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Creating Alarms

This guide shows you how to configure alarm levels, categories, groups, and alarm points.

When to Use This Page​

Use this page when:

  • live values already work in the project
  • you are ready to define abnormal conditions
  • operators need clear alarm messages instead of raw tag changes

Before You Start​

Make sure:

  • the relevant tags are already tested
  • you know the alarm thresholds or logical conditions
  • you are willing to start with a small alarm set instead of designing the full alarm philosophy on day 1

What You Will Complete​

After this page, you should be able to:

  • create severity levels, categories, and groups
  • define a few practical alarm points
  • record alarm history appropriately

For a first project, start with two or three alarms:

Alarm NameExample conditionSuggested levelSuggested category
Temperature_High{Temperature} > 80HighTemperature
Pressure_Low{Pressure} < 0.8MediumPressure
Device_Comm_Loss{Dev_<ChannelName>_State} == falseCriticalCommunication

If the project uses only internal tags, configure the first two alarms first and add the communication alarm later.

Day-1 Quick Path​

For the first useful alarm setup, keep the work small:

  1. create only the levels you need now, such as High and Medium
  2. create one category group and a few categories such as Temperature, Pressure, and Communication
  3. create one alarm group such as Starter_Alarms
  4. add two practical alarm points such as Temperature_High and Pressure_Low
  5. save and test the alarm conditions

Alarm history recording and import/export are useful later, but they are not required for the first success milestone.

Configure Alarm Levels​

Alarm levels indicate the severity of an alarm. Define levels that match your operational priorities.

Step 1: Open Alarm Level Configuration​

  1. Navigate to Alarm Management
  2. Click Alarm Levels button
  3. The Alarm Level configuration dialog opens

📷 [UG-ALARM-CREATE-01] Alarm Level configuration dialog

Step 2: Create Alarm Levels​

  1. Click Add to create a new level
  2. Enter a level name (e.g., Critical, High, Medium, Low)
  3. Repeat for all required levels
  4. Click Save

Common Alarm Level Schemes:

LevelUse CaseColor Convention
CriticalSafety hazards, equipment damage riskRed
HighProcess deviations requiring immediate actionOrange
MediumConditions requiring attention within hoursYellow
LowInformational, no immediate action neededBlue

Step 3: Manage Alarm Levels​

Edit a Level:

  1. Click the level name to edit
  2. Modify the name
  3. Click Save

Delete a Level:

  1. Select one or more levels (checkbox)
  2. Click Delete
  3. Confirm deletion

Search Levels:

  1. Enter a level name in the search box
  2. Click Search

⚠️ Caution: Deleting a level that is assigned to alarms will cause those alarms to lose their level assignment.

Configure Alarm Categories​

Alarm categories classify alarms by type for statistical analysis and filtering.

Step 1: Open Alarm Category Configuration​

  1. Navigate to Alarm Management
  2. Click Alarm Categories button
  3. The Alarm Category configuration dialog opens

📷 [UG-ALARM-CREATE-02] Alarm Category configuration dialog showing category groups

Step 2: Create Category Groups​

Category groups organize related categories (e.g., Process Alarms, Equipment Alarms, Safety Alarms).

  1. Click Add to create a new category group
  2. Enter a group name
  3. Click Save

Step 3: Create Categories within Groups​

  1. Select a category group
  2. Click Manage (operations button)
  3. In the Category Management dialog:
    • Click Add to create a category
    • Enter a category name (e.g., Temperature, Pressure, Communication)
    • Repeat for all categories
    • Click Save

📷 [UG-ALARM-CREATE-03] Category Management dialog showing categories within a group

Example Category Structure:

📁 Process Alarms
  └─ Temperature
  └─ Pressure
  └─ Flow
📁 Equipment Alarms
  └─ Motor Fault
  └─ Valve Failure
  └─ Sensor Error
📁 Safety Alarms
  └─ Emergency Stop
  └─ Fire Detection
  └─ Gas Leak

Step 4: Manage Categories​

Edit a Category:

  1. Click the category name to edit
  2. Modify the name
  3. Click Save

Delete a Category:

  1. Select one or more categories (checkbox)
  2. Click Delete
  3. Confirm deletion

Reorder Category Groups:

  1. Drag a category group to a new position
  2. Click Save

Create Alarm Groups​

Alarm groups organize alarms by equipment, line, or function.

Step 1: Create a Group​

  1. Navigate to Alarm Management
  2. Click Add Alarm Group
  3. Enter a group name (e.g., Starter_Alarms, Monitoring_Alarms)
  4. Click Confirm

📷 [UG-ALARM-CREATE-04] Add Alarm Group dialog

Step 2: Organize Groups with Folders​

  1. Create folders to organize groups
  2. Drag alarm groups into folders

Recommended Structure:

📁 Process
  └─ 📂 Starter_Alarms
  └─ 📂 Threshold_Alarms
📁 Equipment
  └─ 📂 Status_Alarms
📁 Communication
  └─ 📂 Channel_State_Alarms

Step 3: Manage Alarm Groups​

Rename a Group:

  1. Double-click the group name
  2. Or click the operations button (⋮) → Rename
  3. Enter a new name
  4. Press Enter

Delete a Group:

  1. Click the operations button (⋮) → Delete
  2. Confirm deletion

⚠️ Caution: Deleting a group also deletes all alarms within it.

Search Groups:

  1. Enter a group name in the search box
  2. Matching groups are highlighted

Create Alarm Points​

Alarm points define the conditions that trigger alarms.

Step 1: Add an Alarm Point​

  1. Select an alarm group
  2. Click Add in the toolbar
  3. A new alarm row appears in the list

📷 [UG-ALARM-CREATE-05] Alarm point list with new row

Step 2: Configure Alarm Properties​

PropertyDescriptionExample
Alarm NameUnique identifierTemperature_High
Alarm MessageDescription shown to operatorsTemperature exceeds safe limit
Trigger ConditionLogical expression{Temperature} > 80
Alarm LevelSeverity levelHigh
Alarm CategoryClassification (optional)Temperature

Step 3: Configure Trigger Condition​

  1. Click the Trigger Condition button for the alarm
  2. The Expression Builder dialog opens
  3. Build a logical expression using tags and operators

📷 [UG-ALARM-CREATE-06] Expression Builder dialog with tag picker and operators

Expression Syntax:

OperatorDescriptionExample
>Greater than{Temperature} > 80
<Less than{Pressure} < 10
>=Greater than or equal{Level} >= 100
<=Less than or equal{Flow} <= 5
==Equal to{Status} == 1
!=Not equal to{Mode} != 0
&&Logical AND{Temp} > 80 && {Pressure} > 50
||Logical OR{Alarm1} == 1 || {Alarm2} == 1

Common Alarm Patterns:

Alarm TypeExpressionDescription
High-High Limit{X} >= 200Critical high threshold
High Limit{X} >= 150 && {X} < 200Warning high threshold
Low Limit{X} > 5 && {X} <= 10Warning low threshold
Low-Low Limit{X} <= 5Critical low threshold
Range Violation{X} < 10 || {X} > 90Outside acceptable range
Equipment Fault{FaultCode} != 0Non-zero fault code
Communication Loss{Dev_<ChannelName>_State} == falseDevice disconnected

💡 Tip: Use descriptive tag names in expressions for easier troubleshooting. For example, {Temperature} is clearer than {Tag001}.

Step 4: Configure Alarm Constraint (Optional)​

Alarm constraints prevent nuisance alarms by requiring the condition to persist for a minimum duration.

  1. Click the Alarm Constraint button for the alarm
  2. Enable the constraint
  3. Set the Duration (e.g., 5 seconds, 1 minute)
  4. Click Confirm

📷 [UG-ALARM-CREATE-07] Alarm Constraint dialog with duration setting

When to Use Constraints:

  • Noisy Sensors: Prevent alarms from flickering on/off due to sensor noise
  • Transient Conditions: Ignore brief spikes that don't indicate real problems
  • Startup Sequences: Avoid alarms during normal startup when values temporarily exceed limits

Example:

  • Without constraint: Temperature briefly spikes to 201°C for 2 seconds → Alarm triggers
  • With 5-second constraint: Temperature must stay above 200°C for 5 seconds → Alarm triggers only if sustained

Step 5: Save Alarm Configuration​

  1. Click Save in the toolbar
  2. All changes are committed to the project

Advanced Alarm Administration​

If the alarm points already work, you can stop here for the first-project path.

Use the remaining sections only when you need record-retention control, bulk reuse, or larger governance workflows.

Configure Alarm History Recording​

By default, all alarms are recorded in the historical table when they recover. You can customize which alarms are recorded.

Step 1: Open Alarm Recording Configuration​

  1. Navigate to Alarm Management
  2. Click Alarm Recording button
  3. The Alarm Recording dialog opens

📷 [UG-ALARM-CREATE-08] Alarm Recording dialog showing alarm list with checkboxes

Step 2: Select Alarms to Record​

Record All Alarms (default):

  • All checkboxes are selected
  • All alarms are saved to the historical table when recovered

Record Specific Alarms:

  1. Uncheck alarms you don't want to record
  2. Only checked alarms will be saved to history

Filter Alarms:

  • By Group: Select an alarm group from the dropdown
  • By Level: Select an alarm level from the dropdown
  • By Category: Select a category from the dropdown
  • By Name: Enter text to search alarm names, messages, or conditions
  • Show Selected Only: Display only checked alarms

Step 3: Save Recording Configuration​

  1. Click Save
  2. The configuration is applied

💡 Tip: Disable history recording for low-priority informational alarms to reduce database size.

Import/Export Alarms​

Export Alarms​

  1. Select an alarm group
  2. Click Export in the toolbar
  3. Choose a save location
  4. An Excel file is created with all alarm configurations

Use Cases:

  • Backup alarm configurations
  • Share alarms between projects
  • Document alarm settings for compliance

Import Alarms​

  1. Select an alarm group
  2. Click Import in the toolbar
  3. Select an Excel file
  4. Alarms are imported based on Alarm Name:
    • If the name exists: Update the alarm configuration
    • If the name doesn't exist: Create a new alarm

⚠️ Caution: Alarm levels and categories referenced in the import file must already exist in the system.

Next Steps​

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