What it is for
A plant can have dozens or hundreds of motors, valves or pumps with the same structure. Instead of drawing a separate detail screen for each, you design one faceplate for the structure. The objects on the faceplate are bound to members of the structure, such as Hiz, Calisiyor and Ariza. The tags of whichever instance the window is opened with are read and written.
When you change the faceplate, the window of every device changes with it. To add a new motor, you create an instance of the structure and give its symbol on the process screen the opening function.
Creating a faceplate
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Define the structure and the instances
Define the structure and its members in HMI Tags › Structures (UDT), then the instances such as M1, M2 …. For details see the HMI tags page.
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Open the New Faceplate window
Click the Faceplate button on the toolbar, the Add › New faceplate command, or the right-click menu of the Faceplates branch in the project tree. Faceplates have their own branch under Screens, between 2D screens and 3D scenes.
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Choose the structure, the name and the template
Choose the structure from the Structure (UDT) list; a name such as
Faceplate_Motoris suggested. The template cards are previewed with the members of the selected structure. In the Objects of the members table below you can change how each member is drawn. -
Create and edit
When you press Create, the objects are placed and bound to the members, and the screen size is fitted to the content. The screen opens in the editor; you can change the objects as you like and add new ones.
Templates and member roles
| Template | Layout |
|---|---|
| Empty | Empty window; objects are placed from the toolbox. |
| Standard | Values on the left, status and alarm lamps on the right, command buttons at the bottom. |
| List | All members in one column, in the order of the structure. |
| Motor | Motor symbol on top (running / fault), with values, lamps and commands below. |
| Valve | Valve symbol (open / fault) and position bar; values, lamps and commands. |
| Measurement | Main value on a gauge and in a large I/O field; setpoints, limits and alarms beside it. |
Studio guesses the role of each member from its name, description and type; you change the guess in the table.
- Bool member: Status lamp, Alarm lamp (red), Button (1 while held), Switch (on / off) or Don’t place.
- Number or text member: Show value, Value entry (setpoint) or Don’t place.
Buttons write 1 when pressed and 0 when released. A button whose name is like start is drawn green, stop red and reset orange.
Binding to members without a prefix
When you bind an object property to a tag on a faceplate screen, the members of the structure come first in the selection list, without a prefix. The instance tags of the same structure are hidden in the list. The binding holds only the member; Live turns it into the instance the window was opened with.
Hiz + M1 → M1.Hiz // window opened for M1 Hiz + M2 → M2.Hiz // window opened for M2 Calisiyor + M2 → M2.Calisiyor // status lamp The structure and an optional design instance are selected in Screen properties › User data type. If the window is opened without a prefix, the values of the design instance are shown. Check project reports properties bound to a deleted member, to a screen without a structure and to a member that is not in the structure of the screen. Older device windows that are bound to instance tags and opened with a prefix keep working.
Opening from a process screen
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Add the event function
Select the motor symbol on the process screen. On the Events tab, add the Open pop-up window function to the Click event.
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Choose the faceplate and the instance
Select the faceplate as the screen and the instance as Tag prefix, for example
M1. Optionally type the window title in the Title field; the title goes into the project texts and can be translated. -
Copy to the other symbols
Copy and paste the symbol and change only the Tag prefix:
M2,M3…. All of them open the same faceplate.
In Live the windows of M1 and M2 can be open at the same time. A window opened a second time for the same instance is not opened again; it comes to the front. If the title is empty, the description of the instance is shown, or else the screen name and the prefix. The window is closed with its button or with the Close pop-up window function.
Limits
- Prefix-free member binding works in object properties and event functions. The own tag lists of trend and alarm objects do not take members.
- JavaScript, C and Python scripts have no relative member names; in VBScript a relative name is resolved with the prefix.
- Faceplates were tested with automated tests in Studio and in Live. Try them with a few instances before you use them in a large project.
Frequently asked
How many faceplates do I need for a hundred motors?
One, if all motors are instances of the same structure. Each motor symbol opens the same faceplate with its own prefix.
Can I change a faceplate created from a template?
Yes. The template is only a starting point; the resulting screen is edited like a normal 2D screen. No link to the template remains.
Related pages
2D screens and objects
Screen editor, object library, properties, layers, pop-up windows, favorites and the navigation menu.
StudioHMI tags
External and internal tags, scaling, quality, structures (UDT) and bulk transfer with Excel.
StudioAnimation and events
Binding properties to tags, direct and range-table conversion, the state model, events and event functions.
LiveOperator actions
System menu, favorite screens, login and authorization, the action log, Event view and closing the program.