Chapter 12 GraphWorX32 ActiveX Control

305 Pages·2001·2.01 MB·English

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Chapter 1 Getting Started

Contents
Introduction to GraphWorX32
Starting GraphworX32
The GraphworX32 Screen
Using the Mouse and Keyboard

ICONICS 1
Introduction to GraphWorX32
GraphWorX32 is a human-machine interface (HMI) software package for process
control. GraphWorX32 is a fully compliant OPC client featuring ActiveX™ and
OLE Automation technologies.

New Features in Version 6.1
Version 6.1 of GraphWorX32 includes the following new features:
• New international language-aliasing support.
• New Web publishing/exporting to HTML function that stores multiple displays
directly into Web servers.
• New support for publishing displays to Netscape and MS Internet Explorer
browsers.
• New ActiveSync download to Windows CE and Pocket PCs.
• New Pocket PC development mode; support for Compaq, Casio, and
HP.
• New Numeric ActiveX control.
• New Intellution FIX-to-GraphWorX32 graphics and database translator.
• New real-time thread priority capability for data thread and timer thread.
• New function key and keyboard assignment capability.
• New user-defined pop-up menus.
• New OPC request types.
• New range support for the Number Pad.
• Numerous user interface enhancements to improve ease-of-use.
• New key disable capability through the ICONICS Secure Desktop Configurator.

Key standard features include:
• True 32-bit design.
• Multithreaded application that runs on Windows 95™, Windows 98™,
and Windows NT™ on Intel™ and Digital Alpha™ hardware.
• Universal OLE for Process Control (OPC) connectivity.
• A fully compliant (OPC) client.
• Powerful display-creation tools.
• A complete set of drawing and animation tools in an object-oriented
environment. Displays can be scaleable (display automatically resizes
when you stretch the window) or fixed-scale (for pixel-perfect displays no
matter what size the window is).
• Containment of ActiveX controls and OLE objects.
• Embedding ActiveX controls from ICONICS or third- party ActiveX
controls and OLE objects directly into your displays.
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• ActiveX document server. GraphWorX32 is an ActiveX document server,
which means its displays can be run in applications such as Microsoft's
Internet Explorer™.
• Comprehensive OLE Automation interface.
• A powerful set of OLE Automation methods and properties for
programmatically manipulating GraphWorX32 displays.
• Fast dynamic animation.
• Capability of 50-millisecond updates.
• GraphWorX32 ActiveX control. GraphWorX32 includes an ActiveX
control ("GWXview32.OCX") that is capable of running GraphWorX32
displays. This component has all the runtime capabilities of
"GraphWorX32.EXE," and can be conveniently embedded into
ActiveX languages, such as Visual Basic or HTML pages.
• Advanced symbol library. GraphWorX32 includes a utility for loading,
storing, and organizing GraphWorX32 symbols. Simply drag-and-drop
symbols to and from the symbol library.
• OPC 1.0 and OPC 2.0 Data Access compliant.
• More than 70 animation types supported.
• Development and configuration for Windows CE.
• Powerful AutoCAD style display layers with clutter/declutter.
• PowerPoint style gradient fills.
• State fields that display readable text representing machine states.
• Ability to rotate text in 90-degree increments.
• Web-based look and feel similar to MS Internet Explorer.
• Professionally drawn 2-D and 3-D gradient symbol libraries.
• Runtime Window Properties Mode for improved WYSIWYG
configuration.
• View toolbar for convenient access to zooming and layering
commands.
• Powerful advanced polyline editing capabilities.
• Aliasing and advanced editing features.
• Password on display files and user-created custom symbols and symbol
wizards.
• Smart ActiveX toolbar that allows you to add or remove any ActiveX
control to the ActiveX toolbar.
• Keypad and QWERTY Keyboard support to process point dynamic.
• Customizable toolbars.

VBA Smart Wizard symbols include:
• Help Wizard. Provides detailed information on the use of the VBA
wizards.
• OPC Data Access Wizard. Sets and retrieves OPC data.
• Microsoft Excel Wizard. Integrates data to and from Excel.
• Report Wizard. Creates simple, useful reports.
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• Recipe Wizard. Creates recipes.
• Microsoft Word Wizard. Integrates data into MS Word.
• E-mail and Outlook Wizard. Sends e-mail based on VBA events.
• OPC Calculator Wizard. Connects a four-function calculator to a tag on
any display.
• OPC KeyPad Wizard. Connects a QUERTY keypad to a tag on any
display.
• Runtime Aliasing Wizard. Changes aliases during runtime mode.
• Analog Chart Wizard. Creates displays with analog OPC tags.
• Digital Chart Wizard. Creates displays with discrete OPC tags.

ICONICS 4
Starting GraphWorX32
You can start GraphWorX32 from the two following areas:
• Start menu in Windows
• Windows Explorer

To start GraphWorX32 from Windows Explorer, double-click the GraphWorX
icon.

Starting GraphWorX32
ICONICS 5
The GraphWorX32 Screen
The figure below shows the GraphWorX32 screen with its basic components,
including the Color Palette, Main toolbar, Draw toolbar, Arrange toolbar, Font
toolbar, and Dynamics toolbar.

GraphWorX32 Screen

This section describes the features of the GraphWorX32 screen, as shown
above. It also describes the tools used to create displays and make dynamic
connections to data values. Refer to your Windows documentation for general
procedures to use the Windows Graphical User Interface (GUI) and information
about program groups, menus, dialog boxes, as well as file name extensions
specific to windows.

The GraphworX32 View
Definitions
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Status Bar
Toolbars
Color Palette
Other Features of the Color Palette Tool

The GraphworX32 View
The Work Area is where you build your GraphWorX32 displays. It shows only a
portion of the entire work area that can be accessed by the scroll bars or the
Zoom function.
When the document is saved, information about the current view is saved with
the display, so that it can be restored when the display is reloaded at a later time.

Definitions
The display size (or page size), defines the world coordinate boundaries for the
display. You can specify the display size.
The window dimensions refer to the size/location of the GraphWorX32
mainframe window.
Scaleable display means that when the GraphWorX32 main window is resized,
the view is scaled so that all objects currently in the view area remain visible.
Preserve aspect ratio means that the ratio of object-sizes in the display is
maintained during window resizing.
Fixed-scale display means that the view does not scale when the
GraphWorX32 main window is resized. Visible objects are clipped or revealed if
the window is sized smaller or larger.
The view area is the area of the display that is currently visible.
The home view is the view at which the display was last saved.
100% zoom means that one logical unit equals one pixel. This is always the
case, regardless of whether the display is fixed-scale or scaleable.

Status Bar
The status bar is displayed at the bottom of the GraphWorX32 window. To
display or hide the status bar, select the Status Bar command in the View menu.
The left side of the status bar describes actions of menu items as you use the
arrow keys to navigate through menus. This area similarly shows messages that
describe the actions of toolbar buttons as you depress them, before releasing
them. If after viewing the description of the toolbar button command you wish not
to execute the command, then release the mouse button while the mouse pointer
is off the toolbar button.
The following items are shown in the status bar:
• Cursor coordinates
• Zoom percentage
• Grid snap on/off
ICONICS 7
• Display layers

Toolbars
The GraphWorX32 tools you use to create your displays are grouped by
functionality and are available through the menu bar options and the following
toolbars:

Main Toolbar
The Main toolbar, shown below, is displayed by default across the top of the
application window, below the menu bar. The toolbar provides quick mouse
access to many tools used in your application. You use the Main toolbar for
basic file and display maintenance such as creating a new display, opening a file,
printing a file, cutting and pasting objects, duplicating objects. It also allows you
to undo and redo your last editing action, and to access help on your
GraphWorX32 application.

Main Toolbar

Dynamics Toolbar
You can use the Dynamics toolbar to make dynamic connections to data points
in OPC servers. See the Dynamic Connections section for a detailed
description of tool button functions on the Dynamics toolbar.

Dynamics Toolbar

ActiveX Toolbar
The ActiveX toolbar, shown below, enables you to insert various ActiveX objects
into the GraphWorX32 display. Refer to the GraphWorX ActiveX Control
section for more information.

ActiveX Toolbar
ICONICS 8
Draw Toolbar
You can use the Draw toolbar, shown below, to draw static graphic objects; to
select objects; to fill or unfill objects, including drawing objects and text objects;
and to import bitmaps, metafiles, and GraphWorX32 symbols.

Draw Toolbar

Arrange Toolbar
The Arrange toolbar, shown below, is used for grouping and ungrouping objects,
for aligning objects, for rotating objects, and for shifting objects in layers.
Note: It is now possible to rotate text in a GraphWorX32 display. Text can only
be rotated in 90-degree increments by using the Rotate Left and Rotate Right
buttons. This ability to rotate text applies to:
• Multiline text
• Left, center and right alignments
• Text objects
• Process points
• Data entries
• Statefields
• Timedate
• Buttons

Check boxes and radio buttons cannot be rotated.

Arrange Toolbar

Text Style Toolbar
The Text Style toolbar, shown below, is used to change the font attributes of text
objects in a display.

ICONICS 9
Text Style Toolbar

Note: The functions of each toolbar button are described in detail in later
sections.

Color Palette
A Color Palette tool is provided for selecting new colors during configuration
mode in the GraphWorX32 application. This includes fill, border, background and
text colors.
The Color Palette, shown below, operates both as a toolbar and/or a dialog box.

Color Palette Toolbar

Color Palette Dialog Box

ICONICS 10