9.8 Using a Control Panel
Once the control panel is complete, you should test the controls to ensure that it is working properly. In order to test the controls, you must first place the application in operation mode. To do so, click the "No Tool" button in the Configuration Toolbox (as indicated below).
Figure 120
Note: As you've just seen, to place the application in operation mode and enable your controls, you can click the No Tool button. Alternatively, you could close the Configuration Toolbox to place the application in operation mode.
Your control buttons are now enabled on the control panel. The controls should operate as described in the preceding exercises.
When you have finished testing the buttons, place the control panel in auto mode. While working with alarms in a later lesson (see Lesson 13: Alarms and Alarm Management), it will be better if the booster pump is operating in auto mode.
Skills Achieved in Lesson 9
You achieved the following skills and knowledge in Lesson 9:
• To make a newly added page maintain a small size rather than appearing as a full-sized page in the Display Manager, use the Always Display in Window checkbox.
• Set the Window Size or use border or rectangle objects to set the size for your dialog pages.
• It is important to maintain a consistent appearance for all dialogs across your application.
• Provide operators with controls, but be sure to accompany them with information about the current status, mode, or value of the tag.
• Controls and related display objects must be labeled clearly so that operators can understand what they are looking at.
• Digital output tags are used to send signals from the VTS application to the related physical equipment by means of their drawing methods.
• The drawing methods available to digital output tags are not all control objects. The Set Value Button and Set Value Target drawing methods enable operators to write signals to the related equipment. The remaining drawing methods provide you with the means to display the current value of the output tag.
• You learned that you do not necessarily have to close the Configuration Toolbox to place the application in operation mode; you can keep the Configuration Toolbox open and click the "No Tool" button.