keystrokes or change existing ones.
For example you can:
Assign a keyboard shortcut for inserting symbols with one command.
Assign more than one keyboard shortcut to a specific action.
Change an existing shortcut, such as Ctrl+S, to another sequence you prefer.

Topics in this section

Assign a keyboard shortcut
Remove a keyboard shortcut

Assign a keyboard shortcut

Procedure
1. Click View > Assign Shortcuts.
The Shortcut Keys window appears.

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2. Under Select a macro, click the appropriate macro (menu item).

The description for that item and its assigned shortcuts, if any, appears.
3. Click the Create Shortcut button.
The Assign Shortcut window appears.

4. In the Press new shortcut key box, type the key you wish to use for the shortcut.
Note:
If you choose a combination already in use, the current assignment appears in the
window. If you click OK, the previous assignment is voided.
5. Click OK.
The new shortcut appears in the Assigned shortcuts box.
Note:
If you want to reset all the keyboard shortcuts to their original positions when PI
ProcessBook was installed, click the Reset All button, and then the OK button.

Remove a keyboard shortcut

Procedure
1. In the Shortcut Keys window, under the Select a macro list, select the appropriate macro
(menu item command).

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The description for that item and its assigned shortcuts, if any, appears.
2. Under Assigned shortcuts, select the shortcut you want to remove, and then click the
Remove button.
3. Click OK.

Preference settings
You can reach the ProcessBook Preferences window by clicking Tools > Preferences.
Preference settings determine how the ProcessBook entries look, what colors are available
when you draw, and whether your ProcessBook opens in Book View or Outline View.
Note:
Preference settings are stored in the file procbook.ini. Before you change the
Preference settings, consider creating a back-up copy of procbook.ini so that you can
restore PI ProcessBook to the original settings.

Topics in this section

General preferences
Table of Contents preferences
Display Window preferences
Trend preferences
Trend Elements preferences

General preferences
Click Tools > Preferences > General tab to configure application-wide settings. These settings
are stored in and retrieved from the [STARTUP] section of your procbook.ini file. See
PROCBOOK.INI for details.

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Author
Determines the name used as the creator of new files and the person who last edited the
file. See Summary information in ProcessBook for more information. This field is blank by
default when PI ProcessBook is first installed on a computer.
Startup File
The file name and path in this field determine which, if any, file is automatically opened
when the application is launched. The default value when PI ProcessBook is first installed is
<installation path>\procbook\pidemo.piw.
Library File
The file name and path in this field determine which, if any, file is opened when the original
symbol library command is used. The default value when PI ProcessBook is first installed is
<installation path>\procbook\symlibry.piw.
Prefer Run Mode
Determines whether ProcessBook starts up in Run mode or Build mode by default. By
default, this option is enabled when PI ProcessBook is first installed on a computer.
Create Backup Files
Determines whether backup files (with a .bak extension) are automatically created when a
PI ProcessBook file is opened. By default, this option is turned off when PI ProcessBook is
first installed on a computer.

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Keep snapshot values on updating plots
Determines whether the archive event pipe is used for updating trends, discarding any
snapshot values between stored, archive values. This setting is stored as
PB2TraceCompatibility in the [STARTUP] section of your procbook.ini. By default,
this option is turned off when PI ProcessBook is first installed on a computer.
Date and Time Format
Settings in this area determine how time is displayed in PI ProcessBook. Previews of each
format are shown to help you select the desired option.
The Use local Windows format option uses the current Regional Options settings in the
Windows Control Panel on the client machine to determine how dates and times are
displayed. Dates are shown using the currently configured Short Date format and Times
are shown using the current time format settings.
The Use PI Time Format option displays time stamps in the default PI format of dd-mmmyy HH:mm:ss.ssss, where dd is the day of the month, mmm is a the short text
abbreviation of the month name (e.g., Jan for January), yy is the two digit year, HH is the
hour in 24-hour format, mm is the minute and ss.sss is the second, including sub-seconds,
if present.
Default Time Zone
Determines whether time stamps reflect the time zone of the PI Server used to retrieve data
(PI Server time zone), or the time zone of the local computer (Client machine time zone),
when a new display is created. By default, the PI Server option is selected when PI
ProcessBook is first installed on a computer. This setting can also be changed and is stored
with each display.

Table of Contents preferences

Click Tools > Preferences > Table of Contents to configure the default view of Table of
Contents windows for ProcessBook(PIW) files, as well as the font applied to each level of entry
in those files. These settings are stored in and retrieved from your procbook.ini file. See
PROCBOOK.INI.

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Default View
Settings in this area determine how ProcessBook entries are displayed by default. The
default is Book view.
Font Settings
The controls in this area determine the font settings applied to each entry level in a
ProcessBook. The font settings control the display of entry names in Table of Contents
windows.
Preview
This read-only field displays font settings for each level in a ProcessBook. Each of the 10
possible entry levels is listed and displayed with its current font name, and style settings.

Display Window preferences

Click Tools > Preferences > Display Window tab to set options that apply to display windows.
These settings are stored in and retrieved from your procbook.ini file. See PROCBOOK.INI.

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Preserve Aspect Ratio on resize

Determines whether display element sizes change in proportion to the window size when a
window is resized. When the check box is selected, the aspect ratio is preserved and the
display element sizes change in proportion to the window size.
Show Symbol ToolTips
Determines whether ToolTips are displayed on display symbols. ToolTips appear for
toolbar buttons regardless of this setting's value. By default, this option is turned on when
PI ProcessBook is first installed on a computer.
Show Value Attributes
Determines whether icons are displayed for Value Attribute flags (Questionable,
Substituted or Annotated) on PI data. This option is turned on when PI ProcessBook is first
installed on a computer.
Run mode scrolling
Determines the scroll bar behavior of display windows in Run mode.
Build mode scrolling
Determines the scroll bar behavior of display windows in Build mode.

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On

Display contains scroll bars all the time.

Off

Scroll bars never appear.

Automatic

Scroll bars appear when needed (this is the

default setting).

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Color Palette
These fields present the 16 colors selected for use throughout the application as the basic
colors for the color well control.
Use the Modify button to launch the Color window, where you can select additional
colors.
Use the Reset button to return the Color Palette to system default values.
Default Display Background Color
Determines the default color used for new displays. The color well control is used to select a
color. This color is also set when the Background color of the current display is changed.
Symbol Defaults
Contains fields to set the default formatting values for new symbols. These defaults are also
changed when the Formatting controls are used and no symbols are selected.

Trend preferences
Click Tools > Preferences > Trend tab to set default settings for new trend symbols. These
settings also apply to instant trends.

Display
Check or uncheck these options to configure what information a trend displays by default.

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AutoScale
Select this check box if you want trends to be scaled as tag values change over time. If
you do not select this check box, then trends use the Database scale for each tag.
Plot Title
Select this check box if you want a title to display.
Vert. Scale Ins. Axis(Vertical Scale Inside Axis)
Select this check box to display the numeric scale inside the axis. If you do not select this
check box the scale displays outside the axis. Note that the value scale is drawn
horizontally when the trend orientation is vertical.
Grids
Select to display grid lines. See Grid lines and labels.
Multiple Scales
Add a value scale for each data point when selected. When the check box is cleared, only
a single value scale appears. See Single and multiple scales for the vertical axis.
Markers
Select the Markers check box if you want markers to indicate data points on the trend. If
you do not select the Markers check box three markers display on each line. These
markers help you match a line to a tag.
Legend
Select or clear these options to configure what information appears in the trend legends.
The information that can fit in the legend is determined by the size of the trend.
Consequently, not all of the information in the legend may be visible:
If the width of the legend is more than the width of the trend the legend does not
appear.
If the height of the text in the legend is longer than the total height of the trend, items
are removed in this order: engineering units, tag name, then value.
Options include:
Tag Name
Server Name (for PI tags)
Value
Description
Eng Units
Sample
Use this display area to view a preview of selected trend preferences.

Trend Elements preferences

Click Tools > Preferences > Trend Elements tab to set what colors, line styles, and so on are
used in individual traces gridlines, text, or the background. These settings also apply to instant
trends.
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Multi-State on Ad Hoc
Select this check box to include data from multi-stated symbols when creating an ad hoc
(instant) trend. When this option is cleared, data from a multi-state configuration is not
included on instant trends.
Traces per Ad Hoc Trend
Select the number of traces to have per plot on an ad hoc (instant) trend. The default is 3,
the maximum is 8. Once this number is reached, additional plots are created to show the
remaining tags selected for the instant trend.
Plot Elements
Use the drop down list to select from pens, text, grids, and background.
For each plot element, select a Marker Type, Line Style, Line Weight, and Color.
Note:
You may select one of several line styles for each trace. You can also specify the line
thickness. Select none to omit a grid line.
Sample
See your changes previewed in the Sample area at the bottom of the window.

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Print
When you print from a ProcessBook, you can:
In Outline view, print a list of the ProcessBook contents or selected displays.
In Book view, print a list of the entire book or a selected tab section.
Print the entire contents of a display or selected items from that window.
You can also set various printing options, such as the number of copies.
Each topic in the help file may be printed separately or you can print them all at once.
The Print command is accessible from the File menu, CTRL+P, or the print button. You can
print the contents of the active window or if you select items within a display before you open
the Print window, then you can choose to print only those items.
Note:
On a non-color printer, symbols are printed in shades of gray, but trends are printed in
black and white.
On some printers, when you print a trend with cursors, the value and time stamp boxes
of the cursor does not hide the information beneath them. However, other trend cursors
and the trend time scale may show through the trend cursor boxes, making the values
hard to read.

Topics in this section

Page Setup for printing
Print Preview
Set up printer

Page Setup for printing

You can select the particular printer, the orientation of the paper, the paper size, and the
source within the printer of the paper. Use the Properties button to fine-tune the quality of
output or the performance of the printer.
The settings you choose in Page Setup become the defaults for all your printing.
Note:
PI ProcessBook supports dot matrix, HP PCL (LaserJet), Postscript, and color printers.
However, all Windows print drivers may not be compatible. If you are not sure if your
printer is supported or you observe any printing problems, contact OSIsoft Technical
Support.

Print Preview

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Print Preview displays your selection as it will look when it is printed. Note that the Print
Preview shows colors even though you may be using a black and white printer.
After you select the item you want to preview, click File > Print Preview. Zoom in or out of the
selection by clicking on the selection with the magnifier cursor or by clicking the Zoom
buttons. To print the selection, click the Print button.

Set up printer
Select Print Setup to choose a printer, page orientation, and paper size. In addition, you can
fine-tune the quality of output or the performance of your printer. The settings you choose in
Print Setup become the defaults for all your printing.

Procedure
1. Click File > Page Setup.
The Print Setup window appears.
2. Select the printer, orientation, and paper size and source.
Note:
PI ProcessBook supports dot matrix, HP PCL (LaserJet), Postscript, and color printers.
However, all Windows print drivers may not be compatible. If you are not sure if your
printer is supported or you observe any printing problems, contact OSIsoft Technical
Support.
3. Click the Properties button to select printer-specific options.
Refer to your printer documentation for additional information about these options.

Change the language used for PI ProcessBook

You can change the language for the application on your machine if you have a PI ProcessBook
Language Pack and the desired language resources installed. The language setting is per user
locale, so if others want to use the application on the same machine under a different login,
they can use different language resources if available.

Procedure
1. Run the PI ProcessBook Language Pack and select the language resources you want to
install, if they are not already available.
2. Click Tools > Preferences.
The ProcessBook Preferences window appears.
3. On the General tab, click the Language Settings button to launch the language selection
tool.
This button is only active if you have language resources installed.
4. Select the target language and click OK.
5. Quit and restart the application.

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PI ProcessBook now appears in the specified language. Note that users who log in with the
same account see the same language, but the language does not change for those logging in
to the machine with different accounts.

About PI ProcessBook
You can launch the About PI ProcessBook window by clicking Help > About PI ProcessBook.
The window provides detailed version and build information, as well as a link to the OSIsoft
Technical Support website.
Click Copy Info to copy the contents of the list to your Windows clipboard where it can be
pasted into a spreadsheet or text editor. This can be useful to share with OSIsoft Technical
Support engineers if you have a problem.
Click System Info to launch the Microsoft System Information window. This information can
also be useful when troubleshooting issues through OSIsoft Technical Support.

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Topics in this section
Basic steps to build a ProcessBook
Create a new ProcessBook
Add ProcessBook entries
Arrange ProcessBook entries
Open an existing ProcessBook
Properties
Import files to a ProcessBook
File sharing capability
Moving a ProcessBook to another PC

Basic steps to build a ProcessBook

There are five basic steps to create a new ProcessBook .

Procedure
1. Create and save a ProcessBook.
2. Add, organize, and edit entry titles.
3. Design a detailed display for each display entry title, using the drawing tools to create
schematics or other drawings with trends, bars, and values. To import outside data, add
OLE objects and values from data set queries.
4. Format trends and make other adjustments to each display to present your data in the most
useful manner.
5. Save the completed ProcessBook and install it wherever it is needed.
Note:
In some installations, the system administrator might set your PI ProcessBook to
View-only mode mode. If so, you cannot create and save new ProcessBooks.

Create a new ProcessBook

Before you create a ProcessBook, you should consider planning an organizational structure
and a naming convention for the ProcessBook and the entries within it.
When you create and save a new ProcessBook, the application initially gives it the title Book1,
where 1 represents the number of ProcessBooks created during the current session.
PI ProcessBook also creates a file name for the new ProcessBook. It suggests the first word
from your title and an extension of .piw. For example, PI ProcessBook may suggest
Filtrat1.PIW. If you plan to build an entire set of ProcessBooks, you might choose to modify

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it in Windows Explorer to sort your set of ProcessBooks in some meaningful order, such as
05FiltrP.PIW.

Procedure
1. In Build mode, click File > New.
The New window appears.
2. Select ProcessBook (.piw) File.
3. In the ProcessBook Name box, type a name for the new book.
4. Click OK.
A new ProcessBook appears.
Note:
If you typed a name in the ProcessBook Name box, then the name appears on the
ProcessBook title bar. If you did not type a name, then the default title Book1 appears
on the title bar.

Add ProcessBook entries

After creating a ProcessBook, the next step is to add individual entries. By arranging and
combining displays and other entry types, you can create a complete working environment for
plant personnel.
Note:
You can add entry titles to a ProcessBook and then complete the detailed design of the
entries later.
There are five specific types of entries:
Text
Provides headings or static information. See Create a text or display entry.
Display
Opens a display. See Create a text or display entry.
Linked displays
Links to an independent display file. See Linked display entry.
Linked ProcessBook
Links to an entry in another ProcessBook. See Linked ProcessBook entries.
Operating system (OS) command
Opens another application. See Operating system command entry.

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When you add entries to a ProcessBook in either Outline or Book View, the entries are
arranged hierarchically. Subentries are indented under main entries. The name you give each
new entry is the name that shows in the ProcessBook.
When you create a new entry, it is placed in the ProcessBook just before the selected entry. If
no entries are selected, the new entry appears at the end of the current tab section in Book
View or at the end of the Outline View.
The first entry on a book tab is normally a Level 2 item (Level 1 is used as the tab label). All
Level 3 through 10 items are listed below a level 2 item and indented the same. In Outline
View, all levels are indented according to their level.

Topics in this section

Create a text or display entry
Linked display entry
Linked ProcessBook entries
Operating system command entry

Create a text or display entry

Use text entries to add labels and clarify text in a ProcessBook table of contents. Display entries
represent a display in a ProcessBook.

Procedure
1. Click File > New.
The New window appears.
2. Under Type, select ProcessBook Entry.
3. Click OK.
The Define ProcessBook Entry window appears.
4. In the Label window, type a name.
Note:
The label must be 244 characters or less in length.

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5. For the Type, select Text or Display.
6. In the Level list, click the level at which you want to position the entry in the ProcessBook
hierarchy of entries, or
Type a number between 1 and 10.
Note:
If you are creating the first entry in the ProcessBook, the level is automatically set to 1
and cannot be changed. This entry is used as the first tab label.
7. Click OK.
The entry is added to the ProcessBook. If the entry is at Level 1 and you are in Book view, a
tab is created using the name of the entry.
8. Click the Save button on the toolbar, or
Click File > Save.

Linked display entry

A linked display allows you to use a display name to link to an entry elsewhere in the
ProcessBook or in another ProcessBook or independent display file. This means that you
create and store only one copy of the display.
You can then access the same entry from several different locations in one ProcessBook. Or,
while you are in one ProcessBook, you can open an entry from another one without having to
close the first ProcessBook.
The linked entry is not a copy; it is a way of opening the original, similar to using a Windows
shortcut. The Book View or Outline View shows the title of the linked entry, but the actual
display window shows the title of the original entry.
If you edit the original from any linked entry, the original is updated and automatically appears
updated in all the ProcessBooks that are linked to it.
To prevent unexpected updates, you can restrict access to an entry so that only the original
entry can be edited and all others to which it is linked are read-only. If the entry resides on a
server, you can write-protect the file on the server. If you need more information on restricting
access to files, see your system administrator.
Before you create a link to an original entry in a different ProcessBook, the ProcessBook that
contains the original (target) entry must be open. Once the link is established, you only need to
open the ProcessBook with the Linked Entry.
If you want to link to an entry in a second ProcessBook, open the second book or use the
Display Search window. If you want to link to an entry in the current ProcessBook, create the
original display entry first, save the file, and then create the linked entry. The target display
must be in a file that has been saved so that its path can be determined.

Create a linked display entry

Procedure
1. Click File > New.

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The New window appears.
2. Under Type, select ProcessBook Entry.
3. Click OK.
The Define ProcessBook Entry window appears.
4. In the Label window, type a name.
Note:
The label must be 244 characters or less in length.
5. For the Type, select Link/OS Command.
6. Click the Browse button, or
Click the Browse arrow to see more search options.
The Open window appears.
7. To link to an independent display file, locate and select the display file (.pdi) to which you
want to link and then click the Open button.
The display name appears in the Action box.
8. To link to another ProcessBook, locate and select the processbook file (.piw) to which you
want to link and click the Open button.
The file name appears in the Action box.
9. To link to a display in a ProcessBook, select the Display Search option from the Browse
drop-down and enter criteria to locate the display you want within the open files.
If the display you want is not in a file that is open, select a different option in the Look in
field. When the display is listed in the Display Search window, select it and click OK. The
name appears in the Action box.
10. In the Level list, click the level at which you want to position the entry in the ProcessBook
hierarchy of entries, or
Type a number between 1 and 10.
Note:
If you are creating the first entry in the ProcessBook, the level is automatically set to 1
and cannot be changed.
11. Clear the Options check box if you want the absolute path to the file checked first.
Note:
By default, ProcessBook attempts to open a linked display from its relative path first.
If the relative path fails, then the absolute path is checked. Clearing the Use relative
path check box reverses the order in which the paths are resolved. For new displays,
this option is checked by default.
12. Click OK.
A linked display entry icon is added to the outline and book view of the ProcessBook you
are developing.
13. Click the Save button.

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Note:
If you need to move the original entry to another directory or ProcessBook, you must
redefine the link between the ProcessBooks. If you move both the original and the
linked item and the relationship between the two file paths is unchanged, you do not
need to relink.

Linked ProcessBook entries

Similar to a linked display, a linked ProcessBook entry is a link to a different ProcessBook.
When you open a linked ProcessBook entry, another ProcessBook is opened. You may open
any of the entries in that ProcessBook. Using a linked ProcessBook entry is the same as
opening a ProcessBook using the Open command on the File menu.
The same rules apply to linked ProcessBook entries as to linked entries.

Move linked entries

If you move a linked pair of displays or ProcessBooks to another location and if this move
changes the relationship of the two file paths, you need to relink the items.

Operating system command entry

An operating system command is used to start another application, such as Microsoft Excel, in
addition to PI ProcessBook. Essentially, any command that you can execute with the Windows
Run command can be used as an operating system command entry in a ProcessBook.
For example, you can use an operating system command to link to PI DataLink reports or
calculations. You can also create links to CAD drawings, modeling packages, or statistics
packages. Links to displays saved as .SVG files are treated as operating system command
entries.
When you have reports created on a different system, you can convert them to ASCII and, using
an operating system command, create a link to Notepad to read the reports.
If your company has online help files for certain procedures, you can create a link to those help
files or other documents.
Your computer must have enough memory to run the applications you want to use in addition
to PI ProcessBook. The applications also must be installed on your system. If you do not know
whether or not your computer has enough memory, contact your system administrator.

Topics in this section

Create an operating system command entry
Working directory for operating system commands

Create an operating system command entry

Procedure
1. Click File > New.

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The New window appears.
2. Under Type, select ProcessBook Entry.
3. Click OK.
The Define ProcessBook Entry window appears.
4. In the Label window, type a name.
Note:
The label must be 244 characters or less in length.
5. For the Type, select Link/OS Command.
6. Click the Browse button to the right of the Action box, or
Click the Browse arrow and then click Applications.
The Open window appears.
7. Browse and locate the file to which want to link, and then click the Open button.
The application's path/name appears in the Action box.
Note:
If you know the name of the .exe file for the application, such as C:\excel
\Excel.exe for Excel or the path and name of a data file, such as C:\document
\report.xls, then you can type the path directly in the Action box. You can use most
commands that execute successfully in the Windows Start menu Run window.
8. If you need to specify the location of the executable for the application, click the Browse
button to the right of the Working folder box.
The Browse for Folder window appears.
9. Locate and select the folder that you want to specify for this operating system command,
and click OK.
Note:
If you know the name of the working folder for this application, then you can type it
directly in the Working folder box.
10. In the Level list, click the level at which you want to position the entry in the ProcessBook
hierarchy of entries, or
Type a number between 1 and 10.
Note:
If you are creating the first entry in the ProcessBook, the level is automatically set to 1
and cannot be changed.
11. If the file specified in the Action box is associated with one application and you want to
open it with another, select the Ignore the default shell command for recognized file types
check box.
This option is normally only used with files such as displays saved as SVG so that they can
be opened in PI ProcessBook instead of the associated Viewer application.

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Note:
If the file type is supported by ProcessBook (either natively or through an add-in),
then it is opened directly when this option is selected for a Link or OS command entry.
For example, an .svg file is opened using the SVG File Converter in ProcessBook, even
if you have Adobe SVG Viewer installed. Clearing this check box disables this behavior,
so the default shell command is used to open the file instead.
12. Click OK.
An icon for the program you are launching is added to the outline and book view of the
ProcessBook and the application opens. Close the application.
13. Click the Save button.
Note:
Any path entered in the Action field is considered absolute. If the display with this
entry is moved, the path is not changed from the original entry. If the Action is
entered and saved as a relative path, the system attempts to open the command using
that relative path. In this case, if you need to move the original entry to another
directory or ProcessBook, you may have to redefine the link between the
ProcessBooks. If you move both the original and the linked item and the relationship
between the two file paths is unchanged, you do not need to relink.

Working directory for operating system commands

The Define ProcessBook Entry window has a text box where you can enter the working
directory. The command line recognizes file extension associations.
For example, in the past you needed to enter a command like:
C:\EXCEL\EXCEL.EXE C:\MYWORK\MINE.XLS
Now you can use a command like:
C:\MYWORK\MINE.XLS
In other words, if the string works for the Run command under the File menu of the Program
Manager, it will work in PI ProcessBook.
Some applications that you can access with an operating system command, such as MS Excel,
allow only one copy of the application to open, even if you execute the command several times.

Arrange ProcessBook entries

Once you have created your entry titles, it is a good idea to consider how they are arranged in
your ProcessBook. Each ProcessBook gives two possible views of your entry titles, Book View
and Outline View.
Whether you are in Outline View or Book View, you can edit and rearrange entries, or delete
entries altogether. Some functions are performed the same regardless of the view in which you
are working.
Book View is a useful organizational tool when your ProcessBook has only a few dozen
displays. If your ProcessBook is large and contains many displays, Outline View is faster and
easier to use.

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Topics in this section

Book View
Outline View
Copy and paste an entry
Remove an entry
Save and close a ProcessBook

Book View
In Book View

, the ProcessBook displays as a loose-leaf binder.

Tabs indicate major divisions in the ProcessBook. Each tab section has a heading, which may
be any ProcessBook entry. The entry title is used as the tab name. A tab section may contain
several pages of entries representing different types of information. There is no limit to the
number of tabs you can have in a Book. However, as you add tabs or reduce the size of the
ProcessBook, the tabs are stacked to the right of the Book. This might make the ProcessBook
difficult to read in Book View.
When you create a first-level entry in Book View, the name becomes the label for the section
tab. If the entry is the first entry you have added to the ProcessBook, the entry level is
automatically set at 1. Subsequent sub-entries are listed below the main entry. When you
select another first level entry, a new page is created with a new tab. You can have up to 10
levels of entries in a ProcessBook, but levels 3 to 10 are displayed in Book View as though they
were at the same level.
Displays within a tab section are typically arranged in a hierarchical fashion. For example, a
display that includes a boiler, a condenser, and a pump may be at the top level of a tab section.
The boiler, the condenser, and the pump may be separate displays that are arranged
underneath the summary display. Each of these displays can have several displays for their
components.

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Book View

Topics in this section

Turn pages in Book View
Resize a ProcessBook
Entries in Book View

Turn pages in Book View

Procedure
1. Click View > Book to view a ProcessBook in Book View.
Notice the top right corner of the page is divided into two small triangles

2. Click the upper triangle to move forward one page, or

Click the lower triangle to move backward a page.
A dark gray triangle indicates there are no more pages in that direction.
3. Click the tabs along the right-hand side to move quickly between sections of a ProcessBook.

Resize a ProcessBook
Procedure
1. Click and drag on the frame of a ProcessBook until the window is the size you want.

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As you make a window smaller, the ProcessBook is resized so you can still see all of the
tabs. If the window becomes too small to display all the members of a group of displays, the
displays are moved to new pages.
If the ProcessBook window becomes too small, all the tabs behind the first tab are collapsed
into one tab labeled More.
2. Click the More tab to display a pop-up list of the other tab sections.

Entries in Book View

When you create a first level entry in Book View, the name becomes the label for the section
tab. If the entry is the first entry you have added to the ProcessBook, the entry level is
automatically set at 1. Subsequent sub-entries are listed below the main entry. When you
select another first level entry, a new page is created with a new tab.

Topics in this section

Change the name of an entry in Book View
Change the level of an entry in Book View

Change the name of an entry in Book View

Procedure
1. Click View > Book to view a ProcessBook in Book View.
2. In Build mode, double-click the entry you want to change.
The Define ProcessBook Entry window appears.
3. In the Label text box, type a new name.
4. Click OK.

Change the level of an entry in Book View

Procedure
1. Click View > Book to view a ProcessBook in Book View.
2. In Build mode, double-click the entry you want to change.
The Define ProcessBook Entry dialog appears.
3. In the Level list, click the level at which you want to reposition the entry in the ProcessBook
hierarchy of entries, or
Type a number between 1 and 10.
4. Click OK.

Outline View
In Outline View

, ProcessBook displays are arranged hierarchically on a page.

Click View > Outline to display a ProcessBook as an outline. When you are in Outline View, a
set of buttons is added to the active ProcessBook window to collapse or expand the outline.
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You may need to resize the window so all the buttons are visible. Use the horizontal and
vertical scroll bars to see all entries in the outline.
Hierarchies of entries may be revised by dragging entries from one location to another, or by
promoting and demoting entries.

Outline View

Topics in this section

Collapse or expand Outline View
Rearrange entries in Outline View
Change the name of an entry in Outline View
Change the level of an entry in Outline View

Collapse or expand Outline View

You can collapse or expand sections of the outline to view the list of displays in a meaningful
manner.

Procedure
1. Click View > Outline to view a ProcessBook in Outline View.
2. Click the black plus sign to the left of an entry to expand it.
This shows additional displays that are subordinate to the selected display.
Collapsed View:

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-orClick the transparent plus sign to collapse the list of subordinate displays.
Expanded View:

Note:
You can change the font for each level in Outline View in the Preference Settings
window. See Preference settings.

Rearrange entries in Outline View

Procedure
In Build mode, click and drag the entry name up or down (not sideways) to a new location.
A dotted line indicates the location of the entry you are moving.
Alternatively, you can use the four buttons at the top left of the window as follows:

Promote highlighted entry

Demote highlighted entry

Move highlighted entry up

Move highlighted entry down

Change the name of an entry in Outline View

Procedure
1. Click View > Outline.
2. In Build mode, click the entry you want to change.
3. Click Edit > Selected Item.
The Define ProcessBook Entry window appears.
4. In the Label box, type a new name.
5. Click OK.

Change the level of an entry in Outline View

Procedure
1. Click View > Outline.
2. In Build mode, click the entry you want to change.
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3. Click Edit > Selected Item.
The Define ProcessBook Entry window appears.
4. In the Level list, click the level at which you want to reposition the entry in the ProcessBook
hierarchy of entries.
-orType a number between 1 and 10.
5. Click OK.

Copy and paste an entry

Procedure
1. Click on the Build mode pointer and select the entry.
2. Click the Copy button.
This copies the selection to the clipboard.
3. If it is not already open, open the ProcessBook where you want to paste the entry.
4. Click the Paste button.
This copies the contents of the clipboard to your ProcessBook. A copy of the original entry
is created, not a link to the original.
Note:
If you highlight an entry first, the new entry is placed above the highlighted entry.

Remove an entry
Procedure
1. In Build mode, select an entry title in either Book View or Outline View.
2. Press the DELETE key.
The entry is removed from the ProcessBook.
Note:
If you accidentally delete the wrong entry click Edit > Undo.

Save and close a ProcessBook

After creating a ProcessBook, it is a good idea to name the file and save it immediately. It is also
important to save a ProcessBook periodically while you are working in it.
When you save a ProcessBook, all changes to all entries and to the organizational structure are
stored permanently. The ProcessBook remains open in your workspace so you can continue
working.

Procedure
1. To save a ProcessBook for the first time, click File > Save or Save As.

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The Save As window appears.
2. Type a name for the ProcessBook file.
A .piw extension is automatically added.
3. Select the drive and directory where you want to save it.
4. Click OK.

Open an existing ProcessBook

Procedure
1. Click File > Open, or
On the standard toolbar, click the Open button.
The Open window appears.
2. Click the specific ProcessBook file (.piw) you want to open.
3. Click OK.
Note:
Depending on the settings in the ProcessBook Preferences window, a default
ProcessBook may open automatically when you start PI ProcessBook.
PI ProcessBook keeps track of the four most recently opened ProcessBooks or independent
display files. Instead of using File > Open, you may select a file name from the bottom of the
File menu.

Work with multiple ProcessBooks

You can work in multiple ProcessBooks and/or independent display files at the same time.

Procedure
Use the File menu to create new or open existing ProcessBooks.
Use the Windows menu to select the ProcessBook title and switch among them.
Click inside a ProcessBook window to make it active.
Switch among the open windows by pressing CTRL+F6.

Properties
Topics in this section
Summary information in ProcessBook
PI ProcessBook file properties
PI ProcessBook display properties

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Summary information in ProcessBook

Click File > Properties to display the Summary Information window for a file. The Summary
Information window you see is the same for the ProcessBook as a whole or for the individual
displays.

The following table describes the fields in the Summary Information window:
Field Name

Description

Author

Extracted from the Author field on the General tab in the

ProcessBook Preferences window at the time the
ProcessBook is first saved.
Note:
You can change the Author field in either the
Summary Information window or the ProcessBook
Preferences window.

Title

Name of the ProcessBook (extracted from the original

creation of the ProcessBook).

Subject

Can be used to explain the title more fully.

Keywords

Can be added at any time.

Comments

Can be used for any text entry. You can revise this field at
any time.

Properties button

Clicking the Properties button displays the PI ProcessBook

Properties window, which gives information about the
view currently in the active window. See PI ProcessBook
file properties.

PI ProcessBook file properties

1. Click File > Properties to display the Summary Information window.
2. Click the Properties button.
The PI ProcessBook Properties window appears.
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Note:
If you click the Properties button while a display is open, you launch the Display
Properties window.
The following table describes the fields in the PI ProcessBook Properties window:
Field Name

Description

Title

Extracted from the Summary Information window.

Created

Original date and time the ProcessBook was saved.

If the ProcessBook file is moved to another
machine, the original date and time will be
preserved, however Windows Explorer shows the
date and time the file arrived on the present
machine.

Created By

Extracted from the Author field on the General tab

in the ProcessBook Preferences window. Shows the
original author, unless the authors name has been
modified in the Summary Information window.

Last Saved

Most recent revision date and time.

Last Saved By

Name of the person who saved the ProcessBook

most recently. (Extracted from the Author field on
the General tab in the ProcessBook Preferences
window.) If this field is blank, the PC login name of
the author is used. This is useful for tracking who
made which revisions.

Revision

Number of times the ProcessBook has been

revised and saved.

System Commands

Total number of operating system command

entries in the ProcessBook.

Modify a ProcessBook title

You can change the name of a ProcessBook at any time.

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Procedure
1. In either Build mode or Run mode, click File > Properties.
The Summary Informationwindow appears. See Summary information in ProcessBook.
2. In the Title box, type a new title.
Note:
The ProcessBook title is different from the file name established in the New window
when you created the new ProcessBook. The title bar on the ProcessBook window
displays the file name, which ends in .piw, rather than the title.
3. Click OK.

PI ProcessBook display properties

1. With a display window selected, click File > Properties to display the Summary Information
window for a display. See Summary information in ProcessBook.
2. Click the Properties button.
The Display Properties window appears.

The following table describes the fields in the Display Properties window:
Field name

Description

Title

Extracted from the Summary Information window.

Created

Original date and time the ProcessBook was saved.

If the ProcessBook file is moved to another
machine, the original date and time will be
preserved, however Windows Explorer shows the
date and time the file arrived on the present
machine.

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Field name

Description

Created By

Extracted from the Author field on the General tab

in the ProcessBook Preferences window. Shows the
original author, unless the authors name has been
modified in the Summary Information window.

Last Saved

Most recent revision date and time.

Last Saved By

Name of the person who saved the ProcessBook

most recently. (Extracted from the Author field on
the General tab in the ProcessBook Preferences
window.) If this field is blank, the PC login name of
the author is used. This is useful for tracking who
made which revisions.

Revision

Number of times the ProcessBook has been

revised and saved.

Total Symbols

Total number of symbols in the display.

Tags

Total number of unique PI Points used in the

display.

Dynamic Symbols

The number of display symbols that are dynamic

symbols.

Static Symbols

The number of display symbols that are static

symbols.

Servers Required

The number of different PI Servers referenced in

the display.

Import files to a ProcessBook

Procedure
1. To import PIDisDiff or PI-Graphics files into a ProcessBook, start PI ProcessBook.
2. Open an existing ProcessBook into which you want to import the files, or create a new
ProcessBook.
3. In Build mode, click File > Import.
The Import Files window appears.
4. Select the file type.
5. Select the drive and directory where the file resides, or
Type the path and file name in the File Name box. You can select more than one file at a
time.
6. Click the Open button.
The status bar displays each file as it is imported. When completed, a message displays the
number of files successfully imported. If errors occurred during the import process, a
message box is displayed at the end of the import process showing the number of errors.
You can check the message log from the Status Report icon at the bottom of your display.
Note:
Depending on the size, some files may take several minutes to import.

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When a trend is successfully imported, a new Text display showing the full file name is
added to the ProcessBook. Each trend is added as a subordinate display and retains its
original trend name. For graphics, the OpenVMS display name becomes the Display name.
Once converted, graphics and trends can be edited like any other display.

File sharing capability

Several users may access the same ProcessBook file at the same time. However, if one person
makes changes to a particular display entry and saves the changes, then other users are
blocked from saving changes in that display. This protects against accidental saving conflicts.
If a user has already changed a display, the second user who wishes to make changes to the
display receives an error message explaining that someone else has already edited and saved
the display. The second user then has two options:
Save the changes under a different ProcessBook name, thus creating two ProcessBooks,
-or Close the ProcessBook and reopen it so that the new version of the display is shown. Then
make changes and save again.
Open the Summary Information window to view the name of the person who has made changes
and saved the file most recently. See Summary information in ProcessBook.

Moving a ProcessBook to another PC

If you decide to move a ProcessBook to another PC, you might experience some differences in
display entry appearance on the new PC:
When the number of colors is different between the original PC and new PC, PI ProcessBook
uses the closest color when drawing an entry. This is true for any graphics you may have
included in an entry.
If an entry calls for a font that is not available on the new PC, PI ProcessBook substitutes a
similar font.
If a ProcessBook includes links to other entries, ProcessBooks, or applications, PI
ProcessBook may not be able to locate them if the path on the new PC is not the same as the
old one.
Node names (for PI Servers) must be identical.
Different monitors have different resolutions, which may distort the appearance of an
existing ProcessBook.
PI ProcessBook records both the absolute and relative paths for Linked displays and Linked
ProcessBooks. This means you can copy ProcessBooks to new directories without breaking
links as long as either all the linked files are placed in a similar directory tree or all the drive,
directory, and file names remain the same.

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PI ProcessBook provides tools for manipulating and analyzing the information shown in a
display. For example, you can:
Display the point attributes of a tag
Change the time range that is used for values, bars, trends, XYPlots, SQC plots, and MultiState symbols
Use a Trend Cursor to see the value of plotted tags at a specific point in time
Create an instant trend

Topics in this section

Overview of display elements
Manage displays and independent display files
Drawing tools
Formatting
ToolTip Statistics window
Time Range and Playback toolbar
Time Range toolbar
Layers within displays
Migrating displays to another PI Server
AF Modeler and AF Display Builder displays

Overview of display elements

Displays contain a variety of individual items, including static elements, buttons, OLE objects,
and dynamic elements.

Topics in this section

Static symbols
Dynamic symbols
Buttons
OLE objects

Static symbols
Static symbols are symbols that do not automatically change as time passes, such as an image,
process diagram, or descriptive text.

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Static symbols include all items in a display that do not connect to the PI Server or other
application to retrieve data, and do not start any application. Text labels and flow lines are
examples of static symbols. Other types include rectangles, circles, arcs, and images.

Dynamic symbols
Dynamic symbols are values, bars, trends, XYPlots, SQC charts, and multi-state symbols (such
as a pump image tied to temperature data) that change over time, and are based on the value
of a tag in the PI Server. If you wish to see how a dynamic symbol was defined, select it and
click the Item Definition button on the Drawing toolbar.
Dynamic symbols may also report data from outside databases through queries.
If you rest your mouse on a dynamic symbol, you can see a ToolTip with the current value,
tag name, and time stamp.
Icons for questionable, substituted, and annotated PI data can also appear on your displays.
Most point types (see PI Server data types) can be used with any dynamic symbol. There
are some restrictions on string and timestamp data.

Buttons
Buttons are elements that create a link to other applications, such as a calculator or word
processor, or other ProcessBooks or displays. You can also use buttons to execute a script.
For example, if you find you work in a particular display and frequently need to update a
report with the information you are monitoring, you can add a button that automatically opens
a spreadsheet program. You also can use a button to perform common actions using a script,
like printing a display, or connect to related displays, ProcessBooks, or Web sites.

OLE objects
OLE objects include information from outside applications, such as text, spreadsheets, or
graphics. This information may be configured to update dynamically. OLE objects may be
either linked or embedded or into displays. See Link a file to a displayand Embed in PI
ProcessBook for details.

Manage displays and independent display files

Topics in this section
Open a display
Zoom display size
Use Full Screen mode
Search for a display
Reduce a display to an icon to save space
Save a display

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Display Settings window
Display scrolling properties
Status bar indicators

Open a display
Use any of these procedures to open a display from either Book View or Outline View of a
ProcessBook.

Procedure
Click on the display title, then on the New button to open the selected display in a new
window.
Click on the display title, then on the Open button to open the display into the last display
window you used.
If none are open, a display window opens.
With the Run Mode pointer, double-click the display.
The display opens and appears within an existing window, if possible.
Click and drag the display title to an unused area in the application workspace and release
the mouse.
This opens a new display in addition to already opened displays. If you drag the display on
top of an open display, it closes that display while opening the dragged display.
To use the keyboard instead of the mouse, use CTRL+F6, to select the ProcessBook, then use
the up or down arrow keys to select the display title. Press Enter.
If you have more than one display open, it replaces the open display with the new display.
Pressing CTRL+N is the same as clicking the New button.

Results
If the display is a display, linked display, or linked ProcessBook, the display is opened and the
contents are displayed on your workspace. If the display is an operating system command, the
command is executed or the application is started.
Note:
If you click on an operating system command more than once in the same session, it
might run the application repeatedly. This depends on the application and how it has
been set up.
Displays re-open in the same position, size, and shape as when they were last saved.

Topics in this section

Open several displays at one time
Manage multiple open displays
Open independent display files

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Open several displays at one time

In addition to the procedures for opening a display, you can also open multiple displays
simultaneously.

Procedure
1. Press SHIFT while highlighting the displays you want to open in Outline view.
2. Click the New button at the bottom of the list of displays.
Each display or linked display is opened in your workspace.

Manage multiple open displays

Just as you can work with multiple ProcessBooks, you can have multiple displays open in the
work area.

Procedure
To make a display active, click in the display window or press CTRL+F6 to toggle between
open displays.
To improve viewing when there are multiple open displays, choose:
Window > Cascade
The titles of all open displays and ProcessBooks appear in a cascaded list down the
screen.
Window > Tile
All open displays and ProcessBooks appear in a tiled view.
Window > <display title>
The selected display is active.

Open independent display files

Independent display files use a .pdi extension in the file name.

Procedure
1. Double-click on a display file in Windows Explorer.
A copy of the PI ProcessBook application installed on your PC opens, just as it would if you
double-clicked on a .piw file. The independent display appears inside the application.

Zoom display size

Procedure
Use the Zoom command to change the size of the drawing within a display window.
a. Click View > Zoom

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The Zoom window appears.
b. Click a percentage, or
Type a number in the Custom text box to enlarge or reduce the drawing.
The Custom text box displays the current Scale Factor. Typing a number greater than
the current Scale Factor enlarges the drawing; typing a number less than the current
Scale Factor reduces it.
c. Select Fit all symbols to resize all the symbols in a display to fit within the window.
If you want only specific symbols to fit within the display window, select the symbols,
and then select Fit Selected Symbols. The items in the display resize and take up the
entire window. OLE objects are not included.
d. Click OK to accept your changes.
Note:
You must save the display before closing it for your zoom settings to appear the
next time you open it.
Use the Maximize and Minimize buttons in the upper right hand corner of your display
window to adjust your display size.
When you maximize a display, all open display windows are maximized. You can also drag
the edge or corner of the window to the desired size.
Note:
If you have your Preference setting for Preserve Aspect Ratio check box selected, the
contents of the display resize as you resize the window. If this option is not enabled,
the size of each element in the display does not change as you change the window
size.

Use Full Screen mode

Procedure
1. Click the Full Screen button on the Full Screen toolbar

Other toolbars vanish and the display enlarges to fit the screen.
2. Click the Full Screen button again to restore your toolbars.
A default keyboard shortcut of F11 also toggles between Full Screen and Normal
presentations.
Note:
You can customize the Full Screen toolbar to contain other buttons to use with a Full
Screen display.

Search for a display

Procedure
1. Open the ProcessBook you want to search. See Open an existing ProcessBook.
2. Click Tools > Display Search & Run.

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The Display Search window appears.

3. In the Name box, type one or more of the letters of the display name.
4. In the Look in drop-down list, click the location you want to search.
-orIn the drop-down list, click Browse, and then locate the appropriate folder.
5. Optional: Select the Look in subfolders check box.
6. Click the Search button.
The search results are displayed under Results.
7. Under Filename, click the display you want to open and then click OK.

Reduce a display to an icon to save space

If you find your work area cluttered with many open displays, you can reduce a display to an
icon by clicking its Minimize button. Even though the display is minimized, it continues to be
updated with information from the PI Server, however the results are not shown until the
window is restored. When you want to use the display, double-click the icon.

Save a display
A display may be saved within a ProcessBook or as an independent file (.pdi).

Procedure
1. Click File > Save or Save As.
2. From the Save as type drop-down box, select one of the following six formats.
The default is .pdi:
.pdi

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Display file. If you select this format your display becomes an independent file that
updates under certain circumstances.
.svg
SVG file for Web use. PI ProcessBook 3.0 or higher only supports version 3.0 or higher of
the SVG add-in. See the SVG add-in release notes for more information.
The last four file types are graphics formats and do not update. If you choose one of the
graphic formats, the display in focus is unchanged by the Save-As operation. The display is
left open and remains in the same mode (Run or Build).
.jpg
JPG-JPEG-JFIF compliant
.bmp
32-bit Bitmap
.wmf
Windows Metafile
.png
Portable Network Graphics

Display Settings window

To edit display properties, click Edit > Display, or
double-click the Time Zone setting in the Status bar.
The Display Settings window appears.

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Background Color
The color applied to the area of the display where there are no symbols. This field uses a
color well control to provide color choices. The color selected in this field also becomes the
default background color for new displays.
Time Zone
This field determines whether the local computer or PI Server time zone is used for
interpreting dates and times for this particular display.
Connectors
The Enable Connector Attachments check box allows a symbol dragged and dropped on a
Connector symbol to be attached to that Connector. Clearing the check box disables this
functionality for the Display. Note that even if this feature is disabled for the display, you
can still use the Connectors window to attach Symbols to Connectors.
Enable Scripting
When displays have many symbols on them, the performance of PI ProcessBook may be
affected. One way to improve the situation is to disable the ability to code the majority of
those symbols. In order to disable scripting and improve performance, you can take the
following actions:

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In the Enable Scripting section, clear the Automatically Enable Scripting check box. This
adds new symbols to the display without the overhead of enabling scripting if it isn't
needed.
If the display already has many enabled symbols on it, click the Disable Scripting for All
Symbols button in the Enable Scripting section. This button removes the scripting
capability for all existing symbols to help improve performance.
OK
Clicking this button accepts the changes made and closes the window. These settings are
saved as part of the display object.

Display scrolling properties

Run Mode scrolling determines the scroll bar behavior of display windows in Run mode.
Build Mode scrolling determines the scroll bar behavior of display windows in Build mode.
On

Display contains scroll bars all the

time.

Off

Scroll bars never appear.

Automatic

Scroll bars appear when needed.

Status bar indicators

The following appear on the PI ProcessBook status bar:
Image

Name
Time Zone. See Display Settings window.

Layers. See Layers within displays.

Troubleshooting icons. See Status report for
dynamic symbols.

Displays the current default color for symbol line,

fill, and background color.
Keyboard Numeric Lock is on.

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Image

Name
Keyboard Scroll Lock is on.

Drawing tools
PI ProcessBook includes a drawing environment with features that allow you to create
symbols and graphics within an entry.
You can use the drawing tools to:
Create ellipses, polygons, rectangles, arcs, lines, and polylines
Add dynamic elements such as values, bars, and trends
Add buttons and graphic files
Add ActiveX controls
The Drawing toolbar contains a set of buttons used for creating drawings and the Draw menu
contains the corresponding commands.
To use the drawing tools, click the appropriate button.
When you draw a line or other shape, the tool uses the current formatting attribute
preferences.
Each of these objects is considered a symbol by PI ProcessBook. In Build mode, when you
select a symbol by clicking it with your mouse, you see small squares around the bounding
rectangle of the symbol. These are called selection handles and allow you to resize the symbol.
For arcs, polygons, and polylines, there are also reshaping handles at the intersection of the
line segments.
Each symbol has a name, reflecting the order in which it was added to the display, such as
Rectangle1, Rectangle2, etc.
In Build mode (or VBA Design mode), an identifying tooltip appears whenever your mouse
hovers over a symbol.
Note:
If you are d rawing multiple objects, press the CTRL key while selecting the drawing tool.
This lets you continue to work with that tool until you select a different tool.

Topics in this section

Organizing symbols
Drawing area
Drawing grid

Organizing symbols
PI ProcessBook provides several tools to help you organize your drawings. These tools include
a drawing grid, flip and rotate capabilities, and the ability to change the order in which objects
overlap each other. You can move and resize drawing objects. You can also divide a display

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into layers so that you can segregate various elements. For example, you might separate HVAC
elements from Electrical elements in a display.
Any of these functions can be performed on a single screen element or group of them. For
information on grouping objects, see Group, ungroup, or regroup symbols.
Make sure you have selected the item or items with the Build Mode pointer.
OLE objects behave somewhat differently; their behavior is discussed under Commands that
ignore OLE objects.

Drawing area
The drawing area of a display is actually much larger than your monitor. There are scroll bars
on the display window for moving around this area.
You should plan to set a few options before you begin drawing:
Consider turning on snap-to grid and setting the grid size, font style, and default colors of
lines, backgrounds, and fills before you begin. It is usually easier to work with a grid when
laying out a display. Symbols in your drawing automatically align themselves with the grid
lines or the intersections of grid lines. Grid lines not only make it easier to place objects in
the drawing, but it helps keep the objects proportional. You can start with one grid size and
then modify it as your work gets more detailed.
Select a font and font size for any values, trends, or text boxes you might add to the drawing.
Select colors for lines, fills, and backgrounds that are easy on the eyes. For example, if you
are projecting on a large video screen, a black background with colored lines is better, but if
you are printing, a white background is better.
While you are drawing, you can use the zoom feature to zoom in on an area that requires more
attention. Zoom out if the drawing is larger than your monitor.

Drawing grid
The grid is a system of vertical and horizontal lines spaced at regular intervals on the drawing
area. Dots are placed at the intersection of the grid lines. The grid helps you align drawing
objects.
When you move an object to a location on the drawing area, the corners or edges of the object
are aligned with the closest grid intersection. This is called snap-to-grid or grid snap. When
you turn off grid snap, you can move an object to any location within the drawing area.
You determine the interval at which you want the grid lines to be spaced by setting the grid
size.

Set grid size and grid snap

Procedure
1. In Build mode, open a display.
2. On the Arrange menu, click Grid Size.
The Grid Size window appears.
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3. In the Lines per Screen Unit box, type or select the number of grid lines per unit of drawing
space.
Note:
The size of a unit as displayed on your monitor varies according to the monitor's
resolution and driver software.
4. Select the Snap to Grid check box.
Once grid snap is on, any symbols you draw are automatically aligned to the grid.
Note:
The Snap to Grid command also appears on the Arrange menu.
5. Click OK.

Formatting
Each symbol you draw and place on a display has attributes that determine how the symbol
looks. The fill and line attributes that are currently selected on the Display Window tab of the
ProcessBook Preference window are applied to any new drawing symbol. You may configure
these attributes for individual symbols or for all selected symbols as a group. See Display
Window preferences for details.
The Symbol Formatting toolbar contains buttons for formatting fonts, colors, and line styles. PI
ProcessBook also includes the older Formatting toolbar to support backwards compatibility.

Topics in this section

Editable formatting attributes
Set font
Set line color
Set fill color
Set background color
Set line weight
Set line style
Set line ends
Set formatting paintbrush

Editable formatting attributes

The following table shows the editable attributes for each symbol.
Colors
Line

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Line

Rectangle

Text

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Line Styles
Fill

Background

Style

Weight

Ends

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Colors

Line Styles

Line

Fill

Arc

Value

Polygon

Background

Trend

Weight

Ends

X
X

Polyline
Bar

Style

XYPlot

SQC

Set font
To determine what type of formatting is applicable for each symbol, refer to the table of
Editable formatting attributes.

Procedure
1. In Build mode, open a display, and click the symbol(s) whose font you want to change.
2. On the Symbol Formatting toolbar, click a name in the Font box.

Note:
When choosing fonts, plan to use fonts that other PI ProcessBook users are likely to
have. If another user does not have the fonts you used, PI ProcessBook attempts to
match the font to an existing font. However, the match may make it difficult for
another user to read the entry.
3. Type or click a point size in the Font Size box.

Set line color

To determine what type of formatting is applicable for each symbol, refer to the table of
Editable formatting attributes.

Procedure
1. In Build mode, open a display, and click the symbol(s) whose line color you want to change.
2. On the Symbol Formatting toolbar, click the Line Color button

Depending on the symbol type, the following elements change to the color displayed on the
button.
Symbols that display text use the line color to determine the color of the text within the
symbol
Symbols that have lines (such as ellipses) use the line color to change lines in the symbol
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3. Click the arrow on the right side of the Line Color button to display the color palette.
4. Choose from the 16 colors available or click on one of these two buttons:
Custom Color
Opens the Color window where you can choose additional colors from a color well of
options
None
Disables line color. Setting the line color to None for Pen elements on a trend hides the
trace and its associated markers

Set fill color

To determine what type of formatting is applicable for each symbol, refer to the table of
Editable formatting attributes.

Procedure
1. In Build mode, open a display, and click the symbol(s) whose fill color you want to change.
2. On the Symbol Formatting toolbar, click the Fill Color button

The interior color of the selected symbol(s) changes.

Note:
The Fill Color button is disabled if the selected symbol does not support this property.
3. Click the arrow on the right side of the Fill Color button to display the color palette.
4. Choose from the 16 colors available or click on one of these two buttons:
Custom Color
Opens the Color window where you can choose additional colors from a color well of
options
None
Disables fill color. Setting the fill color to None shows the display background color.

Set background color

To determine what type of formatting is applicable for each symbol, refer to the table of
Editable formatting attributes.

Procedure
1. In Build mode, open a display, and click the symbol(s) whose background color you want to
change.
2. On the Symbol Formatting toolbar, click the Background Color button

The background of the selected symbol changes.

Note:
The Background Color button is disabled if the selected symbol does not support that
property.
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3. Click the arrow on the right side of the Background Color button to display the color palette.
4. Choose from the 16 colors available or click on one of these two buttons:
Custom Color
Opens the Color window where you can choose additional colors from a color well of
options
None
Disables background color. Setting the background color to None shows the display
background color.

Set line weight

To determine what type of formatting is applicable for each symbol, refer to the table of
Editable formatting attributes.

Procedure
1. In Build mode, open a display, and click the symbol(s) whose line weight you want to
change.
2. On the Symbol Formatting toolbar, click the Line Weight button

A list of six line weight options appears below the button.

3. Select a line weight.
The thickness of the selected symbol's line weight changes.

Set line style

To determine what type of formatting is applicable for each symbol, refer to the table of
Editable formatting attributes.

Procedure
1. In Build mode, open a display, and click the symbol(s) whose line style you want to change.
2. On the Symbol Formatting toolbar, click the Line Style button

A list of six line style options appears below the button. Options include solid, dash, dot,
dash-dot, dash-dot-dot, and none. Selecting None for a trend Pen element hides the trace
line, but not the marker.
3. Select a line option.
The symbol's line pattern changes.

Set line ends

To determine what type of formatting is applicable for each symbol, refer to the table of
Editable formatting attributes.

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Procedure
1. In Build mode, open a display, and click the symbol(s) whose line ends you want to change.
2. On the Symbol Formatting toolbar, click the Line Ends button

A list of four line ends options appears below the button. These options determine whether
arrows appear at the end of lines.
3. Select a line ends option.
The selected symbol's line pattern changes.

Set formatting paintbrush

To determine what type of formatting is applicable for each symbol, refer to the table of
Editable formatting attributes.

Procedure
1. In Build mode, open a display, and click the symbol(s) whose font, color, or line formatting
you want to replicate.
2. On the Symbol Formatting toolbar, click the Formatting Paintbrush button

Note:
Double clicking the Formatting Paintbrush button allows you to apply formatting to
more than one symbol. To turn off the Formatting Paintbrush selection, click the
button again or press ESC.
3. Click another symbol.
The formatting of the first symbol is copied to the selected symbol(s).

ToolTip Statistics window

In Run mode, hover your mouse over a point on a dynamic symbol to display a tooltip with
summary statistics. Engineering units are shown next to the value followed by the timestamp
paired with the value. If you hover your mouse over a point where there is more than one
trace, each trace's data is shown on a separate line.
Click Tools > ToolTip Statistics to open the ToolTip Statistics window, where you can select
what type of data you want to see when viewing tooltips.

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Note:
The options under Summary Statistics to Show do not affect tooltips for XYPlots.
Tooltip statistics are shown for any dynamic symbol that has PI data. The effective time range
of the display is used to aggregate the data for these statistics.

Time Range and Playback toolbar

The Time Range and Playback toolbar allows you to play, pause, loop, and manually scroll a
display through a pre-set time period. You can move backwards and forwards in time, alter the
display range duration, and revert to the original symbol definitions.
Playing back a display can be useful for showing the conditions of various systems and
analyzing conditions leading up to a specific time frame or event.
The Time Range and Playback toolbar is enabled for the active display and disabled if there is
no active display. You can right-click anywhere in the PI ProcessBook toolbar area and show or
hide the toolbar from the context menu.

The toolbar contains a time tracker that shows the display range, the scroll period that shows
the start and end time for the entire playback session, and the following controls:

Revert
Click the Revert button

to restore all the active displays to their configured time ranges.

This button is available only when playback is not active.

Back or Forward One Time Period

Click the One Time Period or One Time Period Forwards

to adjust the display

range back or forward one time period for the active display or all active displays, if
synchronized. See Display range for details.
When you use these buttons to move beyond the start or end time of the scroll period, the
scroll period expands to contain the display range.
These buttons are available only when playback is not active.

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Time tracker
The time tracker shows the Display range and available Scroll period.

Go to Current Time
Click the Go to Current Time button
current time (*).

to move the display range so that its end time is the

This action does not change the dimensions of the display range.
This button is available only when playback is not active.

Change the Display Range

Click the Change Display Range button

or double-click the display range to open the

Change Display Range window and change the time range of the PI ProcessBook display. See
Change Display Range window for details.

Synchronize
Click the Synchronize button

to enable synchronization when one or more PI ProcessBook

displays are open. When synchronization is enabled, time-related actions that you perform
through the Time Range and Playback toolbar affect every display that is currently open and
every new display that you open. Synchronization is disabled by default. Once on,
synchronization remains enabled even if you close all displays.
Time range actions that you make from the PI ProcessBook Time Range toolbar or a button on
the standard toolbar are not synchronized.
Only symbols that are already on the active display are synchronized. Symbols that you add to
the display are not synchronized until the next time the display range changes.
Synchronization is temporarily suspended during playback. The displays are resynchronized
when playback is paused or stopped.

Repeat
Click the Repeat button

to make the playback repeat each time it reaches the end of the

Scroll period.

Stop
Click the Stop button

to end playback.

This action resets the position of the Time Tracker to the far left and changes the Pause/Play
icon to Play.

Pause/Play
The Pause/Play button

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ThePlay button changes to the pause icon

when a display is in playback mode. When

playback is paused, the button shows the play button.

Note:
The playback rate is reduced if PI ProcessBook cannot retrieve display data quickly
enough to keep up with the desired playback speed. When this occurs an information
icon appears on the right side of the time tracker.

Fast Forward
Click the Fast Forward button

to accelerate the rate of playback. Each successive click of

Fast Forward doubles the rate at which the display plays back. The first click doubles playback
speed, then advances to 4x, 8x, 16x, and 32x the playback speed. An additional click returns the
playback to the default playback speed.
Click Play to resume normal speed playback. The playback continues from the current position
rather than starting from the beginning.

Options
Click the Options button

to open the Scroll Options window.

Calendar
Hover at either end of the scroll period to see the Calendar

icon.

Click the scroll range while the calendar icon is displayed to open a calendar to set that end of
the scroll period.
The calendar accepts any time string format supported by PI and returns dates and times using
Windows time configured with the current regional settings of the client computer.

Topics in this section

Scroll Options window
Scroll period
Display range

Scroll Options window

Use the Scroll Options window to set the default behavior settings for the Time Range and
Playback toolbar. These defaults apply to the active display or all displays, if synchronization is
on. The defaults are retained when PI ProcessBook is closed and re-opened on a per user basis.

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The following settings are controlled through this window:

Display Range
Use any accepted PI time input parameter to set the length of the display range. See PI time
and Display range for details.
Scroll Period
Use the spin box or calendar controls to select start and end dates and times. See Scroll
period.
Refresh Rate
select the number of seconds between updates of the display that is being played.
Speed
Select the rate at which the display plays back. The speed is expressed in units per second.
Speed can be expressed as milliseconds, seconds, minutes, hours, days, and months, and
must be smaller than the display range.

Scroll period
The scroll period marks the earliest and latest time for which you can manipulate or playback a
display.

Topics in this section

Scroll period constraints
Scroll period time format
Change the scroll period

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Scroll period constraints

The scroll period must be larger than the display range.
The scroll period end time must be after the scroll period start time.
An error icon appears to the far right of the time tracker if you violate either of these
conditions.

Scroll period time format

The displayed time format of the scroll period depends on its duration. If the scroll period is
less than 24 hours, then the start and end time is shown in hours and minutes. If the scroll time
is 24 hours or more, then the start and end time is shown as a date.
The time zone of PI ProcessBook determines whether the time is shown in the client time zone
or the server time zone.

Change the scroll period

There are several ways to change the scroll period.

Procedure
Hover the mouse next to the left or right arrow of the scroll period to change the mouse
icon to a calendar icon. Click the icon to open the calendar where you can modify the dates.
Click the Scroll Options button

to open the Scroll Options window. See Scroll Options

window for details.

Display range
The display range
represents the time duration shown on the trend
symbols, or for a bar or value, the end time of the display range is the symbol time.
The display range must be shorter than the scroll period.

Topics in this section

Change the display range
Change Display Range window
Move the display range during playback

Change the display range

There are several ways to change the display range.

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Procedure
Click the Change Display Range button

or double-click the display range to open the

Change Display Range window. See Change Display Range window.

Double-click anywhere in the display range to open the Change Display Range window.
Click and drag one of the display range thumbs.
Click the display range and rotate the mouse wheel.
Click the Playback Options button

to open the Scroll Options window. See Scroll

Options window.
Click the display range and use the up and down arrow keys to change the size of the
display range.

Results
Note:
A display must be reverted to re-establish any build time configuration time ranges for
individual symbols.

Change Display Range window

Use the Change Display Range window to specify the display range.

Rules for time settings:

The start and end time boxes support all time string formats recognized by PI.
You can edit the times manually. The dynamic time strings, such as *-1h, that you set are
added to the drop-down list.
Static time strings, such as 1-Jan-2009, are not added to the list.
Each drop down list saves the ten most recently used values.
Settings are stored per user.
This button is available only when playback is not active.

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Move the display range during playback

The location of the display range on the scroll bar tracks the time of the playback on the
display. The display range always advances from left to right from its initial start position
while playing.
There are several ways to move the display range while you play back a display.

Procedure
Use the Time Tracker arrow keys to move the display range current position.
Click the scroll bar on either side of the display range to move the display range to the
position where you click.
Click anywhere in the display range and use the left and right arrow keys to move the
display range back and forward across the scroll period.

Time Range toolbar

The Time Range toolbar is used for working with dynamic symbols. This toolbar is hidden by
default for new installations of PI ProcessBook 2012 and later.
Note:
We recommend you use the Time Range and Playback toolbar to manage time in a
display.
In general, the commands on this toolbar affect only the symbols selected on the display. If no
symbols are selected, all symbols are affected. This toolbar, which must be used in Run mode,
contains three buttons:
Revert

Returns the trend or other dynamic symbol to its original setting.

Change Time Range

Opens a window to set new, temporary start and end times. For Bars, Values, and MultiState symbols you can only set an end time.
Scroll Bar
Scrolls through time values.

Topics in this section

Revert time range
Change the time range
Use the scrolling time range
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Use time forward and back buttons
Set time range for future trends

Revert time range

Discard any of the changes you have made to the time range of a trend or the effective time of a
Bar, Value, or Multi-State symbol and return it to its saved setting.

Procedure
In Run mode, click View > Revert, or
Click the Revert button.

Change the time range

The Time Range command lets you enter new starting and ending times for dynamic symbols.
When you specify a time range for a single-time dynamic element, such as a Multi-State
symbol, bar or value, only the end time is used.
Note:
The time represented on your display is the time relative to the PI Server, unless you
have selected the client time zone setting for your display. If the PI Server to which you
are connected is in a different time zone, time on your display represents the server time
zone, not the local one.

Procedure
1. In Run mode, select the dynamic symbol or symbols for which you want to change the time
range.
If no symbols are selected, the time range change affects all dynamic symbols on the
display.
2. Click the Time Range button on the Time Range toolbar, or
Click View > Time Range.
The Change Time Range window opens, allowing you to change the time span for a trend or
plot, or the effective time for a bar, value, or Multi-State symbol.

3. Select new starting and ending times from the drop-down lists or define your own starting
and ending times.
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Time ranges can be relative, absolute, or combined.
4. Click OK.
The selected elements change to reflect the new time range.

Topics in this section

Relative time
Absolute time
Combined time scales

Relative time
Relative time is some number of days, hours, minutes, or seconds. The leading sign (+ or -) is
required.
+/- N d | h | m | s
where N is any number.
The default starting point for relative time is usually the current time. Therefore, a time of -8h
is eight hours before the current time. Fractional times can be entered. For example, use 1.5d for one and one-half days.
For trends, relative times for the left time scale are relative to the current time. Relative times
for the right time scale are relative to the left time scale.

Absolute time
Absolute times have one of these formats:
Format

Description

DD-MMM-YY hh:mm:ss

day-month (alphabetic)- year hour:minute:second

The current time.

00:00:00 on the current day (TODAY)

00:00:00 on the previous day (YESTERDAY)

S,M,TU,W,TH,F,SA

00:00:00 on the most recent Sunday, Monday,.., Saturday.

For the DD-MMM-YY hh:mm:ss format, if any of the date fields are left out, they default to the
current date. Time fields default to 00.
Examples of the FDD-MMM-YY hh:mm:ss format, including defaulted fields:
Example

Description

25

00:00:00 on the 25th of the current month

25-Aug-86

00:00:00 on that date

8:

08:00:00 on the current date

25 8

08:00:00 on the 25th of the current month

21::30

9:00:30 PM on the current date

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Note that this format is slightly different from the DEC Open VMS format, which uses a 4-digit
year.
You may also use the Windows time and date format for an absolute time. These are
configured through the Control Panel.

Combined time scales

Combined time scales use both an absolute and a relative time. The absolute part of the time
can be *, T, Y, or a day of the week.
Examples of combined time scales:
Example

Description

T + 8h

08:00:00 AM on the current day (today)

Y - 8h

04:00:00 PM on the day before yesterday

M + 14.5h

02:30:00 PM on the most recent Monday

SA - 1m

11:59:00 PM last Friday

* - 1h

one hour ago

Use the scrolling time range

Procedure
1. In Run mode, select the dynamic symbol or symbols for which you want to change the time
range.
If no symbols are selected, the time range change affects all dynamic symbols in the display.
2. On the Time Range toolbar, click the forward or backward Scroll Time button, or
Click and drag the Scroll Time slider, or
Click the space on either side of the Scroll Time slider to increment or decrement by a time
span.
If the slider is dragged, a tooltip is updated with the end time that is applied when you
release the mouse button.
3. Release the mouse button.
Selected symbols are refreshed with the new time range.
Note:
You can scroll the time for all items in a display or selected items. If no trend is
included in the selected items, the scroll buttons are disabled.

Use time forward and back buttons

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Use the time backward and forward buttons to scroll the time range forward or backward.

Procedure
1. Click on the desired symbols with the Run Mode pointer.
2. Click the Time Forward or Time Backward button.
Trends scroll by the time range specified in the trend definition. When you select multiple
trends, each trend maintains its time range as it is scrolled. If you select a trend and a
dynamic element such as a value, the non-trend symbol scrolls by the time range specified
in the first trend's definition.
For example, if the trend displays data from 1:00 to 4:00 (three hours) and the value has a
timestamp of 5:00, scrolling backward shows trend data from 10:00 to 1:00. The value's
timestamp also changes by three hours (2:00).

Run mode pointer

Use the Run mode pointer for opening and executing displays and their associated commands.
To obtain a Run mode pointer, on the Drawing toolbar, click the Run button,

, or click Tools

> Run. The mouse cursor appears in the shape of a small arrow.
Note:
You can choose Run mode as your preferred mode of operation by selecting the Prefer
Run Mode check box in the General of the ProcessBook Preferences window. This is a
helpful preference if you spend most of your time observing or analyzing displays rather
than building them. See General preferences for details.

Set time range for future trends

Procedure
To set trends with an end date in the future, enter an end time of the present (*) plus an
amount of time, such as 4 hours or 8 days.
These trends update if they are less than the maximum update time range limit. The default
update time range limit is 7 days, but you can change that setting in the procbook.ini file.
See PROCBOOK.INI for details.
A trend can also be scrolled into the future using the time range buttons, but then it does
not update.

Layers within displays

You can divide a display into layers containing one or more symbols. This feature could be
useful in building a complex display with several systems depicted (electrical, HVAC, etc.). If
you separate systems by layer, you can view any one of the layers by making the other layers
invisible.
Before creating a display you should determine how you might implement layers. When a
display has no layers, all new symbols are added to the base layer of the display, thus removing
the control afforded by using a layers-based strategy.
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A layer can be visible or invisible in Run mode. Layers are always visible in Build mode.
You can move symbols between layers or remove them from a layer.
Add, make visible, restack, and lock layers while ProcessBook is in either Run mode or Build
mode. Delete layers only when ProcessBook is in Build mode.

Topics in this section

Create layers
Assign symbols to layers
Layers and composite symbols
Active Layers status bar

Create layers
Procedure
1. Open a display.
2. Click the Layers toolbar button

, or

Double-click the Layers icon in the status bar, or

Click View > Layers.
The Layers window appears.

3. Click the New Layer button to open the New Layer window.
A default name comprised of the word Layer prefixed to the layer number appears. The
layer number does not necessarily match the index number; it is simply the next unused
integer in the list.

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A new layer is added to the end of the collection. Its index is one higher than the previous
high index number. All symbols added to this layer are displayed over symbols on lower
indexed layers.
4. Click OK to return to the Layers window.
Index
Specifies the index number of the layer. The index is used in determining the display
order (Z Order) of overlapping symbols. A layer with a lower index number is lower in
the stack than one with a higher number. Higher layers may obscure symbols in lower
levels.
Count
This is a read-only value that contains the number of symbols on a layer. A composite
symbol is counted once and each of its subordinate individual symbols is also counted.
Up/down arrows
Buttons at the right side of the window box are used to move the relative position of one
layer to another within a display. As a layer is moved down the list, its index number
becomes larger, and vice versa. Symbols on layers with higher index numbers may hide
or cover symbols with lower-index numbers. Locked layers cannot be reordered.
5. Select the appropriate check boxes:
Visible
Makes the elements in the layer visible in Run mode. New layers are visible by default.
Active
Accepts all new symbols as you add them to the display. Inactive prevents symbols from
being added automatically. New layers are Active by default.
Locked
Prevents you from adding symbols to a layer. Existing symbols on locked layers cannot
be cut, copied, pasted, deleted, or moved. New layers are not locked by default.
6. Repeat steps 3-5 as needed.
7. Click OK to accept changes and close the Layers window.

Assign symbols to layers

If you have at least one layer in a display, you can assign symbols to it.

Procedure
1. Select a symbol, right-click, and select Assign Layers.

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The Assign Layers window appears and displays all of your existing layers.

2. Select or clear the checkbox next to a layer name to add or remove the selected symbol from
a layer.
If a layer name is grayed out, the layer is locked and you cannot add or remove symbols.
You may add the same symbol to more than one layer.
3. Click OK.

Layers and composite symbols

To link symbols and create composite symbols click Arrange > Group, or click the Group
button
on the Layout toolbar. The symbols may be on different layers when they are
grouped.
Assign a composite symbol to any layer(s) regardless of its component symbols.
You can not group symbols on locked layers into a composite symbol, but the layers may be
locked after the symbols are grouped.
You can not delete a composite symbol that contains symbols on locked layers, however,
you can delete an unlocked layer.
Normally, a symbol existing only on one layer is deleted if the layer is deleted, but when the
symbol is inside a composite symbol it is not deleted. It stays in the composite symbol.
If a composite symbol is hidden, all its parts are hidden. If the composite symbol is visible
its individual parts may still be hidden if the layers they are assigned to are hidden.
Because you can not individually select the parts of a composite symbol you must first use
the Ungroup button
to separate them in order to change their layer assignments
individually.

Active Layers status bar

The Layers icon on the status bar shows whether or not the display has more than one layer.

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This icon appears in the status bar at the bottom of your application, indicating one or more
layers in the display currently in focus. Double-clicking the icon displays the Layers window.
If no layers have been defined, the icon appears with a slash through it.
Hovering the mouse over the icon displays a tooltip with the names of any active layers,
beginning with the top layer.

Active Layers Status Bar Area (with Tooltip)

Migrating displays to another PI Server

When you want to use an existing tag with a different PI Server, PI ProcessBook attempts to
locate the correct tags. Each ProcessBook saves the tag information for all of the symbols it
contains. Beginning with PI SDK 1.3.6, when you use a PI ProcessBook symbol with a PI Server
other than the one for which it was created, the PI Server is added automatically if it is
discoverable on the network.
If the PI Server is not discoverable, then PI ProcessBook prompts you to select a new PI Server.
Once the new PI Server is selected, PI ProcessBook searches the database for a matching tag
ID.
If a match is found, PI ProcessBook retrieves the tag name associated with the tag ID and
compares the tag name with the saved tag name.
If the tag names are the same, the value is shown in the entry.
If the tag names are different, PI ProcessBook searches the database for the tag ID of the
saved tag name. If a match is found, the value is shown in the entry.
If a match is not found, PI ProcessBook uses the tag ID saved with the ProcessBook
regardless of the different tag names.
If no tag ID or tag name is found in the database, PI ProcessBook displays a message
informing you of the missing tag.
This behavior is governed by the value of PB2TagResolution, located in the procbook.ini
file's Data Manager section. PB2TagResolution can take the following values:
0
[Default] the Point ID is used to match a missing tag before the stored point name
1
Uses the tag name before checking Point ID. This mimics behavior of older version of PI
ProcessBook that are based on the PI API.
See PROCBOOK.INI for information on procbook.ini.

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AF Modeler and AF Display Builder displays

Previous versions of PI ProcessBook used the AF Modeler add-in for building displays using AF
elements. The AF Modeler add-in only worked with AF 1.x servers. PI Processbook used the AF
compatibility layer for the AF Modeler with AF 2.x and later, which slowed performance.
PI ProcessBook 2014 introduces the AF Display Builder add-in, which provides new features
for building AF displays. The AF Display Builder add-in does not require the compatibility
layer; however, it only works with AF 2.x and later servers.
Note:
To use the AF Display Builder, you must have read/write access to the AF database and
the AF elements or element templates that you will associate with AF-based symbols in
PI ProcessBook.
In PI ProcessBook 2014 and later, if you open a display that was made with the AF Modeler,
that display is automatically converted to use the AF Display Builder add-in. This conversion
removes the dependency compatibility and improves performance. You can then use the AF
Browser and the AF Properties pane to create and add AF-based symbols for your displays.
If you do not want to convert your AF Modeler displays to the new functionality, disable the AF
Display Builder add-in before you open the displays in PI ProcessBook. See Disable the AF
Display Builder add-in.
Save the converted display to add it to newer versions of PI AF. PI ProcessBook 2014 does not
save displays created using AF Modeler to newer versions of PI AF.
Note:
Once you have saved a converted display, you cannot revert to the AF Modeler format.

Disable the AF Display Builder add-in

The AF Display Builder add-in was introduced in PI ProcessBook 2014. By default, this add-in
is enabled. If you do not want your AF Modeler displays converted to the AF Display Builder
format, then disable the AF Display Builder add-in before opening your display. Leaving the AF
Display Builder enabled will cause your AF Modeler displays to be automatically converted
when you open them.
Note:
A display cannot be reverted to the AF Modeler format after you save the converted
display.

Procedure
1. In the ProcessBook toolbar, choose Tools > Add-In Manager. The Add-in Manager window
opens.
2. In the list of available add-ins, select AF Display Builder Add-in.
3. In the Load Behavior area, clear the Loaded/Unloaded check box and then click OK.

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Symbols are the building blocks of a PI ProcessBook display.
Dynamic symbols allow you to view live data in your display. These symbols are updated in
real time as PI ProcessBook receives updates from your PI Server.
Note:
The maximum number of dynamic symbols per display is 278,343.
Static symbols allow you to embed graphics, text, lines, and other images in a display.

Topics in this section

Trends
XYPlots
Additional dynamic symbols
Multi-state symbols
Static symbols

Trends
A trend is a dynamic symbol that lets you view values plotted against time. Trends can show
the value of one or more data items over a time period. Trends are typically used to display
time series data, though they may also include non-time series data as well.
Some components of trends include:
Traces
Lines drawn on a trend to represent a series of data points from a data item.
Pens
Formatting components used to determine the presentation of data lines (traces) on trends.
Plot Title
The title of the trend being configured. The plot title can be blank, but a title is supplied by
default.
Grid lines
Used to mark intervals along the time and value scales.
If the Plot Time continues through the current time, the trend updates as information changes,
unless the length of the overall time period exceeds the limit set by your System Administrator.
The default limit is 7 days. This value is configurable.

Topics in this section

Create a trend
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Edit a trend
Define Trend window
Configure Trend Scale
Trend analysis tools
Change time range
How trends refresh
Trend appearance
Ad hoc trends
OpenVMS trends and graphics
Add AF attributes to trends

Create a trend
Procedure
1. Open a display.
2. On the Drawing toolbar, click the Trend button

, or

Click Draw > Trend.

The mouse pointer changes to the Trend pointer.
3. Click in the display where you want to add the trend and drag the pointer to form a
rectangle into which the trend will be placed.
When you release the mouse button, the Define Trend window appears. See Define Trend
window.

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4. In the Plot box, type a name.

5. (Optional) Click the New Plot button if you want to build a trend with multiple plots.
6. In the Tags in Plot box, type the name of the tag, or
Click the Tag Search button to locate a tag, or
Click the Tag Search arrow to see more search options:
Tag Search
PI Calculation (data set)
ODBC (data set)
AF2- launches the Select AF Attribute window, from which you can search an AF
database for elements and attributes.
Element Relative - launches the Element Search window from which you can search an
AF database for elements.
Your selections for tags, data sets, or attributes appear under Tags in Plot.
7. If you manually enter tag names, select the appropriate PI Server from the Server dropdown list.
Normally, the default PI Server is listed.
8. You can rearrange, add to, or delete the selected tags by clicking one of the buttons above
the Tags in Plot box.
If you have an ODBC dataset column with a PI Tag placeholder or a PI Summary dataset
column selected for the plot, the Custom Placeholder button is enabled.

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9. Click the Custom Placeholder button to change the PI Tag used as the placeholder for the
selected trace.
Note:
PI ProcessBook allows you to create custom placeholders for a symbol based on a
summary data set or a PI tag placeholder in an ODBC data set. Placeholders are not
allowed for expression data sets. The Custom Placeholders button in symbol
definition windows allows you to specify different PI tags for a PI Summary data set or
ODBC data set with a PI tag placeholder. The change applies only to the configured
symbol. See Add or edit placeholders for details.
10. Under Scale, select Single Scale or, if you have more than one trace, you may select Multiple
Scales.
The multiple scales option shows a value range for each trace. There is only one time scale.
11. Consider checking the following check boxes:
Logarithmicto display the data in a logarithmic scale. If you have multiple scales, you
may set this option differently for each trace. This option is disabled for digital tags.
Note:
You may use logarithmic and non-logarithmic scales for traces in the same trend
when you select Multiple Scales. In this case, the minor grid lines associated with a
logarithmic plot may confuse the plot. You can turn off the minor grid lines by
setting the vertical minor grid color or line style to none.
Regression Linedetermines whether a regression line is drawn for a selected trace.
12. In the Max and Min drop-down lists, select Autorange or Database or enter the values to
determine the value scale range.
Min Settings:
Autorange
The trend displays with the value scale starting at the closest available major axis. If
the minimum is Autorange and the maximum is not, the scale starts at the lowest data
value in the trace (not on a major axis) and ends on the closest major axis.
Database
The tag's Zero attribute is used to specify the minimum plot value. This value can be
negative is the value of the tag is negative.
0 (absolute value)
The value you type is used as the first value on the value scale.
Max Settings:
Autorange
The trend displays with the value scale ending at the closest available major axis. If
the maximum is Autorange and the minimum is not, the plot starts on the minimum
value and ends on the largest trace value (neither min nor max will be on a major
axis).
Database

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The tag's Zero + Span attributes are used to specify the maximum plot value.
0 (absolute value)
The value you type is used as the value scale maximum.
13. From the Format drop-down list, select the number format for the scale.
Database is the default format. This number format is also applied to legend, cursor, and
tooltip numbers.
DatabaseDatabase format uses the displaydigits PI Point attribute to determine
how many decimal places to show. If the length of the number exceeds the
displaydigits value, scientific notation is used. PI ProcessBook trims trailing zeroes
that follow a decimal point. The Database format option is intended for use with PI Tags
only.
GeneralShows all significant digits for a number except trailing zeros. If the absolute
value of the value is greater than 1e+7 or less than 1e-5, the format will switch to use
scientific notation.
ScientificMost useful with very large numbers. The scientific format used for trends
displays in the format: 0.00E+00.
Custom (#,##0.00, 0%)Allows you to enter your own number format. See the Table of
Format Values for examples.
14. Under Plot Time, from the Start and End drop-down lists, select a time. An asterisk (*)
represents the current time. You can also manually enter a valid PI Time string.
15. In the Style drop-down list, select Full time stamp, Partial time stamp, or Relative time
stamp to indicate how time is displayed on the time axis.
16. Click OK.
Note:
PI ProcessBook allows you to create custom placeholders for a symbol based on a
summary data set or a PI tag placeholder in an ODBC data set. Placeholders are not
allowed for expression data sets. The Custom Placeholders button in symbol
definition windows allows you to specify different PI tags for a PI Summary data set or
ODBC data set with a PI tag placeholder. The change applies only to the configured
symbol.
See Add or edit placeholders for details.

Topics in this section

Build a trend with multiple plots
Move a plot
Delete a plot within a trend
Using logarithmic scales in trends

Build a trend with multiple plots

For new trend symbols, you can add multiple plots at the same time so that many trends are
created, configured and placed on the display without dragging additional symbols on the

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display. Once the plots are created they are no longer associated in any way and are
configured, moved, and sized individually.

Procedure
1. Follow the steps to Create a trend.
2. To create additional plots, click the New Plot button and select tags.
Repeat as necessary. To view the tags you have selected, you can select each plot name in
the Plot box.
3. To adjust the arrangement matrix for the plots you are creating, click the Layout tab (see
Layout tab).
Note:
These matrix options are available only when you create the trend and cannot be
edited later. However, you can revise the traces and other trend properties on each
plot individually.

Move a plot
If you have created more than one plot in the trend, you can move each plot separately.

Procedure
1. In Build mode simply click the plot you want to move.
2. Selection handles appear around the plot. Use these handles to drag the plot to its new
location.

Delete a plot within a trend

Procedure
1. In the Define Trend window, click the General tab.
2. In the Plot drop-down list, select the plot you want to delete, and then click the Delete Plot
button.
This button is only available while the symbol is being created.
Note:
After you have drawn a trend, and you want to delete a plot, you can select the plot
and then press DELETE.

Using logarithmic scales in trends

In the Define Trend window, there is a checkbox for logarithmic scales. This option is disabled
for digital, timestamp and integer tags. If the scale is Single, the option is disabled if any digital
or integer tag is present. If the scale is Multiple, the option is only disabled for digital and
integer tags. See Define Trend window.
Use logarithmic and non-logarithmic scales for traces in the same trend when "Multiple Scales"
is selected. In this case, the minor gridlines associated with a logarithmic plot may confuse the

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plot. You can turn off the minor gridlines by setting the vertical minor grid color to none. This
is discussed in Trace Format tab.
The log of zero and negative values is plotted similarly to bad data. The graph shows an X
where the invalid log values begin. A cursor running over the negative values displays
Invalid Log. If the current trace value is zero or less, the legend displays Invalid Log as
the current value.

Edit a trend
Use the Define Trend window (see Define Trend window) to edit an existing trend. To launch
this window do one of the following.

Procedure
In Build mode, double click a trend
Select a trend and click the Item Definition toolbar button
Select a trend and click Edit > Selected Item

Define Trend window

In the Define Trend window, you can specify tags; the colors and line styles for traces, legends,
and backgrounds; and how much tag information is displayed with a trend. Use the Formatting
toolbar to make color or line formatting or font changes.
Trends are formatted according to certain defaults. Using the Trend preferences, you can
create your own default format for new trends. You can set options like line colors,
background, and marker shapes, and you can set the types of point information included with a
trend.
The Define Trend window has a General tab where you create a trend, and the following
additional tabs for formatting and layout:
Display Format
Options for the elements to be included in the trend.
Trace Format
Orovides an alternate way to choose colors and line styles for each trace (plot line) as well
as the axes, background, and text.
Layout
Options determine the arrangement of rows and columns for multiple plot trends. This tab
only appears when you first create a trend symbol.

Topics in this section

Display Format tab
Trace Format tab
Layout tab

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Display Format tab

Legend group box

Select or clear check boxes for displaying the tag name, server name, description, value, and
engineering units. Your choices are reflected in the sample trend at the bottom of the
window.
The information that can fit in the legend is determined by the size of the trend.
Consequently, not all of the information in the legend may be visible.
If the width of the legend is more than 50 percent of the width of the trend, the legend
does not display.
If the length of the text in the legend is longer than the total height of the trend, the items
on the bottom are not shown.
Display group box
Select or clear the following check boxes. The sample trend reflects the changes you make.

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Plot Title
Vertical Scale Inside Axis
Draws the value scale inside the plot area
Grids
Shows grid lines on the trend
Markers
When selected, markers indicate data points on the trend. If the Markers box is not
selected, three markers appear on each line to help you match a line to a tag.
Trend orientation
Select one of the three options at the top of the window: End Time at right (horizontal), End
Time at top (vertical), or End Time at bottom (vertical). This feature allows you to orient
your trend in a horizontal or vertical direction.

Trace Format tab

Use the buttons on the Symbol Formatting toolbar to configure plot elements such as pens,
traces, text, and background. See Formatting and Traces for details.
The Trace Format tab gives you an alternate way to update formatting changes.

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Plot Element drop-down box

Select from a list of available traces and other plot elements.
Element Format group box
Select formatting options for the selected plot element. Your choices are reflected in the
sample trend at the bottom of the window.

Layout tab
The plot arrangement in a multi-plot trend is established by setting up the number of rows and
columns of plots in the Layout tab.
Note:
The Layout tab only appears when you initially create a trend (see Create a trend). After
the layout is set, you cannot revise it because the plots are no longer associated when the
symbol is created. However, individual plots can be moved on the display in Build mode.
To revise the proposed plot arrangement matrix:

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Under Plot Arrangement, select the number of rows and columns you want. The following
example shows four plots, to be arranged in 2 rows of 2 columns each. Tab past the matrix to
see the sample of your new selection display in the Preview area.

Configure Trend Scale

The Trend Scale window provides easy access to the value scale settings for each tag in a trend,
SQC chart or XYPlot. If the plot uses a data set, only the Autorange and Absolute options are
available for the Maximum and Minimum scale settings.

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Procedure
1. In Run mode, double-click the plot's value scale to open the Trend Scale window.
Note:
In PI ProcessBook you can also click View > Trend Scale. This menu object is not
available in PI ActiveView.
2. Click Single Scale or Multiple Scales.
3. If you are using multiple scales, then select the tag for which to set the scale options from
the Tags drop-down list.
4. Select Autorange, Database, or Absolute options for the Maximum and Minimum values of
the scale.
Autorange
Sets the value scale using the minimum and maximum tag values between the trend start
time and end time.
Database
Sets the value scale using the tag attribute values in the Point Database. Zero is the
minimum. Zero + Span is the maximum. See the PI Server Reference Guide for more
information on tag attributes.
Absolute
Allows you to enter a custom value for the value scale of a tag. Enter the value in the
adjacent box.
5. If you have selected the Absolute option, then type in the Maximum and Minimum values of
the scale in the adjacent boxes.
6. Click OK.
Modifications made to a trend through use of this window do not affect the stored settings
of the trend.
Note:
To return the trend scale to its original settings, click Revert on the context menu.

Trend analysis tools

PI ProcessBook provides a number of tools for analyzing or monitoring the data in a trend, SQC
chart, or XYPlot.
Trend Zoom
Lets you use the mouse to drag a box around the data you would like to see more detail.
SeeReduce or enlarge a trend time range.
Trend Expand
Temporarily expands a trend symbol so that it occupies the entire display window. See
Expand a trend.
Trend Cursor
Shows the value of the plotted tags at a specific point in time. SeeTrend cursor.
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Topics in this section

Drag Zoom
Reduce or enlarge a trend time range
Expand a trend
Trend cursor

Drag Zoom
Drag Zoom lets you contract the time scale of a trend.

Procedure
1. With the Run mode pointer, click an area in the trend at which you want a closer look.
2. Drag the pointer diagonally to create a rectangle.
3. When you release the mouse, the trend displays the data within the rectangle.

Reduce or enlarge a trend time range

To reduce or expand a time range, click

to zoom in or out by a factor of 2.

For example, if your PI ProcessBook trend time range is 8 hours, zoom in to divide the time
range by 2 to display the trend with a 4-hour time range. Zoom out to multiply the time range
by 2, which displays the trend for a 16-hour time period.
Click Revert

to remove the time range.

Note:
The zoom in and out buttons might not appear on a small trend. Double-click a trend to
expand its size and display hidden buttons.
If there are no trend cursors, the Trend Zoom 2x command zooms in or out of the last portion
of the time period. For example, if the initial time range is 60 minutes and you select Trend
Zoom 2x In, the trend displays the last 30 minutes. Trend Zoom 2x Out displays 120 minutes,
adding 60 minutes to the beginning of the trend.
When a trend cursor is displayed, the command uses the trend cursor as the center of the
zoomed trend. If several cursors are used, the last one set is used as the center of the zoomed
trend.

Expand a trend
Procedure
Double-click a trend in Run mode to redraw the trend so that it occupies the entire display
window.
Double-click again to reduce the trend to its original size.

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While the trend is expanded, the Drawing toolbar is disabled. If you switch to another
display, the Drawing toolbar will work there. All descriptive information (title, tag
descriptor, tag value) is shown on an expanded trend.

Trend cursor

A trend cursor lets you read tag values for a particular time. When you select a trend cursor, a
vertical line indicates the cursor position. The box at the top of the line indicates the value and
status. The box at the bottom displays the time and date of the value. On vertically-oriented
trends the cursor is horizontally oriented.
You may display several trend cursors at one time.
Note:
A trend does not update while trend cursors are visible.
If the trend is too small, the Trend Cursor command is disabled and the mouse pointer does
not change when you move over the left axis. You can expand the trend by double-clicking it.
Trend cursors can be automated.

Topics in this section

Add a trend cursor
Remove a trend cursor

Add a trend cursor

Procedure
1. Notice whether the time scale appears at the bottom and the time stamp appears at the
upper right.
If not, the trend rectangle may be too small to use trend cursor. Enlarge the trend. If the
time stamp does not appear, reformat the display format to show it.
2. With the Run mode pointer, click the Trend Cursor button

A cursor appears at the right edge of the trend. When the mouse pointer changes to a
double-headed arrow over the trend cursor, click the vertical line and drag left to position
the trend cursor, or
Click View > Trend Cursor.
An indented icon in front of the command indicates that trend cursors are on.
3. Move the mouse pointer over the left axis of the trend.
The pointer changes to a trend cursor symbol. As you drag to the right, a new trend cursor
is added to the trend.
4. Move the trend cursor back and forth across the trend by dragging it.
As you move it, the time stamp, status, and value appear in a box at the top right of the
trend.

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When you release the cursor, the values appear in boxes at the top and bottom of the
cursor. You can add additional cursors by grabbing the trend cursor icon at the left axis.

Remove a trend cursor

Procedure
Click the Trend Cursor button

, -or-

Click View > Trend Cursor, -or Revert the trend.

Note:
To remove one trend cursor but not all of them, click the trend cursor and drag it to
the left or right until it moves off of the trend.

Change time range

Procedure
Scroll time ranges directly on a trend by using the Step Forward or Backward buttons
on the time scale.
These time changes are not saved with the symbol.
Use the Revert button

, located next to the time scale, to return the trend to its

configured settings.
Note:
If the trend is too small these buttons may not appear. Expand the trend's size to
display hidden buttons.
You can also use buttons on the Time Range toolbar to modify time configurations settings.

How trends refresh

If the end time of the trend is current (*) or future (for example, *+1h), and trend cursors are
off, then the trend updates whenever information is sent from the machine instrumentation to
the PI Server at a configurable update rate (5 seconds by default).
A dashed line on the plot time grid of the trend indicates the current time and that the plot is
updating. If the information has not changed at the instrumentation sensor, the trend shows a
flat line from the last update to the current time (the dotted line).
You can force a refresh by clicking the Revert button.
Note:
If desired, a PI System Manager can change the seven-day updating time range limit to
another interval on your computer.
PI ProcessBook uses an algorithm to identify the peaks and valleys of data values so that no
information is lost when the trend time range is large. It ensures that the plot is not under- or
over-sampled and that the correct amount of information is sent from the PI Archive.

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Unlike data from a PI Server, data from an ODBC data set refreshes according to a configured
refresh rate.

Trend appearance
A trend appears according to the format established in the Trend Preferences. Click the Trend
Formatting button
to override this format.
Typically, the title of the trend appears at the upper left, and the current timestamp appears at
the upper right. The selected tag names, current or end value, and engineering units appear in
the legend opposite the value scale.

Topics in this section

Grid lines and labels
Value scale grid lines
Single and multiple scales for the vertical axis
Time scale grid lines
Traces
Markers

Grid lines and labels

Trends are formatted according to certain defaults. Use the Trend Elements tab in the
ProcessBook Preferences window to create default formats for new trends. You can set options
like line colors and marker shapes, and set the types of point information included with a
trend. See Trend Elements preferences.

Topics in this section

Grid lines
Grid line labels

Grid lines
Horizontal and vertical grid lines align with even units (whole numbers) on the scales. Grid
lines for the value scale line up with whole numbers at intervals of 1, 2, 5, 10, or powers of 10
times those intervals. Grid lines for the time scale line up with time intervals such as weeks,
days, hours, minutes, and so on. The traces then scroll as time passes on an updating trend.

Grid line labels

Configure the labels for the value scale using single or multiple scales. You can place these
labels on either the inside or outside of the value axis:
Single Scale

The union of the ranges for all traces appears in the label.

Multiple Scales

The range for each trace in the trend appears in the label.

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Configure the labels for the time axis using a full time stamp, partial time stamp, or a relative
time stamp:
Full timestamp

Displays a complete time stamp for the start and end

times. The time range of the trend is in the middle of the
time axis.

Partial timestamp

Labels most grid lines in the units of the time range.

Displays the full time stamp for the end time of the trend
at the top right edge of the plot.

Relative timestamp

Displays the offset from the end time limit in weeks, days,
hours, and so on. and the full time stamp for the end time
of the trend at the top right edge of the plot.

Note:
Labels for the grid lines appear unless the trend rectangle is too small.

Value scale grid lines

Grid lines are shown in value scale intervals of 1, 2, 5, 10, or powers of 10 times those
intervals.
The value axis minimum and maximum are set using one of four methods.

Topics in this section

Autorange scale
Database scale
Logarithmic scale
Manually defined scale

Autorange scale
The value scale is determined by a calculation based on minimum and maximum values in the
trend. As new data are received from the server, the high and low values may change, and the
scale is recalculated accordingly.
For example, if the original scale ranged from 5 to 100, but the new data has a high of 103, then
the new plot shows a range from 5 to 105 (the nearest number divisible by 5 and larger than
the high value).
If more than one tag is plotted on a single scale, the value scale is calculated from the highest
and lowest values for all the tags.

Database scale
If the scale is set to Database, the range is the same as the limits for the point on the server.
The minimum value is termed zero, and the maximum value is the sum of the zero value plus
the span value.
For example, suppose the tag attributes for a point are Zero = 3 and Span = 6. The plot range
therefore is based on making the minimum and maximum values 3 to 9.

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Logarithmic scale
If you prefer a logarithmic scale, select this option. This option is disabled for digital, string, or
time stamp tags.

Manually defined scale

When the scale is configured, an arbitrary minimum and maximum scale value can be entered.

Single and multiple scales for the vertical axis

Value scales are labeled whenever there is enough room. Configure these labels with either
single or multiple scales.
For a single scale label, the union of the ranges for all traces appears.
For multiple scale labels, the range for the first trace appears next to the value axis. Ranges
for the other traces appear in increasing distance from the axis in the order the tags are
listed in the trend legend.
Note:
On a single scale trend, traces that contain only one value (a flat line) or have no data are
governed by special scaling rules. When a trend is composed of only flat or no data
traces, the default value scale range is inflated to prevent showing a flat plot area. These
default ranges are not applied if the trace in question is on a single scale trend that
contains other visible traces that do not fall into either of the aforementioned categories.

A single scale trace containing one flat trace with a constant value of 0.

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A single scale trend containing a flat trace and a non-flat trace. The default range for the flat trace is
not applied.

Time scale grid lines

Grid lines for the time scale line up with whole units of time, such as days, hours, minutes, and
so on. On a trend that receives updates, traces scroll as time passes. For an updating trend, the
current time is indicated by a dotted vertical line.
Configure labels for the time axis in one of three ways:
Full Timestamp
Labels the start and end time limits with the date and time. When space permits, the
elapsed time between these lines is also shown.
Partial Timestamp
Labels each grid line in whole units, such as hours. For example, the grid lines might be
labeled 9:00, 10:00, and 11:00. A full time stamp showing the plot end time is shown at the
upper right.
Relative Timestamp
Labels each grid line with the amount of time preceding the end time limit in days, hours,
minutes, or seconds. For example, the grid lines might be labeled -4, -3, - 2, -1, meaning 4, 3,
2, and 1 hours before the end time. A full time stamp for the end time is shown at the upper
right.

Traces
A trace is a single line on a trend. When a trace is continuous, a line is drawn from
measurement to measurement. When a trace is discrete, the value is propagated forward until
a new value is recorded in the database. This results in horizontal and vertical lines for the tag
(staircase trace).
Digital points are discrete type measurements, producing staircase traces. For digital points,
the offset from the starting digital state code is plotted.
Staircase traces are used for points from a PI Server that have a Step Flag set to TRUE.

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ODBC queries may produce either curved or staircase traces, depending on the Stepped Plot
check box setting in the ODBC Data Set window.

Hide traces
You can hide one or more traces on the trend in Run mode so that an area of concern is more
easily viewed.

Procedure
1. Open a trend in Run mode.
2. Hover your mouse pointer over the trend's legend.
The mouse pointer changes to a hand cursor

, and the trace in the trend is highlighted.

3. Click on the legend item to hide or show the trace on the plot.
If the trace has a regression line configured, the regression line is also hidden. When a trace
is hidden:
the trace name is dimmed in the legend and the description, value, and engineering units
are hidden (if they were shown before).
the space reserved on the legend for the description, value, and engineering units
collapses so that the trace under the hidden trace is moved. This clearly shows the visible
traces on the legend, especially on a trend with many traces.
on a multi-scale trend, the scale associated with the hidden trace is hidden.
on a single scale trend, the minimum and maximum values shown on the scale may be
adjusted.

Results
You can show hidden traces by clicking their names a second time in the legend, or by clicking
the Revert button. All hidden traces are shown in Build mode.
Note:
You can also right click on a trend and select Show All or Hide All to make traces visible
or invisible.

Markers
Markers indicate data points and allow you to differentiate between traces on a trend. There
are three types of markers.
At least three markers are shown on a trace, unless the plot is too small.

Topics in this section

Actual data markers
Trace markers
X markers

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Actual data markers

Actual data markers plot each value stored in the database. The color of the trace and of the
marker is the same. You can select the shape of the marker, such as diamonds, circles, squares,
or triangles, which can be helpful for color- blind users and for monochrome monitors.

Trace markers
If there are too many values to plot based on the size of the trend, the display resolution and
the density of the plotted data, actual data markers do not appear and trace markers are used
instead. Trace markers are also used if the trend configuration does not specify markers.
Trace markers help you identify the legend information for each trace; they do not indicate
actual plot values. Up to three trace markers are used per trace.

X markers
When a value is outside the limits defined for the trend, it is plotted as over- or under-range.
When a value is out of range or has a bad value, it is not shown on the plot. An X marker is
placed on the trend at the beginning and end of the time when data are not plotted. When the
data are missing, (for example, not connected to a server) they are given the value No Data
and are not plotted.

Ad hoc trends
Create a trend on an ad hoc basis for tags represented by dynamic symbols in a display within
a ProcessBook.
Ad hoc trends are like any other trends in that you can scroll the time forward and backward,
view cursors, zoom, view point attributes, use multiple scales, or change the time range.
To create an ad hoc trend, use either:
Trend tool

to add a trend to an existing display pre-configured with data from other

symbols on the display.

Trend Display tool

to create a separate, new display with a trend pre-configured with

data from symbols on the original display.

Note:
You can build a trend display before you open any displays.
If you create an ad hoc trend display and then choose to save it for future use, it appears on the
Book or Outline View as subordinate to the original display.

Topics in this section

Create an ad hoc trend
Save an ad hoc trend display

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Create an ad hoc trend

Create an ad hoc trend for a specific tag or tags.

Procedure
1. In Run mode, select the dynamic symbol(s) with the data you want to trend, such as a bar,
value, or Multi-State symbol.
To select more than one dynamic symbol, hold down the Shift key while you click them.
2. Click the Trend Display button

A new display window opens, and a trend is created automatically for the selected symbols
using the default format and time range. It is given the unique name Trend Display#, where
# is a number. The plot title is Ad Hoc Trend.
- or Click the Trend button

. The mouse pointer changes to a trend pointer. Click in the

display and drag to create a rectangle. It is given the name Ad Hoc Trend.
The trend appears in the rectangle, using the default format.
Note:
If you select more tags than the default set in your Preference settings, usually 3, then
you will have more than one plot in your trend or trend display.

Save an ad hoc trend display

If you create an ad hoc trend display and wish to save it for future use, then you must use the
Save or Save As command before you close the instant trend. There are several options.

Procedure
Save an ad hoc trend display as an independent display by clicking it and using the Save As
command with a .pdi filename extension.
If you had a display entry from a ProcessBook open when the instant trend was created, the
instant trend can be saved as a subordinate of the display by using the Save command.
You can save an ad hoc trend as another file type, such as a bitmap (.bmp) file, using Save
As.
Note:
You cannot save an ad hoc trend from view-only mode.

OpenVMS trends and graphics

PI ProcessBook allows you to convert your existing OpenVMS trend and graphic files for use
within a ProcessBook. Specifically, the following types of files are supported:
PIDisDIFF files

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Contain trend graphs built using the PI Data Trending Package. You can convert horizontal,
vertical, composite, and overview trends.
PI-GP files
Graphic files built using the PI-GP Graphics Builder.
Before you can convert your trend files (PIDisDIFF), you must convert them as ASCII text files
on the VAX and then download them to your PC.
Once the files are on the PC, you can import them to a ProcessBook. Trends are formatted
based on the settings on the Trend Elements tab on the ProcessBook Preference window.

Topics in this section

Convert OpenVMS trends
Convert OpenVMS graphics

Convert OpenVMS trends

This process is used to convert OpenVMS graphics for use with a PC.

Procedure
1. On the VAX or Alpha at the DCL prompt, type
$

Run PISysExe:PIDisDIFF

2. Select option 1 List Master Display Library from the PI Display Data Interchange File Format
Builder.
3. Direct the output to a file.
4. Enter a file name.
If your file name is more than 8 characters and a 3-character extension (xxxxxxxx.xxx), the
name is truncated during the download process.
5. Accept the defaults for display mask, group numbers and unit numbers (*).
6. Select the trend display types you are importing.
For optimum performance select only options 1 (horizontal), 2(vertical), 3 (composite), and
8 (overview).
7. Quit the PIDisDIFF application (option Q).
8. Transfer the file from the VAX or Alpha to the PC using any ASCII text file transfer program
you have available.

Convert OpenVMS graphics

This process is used to convert OpenVMS graphics for use with a PC.
On the OpenVMS computer, copy a graphic file to your working directory. Graphic files are
named PISysDat:PIGP_xxxxxxxxxx.dat, where xxxxxxxxxx is the display name.

Procedure
1. At the DCL prompt, type

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$

RUN PISysExe:GPAB

2. Select option 1 Convert Binary to ASCII from the PI Graphics Package ASCII/Binary File
Conversion menu.
3. Type the display name of the graphic you want to convert and press Enter.
Repeat for each file you want to convert.
4. Select option Q to quit the application.
5. Transfer the file from the VAX or Alpha to the PC using any ASCII text file transfer program
you have available.
Your PI ProcessBook Install disks include an OpenVMS command file which performs Steps
1 - 5 for all graphics. The file is named GPPBConv.com.

Add AF attributes to trends

You can use values of AF element attributes in PI ProcessBook trends.

Before you start

To add attributes to trends, you must open PI ProcessBook and verify that the AF Browser and
the AF Property pane are open and that you are connected to a PI AF server.
You must have access to an AF element that includes attributes.

Procedure
1. Open a display and select Build mode.
2. Select the trend to which you want to add AF attributes.
3. Select an AF element from the list in the AF Browser. The AF Property pane displays the
attribute information.
4. Drag and drop an attribute from the AF Property pane into the empty trend plot.
The attribute data is added to the trend.

XYPlots
An XYPlot shows a correlation between one or more paired sets of data. On an XYPlot (also
called a scatter plot), the X scale shows possible values for one of the items in the pair and the
Y scale shows the value of the other item in the pair. A basic scatter plot looks like the
following:

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Uncorrelated data
This case plotted 10-minute intervals of two points, A and B, for the last hour. Point A had 12
point values; Point B had 16 point values. The number of points plotted equals the number of
pairs. Since A had fewer point values, the plot shows only 12 point pairs. The extra data from
point B is ignored. You can configure the method by which pairing occurs.
Correlation is a measure of the strength of the relationship between two variables. Correlation
is indicated graphically by the spread of the data points around a fitted straight line (for
example, a straight line that indicates the trend of the data). In general, the closer the points
are to the fitted line, the stronger the correlation. The two PI tags shown in figure 1 are not
strongly correlated. Another plot shows perfectly correlated data:

Perfectly correlated
A third plot is somewhat correlated:

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Somewhat correlated
In the case of the third plot, a regression line with a slope (M) of 1 and an offset (B) of 0 drawn
diagonally across the plot would show all points lying close to the line, some above it, some
below it. This line formula is appropriate in this case because both scales are the same and the
points appear to have values very close to each other. In other cases, one value may be two or
three times the other value (for example) and the regression line would fall on a different
slope, depending upon how the scales are configured. If the scales are the same, the slope of
the line determines the relationship between the points. If the scales are not the same, the
slope is insignificant.

Topics in this section

Draw an XYPlot
Linear regression by least squares
Correlation coefficient
Interpreting an XYPlot
Zoom and Revert functions
Change time range feature
XYPlot cursors
Bad status indicators
Out of range indicators
Too many points
Examples of XYPlots

Draw an XYPlot
Procedure
1. In Build mode, click Draw > XYPlot,
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On the Drawing toolbar, click the XYPlot button

2. Drag a rectangle on the display to create the boundaries.

3. Release the mouse button.
The Define XYPlot window opens with the General tab open.
4. Use the tabs as follows:
General tab
Select tags to be plotted.
Display Format tab
Choose what to show in the Legend and on the display.
Plot Format tab
Select how to color and style the plot elements, such as trace pens and background.
5. Click OK.
The XYPlot appears.
To revise an existing XYPlot, select Build mode and double-click the XYPlot. The Define
XYPlot window appears. Make your changes and click OK.
Note:
Click Undo to restore your original plot.

Topics in this section

General tab
Display Format tab
Plot Format tab
Ad hoc XYPlots
View XYPlot or SQC symbol statistics

General tab
Use the General tab to select data items to plot.

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Plot Title
Enter a plot title. Change it later if you wish.
Tags in Plot
Select the tags or data sets you want to plot.
Click the Tag Search button to locate a tag, or
Click the Tag Search arrow to see more search options:
Tag Search
PI Calculation (data set)
ODBC (data set)
AF2- launches the Select AF Attribute window, from which you can search an AF
database for elements and attributes.
Element Relative - launches the Element Search window from which you can search an
AF database for elements.
Your selections for tags, data sets, or attributes appear under Tags in Plot. An Options radio
button appears next to each tag name.
Select Options to choose the X-axis tag. Unselected tags are Y-axis tags.
If a tag that is selected as the X-axis is deleted, the first tag in the list becomes the X-axis tag.

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Use the four toolbar buttons on the title bar to rearrange this list. They are, in order, Add,
Delete, Up Arrow, and Down Arrow.
Server
Enter or select a PI Server name. This field is only used when a PI Tag name is typed directly
into the list.
Note:
PI ProcessBook allows you to create custom placeholders for a symbol based on a
summary data set or a PI tag placeholder in an ODBC data set. Placeholders are not
allowed for expression data sets. The Custom Placeholders button in symbol definition
windows allows you to specify different PI tags for a PI Summary data set or ODBC data
set with a PI tag placeholder. The change applies only to the configured symbol.
See Add or edit placeholders for details.

Topics in this section

Configure pairings
Scale Box
Plot time
Add a data set to an XYPlot
Element search symbol

Configure pairings
Once the tags are listed in the Tags in Plot list, configure the method for pairing values
between X and Y in the Data Retrieval Methods box.
X Tag
Choose either Recorded or Interpolated for the retrieval method.
Interpolated
An interval may be entered in the Plot Time section. Interpolated is the default for tags
and is disabled for ODBC and Custom data sets. This method retrieves interpolated
values for the specified time range in regular intervals. For example, if the time range is
*-1h to * and the Interval is 10m, then six values spaced 10 minutes apart are returned.
This option provides a way to get evenly sampled data.
Recorded
Retrieves archive values between the specified start and end time.
Y Tag(s)
The Y tag data retrieval method applies to individually selected tags in the Tags in Plot list
(unless the Use for all Y tags check box is selected). The default data retrieval method for Y
tags is Synchronize.
Y Tags, paired by position in the list
To use multiple time ranges, select Recorded or Interpolated. In this case, data is paired by
position in the point list. If Interpolated is selected for the X tag as well, the interval value
for the Y tag defaults to the one for the X tag.
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When Recorded is the retrieval mechanism, the results are not skewed by minor time stamp
differences
Y Tags, paired by timestamps
To pair values by time, rather than by list position, choose one of these retrieval methods:
Synchronize
Synchronizes data found for X with data for Y using the time stamps for the X data. This
may result in interpolated data values for Y.
Match
Find the event for Y corresponding to the exact time stamp as X. If no matching event is
found, no match is made for that X value.
Match or Previous
Fnd the event for Y corresponding to the exact time stamp as X. If there is none, find the
event that is the closest but earlier in time.
Match or Next
Find the event for Y corresponding to the exact time stamp as X. If there is none, find the
event that is the closest, but later in
time.
Synchronize and Match use different PI SDK value retrieval methods. Synchronize uses
TimedValues. Match uses RecordedValues and then uses the values where the time stamps
match.
Note:
Synchronize is disabled for ODBC and Custom data sets.
If you select Synchronize or any of the Match options, the start and end times for that tag
are set the same as for the X tag and cannot be changed.
Note:
The XYPlot supports ODBC data sets that don't contain time stamps. This type of
entry must be plotted as a Y-tag, and data values must be retrieved using the
Recorded retrieval method. If a tag is changed from a Y tag to an X tag and has a value
for Retrieval Method that is only valid for Y tags, the method is changed to
Interpolated. If the tag is a data set, the method is changed to Recorded.
In all cases, if a pair is not made, the unmatched X or Y events are ignored.
Use for all Y tags
Selecting this check box indicates that the Y-tags data retrieval mechanism applies for all Ytags. If one of the tags is a Custom or ODBC data set and the selection mechanism is
Interpolated or Synchronize, the selection mechanism will be Recorded or Match
respectively for that tag only.

Scale Box
In the Scale Box, set the scale ranges for all tags.
Single Y Scale

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combines all Y tag value ranges onto one scale.
Multiple Y Scales
Provides a separate scale for each Y tag. This choice does not change the scale min and max
values, but allows them to be configured independently by selecting each Y tag and making
changes.
Regardless of your selection, you may independently configure the X scale tag.
Max
Autorange uses the maximum value plotted. You may enter an absolute value here as well.
Default is Autorange. Database uses the zero plus span value of the tag in the PI Server to
determine the max. Database with a data set plot uses the maximum value plotted.
Min
Autorange uses the minimum value plotted. You may enter an absolute value here as well.
Default is Autorange. Database uses the zero value of the tag in the PI Server to determine
the min. Database with a data set plot uses the minimum value plotted.
Format
Selects the number format of the Y scale, legend entries, cursor values, and tooltip values:
DatabaseDatabase format uses the displaydigits PI Point attribute to determine
how many decimal places to show. If the length of the number exceeds the
displaydigits value, scientific notation is used. PI ProcessBook trims trailing zeroes
that follow a decimal point. The Database format option is intended for use with PI Tags
only.
GeneralShows all significant digits for a number except trailing zeros. If the absolute
value of the value is greater than 1e+7 or less than 1e-5, the format will switch to use
scientific notation.
ScientificMost useful with very large numbers. The scientific format used for trends
displays in the format: 0.00E+00.
Custom (#,##0.00, 0%)Allows you to enter your own number format. See the Table of
Format Values for examples.

Table of format values

The following number formats are available in PI ProcessBook. The characters used for the
decimal and grouping are based on the Regional Settings on the computer where PI
ProcessBook is installed.
Format

Value

Result

General

-25.434

-25.434

25.59

26

0.00

17.246

17.25

#,##0

-1732.87

-1,733

#,##0.00

-1732.87

-1,732.87

(#,##0)

-1732.87

(1,733)

(#,##0.00)

-1732.87

(1,732.87)

0%

3.25

325%

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Format

Value

Result

0.00%

3.25

325.00%

Scientific

3.25

3.25000E+00

Database

Uses the Display Digits attribute for the tag from the PI System.

The following table describes how to create a custom number format mask.
Symbol

Explanation

Placeholder for a digit. Leading and decimal zeros

are not displayed

Placeholder for a digit. Leading and decimal zeros

are displayed.

Plot time
You can set the time for each tag as it is highlighted in the Tags in Plot box. If a Y tag is selected
and its selection mechanism is not Recorded or Interpolated, then these boxes are disabled.
Start
The start time of the selected tag. The list includes *-1h (minus one hour), *-4h, *-8h, *-1d,
*-7d. The default is *-8h.
End
The end time of the selected tag. The list includes *, *-1h, *-4h, *-8h, *-1d, *-7d.
The default is * (current time).
Interval
This field is enabled when the retrieval method is Interpolated. It provides a sampling
interval for data.
When you have completed configuring the fields on the General tab, click the Display Format
tab.

Add a data set to an XYPlot

Procedure
1. In Build mode, click Draw > XYPlot,
-orOn the Drawing toolbar, click the XYPlot button

2. Drag a rectangle on the display to create the boundaries.

3. Release the mouse button.
The Define XYPlot window opens with the General tab open.
4. Click the arrow next to the Tag Search button.

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5. Select ODBC or PI Calculation to see the corresponding Dataset Details or PI Calculation
Data configuration window.
6. When you have completed the configuration, click OK to exit the configuration window.
The data set name appears in the Tags in Plot box.
7. In the Define XYPlot window, click OK to see the plot.

Element search symbol

Procedure
1. Connect to an AF System.
2. Specify search criteria for the elements.
3. View the Search results.

Display Format tab

Use the Display Format tab to select options to show for an XY Plot legend and display.

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Legend
Tag Name
Lists the entries in Tags in Plot. Selected by default.
Srvr Name
Select this check box to prepend the tag name with the server name. Cleared by default.
Description
The tag description may be displayed on the legend. Selected by default.
Value
The last value of the tag plotted may be displayed. For digital and string tags, a string value
is shown. Selected by default.
Engineering Units
Selected by default. If the tag does not report units, they are not shown on the legend for
that tag.
Correlation Coefficient
When selected, indicates that the correlation coefficient should be calculated and displayed
on the legend. Selected by default.

Display
Plot Title

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Selected by default.
Vertical Scale Inside Axis
Select this check box to show the vertical scale to the right of the Vertical Axis, inside the
plot area. Selected by default.
Grids
Select this check box to include vertical and horizontal grid lines. Selected by default. On the
Plot Format window, you can configure the appearance of the major and minor grid lines.
Linear Correlation Line
Select this to show a linear regression line. The default is cleared, which does not draw a
line.
Connecting Lines
Select this check box to show the paired points connected with straight lines in the order
they are plotted. Selected by default. Clear the check box to configure a scatter plot with
points only, no lines.
The Sample area displays a sample XYPlot with the options you have selected. When you have
completed the Display Format window, click the tab for the Plot Format window.

Plot Format tab

Use the Plot Format tab of the Define XYPlot window to select colors and styles for the various
elements of your plot.

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Plot Element
Drop-down list of the elements you can configure, such as major and minor gridlines,
background colors, text font, etc. Pens correspond to the X-and Y tags listed in the order in
the Tags in Plot box on the General tab.
Element Format
After you select an element in the Plot Element drop-down, available formatting options
appear. A drop-down arrow is grayed out if the option is not configurable. For example, text
has color but no line style options.
Line Style
Determines the line style for the selected element.
Line Weight
Determines the line weight for the selected element. If the selected element does not
have a line weight property, this field is disabled.
Marker Shape
Determines the marker shape for pen elements.
Color
Determines the color for the selected element. Pen elements apply the color to the line
and marker.
Last Marker Color
Allows selection of a different color for the last marker for a pen. If Match Trace is true
(selected), this field is disabled. If the selected element does not have a marker, this field
is disabled.
Next To Last Marker Color
Allows selection of a different color for the second-to-last marker for a pen. If Match
Trace is true (selected), this field is disabled. If the selected element does not have a
marker, this field is disabled.
Match Trace
Determines whether all marker colors match the trace color (true) for a pen. If set to
false, the Last Marker Color and Next To Last Marker Color fields are enabled so the
marker color can be changed for those two plotted pairs. By default, this field is selected
(true). If the selected element does not have a marker, this field is disabled.
SampleProvides a preview of your formatting changes.

Ad hoc XYPlots
You can draw an XYPlot in Run mode on an ad hoc basis. Click the XYPlot button
and follow the steps described in Draw an XYPlot

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View XYPlot or SQC symbol statistics

To view and export raw data values and statistics, such as the mean and standard deviation of
data for each PI point:

Procedure
1. Double-click an XYPlot or SQC symbol.
The Statistics window appears.

2. In the Options drop-down list, select Raw Data or Statistics.

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3. (optional) To save this data to a text file, click Save Data to File.
The data is saved to the file in the following format:
Tag, <tag name>
Start Time, <start time>
End Time, <end time>
Count, < number of points paired>
Mean, <mean>
STDEV, <standard deviation>
Data Type, <data type>
Index, Time, Value, Status
<index>, <time>, <value>, <status>
<index>, <time>, <value>, <status>

Tag, <tag name>

Start Time, <start time>
End Time, <end time>
Count, < number of points paired>
Mean, <mean>
STDEV, <standard deviation>
Correlation, <correlation coefficient>
Slope, <slope>
Intercept, <intercept>
Data Type, <data type>
Index, Time, Value, Status
<index>, <time>, <value>, <status>
<index>, <time>, <value>, <status>

Note:
You can also view these statistics in the Details window.

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Linear regression by least squares

The best-fit linear regression line is a straight line that attempts to summarize the trend of the
plotted pairs. This line may be shown on the XYPlot.
The best-fit line has the formula:

Where m is the slope and b is the offset. To calculate m, we use the following equation:

To calculate b, the following equation is used:

Once m and b are known, the value of y that intersects the best-fit line can be calculated.

Correlation coefficient
The correlation coefficient (r) varies between -1 and +1. Positive values indicate that as X
increases, Y also increases. Negative values indicate that as X increases, Y decreases. A value of
zero indicates no correlation in the way the sets of values vary.
The correlation coefficient for a set of points is calculated using the following formula: (n is the
number of points, s is the standard deviation). You can display the correlation coefficient in the
plot legend.
Note:
Bad data points are not included in this calculation.

Standard deviation(s) is calculated using the following formula:

The mean is the arithmetic average.

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Interpreting an XYPlot
In PI ProcessBook the XYPlot is a dynamic symbol. It has specialized characteristics, such as its
statistical calculations, which are described in the following paragraphs.

Point Properties
Data can be retrieved from PI Server or from independent data sets. Use the Tag Properties
button or the right mouse menu Properties item to determine the attributes of the points in
your XYPlot.

Scroll Feature
Scrolling is available from the ProcessBook toolbar. When time scrolling is used on an XYPlot
symbol, all tags time ranges are changed to support the scroll duration.

Plot Values
In a typical XYPlot, the current name for the X tag appears below the plot. The current names
for the different Y tags appear at the upper right. Below each one is the correlation coefficient
for that XY pair. The dots and lines on the plot are colored to match the tag names.
Plotted pair values appear in a ToolTip over the plot when the mouse cursor is hovering over
an actual plotted point pair. The following illustration shows an example.

In the figure above, if there had been more than one Y tag, each one would be displayed on a
different line. The X tag information is placed at the bottom. For digital or string tags, the text
value is displayed in the ToolTip.
You can also view plot values by double-clicking the title bar and choosing the Raw Data
option, rather than the Statistics option in the Statistics window.

Zoom and Revert functions

You can enlarge a portion of an XYPlot by using the Zoom feature.

Topics in this section

Enlarge the whole plot to fill the display window
Enlarge a small area of the plot
Revert

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Enlarge the whole plot to fill the display window

Procedure
1. In Run mode, double-click the plot.
2. To reduce the plot to its original size, double-click it again.
It does not update while enlarged.

Enlarge a small area of the plot

Procedure
1. Place the mouse cursor on the upper left corner of the area to be zoomed.
2. Hold the left mouse button down while dragging a rectangle to cover the appropriate area.

When you release the mouse, this area is enlarged to the borders of the original plot.

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Note:
The zoom area must be smaller than the plot area and cannot include the outer 20
percent of the plot. If the mouse is dragged past the plot boundary, the zoom rectangle
stops at the border until the mouse reappears within the boundary. If the mouse is
dragged off the plot symbol boundary, the zoom is canceled.

Revert
Procedure
1. Click Undo to return the plot to its state directly before the zoom occurred.
2. Click the Revert button

to return the plot to its configured appearance.

Change time range feature

Procedure
1. Click View > Time Range.
-orOn the Time Range toolbar, click the Change Time Range button

The Change Time Range window opens.

2. Enter new values in the Time Span box.
All tags are affected when you change the range in this window.
3. Click the Revert button on the Time Range tool bar
appearance.

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XYPlot cursors
The cursor for an XYPlot includes both a horizontal and a vertical line. The mouse cursor is at
the cross point of both cursor lines. You must be in Run mode to use the XYPlot cursor.
To create a cursor, place the mouse very close to either the X- or Y-axis. Drag the cursor onto
the plot.
In the XYPlot below, you can see an XYPlot cursor at the Y axis that is not yet intersecting any
points on the plot.

You can also see an XYPlot cursor that was dropped on a point. The X and Y values appear in
small boxes outside the axes.
Using the mouse, you may position and release the cursor over any pair on the XYPlot. If the
cursor is dropped on an area that contains no points, the cursor snaps to the nearest pair.

Move the XYCursor from point to point

AFter you have dropped an XYCursor on a point, use the arrow keys to move from point to
point in time order. For example, pressing the right arrow key moves the cursor to the pair
that is plotted immediately after the current pair in the same series. The left arrow moves the
cursor to the pair that is plotted immediately before the current pair in the same series. The up
arrow moves the cursor to the first pair in the previous series. The down arrow moves the
cursor to the first pair in the next series. The cursor looks the same when it is dropped.
The information on the XYCursor point pair is shown in a box on each axis. If the tags are
digital or string, the text value is shown in the box rather than a numeric value. Placing the
mouse cursor over one of the cursor boxes shows the time of the event.

Bad status indicators

If a single point of a pair contains a bad status, an X appears on the axis of the good point at its
value. If both points of a pair contain bad statuses, an X appears at the origin of the plot.
The XYPlot symbol supports Questionable, Annotated, and Substituted indicators.
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Out of range indicators

When a point on the XYPlot falls above or below the X or Y scale range, it is not visible. This
may be because the plot is zoomed or because the scales have been set within a certain range
that does not cover the actual data.
In order to indicate there is a point outside of the visible area, an X is used. By default, a
straight line connects the points in the order that they are plotted. This line attempts to
connect hidden points as well. An X is placed at each position where this line crosses the top or
bottom of the plot area.

Too many points

When an X Tag has too many points to show on the plot, you receive and error message and no
points are shown. The maximum number is 10,000 points.

Examples of XYPlots
For these examples, the X-axis represents one of the values in the pair and the Y-axis
represents the other. The configuration of these axes regarding minimum and maximum
values and interval (or unit) settings is left to you.

Topics in this section

Example 1: Create an XYPlot on a display in PI ProcessBook to compare values for two PI
tags
Example 2: Compare different tags to help optimize equipment performance
Example 3: Lab comparisons
Example 4: Comparing a batch run to a standard
Example 5: Comparing two time ranges

Example 1: Create an XYPlot on a display in PI ProcessBook to compare

values for two PI tags
Procedure
1. On the Drawing toolbar, click the XYPlot button and drag to form the bounding rectangle
for the plot.
The Define XYPlot window appears.
2. Enter a title for the plot and select 2 tags to be entered in the Tags in Plot list.
3. Click an option button to select one tag to be the X tag.
4. Use the default settings for time range, scale, and retrieval method.
5. Click the Display Format tab and check the box for the regression line.
6. Select the Plot Format tab and accept the default values.
7. Click OK and the plot appears.
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Example 2: Compare different tags to help optimize equipment

performance
For example, suppose an engineer has just completed some optimization work on Boiler1, one
of the four boilers in the plant. He wants to optimize the other three boilers (Boiler2, Boiler3,
and Boiler4) so that they perform at the same level. After adjusting the three boilers, he wants
to see how closely they perform to the optimized Boiler1.
Assume that all four boilers run identical processes.
1. Plot the temperature of Boiler1 (the B1Temp tag) on the X-axis of an XYPlot and the
temperatures of the other three boilers (B2Temp, B3Temp and B4Temp) on the Y-axis.
2. Use the same time range for all four tags.
3. Select a single scale so that the Boilers 2, 3 and 4 are compared directly against Boiler1.
4. Configure the plot to show the correlation co-efficient for each of the boilers.
By viewing how far from the regression line each of the boilers falls, you can determine how
closely their performance matches and which boilers you should continue to adjust. When all
three boilers have an acceptable correlation coefficient, you know the work is complete.

Example 3: Lab comparisons

An engineer wants to compare lab results from his lab to those of another lab for the same
sample of material.
The plant's quality assurance lab has instituted some new testing procedures. In order to
gauge the validity of the new testing procedures, an engineer wants to compare results from
the new process against data from an outside lab that is known to have valid testing
procedures.
1. Put the results from the in-house lab into a data set.
2. Place the results for the same test from the other lab into another data set.
3. Selects each data set as a tag in the plot, and select which one to be the X-axis.
4. Choose Recorded as the retrieval mechanism for each data set so that the results are not
skewed by minor timestamp differences.
If the XYPlot shows the results from the new process are well correlated with the outside lab's
data, the new test procedure is validated.

Example 4: Comparing a batch run to a standard

An engineer wants to compare sample measurements taken from one Batch run and compare
them to a fixed set of measurements he knows to be desirable.
1. Select the fixed set of measurements by choosing the appropriate tag or data set and
indicating it is to be used for the X-axis.
2. Select the appropriate tags for the comparison batches, entering their specific time ranges.
3. Use Recorded values for all retrieval mechanisms.
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The data points are paired according to their position in the events list. The XYPlot shows how
closely the results are correlated by how closely the pairs fall on a linear regression line. Pairs
that fall outside this line may indicate problems with the batch run.

Example 5: Comparing two time ranges

An engineer wants to compare the performance of a Boiler unit over two time ranges. He needs
to determine whether a boiler's performance has degraded over time or whether there are
specific problems with the equipment. To do this, he creates an XYPlot that compares the
temperature tag data from two different time ranges.
1. Enter the tag twice and assign one instance as the X tag.
2. Enter separate time ranges for each tag.
3. Set the match mechanism to be recorded or interpolated so that values are paired by their
position in the list.
If the pairs fall close to a linear regression line, you can assume the boiler's performance is at
least steady. If some pairs are far from the line, it may indicate that the equipment has a
specific problem.

Additional dynamic symbols

Topics in this section
Values
Button
Bars

Values
A Value is the reading obtained for a data stream at the end time of a display. It is shown as a
number or a digital state string. The tag name and time stamp can also be shown. The time
stamp is the time stamp from the PI System that matches the event value shown.

Add a dynamic value

Procedure
1. In Build mode, open a display.
2. On the Drawing toolbar, click the Value button
-orClick Draw > Value.
The mouse pointer changes to the Value pointer.

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3. Click in the display where you want the value to be placed.
When you release the mouse button, the Define Value window is displayed.

4. In the Server drop-down list, select the PI Server to use.

If a tag name is manually entered in the Tag box, it is expected to be on the selected server.
If both server and tag name are entered in the Tag box, this field is updated with the
entered server name. This field has no effect for non-PI data.
5. In the Tag box, type the name of the tag you want to display in the value box.
-orClick the Tag Search button to locate a tag, or
Click the Tag Search arrow to see more search options:
Tag Search
PI Calculation (data set)
ODBC (data set)
AF2- launches the Select AF Attribute window, from which you can search an AF
database for elements and attributes.
Element Relative - launches the Element Search window from which you can search an
AF database for elements.
Note:
The Sample area shows how the value will look.
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6. In the Format drop-down list, select a number format:
DatabaseDatabase format uses the displaydigits PI Point attribute to determine
how many decimal places to show. If the length of the number exceeds the
displaydigits value, scientific notation is used. PI ProcessBook trims trailing zeroes
that follow a decimal point. The Database format option is intended for use with PI Tags
only.
GeneralShows all significant digits for a number except trailing zeros. If the absolute
value of the value is greater than 1e+7 or less than 1e-5, the format will switch to use
scientific notation.
ScientificMost useful with very large numbers. The scientific format used for trends
displays in the format: 0.00E+00.
Custom (#,##0.00, 0%)Allows you to enter your own number format. See the Table of
Format Values for examples.
7. In the Tag drop-down list, select the location of the tag name in the value box (None, Left,
Right, Top, or Bottom).
8. In the Time stamp drop-down list, select the location of the time stamp in the value box
(None, Left, Right, Top, or Bottom).
9. Click OK to add the value to the display.
Note:
PI ProcessBook allows you to create custom placeholders for a symbol based on a
summary data set or a PI tag placeholder in an ODBC data set. Placeholders are not
allowed for expression data sets. The Custom Placeholders button in symbol
definition windows allows you to specify different PI tags for a PI Summary data set or
ODBC data set with a PI tag placeholder. The change applies only to the configured
symbol.See Add or edit placeholders for details.

Button

You can add a button to your drawing that:

For example:

Opens an independent display (.pdi)

Create a drawing that shows the first part of a general

process and add a button that opens a more detailed
process in a separate display.

Opens a ProcessBook (.piw)

Create a link to a related display in a different

ProcessBook.

Executes an operating system command

Create a drawing and add a button that opens a PI

DataLink spreadsheet to show a report.
Create a drawing and add a button that opens an
independent PI ProcessBook display (.pdi file) on a web
site.
Note:
You need to enter the URL (Uniform Resource
Locator) address that points to the location of the
specific .pdi file on a web server.

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You can add a button to your drawing that:

For example:

Executes a VBA script

Create a VBA script called AddTrend that inserts a trend

on a display. Add a button to the display and configure it
to use the AddTrend script (macro) as its Action.

Add a button
Procedure
1. In Build mode, open a display.
On the Drawing toolbar, click the Button button

, or

Click Draw > Button.

The mouse pointer changes to the Button pointer.
2. Click in the display where you want to add the button and drag the pointer to form a
rectangle into which the button will be placed.
When you release the mouse button, the Define Button window appears.
3. In the Text box, type the name of the button.
Note:
The name should be no more than one or two words, and should describe the action
the button performs when clicked.
4. Click the Browse button, or
Click the Browse arrow to see more options.
The Open window appears.
5. Browse and locate the item that you want to be the button action and then click the Open
button.
Note:
If you know the file or macro name, then you can type this directly in the Action box.
The name of the selected item is displayed in the Action box.
6. Click the Browse button to the right of the Working folder box.
Note:
The Working folder box allows you to specify the working folder for operating system
commands. It is ignored if the Action refers to a document type supported by
ProcessBook. If you know the name of the working folder for this application, then
you can type this directly in the Working folder box.
The Browse for Folder window appears.
7. Browse and locate the folder that you want to specify for the operating system command,
and then click OK.
8. Leave the appropriate Options check box selected if you want to:
Open a linked display in a new window. This option is selected by default.
Use the relative path before the absolute path.
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Note:
By default, ProcessBook attempts to open a linked display from its relative path
first. If the relative path fails, then the absolute path is attempted. Clearing this box
reverses the order in which the paths are resolved. For new displays, this option is
checked by default.
Ignore the default shell command for recognized file types (for example, SVG).
Note:
If the file type is supported by ProcessBook (either natively or through an add-in),
then it is opened directly. For example, an .svg file is opened using the .svg File
Converter in ProcessBook, even if you have Adobe SVG Viewer installed. Clearing
this check box disables this behavior, so the default shell command is always used
to open a file.
9. Click OK.
The button is added to your display.

Bars
A Bar shows the current value of a tag as compared to a specified range of values.
For example, a bar may be used to create the effect of a vessel filling and emptying, as the value
changes.
The range of values can be the maximum and minimum values specified in the point attributes,
or, a bar can be designed to show a specific range of values.
For example, if a tags specified value is between 0 and 100 but it typically falls between 0 and
30, a bar can designed to show that range. However, if the value is outside the range of the bar,
the bar will appear the same as a value right at one of the limits of the bar.
The start of the bar may be within the limits of the bar. This lets you display deviations from a
standard or target value. Bad values are shown with hash marks across the entire bar.

Topics in this section

Add a dynamic bar
Bar scales

Add a dynamic bar

Creating a bar for a value allows you to see how the current value compares to the possible
range of values. Since bars are dynamic, they are updated as the information changes from the
PI Server.
Bars may also be used to display the result of a data set query. String and timestamp data is not
supported on Bar symbols.
You can draw a bar using the current line style, line color, and fill attributes.

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Procedure
1. In Build mode, open a display.
2. On the Drawing toolbar, click the Bar button

, or

Click Draw > Bar.

The mouse pointer changes to the Bar pointer.
3. Click in the display where you want to add the bar and drag the pointer to form a rectangle
into which the bar will be placed.
When you release the mouse button, the Define Bar window appears.

4. In the Server drop-down list, select the server to use for manually entered tags.
If the server and tag name are both entered in the Tag box, this field is updated to show the
new server name. This field is ignored for non-PI data.
5. In the Tag box, type the name of the tag you want to display on the bar, or
Click the Tag Search button to locate a tag, or
Click the Tag Search arrow to see more search options:

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Tag Search
PI Calculation (data set)
ODBC (data set)
AF2- launches the Select AF Attribute window, from which you can search an AF
database for elements and attributes.
Element Relative - launches the Element Search window from which you can search an
AF database for elements.
6. From the Upper and Lower drop-down lists, select the maximum and minimum values you
want to use for the bar.
Enter a constant, or choose Tag Zero() or TagZero()+TagSpan() for either or both values.
Note:
If you choose a maximum value that is too small, the bar will be fully colored but there
will be no warning that it has exceeded the maximum.
7. From the Start drop-down list, select the point on the bar from which you want to start
drawing the bar. Enter a constant, or select TagZero()+TagSpan() or Tag Zero().
8. Under Orientation, select one of the options to display the bar either vertically or
horizontally.
The Upper and Lower drop-down lists are renamed Right and Left when you select
Horizontal orientation.
Note:
The Sample area shows how the bar will look.
9. Under Scales, select Show Scales to show data values and scale tick marks on the bar
symbol.
When you select Scales, the Scales Inside and Number Formats are enabled. See Bar scales
for information on working with scales.
10. Click OK to add the bar to the display.
Note:
PI ProcessBook allows you to create custom placeholders for a symbol based on a
summary data set or a PI tag placeholder in an ODBC data set. Placeholders are not
allowed for expression data sets. The Custom Placeholders button in symbol
definition windows allows you to specify different PI tags for a PI Summary data set or
ODBC data set with a PI tag placeholder. The change applies only to the configured
symbol. See Add or edit placeholders for details.

Bar scales
The options under Scales control how the bar symbol shows scales.

Topics in this section

Defaults
Compatibility
Tick marks

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Format appearance

Defaults
The default is to show scales inside the bar symbol in General number format for symbol bars
created with PI ProcessBook 2012 or later. For earlier versions of PI ProcessBook, Show
Scales is not selected, and scales do not appear on the symbol bar.
The scale values for the bar symbol are the Upper and Lower or Right and Left values in the
Define Bar window for both tags and datasets, including AF.
The default font is the font of the display.
Digital tags show the value of the digital state rather than the numeric value of the state.

Compatibility
Bars created in PI ProcessBook 2012 are backward compatible with previous versions of PI
ProcessBook.
When a PI ProcessBook 2012 file is opened in a previous version, bar symbols appear as they
did in the previous version. If the display is saved and reopened in a newer version, the scale
settings are retained.
A display created in version 3.2 or earlier of PI ProcessBook defaults to ShowScales not
selected.

Tick marks
For vertical bars, the tick marks and values are shown on the left hand side of the symbol. For
horizontal bars, the tick marks and values are shown on the bottom of the symbol. You can
draw the scales inside or outside the bar symbol.

Vertical Bar with scales (outside and inside)

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Horizontal Bar with scales (outside and inside)

The lengths of major and minor tick marks is a percentage of the height or width of the bar,
depending on the bar orientation, as described in the following table.
Horizontal

Vertical

Minor Tick

4% of Height

4% of Width

Major Tick

8% of Height

8% of Width

For vertical bars, the tick marks and values are automatically turned off if the height of the bar
becomes less than two times the height of the text used to write the scale values, or if the width
is less than the width of the longest text used to write the scale value plus a small offset.
For horizontal bars, the tick marks and values are automatically turned off if the width of the
bar becomes less than two times the width of the longest text used to write the scale value, or
if the height is less than the height of the text used to write the scale values plus a small offset.
For both bar orientations, given the range of scale values, the scale increment values are
rounded numbers, as close to integers as possible.
The maximum number of major tick marks is nine; eleven counting the maximum and
minimum values. The number of tick marks shown is a function of the size of the font and the
size of the bar symbol. The number of major tick marks decreases as the size of the bar is
decreases.
The minor tick marks are shown at the half way point between major tick marks.
There are major tick marks for each digital state, if the string value for the digital states fits in
the width of the bar. There are no minor tick marks for digital tags.

Format appearance
To change the appearance of the bar symbol, right-click the bar.
Click Format Font to change the font for the bar symbol.
Click Format Color to change the color of the bar symbol.
The color for the tick marks and values is the same as the bars line color.
Click Format Line Style to change the style of line for the bar symbol.

Multi-state symbols

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Some symbols support a multi-state configuration, which allows their colors to be altered
based on a dynamic data value. Colors are assigned to ranges of values to create conditional
formatting states. Any symbol except a trend, XY Plot, graphic, button, or OLE object can have a
Multi-State configuration. String and timestamp data cannot be used to configure multi-state
behavior.
You determine the number of value ranges, the maximum for each range, and the colors
assigned to each range. As the value of the tag changes, the Multi-State symbol changes color to
reflect the current value state. You can make a symbol seem to disappear by setting a state
color to the background color or to a color of none. For alarms or other purposes, you can set a
state color to blink.
For example, you may have a symbol showing two states. State 1 has a value range from 0 to
50 and a color of blue assigned to it. State 2 may have a range from 50 to 100 and have red
assigned to it. When the reading is 50 or below, the symbol appears blue. Above 50, the symbol
appears red. A color and sometimes a blinking attribute are assigned for data in bad status (for
example, the interface becomes disconnected). For digital point types, a different color may be
assigned to each digital state.
The following symbols support multi-state formatting:
Value
Bar
Rectangle
Ellipse
Line (or Connector)
Text
Polygon
Polyline
Arc
Symbol Library

Create dynamic multi-state symbols

You can create a multi-state symbol after you have drawn a symbol or copied one from the
Symbol Library window.

Procedure
1. In Build mode, open a display.
2. Click the symbol that you want to use for creating a Multi-State symbol.
On the Formatting toolbar, click the Multi-State Symbol button

, or

Click Edit > Multi-State.

The Multi-State Symbol window appears.

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3. In the Server drop-down list, select the server to use for entered tags.
If a server and tag are both entered in the Tag box, this field is updated with the new server
name. This box does not apply to non-PI data.
4. In the Tag box, type the name of the tag you want to assign, or
Click the Tag Search button to locate a tag, or
Click the Tag Search arrow to see more search options:
PI Tag Search window
PI Calculation data sets (data set)
ODBC data sets (data set)
Configure a symbol with an AF attribute
Opens the Select AF Attribute window, from which you can search an AF database for
elements and attributes.
Element search symbol
Opens the Element Search window from which you can search an AF database for
elements.
5. In the Number of States box, select the number of states to use.
If the number of states is not entered, the number defaults to 2. (For digital tags, the
number of states is automatically set to the number of defined states for that tag.)
6. From the Color for Bad Data drop-down color palette, select a color that will be used when
the information is in bad status.
You may also select the Blink check box to call attention to the symbol when data is bad
(optional).

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7. In the State box, select 1.
8. In the Values box, type in a new maximum value for the state.
Note:
The Values boxes display a range of values for each state. The total range of the tag is
automatically divided by the number of states. For digital tags, the state name is
displayed in these boxes. For other tag types, an estimate is made based on the span of
values for the tag.
9. From the Color drop-down color palette, select a color that will be used for the state. You
may also select the Blink check box (optional).
10. Repeat Steps 8 and 9 for each state in the symbol. Your choices and the relative range of
values are displayed on the bar at the bottom of the window.
11. Click OK.
Note:
You can remove a multi-state symbol definition by clicking the Convert to Static
button, which breaks the link between the symbol and the multi-state configuration.
Note:
PI ProcessBook allows you to create custom placeholders for a symbol based on a
summary data set or a PI tag placeholder in an ODBC data set. Placeholders are not
allowed for expression data sets. The Custom Placeholders button in symbol
definition windows allows you to specify different PI tags for a PI Summary data set or
ODBC data set with a PI tag placeholder. The change applies only to the configured
symbol. See Add or edit placeholders for details.

Static symbols
Topics in this section
Text symbol
Line symbol
Rectangle, square, arc, ellipse, and circle symbols
Polygon symbol
Polyline symbol
Graphic symbol
Symbol Library

Text symbol
The text symbol allows you to put one line of text on a display. Multiple lines of text are not
supported. When this symbol is first added to the display, a text box with a blinking text cursor
is displayed.

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You can add or edit text by double-clicking the Text symbol while in Build mode, which
provides the text cursor. Unlike most other ProcessBook symbols, this symbol is not sized by
dragging an area on the display. Instead, the symbol is sized to accommodate the text within.
When text is added, the symbol grows in size and when text is removed the symbol size
shrinks. The size of the font used also affects the size of the symbol.
You can format the text symbol for font and color. Text symbols have all the functionality of
other static symbols except rotating and flipping.

Topics in this section

Add text to a display
Edit a text box
Move a text block

Add text to a display

Use the Text tool to add text to a display.

Procedure
1. In Build mode, open a display.
2. On the Drawing toolbar, click the Text button

, or

Click Draw > Text.

The mouse pointer changes to a text pointer.
3. Click in the display where you want to add the text.
4. Type the text in the text block.
(You can only type the text on one line. The text will not wrap.)
Note:
Text block refers to the text area associated with a shape that appears when you click
the shape with the text tool or select it with the pointer tool.
5. When you finish typing, press ESC or click outside the text block.

Edit a text box

Procedure
1. In Build mode, open a display and double-click the text block you want to edit.
2. Click where you want to add or edit text.
3. Type to add text or edit the text.
4. When you finish typing, press ESC or click outside the text block.

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Move a text block

Procedure
1. In Build mode, open a display.
2. Click the text block you want to move, drag it to the new location, and then release the
mouse button.

Line symbol
Lines within a drawing can be diagonal, horizontal, or vertical. Attributes you can change
include line color and whether a line is dotted or dashed, thick or thin, and with or without
arrowheads.

Draw a line
Procedure
1. In Build mode, open a display.
2. On the Drawing toolbar, click the Line button

, or

Click Draw > Line.

The mouse pointer changes to the line pointer.
3. Point to where you want to start the line.
4. Drag to draw the line.
Press the SHIFT key while drawing to constrain the line to a horizontal or vertical line.

Rectangle, square, arc, ellipse, and circle symbols

Using the drawing tools, you can create these simple shapes:
Rectangle, Square
Arc
Ellipse, Circle

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Draw a rectangle, square, arc, ellipse, or circle

Procedure
1. In Build mode, open a display.
2. On the Drawing toolbar, click the Rectangle

, Arc

, or Ellipse button

, or

Click the appropriate tool.

The mouse pointer changes to a tool pointer. The appearance of the pointer indicates the
type of tool you have chosen.
3. Click the display to place the upper left corner of the shape, and drag down and to the right
to create a shape of the desired size.
Press SHIFT while drawing to constrain the object to a square, circle, or circular arc.
4. Release the mouse button to complete a rectangle, square, ellipse, or circle.
-or5. If you used the arc tool, one quarter of the shape is drawn. Click on it and resize it to the
desired shape. Click and drag the end of the arc to change the angle.
Press SHIFT to change the angle in 15-degree increments. When the arc is first drawn, the
handle for reshaping the angle is just inside the resize handle.

Polygon symbol
The Polygon tool draws irregular shapes. When you select the polygon tool the mouse pointer
changes to a polygon pointer. Polygons are drawn using the current color and line style
attributes.

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Draw a polygon
Procedure
1. In Build mode, open a display.
2. On the Drawing toolbar, click the Polygon button

, or Choose Draw > Polygon.

The mouse pointer changes to the Polygon pointer.

3. Click inside the display where you want to start drawing the first point of the polygon
(point "a" in the example below).
4. Drag to create the first side (point "a" to point "b" in the example below).
5. Release the mouse button to position the second point of the polygon (point "b" in the
example below).
6. Click at each of the remaining points of the polygon (points "c" through "g" in example
below).
Lines are drawn between the clicks.
7. To close and fill the polygon, double-click to place the last point in the polygon (point "g" in
the example below).
This action draws a line from the last point to the first point (point "g" to point "a" in the
example below).

Polyline symbol
A Polyline is a set of line segments that you can draw using the Polyline tool. It uses the current
line style attributes.
Once you add a Polyline symbol, you can edit it in the same manner as the existing Polygon
symbol. You can move or resize the entire symbol, as well as move the individual endpoints to
create any desired arrangement.

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Draw a polyline
Procedure
1. In Build mode, open a display.
2. On the Drawing toolbar, click the Polyline button

The mouse pointer changes to the Polyline pointer.

3. Click inside the display where you want the starting point of the first line segment.
4. Drag to the location of the second point to make the first line.
Each time you click the mouse button again, a new line is drawn from the location of the
previously plotted point to the current location of the mouse pointer.
5. To finish the Polyline drawing, double-click.
Press ESC to cancel the line altogether.
Note:
Press the Shift key while you draw to create Right Angle Polylines.
Similarly, pressing Shift while editing manipulates a point orthogonally in relation to
the next endpoint.

Graphic symbol
In PI ProcessBook you can:
Include a graphic file from another application, such as Microsoft Visio or CorelDRAW.
Use a drawing or picture as the background for your display, then add symbols to it. This
can reduce the amount of time you take to create a drawing.
Rotate or flip a picture.
Add an illustration to a display, and store it within the display or link it to the original
graphic file. (Linking means that if the original graphic is edited or moved, it affects the
appearance of the display as well.)
Load an image in one file format and later save it in a different format.
Note:
A drawing is display-resolution dependent, which means that it might look different from
one monitor to another. Test the drawing on each monitor to see how it will look.
PI ProcessBook supports the following image formats. Note that PI ProcessBook draws using
raster graphics, so vector graphic formats might not appear exactly as expected.
BMP

Windows Bitmap file; standard, non-compressed bitmapped graphic

CUR

A file that contains an image that defines the shape of a

cursor on the screen.

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EMF

Enhanced Metafile Format; 32-bit Microsoft Windows

Metafile vector format that also supports raster images.

ICO

A file that contains a graphic to be used as an icon.

JPEG

Joint Photographic Experts Group - Refers both to the

standard for storing compressed images and a graphic
stored in that format. Note that this format is prone to
lose resolution when it is repeatedly saved.

PNG

Portable Network Graphics - graphic image format that

utilizes lossless compression.

TIFF, TIF

Tag Image File Format graphic image.

WMF

The Windows Metafile Format - the original 16-bit native

vector file format for the Microsoft Windows operating
environment.

Add a graphic
Procedure
1. In Build mode, open a display.
2. On the Drawing toolbar, click the Graphic button

, or Click Draw > Graphic.

The mouse pointer changes to a graphic pointer.

3. Click in the display where you want to add the image and drag the pointer to form a
rectangle into which the graphic will be placed.
When you release the mouse button, the Define Graphic window appears.

4. Click the Browse button to locate the graphic drawing.

-or-

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In the File Name box, type the path and file name of the graphic you want to insert.
5. Under Image Location, select:
Embed if you want to update the graphic within the display file.
Link if you want to store the graphic separately from the display file.
6. Under Format, select the appropriate option.
Note:
Stretching the image to fit the bounding rectangle may distort the appearance of the
graphic.
7. Click OK.
A copy of the graphic is added to the display.

Symbol Library
A large selection of images is available in the Symbol Library. Many of these images have
characteristics such as color, fill type, orientation, or background, which you can modify.
On the installation CD, OSIsoft provides several other commonly used images in the
ProcessBook file SYMLIBRY.PIW. You can cut and paste these images into a display. You can
also add frequently used drawing components (for example, company logos) to this PIW file
for later reuse. This file is usually installed here:
C:\Program Files\ProcessBook\ProgramFiles\pipc\Procbook\SYMLIBRY.PIW

Topics in this section

Add an image from the Symbol Library
Symbol Properties

Add an image from the Symbol Library

Procedure
1. In Build mode, open a display.
2. On the Drawing toolbar, click the Symbol Library button

-orOn the Draw menu, click Symbol Library.

The mouse pointer changes to the Symbol Library pointer.
3. Click in the display where you want to add the image and drag the pointer to form a
rectangle into which to place it.
When you release the mouse button, the Symbol Library window appears.
4. Under Categories, click the type of image you want to use, such as Boilers, Controllers,
Valves, etc.

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5. Click Options to modify the image. See Configure Symbol Library options.
6. Click OK to add the image to your display.

Configure Symbol Library options

Procedure
1. In the Symbol Library window, a selection of images is displayed in the right-hand side of
the window, click the appropriate symbol, and then click the Options button.
-orRight-click the image and click Symbol Options.
The Symbol Options window appears.

2. Configure the following options:

Fill Mode
Controls the way the image is drawn. Options include Original, Shaded, Solid or Hollow.
Fill Color
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Click the color box to change the fill color.
Flip
Select Horizontal, Vertical, or Both to change the orientation of the image. The default
setting is None. This setting returns the image to its original position.
Rotation
Select 90, 180, or 270 to turn the image by 90 degree increments. The default setting is 0.
This setting returns the image to its original position.
Transparent
Check this box if you want a transparent background.
Background Color
If the Transparent check box is not selected, you can click the color box to change the
background color.
Note:
Change the image fill and background color directly on a display by using the Fill Color
and Background Color
buttons on the Symbol Formatting toolbar.
3. Click the Defaults button if you want to revert to the default settings.
4. Click OK to accept the changes and return to the Symbol Library window.

Symbol Properties
If you right-click an image in the Symbol Library, the focus box at the upper left reflects that
image. A small window appears; you can choose either Symbol Options or Properties.
If you choose Properties, you see a Symbol Properties window, which displays the Symbol
description, Data size, Type, and Handle information. This information could be used in VBA
automation of PI ProcessBook.

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Topics in this section
Details and annotations
Data Favorites add-in
Select and move a symbol
Select multiple symbols
Rotate a symbol
Flip a symbol
Delete a symbol
Stacking order
Align multiple symbols
Connectors
Item Definition button
Status report for dynamic symbols
Status flags for data
Create composite symbols
Analyze symbols in PI Coresight
AF-based symbols

Details and annotations

The Details docking window is available to show data from dynamic symbols. The window is
only available in Run mode and initially appears along the right side of your ProcessBook
window; however, you can click and drag it anywhere inside the PI ProcessBook application.
The PI Annotations editor is located at the bottom of the Details window.

Topics in this section

Details window
PI annotations maintenance

Details window
To view data in the Details window, click a symbol in your display. Moving a plot cursor
changes the rows highlighted to show the range of data around the cursor time.
By default, the window remains open when a different display symbol is selected. The Details
window is hidden when you switch to Build mode. You cannot open the Details window while
in Build mode.

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The Details window contains the following components:

Data Item
This field allows you to choose a data item, including datasets and PI tags in the selected
symbol (by default, the first trace or main data source for the selected symbol is shown).
The Show All entry shows data for all the data sources in the selected symbol.
Note:
The Show All option only displays the first 3,500 values. This value can be increased
by adding the registry key HKCU\Software\PISystem\PI - ProcessBook
\DetailsAddin\MaxPoints (type DWORD) and setting it to the maximum number
of points desired.
Option
This field allows you to toggle among three different types of information about your data
source.
Data
Shows recorded values for a selected symbol's time range. By default the table is sorted on
the timestamp column in descending order.
Questionable (Q)
The event value is unreliable or the circumstances under which it was recorded are
suspect.
Annotated (A)
An annotation has been made to the event to include further information or
commentary. You can add annotations to PI tags using PI ProcessBook, if you have
permission to write to that tag on the PI Server.
Substituted (S): The event value has been changed from the original archived value.
Statistics
Shows a table of available summary values available, for example, Average, Minimum, and
Maximum. Selecting this option disables the PI Annotation Maintenance controls. Available
statistics vary for each symbol type.
Point Attributes
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Shows an alphabetized list of PI point attribute values. This option is only available for PI
tags. Selecting this option disables the PI Annotation Maintenance controls. See PI point
attributes for details.
Each view option provides the following controls:
<Symbol Name>
The name of the symbol selected on the display is shown above the data table.
Refresh
Refreshes data in all tables. Data shown does not automatically change after a symbol is
first selected. You must use refresh to view any updates in the Details window.
Enlarge/Shrink Font
Makes the text size bigger or smaller. This may reduce the number of visible rows.
Copy to Clipboard
Allows you to copy the data table to your clipboard. You can then paste this data into
another location such as a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet.
Note:
Use the pin icon
to lock the docking window to your screen. Click the pin icon again to
unpin the window and minimize it along the border of your PI ProcessBook window.
When a docking window is unpinned, a button appears along the side of the screen.
Hover over it to re-expand the window.

Open Details window

Click View > Details to display the Details window. Alternatively, you can select the Show
Details and Annotations command from the Context Display Menu.
The Details window is only available in Run mode.

PI annotations maintenance
Annotations allow you to associate related information (such as text comments and other
binary data) with any archive value. The PI Annotation Maintenance group at the bottom of
the Details window allows you to easily annotate values on your dynamic symbols.

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Annotations can be added, edited or viewed, provided that:

The selected data item points to a PI Tag
The target PI Server can read and write annotations
You have permission to write annotations on the target PI Server
A row representing an event is selected in the Data table
If the target PI Server (or collective) is unavailable or cannot accept edits from the current
user, the control is disabled. If the PI Server becomes unavailable while you are entering an
annotation and you then click the Save button, you will receive an error.
Note:
If you select Show All from the Data Source drop-down box on the Details window, the
Value and Value Type fields in the PI Annotation Maintenance group are disabled.

Add annotations
Procedure
1. Open the Details window.
2. In Run mode, select a dynamic symbol on your display.
3. Select the event of interest in the Data table.
4. Click inside the Value text box and enter the information you wish displayed in your
annotation.
5. Select a value from the Value Type drop-down box.
6. Click the Save button

at the top of the PI Annotations Maintenance group.

appears on the dynamic symbol if it is showing the annotated event.

An annotation icon
Hover over this icon to read your annotation. A record of the annotation also appears on the
Details window when the Data option is selected.
Note:
You need to be running a PI Server 3.4 or higher for annotations to work correctly.
Otherwise, it is possible that an annotated event will not only be marked as annotated,
but will also be marked as substituted.

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Data Favorites add-in

The Data Favorites add-in provides a way to configure symbols by dragging a PI tag name (or
other data item) from a list onto the symbol.
The add-in can be unloaded or set not to load at startup by changing the options in the Add-in
Manager window. When the Data Favorites add-in is first loaded, its window appears in the
upper left corner of the PI ProcessBook application window. The window is only accessible in
Build mode. If the window is closed, in Build mode, click View > Data Favorites. See Load addins for details.
There are two panels within the Data Favorites window:
Search
Favorites
Each panel can be collapsed if it is not needed.

Topics in this section

Select a default symbol for data favorites
Search for data favorites
Favorites panel

Select a default symbol for data favorites

The Default Symbol button

controls which symbol is created when data items are

dropped on an empty area of the display.

Procedure
To set the default symbol, click the Default Symbol button and select an option from the
drop-down list.
Available symbols:
Bars
Trends
Values
XYPlots
Note:
If the selected symbol type does not support the data type of the dropped data item, a
value symbol is drawn instead.

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Search for data favorites

Use the Search panel to search for PI tags and other data items.

Procedure
1. To search for data items, use the Search Mask text box or click the Tag Search button
to launch the Tag Search window.
Tags selected using the Tag Search window automatically populate the Data Favorites
Search list.
The Search Mask field searches for tags matching the entered string on your default PI
Server.
2. To save a data item to your Favorites, either drag and drop it into your Favorites list, or
right click the data item in the Search list and click Add to Favorites.
Note:
Use the pin icon
to lock the docking window to your screen. Click the pin icon
again to unpin the window and minimize it along the border of your PI ProcessBook
window. When a docking window is unpinned, a button appears along the side of the
screen. Hover over it to re-expand the window.

Favorites panel

The Favorites panel provides controls for manipulating the list of data favorites .
Note:
The Favorites list is saved per user, so when a different user opens PI ProcessBook on the
same machine, their list may be different.

Topics in this section

Use favorites
Import or export data favorites
Drag data between PI ProcessBook and other applications
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Use favorites
Procedure
1. In Build mode, click View > Data Favorites to launch the Data Favorites docking window.
2. Select a default symbol for Data Favorites. Any favorites dragged onto a display take the
form of this symbol.
3. In the Favorites panel, drag and drop any listed favorite to an existing trend or XYPlot
symbol, or to a blank area of a display. The data item is permanently added once the display
is saved.
Note:
If the dropped selection contains multiple data items (for example, multiple tags) and
the Bar or Value symbol is selected, a symbol is created for each one, slightly offset
from each other, in cascading layout.

Import or export data favorites

Procedure
Import data favorites:
a. Right-click in the Datasource list in the Favorites panel, and click Import Favorites.
b. Select a text file to import.
Export data favorites:
a. Right-click in the Datasource list in the Favorites panel, and click Export Favorites.
The Save as window appears.
b. Name the export file to save.

Drag data between PI ProcessBook and other applications

The Data Favorites add-in supports dragging a list of tag names in the following formats:
One row of tags separated by either a semi-colon or tab delimiter
Multiple rows (row delimited by a new line) of at least two columns which are delimited by
either a tab or a semi-colon. Only one delimiter is used, and while there can be more than
two columns in the dragged rows, only the first two columns are used. The first column
must be the tag name, the second column may be an optional tag descriptor.
Drags can come from any application that supports the text clipboard format, for example,
Microsoft Word or Excel.

Select and move a symbol

Before you can apply commands to display objects you must select them. You can select single
or multiple items on a display.

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Procedure
1. In Build mode, open a display.
2. Click a symbol in your display.
Small squares appear around the bounding rectangle of the symbol.
3. If you want to move the symbol, drag the symbol to the desired location within your
display.
Press the Tab key to toggle among different symbols in your display once a symbol is
selected. When you press the Tab key you deselect the current object and select the next
object in the tabbing order. The tabbing order follows the stacking order on the display (by
default, the order in which objects were added to the display).
To cancel a selection on any one object press SHIFT while clicking the object to deselect. To
cancel selection of all objects on a display, click on the display background (in a spot where
there are no symbols).
Note:
ActiveX controls on the display do not react to tab order like other ProcessBook
symbols because they are treated as separate windows within the display.

Select multiple symbols

You can perform many of the editing and organizing functions on more than one symbol at a
time. For example, once selected, you can move multiple symbols to a new location, edit the
color of lines and fill for multiple symbols, or even flip and rotate multiple symbols.

Procedure
1. In Build mode, open a display.
2. Do one of the following:
To select all of the symbols in a drawing area, click Edit > Select All.
To select individual symbols, press SHIFT while clicking each symbol. Selection handles
display around each selected item.
To select several symbols at the same time, click near a symbol, and then drag to create a
rectangle that includes all the symbols you want to select.
To select symbols that are stacked on top of each other, click the top symbol. Selection
handles appear. Continue clicking the top symbol to select symbols located under the top
symbol.
3. Click the symbols you want to change or move.
The selected symbols display handles.

Rotate a symbol
You can rotate a drawing symbol in 15 or 1 increments. You cannot rotate text, graphics, or
OLE objects. Symbol Library images can only be rotated in 90 increments.

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Procedure
1. Select the symbol you want to rotate.
2. Click Arrange > Rotate.
A rotation object appears in the center of the symbol.
3. Click a selection handle and drag in the direction that you want to rotate the symbol.
The symbol is rotated in 1 increments.
-orPress SHIFT while dragging to rotate in 15 increments.

Flip a symbol
You can create a mirror image of a symbol by flipping it. You cannot flip text, graphics, or OLE
objects.

Procedure
1. Select the symbol you want to flip.
2. Click Arrange > Flip > Horizontal to flip the symbol from right to left or Vertical to flip the
symbol from top to bottom.

Delete a symbol
Procedure
1. Select a symbol or multiple symbols that you want to delete.
2. Press DELETE,
-orClick Edit > Clear.

Stacking order
Each symbol you add to a drawing occupies its own space in the drawing. The layers, and
therefore the symbols, are stacked on top of each other. By default, the first symbol you draw is
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at the bottom of the stacking order and the last symbol you draw is at the top of the stacking
order.
Using the stacking commands, you can move a symbol forward or backward within the stack.
Depending on the number of objects between top and bottom, you may need to repeat a
stacking command several times to move the symbol to the desired location within the stack.

Move a symbol forward or backward in the stack

Procedure
1. Select the symbol you want to order.
2. On the Arrange menu, choose the direction you want to move the symbol:
Click Forward to move it up one level (on top of something else).
Click Backward to move it down one level (below something else).
Click Bring to Front to move it to the top of the stack (on top of everything).
Click Send to Back to move it to the bottom of the stack (below everything).

Align multiple symbols

You can align drawing symbols with each other. Use this feature to align symbols along their
tops, bottoms, sides, or centers (either vertically or horizontally). The first symbol you select is
the symbol to which others are aligned.
When two or more value symbols are aligned, the text justification for each matches the
alignment rule: left, center, or right.

Procedure
1. Select the symbols you want to align.
2. Click Arrange > Align.
The Align submenu appears.

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3. Click the alignment options you want.

All the selected symbols are aligned to the symbol you first selected, along the axis you
specify.

Connectors
Topics in this section
Connect symbols
Connection points
Attach a symbol to a connector
Connectors window
Detect connections and attachments
Reroute a connector path

Connect symbols
Connect two symbols to each other using the connector symbol. A connector remains attached
to other symbols regardless of how you move them. A connector is intended for modeling and
automation purposes.
Connection points on each symbol define where a connection occurs. You can add, delete, or
move connection points on a symbol.
Connectors try to avoid objects as they are being connected between two symbols. As
connectors are drawn, they are orthogonal to the display, meaning that they go horizontally or
vertically. There are no diagonal connectors.

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Each end of a connector attaches to a connection point on another symbol. If you have not
already created a connection point on a symbol, a connection point is built automatically as
you draw the connector across a bounding line of the symbol.

Procedure
1. Click the Connector button

-orClick Draw > Connector.

2. Click the first symbol, called the source, and drag the mouse into the second symbol, called
the destination.
The connector arrow has a flow direction from the source to the destination. Connection
points appear on both symbols.
We recommend that you not move connectors by dragging and dropping them. Instead, use
the Connectors window to rearrange connectors.
Note:
You can use the Undo and Redo commands with connectors.

Connection points
Connection points on each symbol define where a connector may connect. Connection points
are visible in Build mode only and appear on symbols as small x marks. When you select one
with your cursor, it changes to an x within a bounding circle.
A connection point is created automatically when a connector is dragged into a symbol. This
point is created at the midpoint of the nearest edge of the bounding rectangle of the symbol.
The end of the connector is moved to the connection point. You may add connection points and
move them to specific locations.
A connection point can be used for either the start of the flow or the end of a flow. The same
connection point can be used for both. A flow can be bi-directional.
If a second connector is dragged over a symbol, it either moves to the existing connection point
or creates a new one.
For irregular figures, connection points are placed near the midpoint of the side of the
bounding rectangle of the figure, as shown in the illustration below, rather than inside the
figure itself. You can adjust the position of the connection point to touch the actual figure.

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Connector with Connection Point on the Bounding Rectangle

Note:
If a symbol is placed in front of another, the connection points on the hidden symbol
cannot be selected. You can solve this problem by placing the two symbols on different
layers of the display.

Topics in this section

Add connection points
Disconnect a connection point
Delete connection points
Move connection points
Determine the identifying number of a connection point

Add connection points

Procedure
1. In Build mode, select the symbol.
2. Click Edit > Connection Points > Add.
A point appears at the upper left of the symbol.
3. Optional: Drag the new connection point to a different location.
Note:
After you select one connection point, you can press C on the keyboard to cycle
through any additional connection points on that symbol.

Disconnect a connection point

Procedure
1. In Build mode, click the connector connected to the connection point you want to
disconnect.
2. Move your pointer over the connection point you want to disconnect.
The point turns into a +.
3. Click and drag the + sign to disconnect the connection point.

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Delete connection points

Procedure
1. Select the connection point.
2. Click Edit > Connection Points > Delete.

Move connection points

Connection points can be moved to a new position within a symbol. To do this, click a
connection point in Build mode and drag it.
For very fine adjustments, you can move connection points on a symbol.

Procedure
1. In Build mode, click on a connection point.
2. Click Edit > Connection Points > Move.
The Connection Point Placement window appears, where you can edit the width and height
ratios in comparison to the X and Y axes of the symbol.

Determine the identifying number of a connection point

In Build mode, if you place your mouse over a connection point, a ToolTip shows the
connection point number. The following illustration refers to connection point 2 on Rectangle
1. Connection point numbers are used on the Connectors window.

Connection Point Numbering

In other words, connection points have identifying names that are derived from the symbol
name. For example, for a rectangle named Rectangle2, two connection points would be named
<Rectangle2 : 1> and <Rectangle2 : 2>.

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If you are using a symbol from the Symbol Library, the connection point is named
<TBSymbolx : n>, where TBSymbolx represents the specific name of the symbol.

Attach a symbol to a connector

You can attach a symbol, such as a text box or a meter, to a connector. Attaching is different
from connecting. An attached symbol moves with a connector but does not account for flow
direction.

Procedure
1. Click Edit > Display to open the Display Properties window.
2. Be sure the Enable Connector Attachments option is selected. Click OK.
3. Create the subordinate symbol and drag and drop it across the connector.
The subordinate attachment is attached to the connector. The placement is snapped either
left/right or top/bottom depending upon the orthogonal direction of the connector at the
position where the attachment has been placed.
Note:
To remove an attached symbol from a connector, click the symbol and drag it away
from the connector.

Attach a symbol as an adjunct to another symbol

You might want to attach two or more symbols so that they move together but do not become
a composite symbol. For example, you might attach a text label symbol to a pump symbol. The
text symbol is subordinate to the pump symbol and follows the pump symbol if the latter is
moved.
The advantage of this method of attachment is that each symbol in the group retains its
identity and can be acted on individually for automation purposes.

Procedure
1. Select at least two symbols.
This enables the Symbol Attachments icon

2. Click the Symbol Attachments icon, or

Click Edit > Symbol Attachments, or
On the right-click menu, click Symbol Attachments.
The Symbol Attachments window appears. The symbols you selected appear as master or
subordinate symbols. The first symbol selected becomes the master, the subsequent ones
are subordinates.

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3. Select the Master Symbol.

As you change the master, the title of the window changes also.
4. Place a check mark for the subordinate symbol or symbols and click OK.
5. Repeat the process for each master symbol.
The Detach All bar at the top can be used to remove all attachments from the currently
selected symbol in the Master box. To detach only one attachment, clear its check box.
6. Click OK.
When you move a master symbol, any subordinates move with it.

Connectors window
Use the Connectors window to rearrange connections. To reach this window:
Click the Connectors toolbar button.
-orClick Edit > Connectors.
-orOn the right-click menu, click Connectors.
The Connectors window affects connector symbols only. It cannot be used to attach one symbol
to another symbol without a connector. The Connectors window has two tabs, Flow and
Attachments. Each connector is identified by a unique name, which is revealed by a tooltip in

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your display. See Configure the flow of a connector and Configure attachments to a connector
for details.

Topics in this section

Configure the flow of a connector
Configure attachments to a connector

Configure the flow of a connector

The Connectors window, Flow tab specifies the source and destination of each connector from
one symbol's connection point to another symbol's connection point. The window is available
whenever a Connector exists on a display.
The Flow tab shows two tree diagrams, Source and Destination, where you can change the
connection points for the connector shown in the Connector drop-down box. There is also a
Flow Direction drop-down box associated with the connector that appears in the Connector
drop-down box.
The Auto Avoid option is selected as a default, so that connectors route around other objects in
the display.

Procedure
1. In Build mode, open the Connectors window.
The Flow tab is in focus.

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Note:
Hover over any symbol or connector on a display for a tooltip to identify the
connector you wish to rearrange.
2. In the Connector drop-down box, select a Connector.
Connection points for the selected connector appear highlighted in the Source and
Destination boxes.
3. Optional: Modify the Flow Direction.
4. Click a new Connection Point on the Source tree to change the source connection point.
5. Click a Connection Point on the Destination tree to change the destination connection
point.
Note:
As you adjust connection points in the Connectors window, the corresponding
connector in your display also provides visual indicators to help you see how your
changes will appear.
6. Click Apply.
This changes the display.
7. Repeat these steps for all connectors on the display that you wish to modify.
8. Click OK.

Configure attachments to a connector

For very complex displays, it may be helpful to attach or arrange connector attachments
through the Attachments tab on the Connectors window.

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Procedure
1. In Build mode, create a connector. See Connect two symbols.
2. Create the auxiliary symbol to be added to the connector.
3. Open the Connectors window, and select the Attachments tab.
4. Choose a connector from the Connector drop-down box.
Unattached symbols on the display are listed in the Unattached Symbols box. Symbols that
are already attached to the connector appear in the Currently Attached box. Existing source
and destination symbols that are connected to connectors are not listed.
5. Highlight a symbol in the Unattached Symbols box that you want to add and click Add.
The symbol now appears in the Currently Attached box.
Note:
The Unattached Symbols box does not include Connectors or symbols attached to
other symbols.
6. Adjust the position and placement of the attached symbol as needed.
To move the symbol closer to one end of the connector, double-click the specified % and
change it.
To move the symbol from the top of the connector to another placement, double-click the
default Top and choose Left, Right, or Bottom.
7. Click Apply and select another connector to adjust.

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8. If you need to remove an attachment, highlight the attachment in the Currently Attached
box and click Remove.
9. When you are finished adjusting, click OK.

Connect two symbols

As connectors are drawn, they are orthogonal to the display, meaning that they go horizontally
or vertically. There are no diagonal connectors.
Each end of a connector attaches to a connection point on another symbol. If you have not
already created a connection point on this symbol, a connection point is built automatically as
you draw the connector across a bounding line of the symbol.
Connectors and connection points have unique numbers to help you manipulate them in the
Connectors window. You can open the Connectors window once you draw a connector; even if
it is not attached to any symbols.
Do not manipulate connectors by dragging and dropping them. Use the Connectors window to
rearrange them.

Procedure
1. Click the Connector button

-orClick Draw > Connector.

2. Click on the first symbol, called the source, and drag the mouse into the second symbol,
called the destination.
The connector arrow has a flow direction from the source to the destination. Connection
points appear on both symbols.
Note:
If your mouse does not touch a symbol, you do not see a connection point. Do not
adjust the connector manually. If you do not see connection points on both symbols,
delete the connector and draw it again.
You can use the Undo and Redo commands with connectors.

Detect connections and attachments

Procedure
To see whether connectors or attached symbols exist for a particular symbol click the
symbol or connector and hold down the mouse button.
If there are existing connectors, all connectors with attached symbols for that symbol are
highlighted and display in a different color (for example, white for black or yellow for
blue).
If there are no connectors, nothing happens.

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Reroute a connector path

When you move a symbol, its connectors shift automatically to stay connected to the moved
symbol and avoid overlapping other symbols in the display. Connectors can overlap each
other.
If a drawing becomes complex, you can request that all connectors be rerouted by clicking the
Reroute button. If you select specific connectors and click Reroute, only those connectors are
rerouted. Connectors crossing each other may be unavoidable but should be minimized. Do not
move connectors manually.
The object avoidance feature in PI ProcessBook can either ignore or take connectors into
account when looking for the shortest path from the source to a destination. This behavior is
controlled by the ConnectorsAvoidConnectors setting in .
Note:
Object avoidance does not occur after you drag and drop a connectors line segment. If
you modify the position of a connector manually, the center point and end points on the
connector change from green to red, indicating that automatic object avoidance is turned
off and you are responsible for all further updates to that connector.
Rerouting can consume significant system resources (CPU and memory) to solve complex
problems. Factors that can increase complexity include:
A very large display
Large numbers of Connectors on a single display
Large numbers of symbols to be avoided
A high number of "Lines per Screen Unit" (set in "Arrange", "Grid Size", "Lines per Screen
Unit"1 equals the largest cell size; 30 gives the smallest cell size)
Routing multiple displays on the same PC

Item Definition button

Use the Item Definition button in either Build or Run mode when you want to see what tags
and formatting options were used in any symbol that uses a window for basic configuration. It
is the same as double-clicking on the item with the Build mode pointer. If the symbol does not
have a definition window, the button is dimmed. You can change the selections and save the
new definition. This button does not open any of the formatting windows (for example, Font or
Color).

Display or change item definition

Procedure
1. In either Build or Run mode, open a display.
2. Double-click the dynamic symbol whose definition you would like to change (such as a
value, bar, trend, or button).

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-orClick the symbol, then on the Formatting toolbar, click the Item Definition button.
Note:
If the Item Definition button appears dimmed, the symbol you selected might not have
a definition window.
A definition window displays that corresponds to the symbol you selected.
3. In the appropriate window, make your changes to the item's definition, and then click OK.
These changes are saved with the symbol.

Status report for dynamic symbols

The status bar at the bottom of the PI ProcessBook application shows whether dynamic
symbols in a display are updating normally. The Status icon is a green circle when there are no
errors. It is a blue circle containing a question mark (?) if the display shows questionable data
or a yellow arrow for substituted data. It contains an X in a red circle if a dynamic symbol is
reporting bad data (or shutdown status). As you shift focus from one display to another, the
icon might change. If you shift back to the Table of Contents, the status icon remains from the
last display in focus.

or

The Status Report window appears when you have a display in focus and double-click the
Status icon. This report lists all the symbols in a display that have data associated with them.
You see the tag to which the symbol is connected and, if there is an issue, the error message
appears. You can sort the list by any of the column headings.

For troubleshooting purposes, the Message Log button shows you the SDK Log file.

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You can save this report as a .csv file by using the Save to File button.
Note:
The status bar can be displayed or hidden from the View Status Bar item on the View
menu.

Status flags for data

In addition to the Error indicator shown in the status bar, PI ProcessBook has three types of
flags to indicate that the data is valid but additional information is available. Each dynamic
symbol can display an icon when there is additional status information available. When move
your pointer over a flagged symbol, a tooltip appears with the status message. In trends, status
messages appear to the right of the tag values in the legend if the status is associated with the
last value on the plot.
The icons are shown below:

Questionable
Indicates that there is some reason to doubt the accuracy of the value.

Substituted
Used to indicate that the value has been changed from its original value. This value is set
only by the PI Server when an existing value is changed.

Annotated
Indicates that there is a comment about a value. Text annotations are shown in symbol
tooltips. Use the Details window to view and add annotations.

If a tag has more than one flag, the highest priority status will be shown. The priority from high
to low is: Questionable, Substituted, Annotated. To view all the flags associated with a PI Tag
on the display, use the Details window, Data option.
If you clear the Show Value Attributes check box in your Start Preferences, you do not see
these icons. Consider disabling the icons to improve ProcessBook performance if you have
very high speed sub-second data.
See Status report for dynamic symbols

Create composite symbols

Composite symbols are created from the symbols in the drawing tools library. After you create
a composite symbol, you can assign it to an asset in your AF database to create an AF-based
symbol.

Procedure
1. Click File > New to open a new display.
2. Select Build mode.
3. Using the drawing tools, add symbols to the display.
4. Click Arrange > Group to include all the elements into a group.
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You can now assign the composite symbol to create an AF-based symbol.

Topics in this section

Group, ungroup, or regroup symbols
Modify composite symbols

Group, ungroup, or regroup symbols

When creating or manipulating complex shapes, it is sometimes easier to combine individual
symbols into one. You can group two or more symbols together, or you can group several
groups. Once grouped, any commands that you apply affect the composite symbol as if it were
a single symbol.
If you want a group of symbols to remain together, but you need to continue modifying the
components separately, you can attach the symbols instead of grouping them.

Procedure
1. Select the symbols you want to group and from the Arrange menu choose one of the
following:

GroupThe symbols combine into one composite symbol with selection handles around
the entire group.

UngroupThe group is disassembled into its component symbols.

RegroupYou do not need to re-select all the components to regroup a previously

grouped set of symbols. This command is only enabled when it applies.

Modify composite symbols

You can change one or all symbols within a composite symbol. When you are modifying an AFbased symbol, changes only take effect after you assign it to an asset in the AF database.

Before you start

To work with AF-based symbols, you must open PI ProcessBook and verify that the AF
Browser is open and that you are connected to a PI AF server.

Procedure
1. Open a display in Build mode and then locate and select the AF-based symbols.
2. Optional: If you have a composite symbol and you only want to change one of the grouped
symbols, select the composite symbol and then click Arrange > Ungroup.
This action separates the grouped symbols so that you can select symbols individually.
3. To change the symbol, right-click the symbol and then click Change Symbol.

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Note:
You must right-click directly on the symbol you want to change.
The Change Symbol window opens.
4. Select the type for the new symbol and click OK.
5. When you are finished with your modifications, save the display file.
The changes you made to any symbols in the display are saved only within the PI
ProcessBook file and not updated in the AF database.
To assign the modified symbol to an AF element template, see Assign symbols to AF
element templates.
To assign the modified symbol to an AF element, see Assign symbols to AF elements.

Analyze symbols in PI Coresight

You can launch a PI Coresight analysis directly from a PI ProcessBook display. This feature
only works with Internet Explorer 10 and later.

Procedure
1. Open the display and select the symbol you want to use in a PI Coresight analysis.
You can select single or multiple symbols within the display, or include all the symbols in
the display.
2. Click the Explore in PI Coresight button

AF-based symbols
AF-based symbols are those symbols in PI ProcessBook that you assign to a PI Asset
Framework element template or element. You can use them to create customized, reusable
symbols that represent your AF elements within displays.
AF-based symbols can be:
Individual symbols taken from the drawing tools library
Composite symbols made up of grouped symbols from the drawing tools library
Either static or dynamic symbols
Assignments are used to define the association between AF-based symbols and AF elements.
You can make assignments in two ways:
Assign the AF-based symbol to an AF element template, element, or attribute.
This assignment is saved in an AF database and makes the AF-based symbol a reusable
object that is added when you drag and drop the AF elements from the AF Browser into
your display.
Assign an AF element in your display to an AF-based symbol.
This assignment is saved only in the PI ProcessBook display file and does not affect the
element definition within the AF database.

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Topics in this section

Connect to a PI AF database
Assign symbols to AF element templates
Assign symbols to AF elements
Verify AF-based symbol assignment
Build displays with AF-based symbols
Find AF elements and attributes in displays
Element Relative Display (ERD)

Connect to a PI AF database
Use the Select Database window to find and connect to PI AF databases.

Procedure
1. Click File > PI Systems.
The Select Database window appears.

2. Use the System drop-down list to connect to a PI AF server that contains a PI AF database
you wish to use.
The (...) button launches the Systems window, where you can connect to other PI AF
servers.

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3. Once you select a PI AF server, search for a PI AF database using the Databases search box.
4. Select a database and click OK.
The database you select is used by the Element Relative Display (ERD) add-in, where you
can populate symbols with PI AF elements from the database.

Assign symbols to AF element templates

You create AF-based symbols by assigning them to an asset in the AF database so that users
can drag and drop them from the AF Browser into displays.
The AF-based symbol will be saved to the AF database that you are connected to when you
make the assignment.

Before you start

To work with AF-based symbols, you must open PI ProcessBook and verify that the AF
Browser is open and that you are connected to a PI AF server.

Procedure
1. Open a display and select the symbol you want to assign to an AF element template.
2. Right-click the symbol and then click Assign Symbol to Template.
The Assign Symbol to AFElementTemplate window opens.
3. In the PI System field, verify that you are connected to the AF server that contains the AF
element template you want.
4. In the Database field, verify the name of the AF database that contains the AF element
template you want.
5. Select the AF element template from the Element Template list.
6. Optional: To keep the default setting that synchronizes your active display with the updated
assigned AF-based symbols, leave the Re-Sync all Symbols checkbox selected.
7. Click OK to save.
If the AF element template already had an AF-based symbol assigned to it, click OK in the
Overwrite Confirmation window to confirm that you want to overwrite the existing
assignment.

Results
All AF elements based on this AF element template are updated to include the AF-based
symbol assignment within their element definitions, unless the individual AF element has an
AF-based symbol assigned to it. AF element-level assignments take precedence over AF
element template-level assignments.
When you drag and drop elements with this AF-based symbol assigned to them into your PI
ProcessBook display, you see the AF-based symbol in your display.

Assign symbols to AF elements

You create AF-based symbols by assigning them to an asset in the AF database so that users
can drag and drop them from the AF Browser into displays.
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The AF-based symbol will be saved to the AF database that you are connected to when you
make the assignment.

Before you start

To work with AF-based symbols, you must open PI ProcessBook and verify that the AF
Browser is open and that you are connected to a PI AF server.

Procedure
1. Open a display and select the symbol you want to assign to an AF element.
2. Right-click the symbol and then click Assign Symbol to Element.
The Assign Symbol to AFElement window opens.
3. In the PI System field, verify that you are connected to the AF server that contains the AF
element you want.
4. In the Database field, verify the name of the AF database that contains the AF element you
want.
5. Select the AF element from the Element list.
6. Optional: To keep the default setting that synchronizes your active display with the updated
assigned AF-based symbols, leave the Re-Sync all Symbols checkbox selected.
7. Click OK to save.
If the AF element already had an AF-based symbol assigned to it, click OK in the Overwrite
Confirmation window to confirm that you want to overwrite the existing assignment.

Results
The AF element is updated to include the AF-based symbol within its element definition. When
you drag and drop the element into your PI ProcessBook display, you see the AF-based symbol
in your display.

Verify AF-based symbol assignment

If you want to know whether or not an AF element has an AF-based symbol assigned to it, you
can view the AF-based symbol properties of the AF element in an open PI ProcessBook display.

Before you start

To work with AF-based symbols, you must open PI ProcessBook and verify that the AF
Browser is open and that you are connected to a PI AF server.

Procedure
1. Open a display in Build mode and locate and select the element in an open display.
To use a search to find AF elements in displays, see Find AF elements and attributes in
displays.
Open the AF Properties pane and click the Extended Properties link in the General tab.

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If the AF element is assigned an AF-based symbol, you can view the file path it in the
Extended Properties window. If there is no assigned AF-based symbol, the file path field is
empty.
Drag and drop the AF element into the display to view its AF-based symbol.
If the AF element has no AF-based symbol, you will see an empty square with the name
of the AF element in the display.

Build displays with AF-based symbols

Once AF-based symbols have been created and saved in the AF database, you access them
through PI ProcessBook to use when you build displays.

Before you start

To work with AF-based symbols, you must open PI ProcessBook and verify that the AF
Browser is open and that you are connected to a PI AF server.
You must be connected to the AF database where the AF-based symbols are saved.

Procedure
1. To add an AF element that has an assigned AF-based symbol to a display, open your display
in Build mode and select an AF element from the Elements tab.
You can add multiple AF-based symbols to a display.
2. Drag and drop the AF element into the display.
The AF element is shown as the AF-based symbol in the display.
If the AF element has no assigned AF-based symbol, you will only see a square with the AF
element name in the display.
3. Optional: Create and modify AF-based symbols while you build displays.
Changes made to AF-based symbols within a display are not saved to the AF database when
you save the PI ProcessBook file. To make AF-based symbols available for reuse in displays,
you must assign the AF-based symbols to AF elements or element templates.
4. Optional: Change the sub-element and attribute display and label preferences. Click Tools >
Display Builder Preferences to open the AF Display Builder Preferences window.
Options include:
Include all sub-element symbols when adding AF-based symbols to a display
Include name labels and attribute values for symbols
Determine label positions relative to the symbol

Assign display elements to symbols

You can build or update your display using symbols, and assign an AF element used in the
display to a symbol that is not assigned to an asset in the AF database. This is helpful in cases
when you are working with large displays and want to use the symbol to locate AF elements
across the display, or when you want to build displays with AF-based symbols before saving
them in an AF database.

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Procedure
1. Have your display open and in Build mode, and select the symbol you want to use.
2. Right-click the symbol and then click Assign Element to Symbol.
The Assign Element window opens.
3. Locate and select the AF element you want to assign to the symbol.
Hide Sub-Elements and Show Unassigned Elements Only change which AF elements are
listed in the AF Browser.
4. Click OK.
The AF element you assigned to the symbol will now appear as the symbol when you use it
in your display.
You can click Edit > Find Next to find multiple instances of the AF element in the display.

Results
Note:
The AF element is assigned to the symbol within the display, but this assignment does
not apply to the AF element template used by the display element, or other instances
where this AF element is used in other displays.
To assign the symbol to an AF element template, see Assign symbols to AF element templates.
To assign the symbol to an AF element, see Assign symbols to AF elements.

Find AF elements and attributes in displays

You can search for AF elements and AF attributes within a display.

Before you start

Open PI ProcessBook and verify that the AF Browser is open and that you are connected to a PI
AF server.

Procedure
1. To search the display for an AF element, open the display and click Edit > Find AF Element.
The Element Search window opens.
a. Enter the search criteria for the AF element and click Search.
b. Select the AF element you want from the search results and click OK.
The display element that uses the AF element is highlighted.
You can click OK again to highlight the next instance of the AF element in the display.
2. To search the display for an AF attribute, open the display and click Edit > Find AF
Attribute.
The Attribute Search window opens.
a. Enter the search criteria for the AF attribute and click Search.
b. Select the AF attribute you want from the search results and click OK.
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The display element that uses the AF attribute is highlighted.
You can click OK again to highlight the next instance of the AF attribute in the display.

Element Relative Display (ERD)

Element Relative Display (ERD) is an add-in that replaces the hierarchical, Module Database
(MDB)-based Module Relative Display add-in from earlier versions of PI ProcessBook with an
asset store based on PI AF elements and their associative attributes. This approach allows you
to organize and structure PI System and other data according to objects users are most
familiar with, and then visualize that data in a PI ProcessBook display.
PI ProcessBook allows you to search a PI AF database for elements and their attributes. You
can then add these data items to dynamic symbols to graphically display this data in real-time.
For more information on PI AF and elements, see About PI data, and the PI AF User Guide.
Note:
To convert a legacy module relative display to an element relative display you must first
migrate modules in the Module Database to elements in the PI AF database. MDB to PI AF
migration is handled upon upgrade to PI Server 2010. See the PI MDB to AF Transition
Guide for further details.

Topics in this section

Add element relative data to a dynamic symbol
PI AF context path
Change PI AF element context

Add element relative data to a dynamic symbol

Use the Select Attributes window to add PI AF elements and PI AF attributes as data items to
dynamic symbols on a display.

Procedure
1. In Build mode, double-click a dynamic symbol.
This opens the Define <symbol> window.
2. Click the arrow next to the Tag Search button.
A drop-down menu appears.

Note:
If you plan to work with an element that does not have multiple contexts you can
instead click AF2. This brings up the Select AF Attribute window, and gives you
another way of searching for AF data.
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3. Click Element Relative.
The Select Attributes window appears.

The active elements in the Elements of Interest pane on the Element Relative Display
docking window appear in the top pane of this window under Current Element of Interest.
If an element has attributes, those attributes are available to add to a dynamic symbol.
Note:
If there are no active elements in the Elements of Interest pane, the Element Search
window appears instead of the Select Attributes window, allowing you to do a new
search to populate the Elements of Interest pane.
4. Click attribute names to select from the Attributes for the selected element list.
5. Click the

button to add the selected attributes to the Selected Attributes list.

Apply the following option if desired:

UOM
Allows you to select a unit of measure for a given attribute.
6. Optional: Click the Add Element Name button to add the element name of the current
context to the symbol. Select the Use Full Path check box to show the full path of the current
context instead of just the element name.
7. Click OK to add the selected attribute(s) to your dynamic symbol.

PI AF context path
A context path relates a PI AF attribute to a parent element within a PI AF database. An
attribute added as a data item to a dynamic symbol can point to different underlying PI points,
depending on its context path.
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Use context paths to drive displays created in PI ProcessBook. Displays that use context paths
in this manner are referred to as element-relative. This means that the data displayed for the
attribute depends, at any time, on the context path that links the attribute to a parent element.
Context paths are used most frequently to change the data displayed by a symbol based on
user selection. For example, based on the selection of PI AF elements or attributes that
represent assets in a plant, a display may present data from similar assets in a single plant or
in different locations.
For example, assume Tanks 1-5 in a plant are all described by the same measurement
attributes of temperature and pressure. Each tank is represented as an element in the PI AF
database with corresponding temperature and pressure attributes. A display that references
the temperature attribute could display data for each tank in turn by allowing the user to
specify the context path to any particular tank element. This allows you to use one display to
view data for any one of the five tanks simply by selecting the desired tank from a list.

Change PI AF element context

Configure a dynamic symbol with element relative data by adding attributes from a specific
element to a display. You can dynamically change the context for the selected element on your
symbols by clicking an element name in the Elements of Interest pane on the Element Relative
Display window. The attribute data that appears on your dynamic symbol corresponds to the
active element you choose. If the attributes you select are not available for a selected element,
you see No Data on the display when that element is selected.

Procedure
1. Click View > Element Relative Display.
The Element Relative Display window appears.

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2. In the Search Mask text box enter a search query, and click the green arrow, or
a. Click the Element Search button

to launch the Element Search window, where you

can use advanced search fields.

b. Enter your search query and click the Search button.
The Search results list is populated with your results.
c. Click any element(s) from the Search results list.
d. Click OK.
Any new items are added to the Elements of Interest list in the Element Relative Display
docking window.
3. Search results appear in the Elements of Interest pane.
Click a column heading to sort results by that heading.
Use the Filter text box to filter out unwanted entries. Access previously used filter
expressions by clicking the small triangle at the end of the text box.
Select the Group by check boxes to group your search results by template.
Hover over an element to display a tooltip that show the element's full path.
4. Click an item from the Elements of Interest pane.
If there is a corresponding attribute in your display, that attribute's data will refresh with
the new element context.

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Note:
to lock the docking window to your screen. Click the pin icon
Use the pin icon
again to unpin the window and minimize it along the border of your PI ProcessBook
window. When a docking window is unpinned, a button appears along the side of the
screen. Hover over it to re-expand the window.

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PI ProcessBook allows you to view PI System data from a variety of sources, including PI
points, PI AF element attributes, and PI Calculation data sets (expression or summary).

Topics in this section

About PI data
PI time
PI tags (PI points)
Data sets
ODBC
AF elements

About PI data
You can retrieve and visualize data from your PI System and other systems that support
different business functions and provide access to diverse information.
You will likely work with PI data stored in:
PI Server
PI Asset Framework (PI AF)
You will typically use these items to specify the information you want to see:
PI Tags (PI Points)
PI AF Assets
PI AF Attributes
Different types of data perform different functions:
Time series data
Calculated data
Contextual data

Topics in this section

PI tags (PI points)
PI AF assets
PI AF attributes
Time series data
Calculated data
Contextual data

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PI tags (PI points)

A PI point is a stream of real-time data from a defined source, and is described by a
corresponding tag name and other attributes. PI points are frequently referred to as PI tags,
and the terms are used somewhat interchangeably. However, a tag is simply a reference name
for a PI point.

Topics in this section

PI Server
Updates to PI data
PI Tag Search window
View PI point attributes
PI Server data types

PI AF assets
PI AF assets are the building blocks of PI AF (like modules in MDB) and can represent either
physical or logical entities in your process, such as a physical device, piece of equipment,
storage container, or representative section of a process.

PI AF attributes
PI AF attributes represent data that is associated with an element. They can contain
configuration information for the element, or measured or calculated process data that
provides the information necessary for getting and setting its value to and from a data stream.
Conceptually, a PI AF attribute replaces the PI aliases and PI properties that were used in the
PI Module Database.
PI AF attributes are children of PI AF elements.

Time series data

PI Server data is collected and stored in the form of points, each of which represents a timeseries data stream from a particular source, such as a temperature or pressure sensor. A tag is
a reference name for a PI point.

Calculated data
Statistical calculations allow you to view Averages, High and Low values, and measures of
variance. These all provide critical information about data events over a period of time.

Contextual data
Contextual data is a method of associating PI points and their properties with their business
use, location, service or role. A content creator can configure contextual data to reflect the

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structure of the information, making data and its presentation more logical and accessible. A PI
point tag name is an example of contextual data.
PI points also have various configurable properties associated with the data, called point
attributes. However, this information is presented largely in language relevant to data
processing, not in measurements or standard business terms that are easily accessible to users
outside the Operations department.
PI AF provides a holding place for contextual representations of all data used in your PI
System. Elements and attributes can reference PI points and attributes or data in other
systems, including relational databases and web services.

PI time
You can use a special syntax, called PI time, to specify inputs for time stamps and time
intervals. PI time uses specific abbreviations, which you combine to create time expressions.

Topics in this section

PI time abbreviations
PI time expressions
Time-stamp specification
Time-interval specification

PI time abbreviations
When specifying PI time, you can use specific abbreviations that represent time units and
reference times.
Time-unit abbreviations
Abbreviation

Time unit

second

minute

hour

day

mo

month

year

week

To specify time units, you can specify the abbreviation, the full time unit, or the plural version
of the time unit, such as s, second, or seconds. You must include a valid value with any time

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unit. If specifying seconds, minutes, or hours, you can specify a fractional value, such as 1.25h.
You cannot specify fractional values for other time units.
Reference-time abbreviations
Abbreviation

Full version

Reference time
Current time

today

00:00:00 (midnight) of the current day

yesterday

00:00:00 (midnight) of the previous day

sun1

sunday

00:00:00 (midnight) on the most recent Sunday

jun2

june

00:00:00 (midnight) on the current day in June of the current

year

dec DD

december DD

00:00:00 (midnight) on the DDth day of December in the

current year

YYYY

00:00:00 (midnight) on the current day and month in year

YYYY

M-D or M/D

00:00:00 (midnight) on the Dth day of month M in the

current year

DD

00:00:00 (midnight) on the DDth day of the current month

1: Use the first three letters as an abbreviation for any day of the week: sun,

mon, tue, wed, thu, fri, or sat.

2: Use the first three letters as an abbreviation for any month of the year:
jan, feb, mar, apr, may, jun, jul, aug, sep, oct, nov, or dec.

PI time expressions
PI time expressions can include fixed times, reference-time abbreviations, and time offsets. A
time offset indicates the offset direction (either + or -) and the offset amount (a time-unit
abbreviation with a value). Valid PI time expressions might include:
Only a fixed time, such as 24-aug-2012 09:50:00
Only a reference-time abbreviation, such as t
Only a time offset, such as +3h
A reference-time abbreviation with a time offset, such as t+3h
Include at most one time offset in an expression. Including multiple offsets can lead to
unpredictable results. For example, the following time expressions are not valid:
*+1d+4h
t-1d+12h

Time-stamp specification
To specify inputs for time stamps, you can enter time expressions that contain:
Fixed times
A fixed time always represents the same time, regardless of the current time.

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Input

Meaning

23-aug-12 15:00:00

3:00 p.m. on August 23, 2012

25-sep-12

00:00:00 (midnight) on September 25, 2012

Reference-time abbreviations
A reference-time abbreviation represents a time relative to the current time.
Input

Meaning

Current time (now)

3-1 or 3/1

00:00:00 (midnight) on March 1 of the current year

2011

00:00:00 (midnight) on the current month and day in the year 2011

25

00:00:00 (midnight) on the 25th of the current month

00:00:00 (midnight) on the current date (today)

00:00:00 (midnight) on the previous date (yesterday)

tue

00:00:00 (midnight) on the most recent Tuesday

Reference-time abbreviations with a time offset

When included with a reference-time abbreviation, a time offset adds or subtracts from the
specified time.
Input

Meaning

*-1h

One hour ago

t+8h

08:00:00 (8:00 a.m.) today

y-8h

16:00:00 (4:00 p.m.) the day before yesterday

mon+14.5h

14:30:00 (2:30 p.m.) last Monday

sat-1m

23:59:00 (11:59 p.m.) last Friday

Time offsets
Entered alone, time offsets specify a time relative to an implied reference time. The implied
reference time might be the current clock time or another time, depending on where you
enter the expression.
Input

Meaning

-1d

One day before the current time

+6h

Six hours after the current time

Time-interval specification
Time-interval inputs define intervals for collecting or calculating values during a time period.
For example, you might specify a 60-minute interval to compute an hourly average over a 12hour period. To specify time-interval inputs, enter a valid value and time unit:
Positive values define intervals that begin at the earlier time in the period and that finish at
or before the later time in the period.
Start time

2:00:00

End time

3:15:00

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Time interval

30m

Returned intervals

2:00:00 to 2:30:00
2:30:00 to 3:00:00

Negative values define intervals that finish at the later time in the period and that begin at
or after the earlier time in the period.
Start time

2:00:00

End time

3:15:00

Time interval

-30m

Returned intervals

2:15:00 to 2:45:00
2:45:00 to 3:15:00

PI tags (PI points)

A PI point is a stream of real-time data from a defined source, and is described by a
corresponding tag name and other attributes. PI points are frequently referred to as PI tags,
and the terms are used somewhat interchangeably. However, a tag is simply a reference name
for a PI point.

Topics in this section

PI Server
Updates to PI data
PI Tag Search window
View PI point attributes
PI Server data types

PI Server
The PI Server is a time-series database that collects, stores, and retrieves numerical and string
data. The PI Server resides on a host computer and is connected to PI ProcessBook through
your network.
When you open a display containing dynamic symbols, PI ProcessBook retrieves data from the
PI Server.
PI ProcessBook also notifies the PI Server that it would like to receive data whenever the
readings for the dynamic symbols change. Each time a reading changes for points in the
display, the information is recorded in the PI Server. This new information is sent to your
displays and all the new values are added to trend traces. This is true even if you Reduce a
display to an icon to save space.

Updates to PI data
You open a display, current values of PI tags are used for dynamic elements other than trends
and XY plots. For trends and XY plots, the time scale is configurable on a plot-by-plot basis.

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Displays are updated whenever values change. Every five seconds, PI ProcessBook displays
any new values for tags in open displays from each PI Server. You can modify the update rate
in the procbook.ini file.
For trends, new values are added to the trend traces. This update by exception algorithm has
two benefits:
Values that do not change are not sent over the network at every update. This can be a
significant efficiency improvement over traditional scanning.
Values that change more than once within five seconds are shown accurately on trends
because all of the changes are delivered to PI ProcessBook.
Values from PI calculations and custom data sets are also updated dynamically.

PI Tag Search window

The Tag Search window is used to locate PI tags. To open this window:
On the Standard toolbar, click the Tag Search button

or
Click the Tag Search button in any of the following windows:
Define Value
Define Bar
Define XYPlot
Multi-State Symbol
Define Trend
The Tag Search window provides three types of searches:
Basic Search allows you to create a tag mask by specifying PI point attributes. The mask is
used to find a list of tags on the server with matching attributes.
Advanced Search provides a query-building interface with access to more point attributes
for complex searches.
Alias Search provides a logical tree view of a PI Server through the PI Module Database,
which you can use to select tags by their descriptive aliases.

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Procedure
1. Click a tab to choose a Basic, Advanced or Alias search.
2. Enter the required search criteria and click Search.
Use '*' or '?' as wildcard characters to search for tag names and attributes. For example, the
tag mask Tem* returns all point names that start with Tem while Tem? returns only points
that start with Tem and end with another single character. All point mask fields are case
insensitive.
You can also click Favorites to access previous searches.
Tags returned from a search appear listed in a search results panel.
3. Select the desired tags in the results panel, and click OK.
Click column headers in the search results panel to sort the results. Ctrl-click or Shift-click
to select multiple tags.

Results
For more information on PI tags, click the Help button from any Tag Search window in PI
ProcessBook to launch the PI SDK Controls and Dialogs user help.

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View PI point attributes

The configuration information for a PI point is stored as a list of attributes. You can display this
list of properties for any dynamic symbol. See PI point attributes for a complete list of
attributes and their descriptions.
The Point Attributes window displays the attributes and snapshot values of PI points.

Procedure
1. Using either the Run mode or Build mode pointer, click a dynamic symbol.
2. On the standard toolbar click the Tag Properties button

, or

click the Pt. Attr. (Point Attributes) button if you are in the Tag Search window, or
in Run mode, click Tools > Point Attributes.
The Point Attributes window appears.
Note:
You can also view Point Attributes in the Details window.

Results
The tag for which the properties are displayed is shown in the Point Name drop-down list at
the top of the window. If a trend has several tags, select each tag from the drop-down list or
use the up and down arrows on your keyboard to scroll through the tags.
The Point Properties window contains the Categorized tab and the Alphabetic tab.
The Categorized tab displays the attributes categorically. The following categories are always
displayed:
Archive
Classic
Display
Overview
Security
System
These categories include all the attributes from the Base point class. The Base point class
attributes are common to all PI points. If the PI point that is being displayed is not from the
Base point class, there is one additional category. This category is given the name of the point
class to which the displayed PI point belongs. The point class-specific attributes are displayed
in this category.
The Alphabetic tab displays the attributes alphabetically.

PI point attributes
Attribute

Explanation

Descriptor

26-character tag descriptor

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Attribute

Explanation

Exdesc

80-character extended tag descriptor

typicalvalue

Typical value

Units

Engineering unit string

Zero

Zero

Span

Span

digstartcode

Code for the first digital state string for the tag

dignumber

Number of digital states minus 1

pointtype

Point type character

pointsource

Point source character

location1

Location parameter 1

location2

Location parameter 2

location3

Location parameter 3

location4

Location parameter 4

location5

Location parameter 5

filtercode

Filter code

squareroot

Square root flag

scan

Scan flag

excdev

Exception deviation in percent of span

excmin

Exception minimum time in seconds

excmax

Exception maximum time in seconds

archiving

Archiving flag

compressing

Compression flag

Res

Resolution code

compdev

Compression deviation in percent of span

compmin

Compression minimum time in seconds

compmax

Compression maximum time in seconds

totalcode

Totalization code

convers

Conversion factor for post-processed points

displaydigits

Controls the format of numeric values on terminalbased PI screens

instrumenttag

Tagname for value in another system; used by

some interfaces

sourcept

Tagname for output to other systems; used by

some interfaces

taglong

Long tagname (up to 80 characters)

tagshort

12 character tagname

creator

Creator of the tag

createdate

Creation date of the tag

changer

User who modified the tag's attributes

changedate

Change date of the tag

pointnumber

ID number reused upon deletion of a point

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Attribute

Explanation

pointid

Unique internal ID number not reused upon

deletion of a point

PI Server data types

PI ProcessBook handles a full range of PI Server data types, as shown in this table:
Point type

How it is used

PI ProcessBook support

Digital

Used for points whose value can

only be one of several discrete
states, such as ON/OFF or Red/
Green/Yellow. Nearest
equivalent to the PI 2.x Digital
type.

Supported

Int16

PI ProcessBook supports these

as integers. Used for points
whose values are 15-bit
unsigned integers (0 to 32767).
Nearest equivalent to the PI 2.x
Integer type.

Supported

Int32

Negative integer values are

supported. Used for points
whose values are 32-bit signed
integers (- 2147450880 to
2147483647). PI reserves some
values.

Supported for positive and

negative Integer values

Float16

Used for floating point values,

scaled. The accuracy is one part
in 32767. Nearest equivalent to
the PI 2.x Real type.

Supported

Used for single-precision

floating- point values, not scaled.

Supported

Float64

Used for double-precision

floating- point values, not scaled.

Supported

String

Each string event represents an

ad- hoc state in a series. Used to
store string data of up to 976
characters.

On plots, each string event

represents an ad-hoc state in a
series; not supported on
logarithmic traces, multi-state
configurations, or bar symbols.

Blob

Binary large object Used to

store any type of binary data up
to 976 bytes.

Not supported

Float32

Use the displaydigits attribute to

determine the precision to
display.

Use the displaydigits attribute to

determine the precision to
display.

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Point type

How it is used

PI ProcessBook support

Timestamp

Plotted as seconds over a given

range. Not supported for
logarithmic traces. Used to store
values of type Timestamp. Any
Time/Date in the Range 1jan-1970 to 1-Jan-2038

Plotted as seconds over a given

range. Not supported for
logarithmic traces, multi-states,
or bar symbols.

Data sets
In PI ProcessBook you can build dynamic symbols using data retrieved from data sets just as
you can from specific points in PI Server.
A data set is basically the set of results of a query that addresses a specific data source. You can
use placeholders to link PI tags and ODBC data within a query.
Data sets are defined at the Book level so that they can be defined once and then shared among
different displays within that ProcessBook. If you create an independent display (a .PDI file),
the data set is defined only for that display. Trends including data sets can be manipulated,
saved, moved, and copied in the same fashion as other trends.
Whenever a display is updated, if a trace or value using a data set is configured using relative
times, then the trace or value is updated. No updates occur if the data set is configured using
absolute times.
You can edit an existing data set, either from the Tools menu or from a symbol that uses the
data set. However, if you have attached the data set to more than one symbol, editing the data
set affects all the symbols. If you move a PI ProcessBook display containing a data set to
another machine, you may need to reconfigure the data set or the machine's connection to the
data source.

Three types of data sets are available to provide data to displays:

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PI Calculation data sets (including PI Expression and PI Summary data sets) from PI Servers
using PI Performance Equation syntax. These expressions provide summary data, such as
averages, minimums, maximums, etc., or calculations such as the sum of two PI point values.
ODBC data sets (Open Database Connectivity) data sets obtained from a relational database.
Custom data sets built as COM objects supplied by Visual Basic or C++ programs as Add-Ins
to PI ProcessBook.

Topics in this section

PI Calculation data sets
ODBC data sets
Custom data sets
Placeholders
Verify a data set is in use
Data set details
Add a data set to a trend
Time intervals for plotting tags and data sets
Refresh a trend containing a data set
Add data sets to bars or values in a display
Run PI ProcessBook when data sets are included
Edit a data set
Delete a data set
Copy a data set to another ProcessBook
Loading custom data sets
Configure a symbol with an AF attribute
Configure the AF2

PI Calculation data sets

PI Calculation data sets include PI Summary data sets and PI Expression data sets. These are
drawn from the PI Server and plotted dynamically.
Use the PI Calculation window to create, edit, or delete data sets. You can select predetermined
calculations or create your own expressions. A similar window is used to configure ODBC data
sets.

PI Summary data sets

PI Summary data sets enable you to use pre- determined functions to retrieve aggregated PI
data for a tag.

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The AVG function calculates the average of the tag values for each interval.
The Count function is the sum of event count over the time range when calculation basis is
event-weighted, sum of event time duration over the time range when calculation basis is
time-weighted.
The MIN function selects the minimum of the tag values for each interval. A timestamp
associated with the minimum value is also available.
The MAX function selects the maximum of the tag values for each interval. A timestamp
associated with the maximum value is also available.
The PCTGOOD function determines the percentage of time for each interval, when the tags
archived values are good (that is without errors, such as out of range errors or shutdown
flags). It is not applicable for digital tags.
The PSTDEV function calculates the population or sample standard deviation of two or
more values.
The RANGE function calculates the difference between the tags maximum and minimum
values for each interval.
The STDEV function calculates the population Standard Deviation of the tag values for each
interval.
The Total function is the total over the given time range.
These functions are fully described in the "Performance Equations" chapter of the PI Server
Applications User Guide.

PI Expression data sets

PI Expression data sets enable you to create your own function or expression in PI
Performance Equation syntax. These expressions can include tag variables with mathematical
and logical operations as described in the "Performance Equations" chapter of the PI Server
Applications User Guide. This syntax is also documented on the OSIsoft Technical Support Web
site, http://techsupport.osisoft.com, under the hierarchy Support > Downloads >
Documentation for the PI Server.

Topics in this section

Create a PI Calculation data set
Intervals and time value
Plot a moving average in a trend

Create a PI Calculation data set

Procedure
1. Click Tools > Data Sets.
The Data SetsData sets window appears.

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Note:
You can also create a PI Calculation data set by clicking the drop-down arrow next to
the Tag Search button in the Define dynamic symbol windows. By accessing the PI
Calculation Data window this way, you have the additional option of selecting a
previously created PI Calculation data set, as well as the ability to create a new one as
outlined below.
2. Click New > PI Calculation.
The PI Calculation Data window appears.

3. Enter values for the following fields:

ServerSelect a PI Server.
NameEnter a name for your data set. The name must be unique for the current .piw
or .pdi file.
PI Tag or ExpressionEnter a tag name or a PI expression. Use the button to search for
PI Tags. If you choose to type an expression, be sure to use PI Performance Equations
syntax, such as one of these:

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sinusoid * 2
(cdt158+sinusoid)/2
log(cdt158)
(sinusoid)/tagspan(sinusoid)
4. Click OK to save your changes.
The data set name must be unique for the current .piw or .pdi file.
The node name and tag name must be valid.
The interval must be a valid PI time.
The sync time must be a valid PI time.
Your new data set appears in the Data Sets window.

Intervals and time value

The calculated value for each interval is plotted at the start of the interval. For example, if the
tag t_min has the following time-value pairs in a 10 minute interval, then the calculated value
for this interval would be plotted at time 1:00:00.
1:00:00 1
1:01:00 2
1:02:00 3
1:03:00 4
1:04:00 5
1:05:00 6
1:06:00 7
1:07:00 8
1:08:00 9
1:09:00 10
1:10:00 11
The calculated value for the AVG, STDEV, and PCTGOOD functions includes the tag value at
the lower interval boundary time and excludes the tag value at the upper interval boundary
time. For the example above, the tag value 10 at time 1:09:00 is excluded in the function
calculation, therefore the calculated value for AVG is 4.5 and the calculated value for STDEV is
2.872281.
The calculated value for the MIN, MAX and RANGE functions includes the tag value of both the
lower and upper interval boundary times. For the example above, the calculated value for MIN
is 1, the calculated value for MAX is 11 and the calculated value for RANGE is 10.

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Plot a moving average in a trend

You can plot additional statistics in a trend using data sets derived from PI tags. For example,
you can plot both a tag and its moving average to show a smoothed version of the same curve.
The moving average is built from the source tag using a data set that recalculates an average
point value over recurring intervals.

Procedure
1. In Build mode, double-click on the trend to open the Define Trend window.
2. Click the Tag Search arrow and choose PI Calculation to create a data set based on a tag.
3. Click New to add the data set and specify a Name and Description for the data set that
calculates the moving average.
4. Click Tag Search and select the tag you want to use as the basis for the calculation.
5. In the Interval field, choose the calculation period for the average.
A new average tag value is computed at each interval over the plotted time range.
6. Click Average in the Columns panel to select an average calculation, and click OK.
7. Click OK to close the Define Trend window.

ODBC data sets

PI ProcessBook uses the term ODBC data set for the concept of an ODBC query that retrieves
data from a relational database outside of the PI System to produce a group of data values
organized into rows and columns and used to build a trend or other element in a ProcessBook
display. A data set is identified within a ProcessBook by a unique name.
The data set name refers to the combination of an SQL query statement and an ODBC data
source with which to execute the query. The results of the SQL query are organized into rows
and columns. You may select any column of the results for a display. For example, in a trend,
each column in the data set that you select appears as a different trace.
A SQL query statement may be written so that it executes based on other data in a display, such
as PI tags or the start or end time. This is done using SQL placeholders (parameters); a tag,
time, or text string is then substituted for each placeholder at run time.

Create an ODBC data set

Procedure
1. Click Tools > Data Sets.
The Data Sets window appears.
2. Click the New button, then select ODBC.
The ODBC Data window appears.

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3. In the Name box, type a name for the data set.

4. In the Description box, type a description if you like.
This text is displayed in the Description legend for the trace, if configured.
5. In the Refresh Interval list, enter the interval at which you want to automatically update the
data set.
-orType a number between 0 and 999.
Note:
The default for the Refresh Interval is zero minutes. This means the data set only
refreshes when the trace is first drawn or when you click the Revert Time Ranges
button on the standard toolbar. If a tag placeholder is used, the Refresh Interval box
list is disabled and the data is refreshed whenever the PI Tag value changes.
6. From the Data Source drop-down list, click the appropriate ODBC data source.
If you do not already have an ODBC Data Source configured on your computer (using the
Control Panel), click the Setup button to create or modify one.
7. Click the Design button.
The Microsoft Query application is displayed.
Note:
If Microsoft Query is not installed, then the Design button is disabled. You can key in
the query manually. You can also copy and paste a query from another query building
tool.
8. Choose your ODBC data source and design your query.

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Note:
Click the Help button, if necessary, and follow Microsoft's instructions for completing
the query.
9. Click OK to return to the ODBC Data window.
To verify if the query can be understood by the ODBC data source, click the Check Syntax
button.
10. Click OK.
11. If you want to use placeholders in the query, enter the appropriate WHERE clause, use
question marks (?) to denote the location of placeholders, and click the Placeholders button.
Placeholders are defined in the order in which they are encountered in the SQL statement.
Clicking the Placeholders button causes the syntax of the query to be checked. If the syntax
is not valid, the invalid query message is displayed.
12. Click OK.

Custom data sets

A custom data set is one provided through a VBA add-in to PI ProcessBook. It is a COM object
or a .NET object with a COM wrapper that acts as an interface between PI ProcessBook and the
custom data provider. The source of data could be a data store (like MS SQL Server) or a data
calculation engine. PI ProcessBook requests updates to the data every few seconds and adjusts
its display accordingly.
Before you can access custom data sets in a display, the Data Set add-in must be installed and
loaded through the Add-In Manager window. Later, as you build a display, you select the data
set and column to be used for a symbol on a display through the symbol definition windows.
Once a custom dataset is loaded, it is available throughout the application. These data sets are
not display- or ProcessBook-specific.
Information on building a custom data set is beyond the scope of this user guide. It is discussed
in Creating a Custom Data Set, a white paper available through the OSIsoft Technical Support
Web site, or in the OSIsoft vCampus library.

Placeholders
A placeholder in an SQL query identifies a value that is to be provided when the query is run.
You can validate a query before the actual values are provided.
The standard SQL placeholder character is (?). Placeholders are numbered in their order of
appearance, from left to right, in the query statement.
For example, the following query statement has two placeholders, one for a text string for a
sample ID and the other for a sample time.
Select value, sample_time from Lab_data where sample_ID=? and sample_time>?

PI ProcessBook allows text, start times, end times, or tag values as substitutes for placeholders.

Topics in this section

Processing of placeholder queries

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Designing placeholder queries
Add or edit placeholders

Processing of placeholder queries

Text placeholder values are substituted into a query when it is run. Start and End times are
determined when a display is opened and are substituted into queries at execution.

PI tag placeholder queries

You can also use PI tag values as placeholders. With a PI tag placeholder, a join is processed
between the ODBC data source and the PI data source. When a display is opened,
PIProcessBook obtains PI tag values between the start and end time and substitutes these
values into the SQL query, one at a time (in effect, executing the query for each PI tag value
returned). The use of a tag placeholder is shown in the SQL query statement below:
Select target from specs where product_code=?

In this example, the values of the tag in the PI System that records the current product code are
retrieved. The result set of the ODBC query is built by executing the query once for each
placeholder value. In the case of this example, that would be one query execution for each
product code found between the start and end times of the symbol.

Designing placeholder queries

Placeholders can be customized for a symbol. You can create an ODBC data set with a set of
default placeholders. When that data set is attached to a specific symbol, the querys
placeholders can be customized for that symbol without affecting the placeholders defined for
any other symbol using that data set.

Add or edit placeholders

To open the Placeholders window, click the Placeholders button in the ODBC Data Sets
window, or click the Custom Placeholders button on a symbol definition window. See Create
an ODBC data set for details.
In this window, you can rename placeholders, change their type or specify values.
Note:
PI ProcessBook allows you to create custom placeholders for a symbol based on a
summary data set or a PI tag placeholder in an ODBC data set. Placeholders are not
allowed for expression data sets. The Custom Placeholders button in symbol definition
windows allows you to specify different PI tags for a PI Summary data set or ODBC data
set with a PI tag placeholder. The change applies only to the configured symbol.

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Procedure
1. In the Placeholder Name box, select the parameter you want to configure.
The parameters are in the same order as found in the data set query. The list is limited to
the number of parameters found in the query.
2. In the Placeholder Properties group, select the Type for the selected parameter.
There are four possible types, Text, PI Tag, Start Time, and End Time. You can optionally
change the name of the placeholder to make its purpose clear.
3. Selecting a type transforms the window to allow you to enter the settings for the selected
type, if any.
If the query uses:
Text input
Type the replacement text value in the Text field.
Tag values
Type a node ID and tag name or click the Tag Search button to open the Tag Search
window.
Start and/or end times
No additional configuration is used.
4. Click the Set button.
5. To configure another parameter, select it and repeat the previous steps.
6. Click OK.

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Verify a data set is in use

Before you modify a data source or data set, it is important to determine whether it is being
used in another display or symbol. PI Calculation data sets and ODBC data sets are established
for an entire ProcessBook (or an independent display). Custom data sets are installed with the
PI ProcessBook application and are available to any display that you open.

Procedure
1. Click Tools > Data Sets.
The Data Sets window appears.
2. Under Data Sets, click the data set name, then click the Show Use button.
The Data Set Use window appears and displays where the data set is being used.

Data set details

Each data set is initially determined from a data source that must already be configured. If the
data source you need is not listed, click the Setup button to add it.
Once the Data Source is selected, add the query. If the Design button is unavailable you must
type in the query. If MS Query is installed correctly, the Design button will not be unavailable.
Click it to design the query.
You can check syntax after you add the query. Including question marks (?) in the query allows
placeholders to be defined.
If you wish to use placeholders from PI in your query, establish them by clicking the
Placeholder button and completing the process on the Placeholder window.

Add a data set to a trend

Just as you would add PI tags in defining a trend, you can add columns chosen from a data set.
Each column is plotted as a separate trace, however, the data set columns that appear on your
trend do not appear in the Point Properties window.
You can manipulate trends containing data from data sets just as you would other trends, by
using functions such as:
Trend Zoom
Scrolling
Trend Cursor
Time Range
Revert Time Ranges
Autorange
Markers

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Procedure
1. In Build mode, open a display.
2. On the Drawing toolbar, click the Trend button

3. Click in the display where you want to add the trend and drag the pointer to form a
rectangle into which the trend will be placed.
When you release the mouse button, the Define Trend window appears.
4. Click the Tag Search arrow, and then click PI Calculation.
The PI Calculation Data window appears.
Note:
If you want to display the ODBC Data window instead of the PI Calculation Data
window, then click the Tag Search arrow, and then select ODBC.
5. Under Saved Data Sets, click the data set you want to add to the trend.
6. Under Data Set Columns, select a column(s) to be plotted in the trend (use the SHIFT or
CTRL keys to select more than one column).
Value
Value of the expression for the calculation interval and type as of the timestamp. In the
case of summary data sets, this column holds the value of the tag.
Total
The totalized value (time integral) of a tag over a given time, according to values stored
in the archive.
Average
Average value of the expression for the calculation interval and type.
Minimum
Minimum value of the expression for the calculation interval and type.
Maximum
Maximum value of the expression for the calculation interval and type.
PctGood
The time percentage, over a given range, when a tag's archived values are good (not
digital states).
Range
The difference between a tag's maximum and minimum values during a given time,
according to values stored in the archive.
StdDev
The time-weighted standard deviation of a tag over a given time, according to values
stored in the archive.
PStDev

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The standard deviation of two or more arguments, where those arguments represent the
whole population.
Count
The number of events for a point over a given time.
7. Click OK.
Until you select a data set and at least one column, the OK button is dimmed.
The selected data set/column(s) is now listed under Tags in Plot in the Define Trend
window.
8. Select tags as desired and format the trend.
If you wish to see or edit the definitions of placeholders, click the Custom Placeholders
button in the Define Trend window.
9. Click OK.
Data displays on the trend.
Note:
If you select the Description check box, on the Display Format tab in the Define Trend
window, then the description of the data set is taken from the PI Calculation Data
window and repeated for each column that is plotted. There are usually no
engineering units for a data set column.

Time intervals for plotting tags and data sets

The Start and End plot times on the Define Trend window are used to determine the time
range for plotting tags. However, a data set may have different time boundaries than the plot
time start and end for the tags. If the time range for the data set starts later than the time range
for the tags, the data set traces begin with Xmarks. See Define Trend window for details.

Refresh a trend containing a data set

In a display containing only data from data sets, the data is refreshed based on the Data Set
Refresh Interval, which is configured in the data set. The trend does not update again until the
Data Set Refresh Interval has expired, at which time it requests another set of values and
redraws itself. A PI tag in a display, on the other hand, receives exception notifications from the
PI System and is updated on the display whenever the polling period elapses (every five
seconds by default).
If both PI and data set data are to be plotted on the same trend, then the latest data set value is
continued toward the end time axis with changing PI exception data points until the refresh
interval expires and new data are received from the data set.
If a data set has a PI tag placeholder, then the data set is refreshed every time a new value is
received for the PI tag placeholder.

Add data sets to bars or values in a display

A single value from a data set may be added to a display as either a Value or a Bar.

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In general, queries can return many rows of results. The Value or Bar uses only the data from
the last row of the results for the column you select; the rest of the results are discarded.
In many cases, you can use an order by clause to control which rows are returned first.
For example, the following query guarantees the most recent sample appears in the
ProcessBook Value field:
Select lab_val from Lab_Data where last_ID = BW
Order by Sample_time asc

Run PI ProcessBook when data sets are included

When you start PI ProcessBook and open an updating display, it connects to your PI System
and remains connected until you close PI ProcessBook.
If you have configured data sets in a ProcessBook, PI ProcessBook connects to a data source as
soon as you open a display using data set results.
The first time you use a particular data source, the external database may ask you for login
information through a login window. After a successful connection, PI ProcessBook retains this
information for use throughout the session. When you close the session, PI ProcessBook does
not store your password locally because it would be a security risk to store a password locally.
If your data source is configured to use Windows Authentication, then your network
credentials are used to gain access to the data and you are unlikely to be prompted.

Edit a data set

You may change the Data Source, the Data Set Refresh Interval, the Description, or the query.
However, when you change a data set, you might affect other queries that use the same data
set.

Procedure
1. Click Tools > Data Sets.
The Data Sets window appears. See Data sets for details.
2. Under Data Sets, click the data set you want to edit, and then click the Edit button.
3. Either the PI Calculation Data window or the ODBC Data window displays depending upon
the data set you selected.
4. If the PI Calculation Data window displays, then make your changes in the appropriate
fields.
5. If the ODBC Data window displays, then do the following:
Note:
To determine if Microsoft Query is installed, the application checks your MS-DOS path
for the existence of msquery.exe)
If the Design button is enabled, then:
i. Click the Design button.

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An instance of Microsoft Query is started using the current data source and query.
ii. Edit the data set in the MSQuery environment.
iii. Click File > Return to ProcBook when you are finished.
Note:
Microsoft Query cannot edit query statements that contain placeholders.
If the Design button is disabled, then:
If Microsoft Query is not installed, the Design button is disabled; however, you can type
the query in the query text box. You can also copy and paste a query from another query
building tool.
i. Add or edit the appropriate WHERE clause in the query to edit a placeholder data set
or existing placeholders (question marks represent placeholders in the query
statement).
ii. Click the Placeholders button.
This action causes the syntax of the query to be checked.
If the syntax is valid, then the Placeholders window displays with the current
placeholders. If the syntax is invalid, then an invalid query message is displayed.
iii. Click the Check Syntax button, to complete a syntax check of your query.
The status of the query is returned.
iv. When you have finished modifying the data set, click OK.
If the data set is in use in a display, the Confirm Data Set Modification window
displays.
v. If you wish to proceed, click Continue.
The Data Sets window appears.
vi. Select the column(s) to be used and click OK to return to the window.

Delete a data set

Before you can remove a data set from the PI ProcessBook list, you must remove it from any
symbols that use it. If the Data Set is a custom data set, which is a COM object, remove it
through Add-in Manager window. Otherwise, use the following steps to delete a data set first
from all displays in which it is used and then from the ProcessBook altogether.

Procedure
1. Click Tools > Data Sets.
The Data Sets window appears. See Data sets for details.
2. Under Data Sets, click the data set name, and then click the Show Use button to determine
if any display or symbol is using the data set.
3. Close the Data Sets window.
4. Open each display in which a data set is being used and delete the data set from the
appropriate window, such as the Define Trend or Define Value window.
5. Save each display.
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6. Reopen the Data Sets window.
7. Under Data Sets, click the data set you want to delete, and then click the Delete button.
The data set is removed from under Data Sets in the Data Sets window. If the data set is in
use, then the Can't Delete Data Set window appears.

Copy a data set to another ProcessBook

While data sources are configured for a computer, data sets are established for only one
ProcessBook or independent display file.

Procedure
1. Open the new or target ProcessBook or independent display file.
2. Open the old or source ProcessBook or independent display file.
3. From the Tools menu, select Data Sets.
The Data Sets window appears. See Data sets for details.
4. Under Data Sets, click the data set you want to copy, and then click the Copy button.
The Copy Data Sets window appears.

5. From the To Open Workbook drop-down list, select the correct target, and then click OK.

Loading custom data sets

Before you can access a custom data set in a display, you must create a data set add-in and
install it on your computer. Then you must select it through the PI ProcessBook Add-ins
Manager window. See Load add-ins.

Configure a symbol with an AF attribute

The AF2.x data set provides access to the AF database allowing you to configure a PI
ProcessBook symbol with an AF attribute.
From any symbol definition window, click the Tag Search button and select AF2 to open the
Select AF Attribute window.
If AF2 is not in the drop down list, it might not be loaded. Load it from Tools > Add-In Manger.

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Procedure
1. Connect to an AF database.
2. Select an AF element.
3. Select an AF attribute from the drop down list or click Search to search in the AF database.
4. Select a unit of measure in which to display the attribute.

Configure the AF2

Procedure
1. Click Tools > Data Sets to open the Data Sets window.
2. Select AF2 dataset from the list.
3. Click Edit to open the AF 2.x DataSet Configuration window.
4. Enter a Refresh Interval.
5. Select Do not retrieve AF Data in Build Mode to prevent data refresh while in build mode.
Retrieving data might have a negative impact on performance while you are configuring a
PI ProcessBook symbol.

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ODBC
ODBC client capability means that without writing vendor-specific code, you can access data
from certain relational databases outside the PI System and include that data in your PI
ProcessBook displays. The outside data source must be ODBC-compliant; for example, it must
provide an ODBC Driver. An outside ODBC data source might include laboratory results, cost
tables, or other sets of information that can be obtained through SQL queries. Since access to
ODBC sources is configured on a particular computer, moving a display file that uses an ODBC
data set may require the data source to be configured on the new computer. The data source
has to have the same name on the new computer, or the data set will need to be reconfigured
in the display.

Topics in this section

ODBC Driver Manager
ODBC drivers
ODBC data sources
ODBC data access
Open ODBC Data Source Administrator
Prepare for ODBC
Configure the ODBC data source
Use MS Query to build data sets
Assumptions about time stamps and data sets
Stored procedures in queries
Troubleshoot ODBC data sets
Trace ODBC calls
Delete an ODBC driver
Delete an ODBC data source
Edit an ODBC data source

ODBC Driver Manager

PI ProcessBook sends queries to a standardized interface from Microsoft called the ODBC
Driver Manager. The Driver Manager forwards ODBC queries to appropriate vendor-provided
drivers, which access the outside databases and return the requested data to your
ProcessBook display.

ODBC drivers
Each DBMS (database management system), such as Microsoft SQL Server, requires a specific
ODBC driver, provided by the vendor of the DBMS or a third party. Each driver is a dynamic
link library (.dll) that implements a set of subroutine calls to retrieve data from a particular
database.

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The Microsoft ODBC Driver Manager is included as a part of PI ProcessBook installation.

ODBC data sources

An ODBC data source identifies a database a user wants to access and the information needed
to connect to that data. Examples of ODBC data sources are:
A SQL Server database, the server on which it resides, and the network protocol used to
access that server.
An Excel spreadsheet on a file server.
A directory containing a set of dBASE files you want to access.
ODBC data sources have an explicit name, are configured for a particular computer, and may
be used by any ODBC- compliant application installed on that computer.

ODBC data access

PI ProcessBook stores relational queries in data sets within ProcessBook files. The data sets
are created, stored, and accessed by name. PI ProcessBook symbols can then access the data
sets. The columns in the data set make up the items that can be assigned to the trend, value, or
bar. The SQL needed to retrieve data for PI ProcessBook can be configured once and used by
many displays and symbols.
PI ProcessBook must return a time and value pair(s) for display within a symbol (trend, value,
or bar). Placeholders act as parameters to an SQL function call. They are evaluated at run time.
Placeholders can take three forms: text, start/end times, or a PI tag name. Use the start and
end time placeholders when the time limits of the query should be determined from the trend
symbol where the query is used. The PI tag name placeholder can be used to join PI data with
relational database data. A PIValue is retrieved for the PI tag and then substituted into the
query.
Using ODBC requires that you install the Microsoft ODBC Driver Manager and drivers (most
operating systems already have the Driver Manager and some standard drivers installed). You
must then configure data sources for ProcessBook and define individual queries, called data
sets.

Open ODBC Data Source Administrator

Procedure
1. On the Windows Start menu, point to Settings, click Control Panel, double-click
Administrative Tools, and then double-click Data Sources (ODBC).
The Microsoft ODBC Data Source Administrator window appears
or
Click Tools > Data Sets.
The Data Sets window appears. See Data sets.
2. Click the New button, and then click ODBC.
The ODBC Data Sets window appears.
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3. Click the Data Source drop-down list to see what ODBC data sources you have already
configured, if any.
4. Click the Setup button.
The Microsoft ODBC Data Source Administrator window appears.

Prepare for ODBC

To use ODBC within your ProcessBook, you must install an ODBC driver and configure the
corresponding ODBC data source on your computer. Open ODBC Data Source Administrator
and click the Drivers tab to view the ODBC drivers that are already installed on your system.
See your system administrator if you require additional ODBC drivers.

Configure the ODBC data source

Once any necessary ODBC drivers are installed, you need to configure the ODBC data sources
available to the computer.

Procedure
1. Open ODBC Data Source Administrator.
2. On the User DSN tab, under User Data Sources group, click the name of the ODBC data
source you plan to use and then click the Configure button.
The Setup window for the data source you selected appears.
3. Add the ODBC data source.

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Note:
Click the Help button, if necessary, and follow Microsoft's instructions for entering
information onto the window.
4. When you have completed configuring the data source, click OK to return to the Microsoft
ODBC Data Source Administrator window.
Note:
To create data sources for any user of the computer, use the System DSN tab instead
of the User DSN tab. You can set up data sources on the System DSN tab that are
available to all users on the computer, but you must have elevated permissions on the
computer.

Use MS Query to build data sets

You can use Microsoft Query (MS Query) for writing queries. It is not distributed with PI
ProcessBook, but if you click the Design button in the ODBC Data window, then PI
ProcessBook searches the registry in your computer to locate MSQry32.exe when the ODBC
data sets window is opened.
Note:
The MS Query application does not work with an ODBC query that includes placeholders.
Consequently, the Design button in the ODBC Data window may be disabled.

Assumptions about time stamps and data sets

When a trend receives data from an ODBC data source, it receives the data as a Time / Value
pair. The Value is generated by the query. The Time, however, might be obtained in one of two
ways:
If a Tag placeholder is used, then the time will be the time returned by the Tag. This time
will supersede any time stamps returned by the query.
One or more of the columns returned by the query may contain a date and/or time. If more
than one time stamp column is returned, the first one as ordered by the SQL query is used.

Stored procedures in queries

Stored procedures can be used in ODBC data sets. They may contain placeholders as long as
your database accepts the stored procedures call as a text string. The common syntax for this
is:
execute procname ('arg', 22, ?)

Check the documentation of your database management system for details.

Stored procedures generally return results in rows and columns, just as a normal SQL query
does.
The only way to determine the columns returned by a stored procedure is to perform a test
execution. When you are building the data set, because ProcessBook needs to know the
columns returned, it executes the procedure. If the procedure call includes placeholders, the
following defaults are used:

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Text

Actual text placeholder string

StartTime

Current time

EndTime

Current time

Tag

An ODBC data set is created with a set of default placeholders. When it is attached to a specific
symbol, the query's placeholders can be customized for that symbol, without affecting the
placeholders defined for other symbols using that data set.
For example, you can create a query for a database of laboratory data using a text placeholder
for the sample name. You can then use a different sample name for every trend, bar, or value,
rather than defining a new data set query for each sample name.

Troubleshoot ODBC data sets

Data sets can be added, deleted, copied, or edited by selecting the New, Delete, Edit, or Copy
buttons in the Data Sets window.
Columns are defined by the data set query. To see the columns returned by the query, select
the data set when configuring a symbol to use it. The window shown from the Data Sets
window opened from the Tools menu does not show the columns.
The Show Use button opens a window that indicates what displays and symbols include data
from this data set.

Trace ODBC calls

The ODBC Driver Manger provides an option for recording a log of all calls to the Driver
Manager from all ODBC clients. The default options for ODBC are set to omit tracing and
logging ODBC calls.
If you choose to trace ODBC calls, you may suffer some degradation in system performance.

Initiate call tracing

Procedure
1. Click Tools > Data Sets.
The Data Sets window appears.
2. Click New. Click ODBC.
The ODBC Data window appears.
3. Click Setup.
The ODBC Data Source Administrator window appears.
4. Select the Tracing tab.
5. To change the file where tracing is logged, choose a new file path in the Log File Path text
box. Use the Browse button to search for files.
6. To initiate tracing, click the Start Tracing Now button.
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The label changes from Start Tracing Now to Stop Tracing Now, and the Log File Path text
box becomes unavailable.
7. To stop tracing, click the Stop Tracing Now button.

Delete an ODBC driver

If you have deleted all data sources using a particular driver, you may uninstall it from your
system. To do this, you must use the setup program for the ODBC driver.
Note:
If you delete the wrong driver you need to reload it from the vendor.

Delete an ODBC data source

If you remove data sources while they are in use, displays that use them fail to retrieve data.
Consequently, before you remove a data source, remove all data sets in which it is being used.
PI ProcessBook cannot prevent users from removing a needed data source from the computer.

Procedure
1. Open ODBC Data Source Administrator.
2. On the User DSN tab, under User Data Sources, click the name of the ODBC data source you
want to delete and then click the Remove button.
A confirmation message is displayed.
3. Click the Yes button to delete the data source.
4. Click OK to close the Microsoft ODBC Data Source Administrator window, then close the
ODBC Data window.
The data source is removed from under Data Sets in the Data Sets window.

Edit an ODBC data source

Occasionally you might want to use a different computer to access an existing ProcessBook
display.
If the display contains data from a PI Calculation Data Set, the display works correctly unless
the new machine does not point to the same PI Server as the previous one.
If this display contains data from an ODBC data set, you will need to reconfigure the correct
ODBC data source on the new computer. Essentially this means establishing the same ODBC
data source name that was used on the original computer. Follow the steps under Configure
the ODBC data source.
If the display contains data from a custom data set, then you must install that PI ProcessBook
add-in on the new machine.

AF elements
You can access AF elements in PI ProcessBook through the AF Browser, which lets you browse
for elements within your PI Asset Framework.

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AF-based symbols that are assigned to AF elements are stored in an AF database, as part of the
AF element definition. When you want to work with AF elements and AF-based symbols, you
must be connected to the AF server and AF database where they are saved.
Within PI ProcessBook, you can:
View AF element properties.
Configure how AF elements are displayed in the AF Browser.
Customize your PI ProcessBook window settings for the AF Browser and the AF Property
pane.

Topics in this section

View AF element properties
Configure display settings in AF Browser
Toggle panes for AF elements in PI ProcessBook

View AF element properties

You can view AF element properties directly from PI ProcessBook. Details for AF elements are
displayed in the AF Property pane.

Before you start

To view AF element properties in PI ProcessBook, you must open PI ProcessBook and verify
that the AF Browser is open and that you are connected to the PI AF server that stores the AF
element.

Procedure
1. Open a display and select Build mode.
2. Click View > AF Property. The AF Property pane opens.
3. Select an AF element from the AF Browser.
You can view AF element properties in the AF Property pane.
You can right-click the AF element in the AF Browser to open the Element Properties
window. This window has multiple tabs that describe element details.
You can right-click an AF attribute in the AF Property pane and then click Properties to
open the Attribute Properties window. This window has general information about the AF
attribute.

Configure display settings in AF Browser

You can view and change settings that determine how AF elements and the AF database are
displayed in the AF Browser.

Procedure
1. Open a display and right-click on an element in the AF Browser.
2. Choose one of the enabled options.

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Note:
Disabling an option in the AF Browser applies to all displays in PI ProcessBook.
Find
View and change search settings for particular AF objects, if they apply. Available AF
objects are: Parent elements, Models, Layers, Connections, and Analyses.
Make Root Node
Change the view of the AF database to make the selected AF element the root node in the
AF Browser.
You can revert to the original AF database view by right-clicking the AF element and
then clicking Reset Root Node.
Refresh
Refresh the values of the AF attributes for the selected AF element.
Show History
Show the history of the AF element.
Security
View the security settings for the selected AF element.
The Permissions window lists the names of the groups or users and their permissions for
that AF element.
Properties
Open a standalone Element Properties window that shows the same AF element
properties information as the AF Browser.

Toggle panes for AF elements in PI ProcessBook

You can configure your window settings in PI ProcessBook to toggle both the AF Browser and
the AF Property pane.
The settings for how you display these GUI elements are saved separately for Build and Run
mode, based on the settings from the last session in PI ProcessBook.

Procedure
1. To toggle the AF Browser, open a display and click View > AF Browser.
2. To toggle the AF Property pane, open a display and click View > AF Property.

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PI Notifications provides PI System users the ability to configure rules that deliver
notifications by email and other delivery channels when certain conditions are met. These
conditions are configurable and are normally dependent on a number of data inputs.
Additionally, PI Notifications can be configured to deliver various content types to the
notification contact, such as an attached PDI file or a path to a PDI file. For further information,
see the PI Notifications User Guide.
PI ProcessBook includes a PI Notifications add-in that retrieves notifications subscribed to
from your PI System, and lists them in a window. This add-in also supports viewing and
managing Contacts, which allows users to communicate and collaborate with other users from
within PI ProcessBook without having to launch a separate application.

Topics in this section

Start PI Notifications
Notifications window in PI ProcessBook
Contacts window

Start PI Notifications
Note:
The add-in only loads in PI ProcessBook if the appropriate PI Notifications client
software is already installed separately.

Procedure
1. Click View > Notifications to manually open the Notifications window.
The Notifications window is automatically opened at startup if it was left open when you
previously shutdown PI ProcessBook.
You can also launch PI ProcessBook to view a notification by opening a PDI file attached to
a notification email.

Notifications window in PI ProcessBook

The Notifications window provides controls for viewing PI Notifications in PI ProcessBook.

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The title bar displays the number of active, open notifications. This number appears in
parentheses to the right of the Notifications window title, for example Notifications(2).
Use the controls at the top of the Notifications window to receive notifications and view
notifications.
A notification rule is a set of conditions that leads to the creation of notifications. Notification
rules and their associated notifications appear in the bottom half of the Notifications window.
For more information on how to create notification rules, see the PI Notifications User Guide.
Note:
Use the pin icon
to lock the docking window to your screen. Click the pin icon again to
unpin the window and minimize it along the border of your PI ProcessBook window.
When a docking window is unpinned, a button appears along the side of the screen.
Hover over it to re-expand the window. The size and position of the Notifications window
is saved so that it opens the same way the next time you open PI ProcessBook.

Topics in this section

Receive notifications
Filter notifications
Open displays associated with a notification
Work with notifications

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Receive notifications
To receive notifications in PI ProcessBook you need to connect to a PI System where
notification rules are established. To change the default PI System connection in PI
ProcessBook, click File > PI System.
Use the icons at the top of the Notifications window to begin, pause, or resume receipt of
notifications.
Play icon

indicates that incoming notifications are halted.

Pause icon

indicates that you are receiving notifications. Click this icon to stop receiving

new notifications.
For more information on configuring notifications, see the PI Notifications User Guide.

Filter notifications
PI Processbook only shows notifications for which you are subscribed. These are shown in the
Notifications window. You can filter this list with the controls available at the top of this
window.

Procedure
1. In the View Notifications drop-down list, click one of the following options:
Active
Displays all open notifications. You only receive new notifications when this option is
selected.
Timerange
Select either the Start Time or End Time text box and enter a PI time string. Click the
corresponding drop-down arrow to launch a calendar to help you find a specific date.
Recent
Enter a time period to search within the last x-number of seconds, minutes, hours, or
days.
2. Click the Go button

to view your list of filtered notifications.

Open displays associated with a notification

Procedure
Do one of the following:
Click the Open Display icon

in the Notifications window.

Right click a notification and click Open Associated Display(s).

This opens or creates displays for the content associated with the notification(s) selected in
the list. The displays are opened and have the union of the selected time ranges applied to
each symbol contained therein. This button is enabled if the selected notification items do
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not have all their associated content already open in PI ProcessBook; otherwise it is
disabled.

Work with notifications

Procedure
Click a notification in the Notifications to have its time range applied to the active display.
Right click a notification to see a context menu providing the following options:
Acknowledge Instance to acknowledge that action has been taken regarding the
notification, and that no further escalation is needed.
Acknowledge Subscription to acknowledge receipt of a notification you are subscribed
to.
Add Comment to comment on a notification.
Show Contact Events to toggle the display of contact events for each notification.
Show TimeSelector to toggle the display of filter options.
Expand All/Collapse All to expand or collapse a notification grouping.
View Notification Rule Summary to display the properties of the notification rule that
triggered a selected notification.
Set Time for All Displays sets the time range of all open displays to the time range of a
selected notification, or union of time ranges for multiple selected notifications.
Set Time for Associated Displays sets the time range of displays associated with the
notification rule to the time range of the notification.
Open Associated Display(s) opens the displays corresponding to the selected
notifications and applies the union of the selected time ranges to each.

Contacts window
The Contacts window allows you to view and manage contacts from within PI ProcessBook. It
is split into two panes and provides the following:
Notification contacts
MS Office Communicator contacts
You do not need PI AF or PI Notifications to use most features of Contacts. However, to view
the Contacts window you must have Office Communicator installed and be logged in at the
time you launch PI ProcessBook. See the Microsoft Office Communicator home page for further
information.
Note:
Use the pin icon
to lock the docking window to your screen. Click the pin icon again to
unpin the window and minimize it along the border of your PI ProcessBook window.
When a docking window is unpinned, a button appears along the side of the screen.
Hover over it to re-expand the window.

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Topics in this section

Open Contacts window
Notification Contacts panel
MS Office Communicator Contacts panel
Work with contacts
Contacts presence

Open Contacts window

Procedure
Click View > Contacts to open the Contacts docking window.
The Contacts toolbar is located at the top of the window and displays:
User Status
Displays your full user name and current availability. This field cannot is not editable
from within PI ProcessBook.
Connection button
Displays your connection state to Office Communicator.

Notification Contacts panel

The Notification Contacts panel displays the list of contacts that are subscribed to the
notification you have selected in the Notifications window.

Contacts are grouped according to type: Escalation Team, Group, and Individual. The group
heading displays the icon associated with its type in PI AF. This contact list is not sorted, but
appears in the order listed in PI AF to preserve the escalation order for an escalation team. The
first entry in the escalation list has the highest priority.
A contact's presence is shown with an icon to the left of the contact name.

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MS Office Communicator Contacts panel

The MS Office Communicator Contacts panel displays your contacts from Microsoft Office
Communicator. Groups are sorted alphabetically. Contacts are sorted alphabetically within
groups. Offline contacts are placed at the end. A contact's presence is shown with an icon to the
left of the contact name.

Filter Microsoft Office Communicator contacts

Procedure
1. Enter text in the Contacts Filter text box to search for contacts.
Filter results appear in this panel.
2. Click the Clear button to clear your filter parameters.

Work with contacts

Right click a contact to display a menu that enables you to:
View calendar availability (not available with MS Office Communicator 2005)
Send an instant message
Send email
Sort contacts
View contact information

Topics in this section

Send an instant message to a contact
Send email to a contact
Sort contacts
View contact information

Send an instant message to a contact

Right click a contact in the Contacts window and click Send Instant Message. This opens an MS
Office Communicator conversation window with the selected contact(s). Multiple contacts are
not supported with Office Communicator 2005.

Send email to a contact

Right click a contact in the Contacts window and click Send Email. A new email message for the
selected contact is composed.

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A submenu provides the following options:
No attachments
Creates a blank email.
Display Screen Capture
Attaches a screen capture of the active display. Any changes made to the display while it has
been open are included in the screen capture; you do not need to save the file first.
Note:
You must have Microsoft Outlook XP or greater installed on your machine to send email
to a contact.

Sort contacts
Right click a contact in the Contacts window and click Sort. A submenu provides the following
options:
Alphabetically
By Availability
Sorts contacts by contacts' presence. Selected by default.

View contact information

Right click a contact in the Contacts window and click View Contact Card. The Office
Communicator Contact Card window appears where you can view contacts from MS Office
Communicator.

Contacts presence
The PI ProcessBook PI Notifications add-in allows you to view personalized presence
attributes from Office Communicator while working in PI ProcessBook.
For more information on presence, see the Microsoft Office Online Help.

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PI ProcessBook provides the capability to use Microsoft's OLE linking and embedding
technology. You can embed or link OLE objects from other Windows applications into a
ProcessBook display. The data might be derived from a wide variety of OLE-compliant
applications, such as spreadsheets, documents, and graphics.

Topics in this section

Overview of Microsoft OLE compound documents
OLE Automation in PI ProcessBook
Embedded objects
Linked objects
Should you link or embed?
Add an Active X control
Work with OLE objects

Overview of Microsoft OLE compound documents

ActiveX is Microsoft technology used for developing reusable object oriented software
components. Container applications are those that can contain ActiveX objects.
Compound documents are documents that contain parts from more than one application. The
parts may be spreadsheets, word processing documents, ProcessBook displays, and so on. A
compound document consists of a container document plus sub-documents that are 'served'
by other applications.
PI ProcessBook compound document functionality has two aspects:
ProcessBook displays can be containers for objects from other applications, such as
databases, spreadsheets, or documents.
ProcessBook displays can be used to exhibit dynamic data within other container
applications. In this case, the ProcessBook or display is considered an object.

OLE Automation in PI ProcessBook

OLE Automation of PI ProcessBook means that an application or program outside PI
ProcessBook can manipulate PI ProcessBook objects such as displays or symbols. Currently,
applications with OLE capability include Microsoft Excel, Access, and Visual Basic (VB), among
others. A specific set of properties and methods are associated with each object type.
Data from PI ProcessBook can be retrieved or manipulated according to scripts originating
outside PI ProcessBook. For example, with the proper scripts in place, you could:

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Obtain a PI ProcessBook object, such as a display, from PI ProcessBook and print it in an
Excel spreadsheet. In fact, you can write the script to retrieve the display only when certain
tag values or other conditions are met.
Write a Visual Basic program to start PI ProcessBook, assess a particular display, and then
alter it in some way.
Click a button in ProcessBook to make an Excel spreadsheet show the average and raw data
of the current trend in ProcessBook. Then you could change the time range of the
ProcessBook, click the button again, and see the Excel spreadsheet update with the new
time range.
Although Automation scripts are not required to use a dialect of Visual Basic, at the present
time, that is the most common approach. OSIsoft is using Visual Basic as the standard testing
language for OLE Automation.
For more information on how to write Visual Basic scripts for use with PI ProcessBook, click
Help > PI Processbook VBA Language Reference.

Embedded objects
Embedded objects are copied from an existing file or created and then stored as an integral
part of the container application, such as PI ProcessBook. Using an embedded object increases
the file size of a ProcessBook significantly.
Formats not natively supported by PI ProcessBook, such as Windows metafiles, can be pasted
from the Windows clipboard as objects in a ProcessBook display. When you paste an object
into a display it becomes embedded.
To change the contents of an embedded file, double-click it. The source application software is
invoked, and you can edit the object with the source application's commands.
PI ProcessBook is a time-based application. When a ProcessBook is used as an embedded
object, it updates dynamically whenever you double-click it.
If you rename a ProcessBook or move it to another directory, drive, or PC, you can still change
any embedded objects in displays as long as your system can locate the appropriate source
application software.

Topics in this section

Embed in PI ProcessBook
Edit the contents of an embedded object
Share ProcessBook displays with other applications

Embed in PI ProcessBook
Objects may be created within a PI ProcessBook display by the source application and then
stored as embedded objects. Alternatively, you may create objects from existing files or parts
of files. In addition, you can embed an object by dragging or pasting it from another
application.
You must be in Build mode in order to insert a new object.

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Procedure
Click Insert > Object to open the Insert Object window.

Topics in this section

Embed an existing file in a display
Embed a new file in a display

Embed an existing file in a display

Note:
You can also embed images by using PI ProcessBook's graphic symbol. The graphic
symbol is a built-in symbol that is specifically designed to display images, and therefore
may offer you more control then embedding an OLE object.

Procedure
1. Open the display.
2. In Build mode, click Insert > Object.
The Insert Object window appears.
3. Select Create from File.
4. Click the Browse button.
The Browse window appears.
5. Browse and locate the file you want to embed and then click the Open button.
The file name is displayed in the File box, or
In the File box, type the path where the file is located.
6. If you want to display an icon rather than a graphic, click the Display as Icon check box.
7. Click OK.

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The object appears on your display.

Embed a new file in a display

Procedure
1. Open the display.
2. In Build mode, click Insert > Object.
The Insert Object window appears.
3. Leave Create New selected (the default position).
4. Under Object Type, click the type of object you want to embed.
Note:
If you want to display an icon rather than a graphic, select the Display as Icon check
box.
5. Click OK.
The object appears on your display.
6. Adjust the size and positioning of the object.
7. Commands for the source application are available on the menus. Create the contents of the
new object and click elsewhere on the display to return to ProcessBook.
8. Save the display.

Edit the contents of an embedded object

You cannot edit an embedded object by opening the source application first because the
embedded object is not a separate file. Instead, open the source application from within the
embedded object in the PI ProcessBook display.

Share ProcessBook displays with other applications

You can embed a display within another OLE application, or you can link an entire
ProcessBook. In embedding, the display is called a PI Display Document. Although applications
with OLE functionality use similar commands, they are not exactly alike. The following general
procedure uses examples from an Excel spreadsheet.

Topics in this section

Embed an existing display in another OLE application
Embed a new display in another OLE application

Embed an existing display in another OLE application

Procedure
1. Open the display you want to embed.
2. Open the container application.

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For example, open a spreadsheet and select a cell in which you want to place a ProcessBook
display.
3. In Build mode, click Edit > Select All, and drag the objects in the display into the other
application.
4. Save the file.
Note:
When you activate the dragged contents, the entire original display is drawn,
regardless of which objects were dragged to the new container.

Embed a new display in another OLE application

Procedure
1. Open the container application.
For example, open a spreadsheet and select a cell in which you want to place a display.
2. Click Insert > Object.
The Object window appears.
3. On the Create New tab, under Object type, click PI Display Document.
Note:
If you want to display an icon rather than a graphic, select the Display as icon check
box.
4. Click OK.
The display is embedded in the container application.

Linked objects
Linked object information is not stored as a part of the destination application. Instead, the
destination file stores only the location of the linked source file. No matter how many links it
has, only one version of the linked file is stored and maintained. Using a linked file increases
the file size of a ProcessBook less than using an embedded object.
In establishing an OLE link, you may update the:
Contents of the object dynamically whenever the source file changes
Update the object only by manual command
To change the data in a linked file, such as which tags you have selected, you switch to the
source application and open the file. Changes are then reflected in the container display
according to the update method you selected.
Alternatively, if you double-click the object, the source application and the actual file open,
allowing you to edit the object. If the source application supports in-place activation, you can
edit within the container window; otherwise a source application window opens.
If you rename a ProcessBook or move it to another directory, drive, or PC, any links from
displays to source files can break. These broken links need to be re-established if you wish to
continue using them.

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Topics in this section

Link a file to a display
Dynamic and manual updates of a linked object
Edit, update, or break links
How links are stored
Select a new source link
Edit the contents of a linked object
Link a ProcessBook to another application

Link a file to a display

You can create a link from a ProcessBook display to an existing file. The linked object appears
in a rectangle within your display. It is updated whenever the source file changes, unless you
change the link setting from Automatic to Manual.
You must be in Build mode to insert a linked object, however you may move or resize linked
objects in either Build or Run mode. You may also edit the contents of a linked object, but you
are actually editing the original source file, not simply the image in the ProcessBook display.

Procedure
1. Open the display.
2. In Build mode, click Insert > Object.
The Insert Object window appears.
3. Select Create from File.
4. Click the Browse button.
The Browse window appears.
5. Browse and locate the file you want to embed and then click the Open button.
The file name appears in the File box, or
In the File box, type the path where the file is located.
Note:
If you want to display an icon rather than a graphic, select the Display as Icon check
box.
6. Select the Link check box.
7. Click OK.
The object appears on your display.
8. Adjust the size and positioning of the object.

Dynamic and manual updates of a linked object

The default setting for a link is automatic updates, meaning that whenever the source data are
changed, the data in your display changes.
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You can change this updating frequency to manual through the Links window. Manual updates
are also initiated through this window.

Edit, update, or break links

If you have created an automatic link to another object, it updates whenever you open the
entry. If you have created a manually updated link, use the Update Now button on the Links
window to update your linked object.
When you move a display, you may need to change the sources for linked objects by breaking
the links and re-establishing them.

Procedure
1. Open the display.
2. In Build mode, click Edit > Links.
The Links window appears.
3. Click the link you want to change.
Note:
You can select several links at once by pressing the CTRL key and clicking each link.
4. Choose one of the following options:
Select Manual
Updates the linked data manually
Click Update Now
Updates the linked data immediately
Click Open Source
Edits the linked data
Click Break Link
Permanently breaks the link. The object is converted to a picture (metafile).
5. Click OK.

How links are stored

When you establish a link between a ProcessBook display and a source file, the link is stored in
two ways, the relative path for the link, and the absolute path for the link. The relative path is
the relationship between the location of the source file and the location of the target file in the
directory tree. The absolute path includes the drive, directory, and file name of the source file.

Select a new source link

When you move a ProcessBook or display that contains links to source files, if both the
absolute and the relative paths change, you need to reestablish the links.

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Procedure
1. Open the display.
2. In Build mode, click Edit > Links.
The Links window appears.
3. Click the Change Source button.
The Change Source window appears.

Edit the contents of a linked object

To edit the contents of a linked object, either double-click the object or open the source
application and make changes. These are immediately reflected in the ProcessBook display if it
is open; otherwise the changes appear the next time you open the ProcessBook display.
Note:
When editing a linked object file, remember that the file may also be an object in other
applications besides PI ProcessBook.
In addition, you can reach the source application through the Links window.

Procedure
1. Click Edit > Links.
The Links window appears.
2. Click the appropriate link.
3. Click the Open Source button to open the source file.

Link a ProcessBook to another application

Procedure
1. Open the container application.
For example, open a spreadsheet and select a cell in which you want to place a display.
2. Click Insert > Object.
The Object window appears.
3. Click the Create from File tab.
4. Do one of the following to enter the file name and path:
In the File name box, type the path.

Click the Browse button and locate the ProcessBook file (.piw) that you want to link to.

5. Select the Link to File check box.

6. Click OK.
The ProcessBook icon is displayed in your application.

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Note:
If you select the Display as Icon check box, then the Object Packager icon is used by
default, rather than the ProcessBook icon.

Should you link or embed?

Embed
If you want to update the object data within the target document or if you want to store all
the source data within the container application. This option is also better if you plan to link
files to different locations.
Link
If you want the data to update dynamically or when you need to minimize file size. The
source application and linked files must continue to be available.
Note:
When you link to a ProcessBook container, there is a risk of accidentally changing the
source file.

Example of embedded and linked objects in a ProcessBook display

In the example below, a ProcessBook display includes a process schematic, an embedded list of
equipment parts, and a link to lab results.

The equipment parts list is stored with the ProcessBook display. If your PC has an installed
copy of Microsoft Word, you can peruse or modify the list at any time simply by doubleclicking it.
The lab results are stored by the source application, not in the ProcessBook display. The
display can be set to update lab data dynamically whenever the results in the source
application changed, or it can be set to update lab data when you click an Update Now button
on the Edit Links window.

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Add an Active X control

You can insert ActiveX controls that are installed on your PC into PI ProcessBook displays. If
you move the displays to other machines, then you must also install the controls there.
Some ActiveX controls are self-contained and will work without further scripting. Most require
additional VBA code before they function correctly.

Procedure
1. In Build mode, open a display.
2. On the Drawing toolbar, click the Control button

, or

Click Draw > Control.

The mouse pointer changes to a control pointer.
3. Click in the display where you want to add the control and drag the pointer to form a
rectangle into which the control will be placed.
When you release the mouse button, the Insert Control window appears.
4. Under Controls, click the appropriate control, and then click OK.
For example, if you add a calendar control to a display, it might look like this:

In Run mode, a user could change the month and date. A programmer could incorporate the
calendar into scripts associated with the display.

Work with OLE objects

Topics in this section
Icons versus graphics
Windows drag and drop
Edit the appearance of an OLE object
Commands that ignore OLE objects
Placement of OLE objects
OLE object colors
Edit contents of OLE objects
Delete an OLE object from a display
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OLE container or server

Icons versus graphics

You can choose to have embedded or linked objects displayed either as graphic
representations or as icons. An icon uses the minimum area of your display and would be
appropriate for reference material, such as definitions.
The icon for the source application appears unless you select another one.
Choosing an icon to represent a linked file results in a slightly smaller ProcessBook file size.
Choosing icons for embedded objects does not reduce ProcessBook file size.

Convert graphic representations to icons

To save space on a ProcessBook display for a linked object use an icon, rather than a graphic
representation of the data.
You may select to display an icon when you are creating the object by selecting the Display as
Icon check box in the Insert Object window. Later, you can switch between an icon and a
graphic representation of the object, as described below. If you have made the graphic
representation other than a square shape, the icon may be distorted.

Procedure
1. Open the display.
2. In Build mode, click the object you want to change.
3. Click Edit > Object (at the bottom of the menu) > Convert.
The Convert window appears.

4. Select the Display As Icon check box.

5. Click OK.
The object switches from a graphic to an icon.
Note:
To switch from an icon to a graphic, clear the Display as Icon check box.
6. To select the icon to use, click the Change Icon button.
The Change Icon window appears.
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If you want to return to the default icon, then select Default.

If you want to select a new icon from the available group, select From File and choose a
new icon.
If you want to select a new file to provide the icon, click the Browse button.
If you want to change the name of the label that displays beneath the icon, then type the
new name in the Label box.

7. Click OK to return to the Convert window.

8. On the Convert window, click OK.

Windows drag and drop

Use the Windows drag and drop feature to move or copy an object from another OLE
application or display into a ProcessBook display or vice versa. To move an object, simply drag
it. To copy an object, press CTRL and drag it. PI ProcessBook must be in Build mode to
successfully have an object dragged or dropped.
Note:
If you open a display and drag an object elsewhere, the display is permanently changed,
regardless of whether you save it or simply close it.

Edit the appearance of an OLE object

Once an OLE object appears in a display, you can resize it, move it around on the display, or
copy it. There are, however, a few differences in how OLE objects respond to PI ProcessBook
commands, compared to native objects such as symbols.
Although you must be in Build mode to insert an OLE object or edit links, you can edit OLE
objects from either Run mode or Build mode. When you select an OLE object, switching modes
does not cancel the selection.
Note:
It is not possible to disable the ability to move, resize, edit, or copy an OLE object. This
behavior is built into the underlying Microsoft OLE technology, and not governed by PI
ProcessBook.
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Commands that ignore OLE objects

Command

Location

Action

Select All

Edit menu

Does not include OLE objects.

Zoom/Fit All Symbols

View menu

Ignores OLE objects.

Align

Arrange menu

Does not work because you

cannot select more than one OLE
object at a time.

Forward

Arrange menu

Does not work because you

cannot select more than one OLE
object at a time.

Backward

Arrange menu

Does not work because you

cannot select more than one OLE
object at a time.

Group

Arrange menu

Does not work because you

cannot select more than one OLE
object at a time.

Rotate

Arrange menu

Does not work with OLE objects.

Flip

Arrange menu

Does not work with OLE objects.

Placement of OLE objects

OLE objects appear to obscure other elements of the display, such as text or symbols, if the OLE
objects were created before the native symbols. The most recently created OLE object appears
on top of older OLE objects and native symbols.
Active X controls and OLE objects are not really part of a display, but rather sit on top of it.
They therefore do not participate in the regular Z-order of display items. This fact also limits
the ability to use the Tab key to select OLE objects in a display.

OLE object colors

You might want to use a background within an OLE object in a contrasting color to the display.
To change the colors used in an OLE object, go to the source application. ProcessBook Color
Preferences do not apply to OLE objects.

Edit contents of OLE objects

Some source applications permit in-place activation, which means that if you double-click the
OLE object, the source application opens, displays its menus and commands through the
ProcessBook menu bar, and permits you to edit the object in place within PI ProcessBook.
Other source applications open a new window for editing when you double-click the OLE
object.

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Procedure
1. Open the display.
2. In Build mode, double-click the OLE object you want to edit.
3. Refer to the following table:
If
The source application permits in-place
activation, menus and commands for the source
application appear on your screen, temporarily
replacing ProcessBook menus.
The source application does not permit in-place
activation, a new window containing the source
application appears.

Then
a. Edit the object.
b. Save it if it is a linked file.
c. Click elsewhere on the display to return to
ProcessBook or press the ESC key.
a. Edit the object.
b. Save it if it is a linked file.
c. Close the window and return to
ProcessBook.

Delete an OLE object from a display

Procedure
1. In Build mode, click the OLE object you want to delete.
2. Click Edit > Clear.

OLE container or server

A ProcessBook display can be shown in another application. For example, you could include an
updating trend in an incident report produced in a word processing application such as
Microsoft Word. Or, you could prepare a presentation for a group by using Microsoft
PowerPoint to prepare slides and including embedded displays from PI ProcessBook. To do
this, use the Insert Object command in the second application and insert an object of type PI
Display Document.

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OSIsoft licenses Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) from Microsoft in order to provide an
integrated development environment. This is the same VBA that is used in Microsoft Office,
Visio, AutoCAD, Great Plains Dynamics, and many other applications.
In PI ProcessBook, each display has a VBA project associated with it. You can write scripts that
execute in response to events in PI ProcessBook, either from user actions or data updates. Also
use VBA to automate routine tasks or to cause changes in a display when data changes.
The Visual Basic toolbar includes three command buttons: Visual Basic Editor, Run Macro, and
Design Mode.
Use of VBA in PI ProcessBook is documented in the VBA language reference. Click Help > PI
ProcessBook VBA Language Reference to open this reference guide. You can find existing
custom VBA scripts, and other related resources available at the OSIsoft vCampus Web site.

Topics in this section

VBA commands
ActiveX Automation
What you can do with ActiveX Automation in PI ProcessBook
Automation vocabulary

VBA commands
Access VBA through the VBA toolbar, or by clicking Tools > Macro:
Visual Basic Editor

Switches to VBA Editor window

Run Macros

Opens the Macros window, which

provides a way to select, debug,
and run existing VBA scripts

Design Mode

Stops any scripts that may be

running or may start running.
Useful for debugging

ActiveX Automation
ActiveX Automation refers to the technology of placing ActiveX controls (independent software
modules) within applications and using scripts to manipulate the application and/or the
controls.

What you can do with ActiveX Automation in PI ProcessBook

Data from PI ProcessBook can be retrieved or manipulated according to scripts originating
either within or outside PI ProcessBook. For example, with the proper scripts in place, you
could:
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Obtain a PI ProcessBook object, such as a display, from PI ProcessBook and print it in an
Excel spreadsheet. In fact, you can write the script to retrieve the display if and only if
certain tag values or other conditions are met.
Write a VB program to start PI ProcessBook, access a particular display, and then alter it in
some way.
Click on a command button in ProcessBook to make an Excel spreadsheet show the average
and raw data of the current trend in ProcessBook. Then you change the time range of the
ProcessBook, click the button again, and see the Excel spreadsheet update with the new
time range.
Use a mouse click within a PI ProcessBook display to initiate updates or adjustments in the
display.
Update a PI ProcessBook display by typing new tag names into a spreadsheet.
Although Automation scripts are not required to use a dialect of Visual Basic, at the present
time, that is the most common approach.

Automation vocabulary
Understanding OLE Automation requires some technical vocabulary.
Terms used in the PI ProcessBook VBA Language Reference Guide are defined below.

240

Automation

Accessing an object in an application and changing

it or using it without using the user interface.

ActiveX Automation Server

The application that provides data. PI ProcessBook

is an OLE Automation Server. It provides access to
its internal objects from other applications.

ActiveX Automation Container

The application that initiates changes through

scripts. PI ProcessBook is an Automation
container, as are Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Access,
and a few other commercial products.

Object

A specific item that may be manipulated by a

script. For example, a ProcessBook, a display, or a
symbol may be the object of a VB or VBA script.

Property

An attribute of an object. An object with read-write

properties can have variable information assigned
to it by the script. A read-only property cannot be
changed.

Method

An action that can be performed on an object and

may or may not return a value. Sometimes called a
function.

Event

A procedure that executes whenever a particular

action occurs, such as a mouse click.

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Topics in this section
Installation
Configuration settings for high availability
MDB to PI AF migration
Default settings for the Playback toolbar
DEP security
Read and write data access for users
Machine address
PROCBOOK.INI
IMPPIGP.INI
SETUPProcessBook.LOG

Installation
Detailed information on installing PI ProcessBook is available in the PI ProcessBook Release
Notes, which are available on the OSIsoft Tech Support site.

Topics in this section

System requirements
64-bit operating systems
Upgrade from a previous version of PI ProcessBook
Compatibility with other PI System client products
Silent installation
Installation test
Installed files

System requirements
For up-to-date system requirements, go to the OSIsoft Tech Support Products page (https://
techsupport.osisoft.com/Products/). Click the product link to see information about the
product, including the current system requirements.

64-bit operating systems

PI ProcessBook is a 32-bit Windows application that runs on either 32- or 64-bit Windows
operating systems.
For 64-bit operating systems please note the following:

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The default install location for OSIsoft 32-bit applications:
C:\Program Files (x86)

Registry settings are located under the Wow6432Node branch. For example references to:
...\SOFTWARE\PISystem\PI ProcessBook\...

can be found under:

...\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\PISystem\PI ProcessBook\...

Upgrade from a previous version of PI ProcessBook

If you have a previous version of PI ProcessBook installed on your computer, you should
upgrade that version rather than uninstall it. During the installation of PI ProcessBook, your
previous version of PI ProcessBook is removed; however, .ini file settings are retained.
If you have created or edited displays and ProcessBooks with other versions of PI
ProcessBook, those files will still work.
Note:
If your existing version is significantly older, you may need to migrate the displays
through intermediate versions to ensure successful migration.

Compatibility with other PI System client products

If you have other client products, such as PI DataLink, the same root path is used for
installation, often C:\Program Files\PIPC. Otherwise, incompatibilities in the .dll files
shared by the applications could occur.
If you have PI BatchView installed on your system, the setup program for PI ProcessBook
installs a PI ProcessBook Batch group symbol that is compatible with the current version of
PI ProcessBook. You can also install PI BatchView after installing PI ProcessBook, and the
correct Batch Trend symbol is loaded.
PI SQC is installed with PI ProcessBook.

Silent installation
You can install this software with the Windows silent installation feature. Sometimes called an
unattended installation, silent installation requires no feedback during the setup process.
System administrators with an automated software distribution application might use silent
installation to deploy software automatically to large numbers of corporate desktops.
To launch a silent installation, type:
Setup.exe f silent.ini
The silent.ini file is included in the setup kit. You can make site-specific alterations to the
file as needed. See the silent.ini file for further information and descriptions of available
arguments.

Installation test
You can view the results of the installation process by examining the setup log:
PIPC\DAT\SetupProcessBook.log

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This log also contains information pertaining to the directory structure, node, .dlls, user
name, and installation of various PI ProcessBook files. If the log file is not found in the \PIPC
\Dat folder, look in the root directory of your system drive (for example, C:\).
After you install PI ProcessBook, you can see the words PI System on the Windows Start
menu under Programs. At this point, you are ready to use PI ProcessBook.
If you experience problems with your software, contact OSIsoft Technical Support through the
OSIsoft Technical Support website (http://techsupport.osisoft.com).

Installed files
Upon completion, Setup installs PI ProcessBook under the root directory \PIPC.
Setup also installs online help files and Release Notes.
See the Release Notes (readme.htm) for a complete list of files. The Release Notes are
normally installed at:
C:\Program Files\PIPC\procbook\en\ProcessBook.pdf

You can look at SetupProcessBook.log in the Dat directory of your PI ProcessBook

installation to see a list of files installed by PI ProcessBook's Setup on your computer.
SetupProcessBook.log does not show the files installed by VBA.

Configuration settings for high availability

On workstations where PI ProcessBook is used to write data or access data that is not available
on secondary members of a collective, a configuration setting has been provided that modifies
the default connection preference.
By editing the procbook.ini file you can configure the preference for a particular collective.
Entries of the form <collective name>=<preference> in the [COLLECTIVE PREFERENCE]
section of the procbook.ini file control how ProcessBook establishes a connection to a
server in a particular collective. The value represented above by <collective name>
represents the name listed for the collective in the PI Connection Manager. The value
represented above by <preference> must be one of the following values:
PreferPrimary
The primary server in the collective is preferred but not required
RequirePrimary
The primary server is required
Any
Any server in the collective is acceptable
Note:
For PI ActiveView, connection preferences are configured in acview.ini.
In general, if the advanced feature requires a primary server to operate correctly, specifying
PreferPrimary connects you to the primary member whenever it is available. When the
primary is unavailable, a secondary server is used and all features of ProcessBook that don't
require the primary server continue to function. If the use of ProcessBook on a workstation

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requires access to the primary, then specifying RequirePrimary forces the application to only
connect to a primary member and fail when such a connection cannot be completed.

Recommended setting for connection preference

Most ProcessBook displays do not write data to PI Server and therefore work equally well
against primary and secondary member servers. A setting of Any is sufficient and supports the
static load balancing configured in the PI SDK.
A setting of PreferPrimary also works well but does not allow the workstation to participate
in load balancing when running ProcessBook.
If you use RequirePrimary, and the primary is unavailable, the application behaves as it did
without high availability when the server is unreachable. When this occurs during the opening
of a display, the error returned by the connection attempt is displayed in the Status Report
window for each tag on the server. Typically, the message reads:
The requested server in not currently available. Primary.

Dynamic symbols on the display are presented in the same manner as any other symbol
attached to a disconnected server, though there is no recovery unless the primary server
comes back online.

Status Report Window

If this occurs after the display is already open, ProcessBook detects the loss of connection, as
described previously, and tries to reconnect to the server. This call fails, generates the same
error as in the previous case (The requested server in not currently available,
Primary), and updates the Status Report window.

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MDB to PI AF migration
PI ProcessBook 2012 converts Module Relative Displays (MRD) created with earlier versions
of PI ProcessBook into displays that are compatible with PI AF.
The first time you open an MRD display in PI ProcessBook 2012, it is automatically upgraded
to an Element Relative Display (ERD) in memory. If you save the display, you cannot revert the
display to an MRD.
PI ProcessBook does not migrate data from the Module Database (MDB). The data migration is
a separate process that occurs when you upgrade to PI Server 2010 or later.
OSIsoft recommends that you:
Upgrade to PI Server 2010 or later, which automatically converts your MDB data to PI AF
Back up all of your displays before upgrading to PI ProcessBook 2012
Allow PI ProcessBook 2012 to automatically upgrade MRD displays to use the ERD instead

Topics in this section

Module Relative Display Add-in
Considerations for multiple versions of PI Server or PI ProcessBook
Matrix of display behavior
Migrate a Module Relative Display (MRD) to an Element Relative Display (ERD)

Module Relative Display Add-in

The Module Relative Display Add-in, included in PI ProcessBook v3.2 and earlier, allows you to
show data from a Module Database module on dynamic symbols in PI ProcessBook. This
feature does not support PI AF data and is discontinued in PI ProcessBook 2012.
Installing PI ProcessBook 2012 uninstalls MRD add-in. You must use an earlier release of PI
ProcessBook or download and install the MRD add-in from the Technical Support Web site to
view the following:
MDB data from earlier versions of PI Server
Batch displays
MRD displays

Considerations for multiple versions of PI Server or PI ProcessBook

You must take special precautions when your PI System includes more than one version of PI
Server or more than one version of PI ProcessBook. Consider that:
PI ProcessBook 2012 does not automatically support MRD displays.
You must download and install the MRD add-in to access data in MRD displays from PI
ProcessBook 2012 even if you have earlier versions of the PI Server.
When you attempt to open an MRD display that references an older server with PI
ProcessBook 2012, you get an upgrade error and no data is displayed.
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You can use PI ProcessBook 3.2 or earlier to view MRD displays from earlier versions of PI
Server and PI Server 2010. PI Server 2010 has a synchronization feature that allows you to
view data with MDB-based tools.
After you upgrade a PI ProcessBook display from MRD to ERD, the display will only show
data in PI ProcessBook 3.2 or later.

Matrix of display behavior

The following table describes what happens with MRD displays and ERD displays depending
on the version of PI System and the version of PI ProcessBook.
PI Server 2010 or later

Pre PI Server 2010

PI ProcessBook 2012

The first time you open an MRD

display in PI ProcessBook 2012
the ERD add-in attempts to
upgrade it. Symbols on converted
displays receive data from PI AF.

Attempt to open MRD fails with

Element Not Found or
Attribute Not Found error
messages.

PI ProcessBook 2012 +
previously installed MRD add-in

Installing PI ProcessBook 2012

uninstalls MRD add-in.

Installing PI ProcessBook 2012

uninstalls MRD add-in.

PI ProcessBook 3.2

PI ProcessBook 3.2 supports

both MRD and ERD.

You can continue to open MRD

displays.

You must manually uninstall the

MRD Add-in from the computer
to migrate exiting MRD displays
to ERD. PI ProcessBook 3.2
supports both MRD and ERD. See
tech support article on When to
use MRD and ERD.
Pre- PI ProcessBook 3.2

ERD is not available.

PI Server 2010 supports MRD
though a two-way
synchronization that makes PI
AF elements available as
Modules.

You can continue to open MRD

displays.

This is not the recommended

path forward. We recommend
that you upgrade to PI AF.

Migrate a Module Relative Display (MRD) to an Element Relative Display (ERD)

When an MRD is opened in PI ProcessBook 3.2 or higher, the ERD add-in attempts to map the
stored MDB paths to the new paths in PI AF created by migration to a PI Server 2010 or later.
Any errors are reported in the Migration Status window. After this upgrade, if you have saved
the display, it is no longer compatible with earlier versions of PI ProcessBook, which do not
have ERD.

Procedure
1. In PI ProcessBook, open an MRD display.

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The display is shown and the migration process occurs at the point where the display would
normally retrieve data. Once the migration process is complete, the ERD docking window
appears with a status icon in the title bar notifying you whether or not the migration
completed successfully.
The display successfully migrated.
The display successfully migrated, but there were some issues.
The display was not migrated and will not work.
Note:
In the case of a partially successful migration, the symbols and/or contexts that could
not be migrated are left the way they were. If you save your display and then reopen
it, the migration is reattempted.
Following a successful migration you might see a dynamic symbol display No Data.
This occurs when the Module database is migrated to a PI AF database, but the
element corresponding to the module cannot be found on the PI AF database.
2. Click the icon to display the Migration Results window.

3. Optional: Click the Save to File button to save the results as a tab-delineated file that can be
exported into a spreadsheet such as Microsoft Excel.
This file contains additional migration information.

Default settings for the Playback toolbar

The values for Scroll Period, Display Range, and Speed default to the settings they had when
you closed PI Processbook. Default settings do not change from display to display.
Start time, end time, and display range values default based on the user and locale. This avoids
issues when a user enters a locale-dependent dynamic time string such as *-8 stunde that
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would only be recognized by the PI System when running under the same locale. Units for
speed in the Playback Options window are localized for region.

DEP security
Data Execution Prevention (DEP) is a setting introduced with Windows XP SP2 and is available
in subsequent Windows operating systems. The setting prevents malicious code attacks. PI
ProcessBook works correctly when this setting is enabled.

Read and write data access for users

Although most data features in PI ProcessBook require read-only access (writing annotations
from the Details add-in being one notable exception), the PI System administrator can
configure a user's setup for read-only, read/write, or no access. For more information, refer to
PIBuild:PIServer.txt on your PI Server node.
If you want to restrict read and/or write access to PI data, make changes in the CLIENTACCESS
section of the file pisysdat:piserver.dat. For example:
[USERDATABASE]
DEFAULT=PI
[CLIENTACCESS]
DEFAULT=RW
DYAN=R
ERIC=R
JOHN=NONE

The above entries in piserver.dat result in:

The machines named DYAN and ERIC have only read access to PI data.
The machine named JOHN does not have any access to PI data.
All other machines have both read and write access to PI.
The value for the DEFAULT entry is initially set to RW. Otherwise, existing PINet nodes will not
function properly.
If you want to restrict write access from PCs, set the default CLIENTACCESS to R and add
entries to accommodate your PINet Nodes. For example:
[USERDATABASE]
DEFAULT=PI
[CLIENTACCESS]
DEFAULT=R
BRIAN=RW

The preceding entry allows the PINet node BRIAN to read and to write data to the PI System.
All other nodes have read- only access.
TCP/IP node names are case-sensitive. In addition, the values for the entries in the
CLIENTACCESS section (for example, R and W) are also case-sensitive.

Machine address
Because PI ProcessBook is a client/server application, the communication setup is essential.
The machine address, which allows the PI System to recognize your machine, is a key item.
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Often, the address can be found as an alias in the TCP host file. The network administrator
should resolve any questions or difficulties regarding the network and addressing.

PROCBOOK.INI
The PROCBOOK.INI file contains configuration and preference settings for PI ProcessBook.
This file generally resides in two places, the user's default location, C:\Documents and
Settings\<user name>\Application Data\PISystem\PI-ProcessBook\<language>,
and the PIPC\DAT\<language> directory (on the local drive where PI ProcessBook is
installed).
When PI ProcessBook is installed on an individual PC using SETUP.EXE, the procbook.ini
file in PIPC\DAT\en is created (for the base, English installation). The file in C:\Documents
and Settings\<user name>\Application Data\PISystem\PI-ProcessBook
\<language> is only created once settings are changed in the PI ProcessBook Preferences
window for the first time. The values in C:\Documents and Settings\<user name>
\Application Data\PISystem\PI-ProcessBook\language override the values in PIPC
\DAT\<language> unless an administrator creates Registry entries to override user-specific
settings.
The following is a list and brief explanation of the most significant sections and keywords in
the PROCBOOK.INI file. The settings used are examples and not necessarily the default values.

Topics in this section

Startup section
ProcessBook View section
Conversion section
Data Manager section
Trend Definition section
Colors section
Time Range Scroll section
ProcessBook Level section
Display Colors section
XYPlot Definition section
View-only mode
Macro protection
INI security

Startup section
Initializations for startup of PI ProcessBook
Possible entries:

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StartupProcessBook
Specifies file (with full path) to be opened on start of the application. Can be blank.
DefaultFileLocation
By default, clicking File > Open displays the local user's My Documents directory.
Specifying a different directory in this entry changes the File > Open and File > Save
commands to start with a different folder when ProcessBook starts.
ModeBias
R=run-mode, B=build-mode
RetainAspectRatio
1=preserve aspect ratio for displays, 0=do not preserve aspect ratio for displays
Symbol Library
Specifies a workbook that is opened by selecting the Book of Symbols button from a
customized toolbar.
MakeBackupFile
1=make backup files while using ProcessBook, 0=do not make backup files
Author
Sets the default author for created displays and workbooks
ToolTipsEnabled
Setting this entry equal to Y enables ToolTips on dynamic symbols. Setting equal to N
disables them. The default (if this entry is not in the .ini file) is Y. This setting has no effect
on toolbar tooltips.
International Date Format
Specifies date/time format. 1=Windows format, 0=PI Time format
PromptForConversion
1=prompt user when opening a file created with an earlier version, asking whether or not
to convert to new format, 0=do not prompt (default)
MaxUndoStackSize
Maximum number of elements in the Undo stack (default is 200)
Build/Run Scroll Mode
For each mode, set the scrolling: 0=off, 1=on, 2=automatic.
GridSize
Sets the Grid Size, in lines per screen unit. Default is 12.
File Access Entries
FileAccessTimeout and FileAccessInterval entries, described below, the common
INI file (in \PIPC\Dat) is checked first for these settings as opposed to the private INI files.

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FileAccessTimeout
Number of seconds PI ProcessBook attempts to open a locked file (default is 5 seconds)
FileAccessInterval
Number of intervals, in tenths of seconds, between attempts to open a locked file
(default is 1/10 of a second)
COMTimeOut
This is the number of seconds that the ProcessBook container waits before showing a
timeout window. The default is 30 seconds.
RunSelectorColor
Red, Green, Blue, values can range from 0 to 255, sets the color of the selector rectangle in
run mode.
MacroProtectionLevel
Specifies how ProcessBook handles macros per display. Possible settings:
Level 0
No macro protection (default if entry is not defined)
Level 1
Prompts user to disable macros when VBA code is opened
Level 2
Prompts user as in Level 1, except when macros are disabled, VBA code is opened and
locked in design mode
Level 5
Same as Level 1, except that no window appears when display is opened (can toggle
between run and design modes)
Level 6
Same as Level 2, except no window appears when display is opened (locked in design
mode)
Toolbar Configuration Entries
Typically the toolbar INI file (PBToolbarConfig.ini) is generated by ProcessBook in the
same folder as the private acview.ini file, and is persisted there. However, you can assign
toolbar configurations to other INI files by setting the entries below (in order of
precedence, from first to last):
TBFilePath
Location and filename that the user's toolbar configuration data will be persisted (this
file must have both read and write access). This will also be the first location looked for
when loading the toolbar configuration.
UserDefaultTB
Read-only location and filename of a toolbar configuration that is searched for, when the
file in TBFilePath is not found. This could be a default company, or group,
configuration.
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PBDefaultTB
Read-only location and filename of a toolbar configuration, used only when the two
entries above are not found, and there is no toolbar configuration data persisted in the
Windows registry.
References
Filenames or paths to VBA references, separated by semicolons (;)
URL Home
Specifies the website navigated to when a user clicks the ProcessBook icon in the Help
\About box. Default link is to the OSIsoft Website (http://www.osisoft.com/)
MaxBitmapMB
Maximum file size (in megabytes) that bitmap images may be loaded in displays. If
embedded bitmaps are larger than the specified maximum, ProcessBook scales the images
down to lower resolutions. The current default maximum is 16.0 MB.
ServerTimeZone
1=Show times and time spans based on the time zone of the server where the tags originate,
0=Show times and time spans based on the time zone of the local machine. 1 is the default.
ProcessBook
Setting this value equal to PRIMARY allows users to view ProcessBooks, but not change
them. The user has access to the Standard toolbar, including the trend displays command to
create instant trends, but cannot save an instant display.
EnableScreenSaver
Indicates whether the platform's screen saver should be displayed while ProcessBook is
running. A value of 1 enables the screen saver and is appears if it is defined at the operating
system level. A value of 0 prevents the screen saver from appearing while ProcessBook is
running, even if the screen saver is enabled at the operating system level. The default value
is 1. If this entry is not in acview.ini, the application assumes a value of 1.
ConnectUsingAPI
0 = (default) do not connect on startup using the PI API, only use the PI SDK. 1 = connect
using the PI API (and the PI SDK). This setting is used to support legacy VBA code in
displays/add-ins.
Show Value Attributes
Indicates whether value attribute flags (substituted, questionable, annotations) are shown
for tags.
1 = Yes (default setting)
0 = No
PB2TraceCompatibility
Indicates whether all snapshot values are retained for trend traces or discarded when a
new archive event is received on updating trends.

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1 = Yes. Do not replace snapshot values when a new archive event is received. This setting
may result in a jagged trace that gets smoothed when the trend is reverted.
0 = No. Use snapshot value filtering/removal logic so that only archive values and any
snapshot values since the last archive event are shown on the trend.
EnableConnectorAttachments
controls whether symbols drag and dropped on top of a connector are made into connector
attachments
1 = true - allow
0 = false - do not allow
ConnectorsAvoidConnectors
controls whether connectors are treated as obstacles to be avoided when performing object
avoidance
1 = true - connectors are avoided in object avoidance
0 = false - connectors are not avoided in object avoidance
AutoEnableScripting
when set to True, new dynamic symbols are automatically enabled for scripting. If set to
False, new dynamic symbols are not automatically enabled for scripting. The False setting
may improve performance for very complex displays with many symbols.

Startup example
[Startup]
Startup ProcessBook=PIDEMO.PIW
DefaultFileLocation="C:\Program Files\PIPC\Procbook"
ModeBias=R
Retain Aspect Ratio=0
Symbol Library=SYMLIBRY.PIW
PromptForConversion=[PB_PROMPTFORCONVERSION]
Show Value Attributes=1
PB2TraceCompatibility=0
MakeBackupFile=0
ToolTipsEnabled=Y
Author=
International Date Format=1
MaxUndoStackSize=20
Build Scroll Mode=1
Run Scroll Mode=1
GridSize=12
FileAccessTimeout=5
FileAccessInterval=1
COMTimeOut=30
RunSelectorColor=0,0,0
MacroProtectionLevel=0
TBFilePath=
UserDefaultTB=
PBDefaultTB=
References=
URL Home="http://www.osisoft.com/"
MaxBitmapMB=16
ServerTimeZone=1

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Processbook=PRIMARY
EnableScreenSaver=1
ConnectUsingAPI=0
EnableConnectorAttachments=1

ProcessBook View section

The ProcessBook View section of the .INI file should be modified through the Tools >
Preferences window and should resemble this example:
[ProcessBook View]
BookView = 1

BookView controls the view in which a ProcessBook is displayed when opened (0 = Outline, 1
= Book).
To change the font for the tabs in book view, add a section similar to this example:
[BookTab_Font]
Height=-13
Weight=0
Italic=0
Underline=0
PitchAndFamily=0
FaceName=Arial

The FaceName should be a TrueType font so that it can be rotated.

Conversion section
The Conversion section of the .INI file identifies resources for importing other file formats
and resembles this example:
[Conversion]
Import0 = PIDisDIFF Files, impd32.dll, dat
Import1 = PI-Graphics Files, impp32.dll, dat

ImportN identifies the file types used when converting VAX-formatted trends or graphics. N
increments by one for each file type.
The second field is the name of the file type to be imported and will appear in the List Files of
Type drop-down box in the Import File window.
The third field is the DLL used to import the file type. No path is necessary, because the files
reside in the same directory as Procbook.exe.
The fourth field is the default extension for the file type. You can have more than one extension
for each import type, separated by semicolons.

Data Manager section

The Data Manager section of the .INI file should be added by the System Manager and should
resemble this example.
[Data Manager]
TIMER = 5000

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TIMER sets the poll timer, in milliseconds, for checking whether PI ProcessBook should
perform any time-related task. Time-related tasks include retrieving exception reports from PI
Server and re-querying sources. (60,000 is the maximum setting; the default is 5000.)

Trend Definition section

Trend definitions control the default behavior applied to new trend symbols and instant
trends. These settings correspond to settings on the Trend and Trend Elements tabs of the
Preferences window.
Autoscale
1=yes, 0=no
Value/Description/Plot Title/Grids/Scale Inside Axis/Tag Name/Eng Units/
Correlation Coefficient/Linear Correlation/Connecting Lines
1=enable feature, 0=disable feature
Background Null
1=sets to have no background color, 0=have background color specified under Elements
Start Time/End Time
Default start and end time range (must be a valid PI string)
UpdateTimeRange
Maximum time period, in seconds, to support updates. The default is 604,800 seconds,
equal to 7 days. If the time range is greater than this value, the trend does not update
automatically even when the end time is '*'. Note that the maximum update range is
different from the update rate, which is the frequency with which the computer displays
new data from the server, typically every 5 seconds.
MarkerWarning
ProcessBook has the option of showing a warning whenever a trend has found too many
marker values to display them on the plot. 1=enables this option, 0=disables this option.
Default value is 1.
RequeryThresholdFactor
Base the max values for each trace on a "factor" of the interval
RequeryHoldoffTimeout
Minimum time for re-query since last requery in milliseconds
Max Traces
the maximum number of traces per trend.
Element
These 16 entries are the main drawn properties of trends. For each of 16 trend elements,
you can change the color and shape properties. This is the entry format:
ElementX = Name, Color, LineStyle, MarkerStyle

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Color
Decimal conversion of the color to draw the element.
For example, Pen 1 has a color of 65280, which converts to 0x00ff00 in hex.
00ff00 = 0 red, 255 green, 0 blue, so 00ff00 displays green
LineStyle
Line style of the element. Key is as follows:
-1=no line, 0=solid, 1=dashed, 2=dotted, 3=dash-dot, 4=dash-dot-dot
MarkerStyle
Marker style of each trace. Key is as follows:
-1=no marker, 0=closed circle, 1=open circle, 2=closed diamond, 3=open diamond, 4=closed
square, 5=open square, 6=closed triangle, 7=open triangle, 8=cross
Tag Name/Server Name
1=show on legend by default, 0=do not show on legend by default
Example:
[Trend Definition]
Autoscale=1
Value=1
Description=0
Markers=0
Plot Title=1
Grids=1
Scale Inside Axis=1
Tag Name=1
Server Name=0
Eng Units=1
Background Null=0
Start Time=*-8 Hour
End Time=*
MarkerWarning=1
UpdateTimeRange=604800
;MaxValues=2000
RequeryThresholdFactor=6
RequeryHoldoffTimeout=300000
Max Traces=50
Element1=Horz. Axis,0,0,-1
Element2=Background,8421504,-1,-1
Element3=Horz. Major Grid,0,0,-1
Element4=Horz. Minor Grid,0,0,-1
Element5=Pen 1,65280,0,0
Element6=Pen 2,16776960,0,1
Element7=Pen 3,65535,0,2
Element8=Pen 4,16711935,0,3
Element9=Pen 5,255,0,4
Element10=Pen 6,16777215,0,5
Element11=Pen 7,16711680,0,6
Element12=Pen 8,0,0,7
Element13=Text,16777215,-1,-1
Element14=Vert. Axis,0,0,-1
Element15=Vert. Major Grid,0,0,-1
Element16=Vert. Minor Grid,0,0,-1

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Colors section
Defines the 16 colors in the ProcessBook palette.
Parameters: ColorX = Red, Green, Blue, values can range from 0 to 255
Example:
[Colors]
Color1=255,255,255
Color2=255,0,0
Color3=0,255,0
Color4=0,0,255
Color5=0,255,255
Color6=255,0,255
Color7=255,255,0
Color8=0,0,0
Color9=192,192,192
Color10=128,0,0
Color11=0,128,0
Color12=128,128,128
Color13=128,0,128
Color14=0,0,128
Color15=128,128,0
Color16=0,128,128

Time Range Scroll section

Possible entries:
TimeRangeMin/TimeRangeMax
Sets the minimum/maximum time that can be scrolled using the time range scroll bar (must
be valid PI time strings)
PageScrollNonlinearity
Sets the factor by which clicking on and holding the mouse button down in the page scroll
area will increase the speed that the thumbwheel of the scrollbar moves. A value of 0
indicates no acceleration.
LineScrollNonlinearity
Sets the factor by which clicking on and holding the mouse button down in the line scroll
area will increase the speed that the thumbwheel of the scrollbar moves. A value of 0
indicates no acceleration.
ThumbScrollNonlinearity
Sets the factor by which clicking and holding the thumbwheel of the scrollbar will increase
the speed that the thumbwheel moves
Example:
[Time Range Scroll]
TimeRangeMin=*-100d
TimeRangeMax=*+10d
PageScrollNonlinearity=20
LineScrollNonlinearity=100
ThumbScrollNonlinearity=20

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ProcessBook Level section

Font settings for book levels in outline view. Possible entries:
Underline
1=underline, 0=no underline
FaceName
Font for specified level
Height
Height of the font (almost equivalent to font point size)
Weight
Boldness factor of the font
Italic
1=italic, 0=no italic
Example:
[PB Level 1]
Underline=0
FaceName=MS Sans Serif
Height=-16
Weight=700
Italic=0
PitchAndFamily=34
[PB Level 2]
Underline=0
FaceName=MS Sans Serif
Height=-13
Weight=700
Italic=0
PitchAndFamily=34

Display Colors section

These settings control the default behavior for new displays and symbols.
DisplayBackgroundColor
Red, Green, Blue, values can range from 0 to 255, sets the background color for any newly
created display
SymbolFillColor
Red, Green, Blue, values can range from 0 to 255, sets the fill color for newly created
symbols
SymbolLineColor
Red, Green, Blue, values can range from 0 to 255, sets the line or text color for newly
created symbols

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SymbolBackgroundColor
Red, Green, Blue, values can range from 0 to 255, sets the background color for newly
created symbols, for example, the empty portion of a bar symbol takes on this color.
Example:
[Display Colors]
DisplayBackgroundColor=192,192,192
SymbolFillColor = 0,0,255
SymbolLineColor = 255,255,255
SymbolBackgroundColor = 192,192,192

XYPlot Definition section

Modify this section to determine the default formatting of an XYPlot.
Autoscale
1=yes, 0=no
Value/Description/Plot Title/Grids/Scale Inside Axis/Tag Name/Eng Units/
Correlation Coefficient/Linear Correlation/Connecting Lines
1=enable feature, 0=disable feature
Background Null
1=sets to have no background color, 0=have background color specified under Elements
Start Time/End Time
Default start and end time range (must be a valid PI string)
UpdateTimeRange
Maximum time period, in seconds, to support updates. The default is 604,800 seconds,
equal to 7 days. If the time range is greater than this value, the trend does not update
automatically even when the end time is '*'. Note that the maximum update range is
different from the update rate, which is the frequency with which the computer displays
new data from the server, typically every 5 seconds.
Element
These 17 entries are the main drawn properties of XYPlots. For each of 17 XYPlot elements,
you can change the color and shape properties. This is the entry format:
ElementX
Name, Color, LineStyle, MarkerStyle
Color
Decimal conversion of the color to draw the element.
LineStyle
Line style of the element. Key is as follows: -1=no line, 0=solid, 1=dashed, 2=dotted, 3=dashdot, 4=dash-dot-dot

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MarkerStyle
Marker style of each XY pair. Key is as follows: -1=no marker, 0=closed circle, 1=open circle,
2=closed diamond, 3=open diamond, 4=closed square, 5=open square, 6=closed triangle,
7=open triangle, 8=cross

View-only mode
Installations of PI ProcessBook can be configured so that users on a network may only view
ProcessBooks and not change them. The user has access to the Standard toolbar, including the
Trend Display feature, but cannot save an ad hoc display.
To put PI ProcessBook into view-only mode, add the line
ProcessBook=Primary

to the Startup section of your ProcBook.ini file.

Alternatively, if you use Windows Authentication security, you could set the file permissions to
read-only for those users who should not modify ProcessBooks. Those users could make a
copy of the file locally and modify it.

Macro protection
The primary purpose of the macro protection feature is to prevent misbehaved VBA event code
from executing. Whenever a ProcessBook display (either standalone .pdi file or table of
contents entry) is opened, ProcessBook determines whether the display has any VBA code
present.
MacroProtectionLevel may be set in the [STARTUP] section of Procbook.ini at one of the
following levels:
Value

Description

Display is opened with macros enabled.

User is prompted when display is opened; project is set to

design mode if user selects <Disable Macros>.

User is prompted when display is opened; project is

opened with macros disabled if user selects <Disable
Macros>.

User is prompted when display is opened; project is

always set to design mode when opened.

User is prompted when display is opened; project is

always opened with macros disabled.

The default value for this setting is 0, so that if it is not present at all in the .ini file, then PI
ProcessBook always executes macros.

INI security
You can use your system registry to override many strings or integer values in PROCBOOK.INI:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\PISystem\PI - ProcessBook\Security

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Under this key there is a key for the INI file section where you can override values. Many string
or integer INI setting can be overwritten this way. The only exceptions are the HA Collective
setting, which cannot be overridden. For example, to override the EnableScreenSaver setting in
the STARTUP section of PROCBOOK.INI, create a DWORD value EnableScreenSaver with a
value of 1 in HKLM\SOFTWARE\PISystem\PI - ProcessBook\Security\Startup.
Security registry settings override local PROCBOOK.INI settings. Moreover, local
PROCBOOK.INI settings override global PROCBOOK.INI settings.
The PI ProcessBook setup kit does not create these registry keys; it is up to each site
administrator to create the keys if they want to override the PROCBOOK.INI settings. These
registry keys allow a PI System administrator to lock down a system configuration so that
users cannot make changes.
Note:
Registry paths might differ on 64-bit operating systems.

IMPPIGP.INI
The IMPPIGP.INI file contains configuration settings used by the Import utility in PI
ProcessBook. The file generally resides in the PIPC\DAT directory. As with other .INI files,
SETUP.EXE creates this file with default settings.
When you import VAX-formatted graphics and graphics that include trends, the import utility
uses the settings found in this .INI file to convert items such as color, line style, and fonts. You
can edit the .INI file if you want to change these default settings. Before you edit this file, you
should make a backup copy so you can restore PI ProcessBook to its original settings.
Note:
The settings in this .INI file affect graphics and trends included in graphics only. When
importing trend displays, the format specified in the Trend Preference setting is used.
The following is a list of the keywords in the IMPPIGP.INI file. The values shown are
examples and not necessarily the default settings shipped with PI ProcessBook:
The Color section of the .INI file maps VAX colors to PI ProcessBook colors:
[Color]
Clear=0,0,0
Black=0,0,0
White=255,255,255
Red=255,0,0
Green=0,255,0
Blue=0,0,255
Cyan=0,255,255
Magenta=255,0,255
Yellow=255,255,0
Orange=255,128,0
GreenYellow=128,255,0
GreenCyan=0,255,128
BlueCyan=0,128,128
BlueMagenta=0,0,128
RedMagenta=255,0,128
DarkGray=128,128,128
LightGray=192,192,

The values shown to the right of the equal sign are the red, green, blue values. Refer to
Creating Your Own Colors in the Windows documentation for more information on changing
these values.
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The Line Style section maps the VAX line format to the PI ProcessBook line format:
[Line Style]
Supress=5
Solid=0
XShortDash=2
DotShortDash=3
LongDash=1
XLongDash=1
TwoDotDash=4
LongDotDash=3
ShortDash=1

The PI ProcessBook values to the right of the equal sign represent:

0
1
2
3
4
5

=
=
=
=
=
=

solid
dash
dot
dash dot
dash dot dot
suppress

The Font section maps the VAX supported fonts to PI ProcessBook fonts:
StandardFont=35,400,0,0,34,Arial
SmallVector=-29,400,0,0,34,Arial
MediumVector=-52,400,0,0,34,Arial
LargeVector=-77,400,0,0,34,Arial

Note:
These default values are based on resolutions for VT340 terminals. If you are using a
different terminal, appearances may be different.
The values to the right of the equal sign represent these font characteristics.
Position

Font Characteristic

Definition

Height

Specifies the height of the font. If the

value is greater than zero, it specifies
the cell height. If the value is less than
zero, it specifies the character height,
which is the cell height minus the
leading.

Weight

Specifies the weight of the font (for

example, light, medium, bold). Values
can be from 0 to 900 in increments of
100. 100 equals the lightest; 900 the
darkest.

Italic

Specifies an italic font if the value is

not zero (for example, 0 = non-italic;
1= italic).

Underline

Specifies an underlined font if the

value is not zero (for example, 0 =
non-underlined; 1 = underlined).

Pitch and Family

Specifies the pitch and family of the

font. Pitch can be fixed, variable, or
default. Font families, such as Old
English, describe the look of a font in
a general way. They are intended for
specifying fonts when the exact
typeface desired is not available.

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Position

Font Characteristic

Definition

Face Name

Specifies the typeface name of the

font.

The Marker section of the .INI file maps the VAX trend markers to the markers provided in PI
ProcessBook:
[Markers]
NoMarker=9
Dot=0
SmallPlus=6
LargePlus=7
Asterisk=0
Circle=1
LargeX=8
Box=5
Diamond=3
BoxWithDot=4
DiamondWithDot=2
BoxWithDiamond=4

The values to the right of the equal sign represent these marker types in PI ProcessBook:
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9

=
=
=
=
=
=
=
=
=
=

filled circle
open circle
filled diamond
open diamond
filled square
open square
filled triangle
open triangle
cross
none

The Display section in the .INI file specifies the supported terminals in PI ProcessBook:
[Display]
Terminal Type=VT340

Keywords for supported terminals are shown below. The horizontal and vertical dimensions
are also shown.
VT340 = 800 x 500
Reflection = 800 x 500
Tektronix = 4095 x 3130
X1024 = 880 x 640
X800 = 560 x 448

If your terminal is not included in the list of keywords, you can create your own. The syntax is:
Terminal Type=Custom,X,Y

where X equals the horizontal dimension and Y equals the vertical dimension.

SETUPProcessBook.LOG
This log tracks the setup of PI ProcessBook on your system and holds information pertaining
to directory structure, user-entered information for Node, .DLL, and User name, and the
installation of the various ProcessBook files.

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Topics in this section
Display cannot find data
Trend cursor does not appear
Trend legend does not appear
Cannot change or save a display
Is an XYPlot updating?
Is an OLE object in a display linked or embedded?
Linked object data is not updating
Missing ODBC trace
Missing ODBC data sources

Display cannot find data

When a display does not receive data, the problem might be one of the following:
The network is down.
A display has been moved from one PC to another and Node Identifiers to the Server(s)
need to be re-established through the Connections window.
An ODBC data source might have been altered, causing the data set to fail to return data.
An ODBC database might have been restructured, invalidating your data set.

Trend cursor does not appear

If the trend is part of a display, select it. If that doesn't enable the trend cursor, the trend is
probably too small. Double-click to make the trend larger.

Trend legend does not appear

Make the trend larger. If that does not help, check the default Trend Format settings.

Cannot change or save a display

If your PI ProcessBook is part of a View-only installation, you are unable to save any ad hoc
trends or alter displays or ProcessBooks.

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If you cannot alter a display or ProcessBook, you may be in either View mode or Run mode. If
you are in View mode, you have only one toolbar. If you are in Run mode, the Run mode button
on the Drawing toolbar is depressed. Switch to Build mode
.

Is an XYPlot updating?
When an XYPlot is updating, the updating tags are shown with an arrow indicator in the
legend. An XYPlot is updating if the following conditions exist:
The end time for the X tag is indicated as the current time (by using *) or is in the future (*
+N)
At least one of the Y tag end times is indicated as the current time (by using *) or is in the
future (*+N) and is not synchronized or matched with the X tag (if X is not updating).
If both the X tag and the Y tag are updating, an arrow indicator is shown in each legend entry.
Updates for retrieval methods Recorded and Interpolated are received from an event pipe that
provides the application with snapshot values. For this reason, when a tag is using recorded
values, you may see many more values while the plot is updating than are actually recorded.
Once the plot is regenerated or reverted, only recorded values are shown. When using the
interpolated retrieval method, values on the plot are interpolated using the snapshots coming
in through the event pipe.

Is an OLE object in a display linked or embedded?

To determine if an object is linked or embedded, look at the border around it. Linked objects
are surrounded with dashed lines; embedded objects are surrounded with solid lines.
Depending on the colors used, sometimes the border of an object is difficult to see. If so, select
the object and click on the Edit menu. The last entry in the menu appears as:
xx object for embedded objects
or
Linked xx object for linked objects
where xx is the object type, such as document, spreadsheet, etc.

Linked object data is not updating

If your linked data doesn't update when you open a display, click Edit > Links.
If the Edit > Links choice is unavailable, the link is permanently broken and your object has
become a picture and cannot update from the source. Re-create the object.
On the Links window, if the file is set to Manual Update, click Update Now, and the file
should update.
On the Links window, if the entry for the file says Unavail, the source file is not where the
application expects to find it. Use the Change Source button to locate the file and reestablish a path for the link.
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Missing ODBC trace

If no values are found for one of the selected columns in a query, the trace will not be drawn
and the value in the legend reads No Data.
If the necessary time value is not defined in the query, either by a date/time column or by a
placeholder tag, the trace is drawn as a straight line using one value.

Missing ODBC data sources

Occasionally, an ODBC data source cannot be found. This can occur because the data source
was deleted or because the ProcessBook .piw file has been moved to a machine that does not
have the same data source defined.
To resolve the problem, redefine the data source. The following figure shows what happens
when a Trend attempts to display a trace for which the data source no longer exists.

Trend Display after a Data Set failure

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Technical support and other resources

For technical assistance, contact OSIsoft Technical Support at +1 510-297-5828 or through the
OSIsoft Tech Support website (https://techsupport.osisoft.com). The website offers additional
contact options for customers outside of the United States.
When you contact OSIsoft Technical Support, be prepared to provide this information:
Product name, version, and build numbers
Details about your computer platform (CPU type, operating system, and version number)
Time that the difficulty started
Log files at that time
Details of any environment changes prior to the start of the issue
Summary of the issue, including any relevant log files during the time the issue occurred
The OSIsoft Virtual Campus (vCampus) website (http://vcampus.osisoft.com) has
subscription-based resources to help you with the programming and integration of OSIsoft
products.

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