2-38 InTouch Basic Training

46. Click OK.

The following message displays:

47. Click OK to define a new WindowChoice tag.

You will use this tag to monitor the tab a user selects on the navigation bar and
determine which window to open at runtime.
48. Click Type to define a data type for this tag.

The Tag Types dialog box appears.

49. Check Memory Message.

50. Click OK.

51. Click Close to save and commit this change.

LOGOS Learning Services

 2-39

52. Next, right click the NavigatgionTab8 and

click Substitute | Substitute Strings.

This opens the Substitute Strings dialog box.

53. In the New String field for Tab1, change the label to Content1.
54. In the New String field for Tab2, change the label to Content2.

55. Click OK to return to the main window.

InTouch Basic Training

2-40 InTouch Basic Training

Create a script
Next you will create a script to monitor the selection a user makes on the navigation
tabs to open the appropriate window.
56. On the Special menu, click Scripts | Data Change Scripts.

The Data Change Scripts dialog box appears.

LOGOS Learning Services

 2-41

57. In Tagname[.field], enter WindowChoice.

58. In the body of the script, enter Show WindowChoice;

The Show command is the built-in function to display a window.

59. Click Validate to ensure the script does not contain errors.
60. Click OK.

InTouch Basic Training

2-42 InTouch Basic Training

Test in Runtime
You are now ready to test your application in runtime.
61. On the WindowMaker menu bar, click Runtime.

The application opens in WindowViewer.

62. Click the light switch to turn on the fan.

Notice that the blade rotates and the center of the fan changes to green.

LOGOS Learning Services

 2-43

63. Click the Content2 tab to confirm the warning light is on.

64. Return to the Content1 tab and click the light switch to turn off the fan.
65. Click Content2 and confirm the warning light is off.

InTouch Basic Training

2-44 InTouch Basic Training

LOGOS Learning Services

 2-45

Section 4 Window Properties and Behaviors

Overview
Your InTouch application is comprised of windows that can contain graphics, text
objects, animations, and action scripts. When you first create the window, you define
properties of the window itself such as background color, title, and screen position.
When you create a new window, you define behaviors and aesthetic properties in the
Window Properties dialog box. Specify if you want the window to automatically close
other windows it intersects with or position the window on top or behind open
windows. You also define border style, position and size, and background color.
Available options include On Show, While Showing, or On Hide. You can further
refine window behaviors using the Window Script dialog box.

Creating a new window

You can create a new window using several different methods.
From the File menu, select New Window.
Click the New Window button on the toolbar.
In the Project View, right-click Windows and select New Window.
In the Classic View, right-click an existing window and select New.
When you create a window, you are only required to provide a window name. All other
items are optional.
When you create a window, the default settings reflect those of the previously created
or of the currently active window. Window names can have up to 32 characters and
can include any character on the keyboard except quotation marks.
You can include a comment for a window, but it is for design information purposes
only. By default, the window dimension values are set to the dimensions of the
previously created window. These values are also automatically modified if you
manually change the window size by dragging the window border.

Window Properties
At the Window Properties dialog box, type the name for your new window, add a
comment to be stored with the window, define the Window Type and Frame Style,
select a Window Color, enable/disable a runtime Title Bar and Size Controls, as
well as determining the windows dimensions and location.
By default, the settings in this dialog box will reflect those of any previously created
windows. If you select this command while a window is open in WindowMaker, the
settings will reflect those of the active window. If a Window script(s) is attached to the
active window, a message box will appear asking if you want the window script(s)
copied to the new window.

InTouch Basic Training

2-46 InTouch Basic Training

To make changes to the properties, right-click the window name in one of the views
and select the Properties option.
When you create a new window you provide a unique name that identifies the
window. You can also enter an optional comment in the Comment box of 50
characters or less.
Click the Window Color box to select the background color for the window.
Window Type options include the following:
Replace - Automatically closes any window(s) it intersects when it appears on
the screen, including popup and replace type windows.
Overlay - Appears on top of currently displayed window(s) and can be larger
than the window(s) it is overlaying. Clicking on any visible portion of window
behind an overlay window will make that window active.
Popup - is similar to an overlay window, yet always stays on top of all other
open window(even if another window is clicked). Popup windows usually
require a response from the user in order to be removed.
The Title Bar can be enabled or disabled. Use the checkbox to toggle between
options. You can also use Size Controls to resize a window in WindowMaker.
Frame Style options include the following:
Single - By default, displays a single line around the window. When the Title
Bar is unchecked, it enables the two additional options.
Double - Displays a 3-D effect border around the window. This option is
enabled when the Title Bar option is unchecked.
None - Displays a window with no border. This option is enabled when the Title
Bar option is unchecked.
Use the Dimensions options to define the location and size of a window. Dimensions
are measured in pixels.
Click the Scripts button to define scripts for you window. Available window script
types include On Show, While Showing, or On Hide.
On Show executes one time when the window is initially shown (opened).
While Showing executes continuously at the specified frequency while the
window is open.
On Hide executes one time when the window is hidden (closed).

LOGOS Learning Services

 2-47

Section 5 Tagname Dictionary and Data Sources

Overview
At the most basic level a Tag is a named value. Tags are used to store and
manipulate values and their properties such as minimum and maximum ranges or
alarm information. Defining tagnames and their properties is done in the InTouch
Tagname Dictionary. For communication bandwidth, storage size and efficiency, and
proper handling each tag is defined with a specific data type which confines that tag to
a specific usage. In runtime, WindowViewer loads and maintains a copy of the
dictionary which is updated with all current values and properties for these tagnames.
During runtime, an InTouch application accesses the Tagname Dictionary and
provides specific tag information via animation links, and InTouch subsystems such
as Alarms, History, Security, and scripting.
You can set up an InTouch application to identify an element of data stored on
another node by using a three-part addressing convention. This convention includes
the node, application, and topic names. To obtain data from a remote node, you must
configure an Access Name for your InTouch application that specifies these three
items.
You must associate InTouch I/O tags or remote tag references with an Access Name.
An Access Name defines a communication link with another I/O data source. Each
Access Name specifies an I/O address consisting of a node name, an application
name, and a topic.
You can develop distributed applications in which the functional components of an
InTouch system are located on different nodes, and then specify the type of data
located on the remote node. This information determines the I/O type for the tag when
it is defined in the Tagname Dictionary.
Tags, including I/O configuration, and Access Names are described in more detail in
the following sections.

Memory Tags, I/O Tags, and $System Tags

InTouch data tags, which include discrete, integer, real, and message, are
categorized as either Memory tags or I/O tags. Additionally the dictionary has
predefined tags called $System Tags which have very useful built-in functionality,
such as Date and Time information.
When WindowViewer acts like an I/O client and requests or writes data with an
external I/O aware application, this can only be done using an I/O tag; memory tags
cannot be defined to read or write data with an external source.
WindowViewer is also an I/O server and it does not distinguish between $System
Tags, Memory Tags, or I/O Tags when handling a request to provide data to an
external I/O client requesting that tag. Data from $System Tags, Memory Tags, and
I/O Tags can be served to an external I/O client.

InTouch Basic Training

2-48 InTouch Basic Training

Memory Tags
Memory tag types are used internally within your InTouch application. They are used
to create system constants and simulations. They can also be used to create
calculated variables that are accessed by other Windows programs.
For example, in a process simulation, memory tags are used to control the actions of
a background QuickScript by defining a memory tag called COUNT that is changed by
an Action QuickScript. The QuickScript causes various animation effects to occur for
the current STEP of a process.
There are four Memory types.
Memory Discrete: Internal discrete tag with a value of either 0(False, Off or
Low) or 1(True, On or High)
Memory Integer (Analog): A 32-bit signed integer value in whole numbers
Memory Real (Analog): Floating (decimal) point value
Memory Message: Text string tag that can be up to 131 characters

I/O Tags
All tags that read or write their values to or from an external source are I/O tags. This
includes all inputs and outputs from programmable controllers, process computers
and data from network nodes.
I/O tags are accessed either through the Microsoft Dynamic Data Exchange (DDE) or
Wonderware SuiteLink communication protocols. SuiteLink is recommended for
network communication and diagnostics.
When the value of a read/write I/O tag changes, it is immediately written to the remote
application. The tag may also be updated from the remote application when the item
to which the tag is linked changes in the remote application.
By default, all I/O tags are set to Read/Write. However, you can restrict them to read
only by selecting the Read Only option in the Tagname Dictionary dialog box.
There are four I/O Types.
I/O Discrete: Discrete input/output tag with a value of either 0(False, Off) or
1(True, On)
I/O Integer (Analog): A 32-bit signed integer value
I/O Real (Analog): Floating (decimal) point value
I/O Message: Text string input/output tag that can be up to 131 characters long

$System Tags
There are a number of pre-built $System Tags in the Tagname Dictionary. These
$System tags provide data for security, date information, time information, and
miscellaneous functions such as determining the vertical and horizontal position of the
current selection. $System tags cannot be deleted or renamed.

LOGOS Learning Services

 2-49

Some $System tags allow data to be written to them such as $OperatorEntered and
$PasswordEntered allowing these tags to be used to create a login feature for
InTouch Security. One tag, $ConfigureUsers, pops up the configure users security
dialog box when a value of 1 is written to the tag but only if the user has the proper
level of access. Several of the $System tags are also predefined to log their events to
the Alarms and Events subsystem when it is enabled, for example each time a new
alarm occurs the $NewAlarm $System tag is set to 1, and this incident is recorded in
the Event history.

Special Purpose Tag Types

There are several special tag types that you can assign to tags that perform complex
functions, such as creating dynamic alarm displays, historical trends, monitoring or
controlling the tag that each historical trend pen is plotting, and so on.

Group Var
The Group Var type is used for a tag with an assigned Alarm Group to create
dynamic alarm displays, disk logs and print logs. Group Var tags are used to create
alarm windows or alarm logs that display all alarms associated with a specific group
variable. You can also control the alarms that are displayed or logged by assigning a
different Alarm Group to the Group Var tag.
You can also use a Group Var tag to create application buttons the operator can click
to selectively display alarms for different areas of a plant within the same alarm
window. All of the .fields associated with Alarm Groups can be applied to Group Var
tagnames.

Hist Trend
InTouch requires a Hist Trend tag type when you create a historical trend. All of
the .fields associated with historical trends can be applied to Hist Trend tags.

Tag ID Tags
Tag ID tags are used with historical trend objects. You use Tag ID tags to retrieve
information about tags being plotted in a historical trend. In most cases, you would
use Tag ID tags to display the name of the tag assigned to a specific pen or to
change the tag assigned to the pen.

SuperTags
A SuperTag is a structure of tags that allow you to map InTouch tags to tag structures
in a control system. This saves considerable development time when creating tags for
similar devices. SuperTags are ideal for segments of plants with identical or similar
equipment in multiple quantities.

InTouch Basic Training

2-50 InTouch Basic Training

Indirect Tags
Indirect tags allow you to create one window and reassign the tags in that window to
different sources. When you assign a source tag to an indirect tag through scripting
the indirect tag becomes linked to the source tag and allows you to access the value
and .fields of the source tag. The indirect tag can then be used to represent the
source tag in animations, graphics, and scripts.
Using indirect tags in an application design reduces the number of windows that must
be created to represent similar processes, allowing the reuse of windows, animations,
and scripts. A window designed with indirect tags should provide a method of
navigation for an operator. The operator makes a navigation selection and a script
runs which changes the source tags linked to the indirect tags on the window. This
allows operators to view any one of a group of similar processes, rooms, devices, or
equipment without closing the current window.
For example, a window designed using indirect tags is showing the cooling equipment
in a cold storage room of an industrial refrigeration facility with dozens of similar cold
rooms. On the cold storage window the operator selects Whole Bird Chicken Room
27 from a Listbox and instantly the graphics, animations, and scripts on the current
window are showing the selected cold room.
By choosing which room the operator wants to view, a script runs which changes
source tags linked to the indirect tags used on the window. Thus the window,
graphics, animations, and scripts in a single window are reused over and over to view
dozens of cold storage rooms.
If an indirect tag has its retentive value property enabled in the dictionary its link to the
source tag will persist between restarts of WindowViewer.

LOGOS Learning Services

 2-51

Tag Naming Conventions

When creating tagnames, consider the following naming conventions:
The maximum length is 32 characters
Spaces are not permitted
If you start with a number, do not follow with another number of a function
character
The backlash character \ is reserved for supertags
You must use at least one alpha character

Creating Tags
Tags and their tagnames (and other attributes) are created using the Tagname
Dictionarys Tag Editor.
Use Special / Tagname Dictionary from the main WindowMaker menu or double-
click on the Tagname Dictionary in the Tools panel of Application Explorer.

There are several ways to open the Tagname Dictionary.

Tools pane shortcut: Tagname Dictionary
Menu bar: Special | Tagname Dictionary
Keyboard shortcut: Ctrl+T

InTouch Basic Training

2-52 InTouch Basic Training

The first time you access the Tagname Dictionary, the definition for the internal
system tagname $AccessLevel appears. This is the first tag in the Tag Browser list.
After saving the tag definition in the Tag Editor, the definition for the tag you edited
last you edited last is displayed.

While in the Tag Editor, use the left and right browse buttons to
browse one tag at a time through the tagname definitions currently stored in your
Tagname Dictionary.
To create a tag, use the New button and enter a unique tagname. The Type button is
used to select the tag type from a list of available options.

Many tags require greater level of detail to be properly handled. A specific Details
area is displayed for each type of tag to define the details and alarm types for the tag
type. This section is seen only if the Details or Details & Alarms radio buttons are
selected at the top of the Tagname Dictionary.

The fields which are shown in the details area vary based on the tags type selection.

LOGOS Learning Services

 2-53

Tag Browser
The Tag Browser displays all tags contained within the Tagname Dictionary. This is
your primary tool for viewing and selecting local and remote tagnames and
tagname .fields from applications or any other tag source that supports the InTouch
Tagname Dictionary interface. It enables selection of existing tags, addition of new
tags and viewing of basic Tagname Dictionary information.
The Tag Browser is also used to access the Tag Editor to perform editing,
replication and configuration of remote references to remote tag sources. The first
time the Tag Browser is accessed, by default, <local> will be selected for the tag
source. This means that the tagnames in the local application Tagname Dictionary
will be displayed. Thereafter, the last accessed tag source's tagnames will be
displayed.
The Tag Browser operates in either Dictionary or Selection mode. The mode is
determined by the method used to access it.
From the Tagname Dictionary, the Select button launches the Select Tag dialog
box in Dictionary mode.

Click the List View button to remove the detail columns from the Select Tag.
To view a list of tagname, without all the details, click the List View button to see a list
of the tags without Details.

The Select Tag window displays without tag details.

InTouch Basic Training

2-54 InTouch Basic Training

Configuring Tags
The following configuration options are available in the Tagname Editor.

Group
The group button assigns the tag to a specific Alarm Group. Click this button to
display the Alarm Group dialog box and a list of available alarm groups or create new
alarm groups.
If you do not assign the tag to a specific Alarm Group, InTouch assigns it to the
root group, $System by default.
Once you create a tag and assign it to an Alarm Group.

Read Only and Read Write

Read Only and Read Write are used to set restrictions for I/O tags. These options
are disabled for Memory tags which cannot be restricted to Read Only, all Memory
tags are writeable.
Read Only is selected If you want to restrict an I/O tag to prevent writing values
where prohibited during runtime.
Read Write is selected to grant the I/O tag both read and write capabilities in runtime.

LOGOS Learning Services

 2-55

Comment
Contains any miscellaneous comment you want the system to store regarding your
tag. The comment cannot exceed 50 characters.

Log Data
Logs the tag data to the historical log file during runtime when its engineering unit
value changes more than the specified Log Deadband value or, by default, once an
hour, regardless of change.
For tag values to be logged, historical logging must be enabled by selecting
Special / Configure Historical Logging from the main WindowMaker menu.
If this option is disabled later (tag value NOT logged), the data previously
logged for the tag will be inaccessible to InTouch in historical trend displays.
If the option is reenabled, all logged data is accessible, but a historical trend
would display a gap in the trend trace.
Also, if you make logging changes in WindowMaker while WindowViewer is
running, the changes do not take effect until WindowViewer is restarted.

Log Events
Logs all data changes to the tag that are initiated by the operator, I/O, a QuickScript,
or by the system to the alarm system.
When you define a tagname to do event monitoring, an event message is
logged to the Alarm System each time the tagname value changes. The event
message logs how the value changed and whether the change was initiated by
the operator, I/O, scripts, or the system.
When the Log Events option is selected, the Priority field becomes active.
Valid entries in this field are 1 to 999, where 1 is the highest and 999 is the
lowest priority. Default is 999.

Retentive Value
Retains the current value of the tag when WindowViewer is closed. This value will be
used as the initial value for the tag when WindowViewer is restarted. Retentive values
cannot be selected or cleared for new or existing tags when WindowViewer is
running.

Retentive Parameters
Retains any changes the operator makes to the value of any alarm limit fields for the
tag. This value will be used as the initial value for the alarms when WindowViewer is
restarted.

Alarm Comment: You can configure your alarm windows to display these
comments when the tag is in alarm. The distributed alarm system can be configured
to use the tags Alarm Comment field to store an operators comments regarding an
acknowledged alarm.

InTouch Basic Training