Configuration Properties

Properties control how VTScada looks and how it works. For example: if you would like to silence all alarm sounds while you’re building an application you can set AlarmSoundDisable to 1. If you prefer that each new tag not start with the same configuration as the last one, set RememberNewTagParameters to 0. And if (by chance) you’re using typed Modbus addressing, you need to consider whether ModiconTypedAddr1Offset needs to be set to 0 or 1.

The list goes on for nearly 1000 properties.

In the Application Properties dialog, only a few dozen properties are available in the Basic mode. Most can be found in the Advanced mode but not all. There are also...

  • Hidden properties.
    Most are hidden so that access can be better controlled. You can view these by opening a configuration file, but only an authorized user can import any changes.
  • System properties.
    Affecting the VTScada program itself rather than an application, these properties are stored in Setup.INI, found in the installation folder. Changes to that file do not take effect until VTScada itself is restarted.

Open the Application Configuration dialog

The Application Configuration dialog contains a large collection of tools in addition to the Edit Properties page.

After security is enabled, you will need the Configure privilege to open this dialog.

Open the Application Configuration Dialog from the VAM:

  1. In the VTScada Application Manager (VAM), select the application.
  2. Select Application Configuration.

Open the Application Configuration Dialog from within an application:

  1. While an application is running, select the Configure button.

Open the Application Configuration Dialog from within the Idea Studio:

  1. Open the Idea Studio.
  2. Expand the File menu.
  3. Select Application Configuration.

Keep a tidy development environment. If you leave the Application Properties dialog open while you (or others) work on other tasks, you can expect to see warnings that settings may have changed, even though the change may have been to a file that doesn't affect configuration properties. Also, while a tag properties dialog is open, certain other development tools will not open.
When moving from one development tool to another, unless you plan to return to the first immediately, it is better practice to close the first window before opening the second.

Unsaved Changes

If you make changes in the Application Configuration dialog, then navigate to a different page, or close the configuration window, you will see the following message.

 

Click Yes to discard the changes and continue navigating or No to retain the changes and continue working on the same page.

The Basic mode makes it easy to adjust the most frequently used properties, and that mode was covered in a lesson module for the introductory course.

Many more properties are available in the Advanced mode. Use the comments and the documentation to discover what each property controls. Properties shown in black font can be edited directly. Properties shown in gray font must be copied first, using the Copy button at the bottom of the list.

Set display properties

  1. Open the Application Configuration dialog.
    (You can do that from either the VAM, or from the tools at the top of the application window.)
  2. Select the Edit Properties option in the left-side menu (top entry) if it is not already open.
    You will be looking at the basic mode, with four tabs for Display, Alarms, etc. These are the most commonly used properties.
  3. Note in the Display tab that you could change the name, icon or color theme. Feel free to change the icon or color theme, but not the name.
  4. Select the Apply button.
  5. In the Comment dialog, type: Experimenting with display properties.
    Comments are valuable when reviewing the version log. Don't get into the habit of skipping them. They should describe why you made the changes. The details of what changed will be recorded for you.
  6. Explore the remaining options in the Display tab, and the ones in the Alarms tab and Historical Data Viewer tabs, but don't make any more changes just now.
  7. Open the "Other" tab.
  8. Note that the option, "Automatically deploy local changes" is selected. This is recommended unless your application runs on several workstations and you want to finish a change before anyone sees the result.
  9. Select the option, "Automatically start application when VTScada starts".
  10. Select the Apply button.
  11. Type a comment when prompted and select OK.
  12. Close the Application Configuration dialog.

Did you minimize the window instead of closing it? When working in VTScada, it's a much better habit to close tool windows rather than minimize them.