Creating Monitoring Views
This guide shows you how to create real-time process monitoring views with data binding and interactivity.
Step 1: Create a New View
- Click New in the View List
- Enter a view name (e.g.,
Line1_Monitoring) - Configure canvas settings:
- Size: Default 1920x1080 (or select preset: 1280x720, 1024x768, etc.)
- Background Color: Choose a color or use a template background
- Click Confirm
📷 [Screenshot: New View dialog with name, size, and background options]
💡 Tip: Use descriptive names like
Line1_Oven_Controlinstead of generic names likePage1.
Step 2: Design the Layout
Option 1: Start from Scratch
Drag components from the library to build your layout.
Option 2: Use a Template
- Open the Design Assets section in the Component Library
- Browse Official Templates
- Drag a layout template to the canvas
- Customize colors and labels
📷 [Screenshot: Template library showing industrial dashboard layouts]
Common Layout Patterns
Step 3: Add Components
Add a Text Label
- Drag Text from Standard Components to the canvas
- Double-click to edit the text (e.g., "Oven Temperature")
- In the Properties Panel:
- Set font size:
18px - Set color:
#FFFFFF(white) - Set alignment:
Left
- Set font size:
Add a Numeric Display
- Drag Numeric Display to the canvas
- In the Properties Panel → Data Binding:
- Click Select Tag
- Choose
Line1_Oven_Temperature
- Configure display format:
- Decimal places:
1 - Unit:
°C - Font size:
24px
- Decimal places:
Add a Button
- Drag Button to the canvas
- Set button text:
Start Oven - In the Properties Panel → Events Tab:
- Event:
On Click - Action:
Write Tag - Target Tag:
Line1_Oven_Start - Value:
true
- Event:
📷 [Screenshot: Properties panel showing tag binding and event configuration]
Step 4: Bind Data to Components
AI SCADA supports multiple data sources for components:
Data Source 1: Tag Current Value
Display real-time tag values:
- Select a component (e.g., gauge, numeric display)
- In Properties Panel → Data section
- Select Tag Current Value
- Click Add Tag and choose one or more tags
- (Optional) Configure:
- Field alias (display name)
- Data format (integer, 2 decimals, percentage)
💡 Tip: Use Column to Row to display multiple tags as a time series.
Data Source 2: Tag Historian
Display historical tag data:
- Select a chart component (e.g., line chart, bar chart)
- In Properties Panel → Data section
- Select Tag Historian
- Configure query:
- Dimension:
Record Time(for trends) orTag Name(for statistics) - Time Range: Last 1 hour, Last 24 hours, Custom range
- Tags: Select tags to query
- Aggregation: Sum, Average, Min, Max, Count
- Dimension:
- Configure display:
- Time Window Aggregation: Group data by 1s, 10s, 1m, etc. (improves performance)
- Max Data Points: Limit data to prevent slow loading
Aggregation Options:
| Aggregation | Use Case |
|---|---|
| Average | Temperature trends, pressure monitoring |
| Sum | Production counts, energy consumption |
| Min/Max | Peak detection, range analysis |
| Count | Event frequency, alarm counts |
⚠️ Caution: For high-frequency data (100ms polling), use Time Window Aggregation to reduce data points. Otherwise, loading 1 hour of data = 36,000 points!
Data Source 3: Data Management
Display business data from custom data tables:
- Select a chart component
- In Properties Panel → Data section
- Select Data Management
- Choose a data table (e.g.,
Production_Statistics) - Configure dimensions and metrics:
- Dimension: Group by (e.g.,
Shift,Product_Type,Date) - Metric: Aggregate by (e.g.,
SUM(Production_Count),AVG(Cycle_Time))
- Dimension: Group by (e.g.,
- (Optional) Configure:
- Field alias
- Data format
- Sort order
- Filters
Example: Production by Shift
| Configuration | Value |
|---|---|
| Data Source | Data Management → Production_Statistics |
| Dimension | Shift |
| Metric | SUM(Production_Count) |
| Chart Type | Bar Chart |
📷 [Screenshot: Data configuration panel showing dimension and metric setup]
Data Source 4: Bridge (Database)
Display data from external databases:
- Select a chart component
- In Properties Panel → Data section
- Select Bridge
- Choose a database connection (configured in Bridge module)
- Configure dimensions and metrics (same as Data Management)
Step 5: Add Interactivity
Add Navigation
- Drag a Button to the canvas
- Set button text:
Go to Line 2 - In Events Tab:
- Event:
On Click - Action:
Navigate to View - Target View:
Line2_Monitoring
- Event:
Add Tag Write
- Drag a Numeric Input to the canvas
- Bind to tag:
Setpoint_Temperature - In Events Tab:
- Event:
On Value Change - Action:
Write Tag - Target Tag:
Setpoint_Temperature - Value:
{component.value}(use component's input value)
- Event:
Add Conditional Visibility
- Select a component (e.g., alarm indicator)
- In Properties Panel → Visibility section
- Set condition:
{Line1_Alarm_Active} == true
💡 Tip: Use expressions like
{Temperature} > 80to show/hide components based on tag values.
Step 6: Style the View
Apply Colors
- Use consistent color schemes (e.g., dark background with bright text)
- Follow industrial standards:
- Green: Normal operation
- Yellow: Warning
- Red: Alarm/fault
- Blue: Information
Align Components
- Select multiple components (Ctrl+Click)
- Use toolbar alignment buttons:
- Align Left: Ctrl+Alt+L
- Align Top: Ctrl+Alt+T
- Distribute Horizontally: Ctrl+Shift+H
Group Components
- Select related components (e.g., label + value + unit)
- Press Ctrl+G to group
- Move/resize the group as one unit
Step 7: Test the View
Preview Mode
- Click Preview (Alt+P) to test the current view
- Interact with buttons and inputs
- Verify data displays correctly
- Close preview to return to editing
Run Mode
- Click Run (Ctrl+P) to launch the full project
- Navigate between views
- Test all interactions
- Check performance with real data
Best Practices
Design Principles
Clarity:
- Use large, readable fonts (minimum 14px for labels, 18px for values)
- High contrast (light text on dark background or vice versa)
- Avoid clutter - show only essential information
Consistency:
- Use the same color scheme across all views
- Standardize component sizes and positions
- Reuse templates for similar views
Responsiveness:
- Design for the target screen resolution
- Test on actual hardware (HMI panels, industrial monitors)
- Avoid tiny buttons (minimum 40x40px for touch screens)
Performance Optimization
Reduce Data Load:
- Use Time Window Aggregation for historical data
- Set Max Data Points limits on charts
- Use Page Usage poll mode for tags (only poll when view is open)
Optimize Component Count:
- Avoid hundreds of components on a single view
- Use tabs or navigation to split complex views
- Group related components to reduce rendering overhead
Lazy Loading:
- Don't load all data on view open
- Use filter controls to let users request specific data
- Cache frequently accessed data
Next Steps
- Creating Analytics Dashboards: Design data visualization and KPI dashboards
- Views Reference: Keyboard shortcuts, multi-screen configuration, and troubleshooting
- Managing Alarms: Add alarm displays to your monitoring views