Display Settings - Properties tab

The following table shows settings in this tab.
Settings
Description
Display Type
When designing an application, the display types give you additional control over how an operator can navigate from one display to another.
  • Replace
    Select to specify that the display replaces any display of any type on the screen at runtime when this display overlaps the other by at least one pixel.
  • Overlay
    Select to position this display over any others on the screen.
  • On Top
    Select to position the display in front of
    Replace
    or
    Overlay
    display that might be open at runtime. Use the
    PullForward
    ,
    PushBack
    , and
    SetFocus
    commands to cycle through multiple
    On Top
     screens at runtime.
Keep at Back
Select to position the
Overlay
display behind any other displays that might be open at runtime.
This is provided for compatibility with legacy RSView32 applications. It is recommended that you use the
Replace
type for most displays except for faceplate or pop-up displays, which should use the
On Top
 display type.
Cannot Be Replaced
Select to keep the display on top when a
Replace
 or
Overlay
 display opens at runtime.
Allow Multiple Running Copies
Select this check box to allow more than one copy of the display to be open at runtime. When this option is not selected, displays that are open are brought to the foreground when they are called using the
Display
command, rather than a new copy being loaded.
You can also run multiple copies of a display without selecting this option if you open each instance of the display using the
Display
command and different parameter files for each. For example:
  • Display PID /PLevel1
  • Display PID /PLevel2
where
PID
 is a display and Level1 and Level2 are parameter files.
Cache After Displaying
Select whether the display is to be loaded into the display cache when it is displayed for the first time.
Important
: Each display in the display cache uses memory. After Windows consumes all physical memory, it is forced to swap to disk. This results in all system activities slowing down.
Select one of the following options:
  • No
    Select this option if a display is not to be loaded into the display cache. This saves memory at the expense of performance. To remove displays from the cache use the
    FlushCache
     command.
  • Yes
    Select this option to load a display into the display cache. This makes subsequent displays of the display faster because it does not have to be read from disk.
We recommend that the total number of cached displays not exceed 100, although the optimal number may vary based on computer hardware and display requirements.
 This includes displays loaded using this option or using the
Display /Z
 or
/ZA
 command.
Tip
: If a display contains the
PrimaryServerStatus
 and
SecondaryServerStatus
 functions, we recommend not caching it. If you have to cache it, use another maximum tag update rate greater than 1 second.
Always Updating
Select to update the display while it is cached. For example, choose this option to continuously update trend data for the display even it is not visible. This option also makes subsequent displays even faster.
Always updating a cached display can cause added communications overhead because data will be retrieved for tags whose values wouldn't otherwise be needed.
If you use the
Always Updating
 option with the
Cache After Displaying
 option (Display /ZA), the startup command is executed when the display is loaded into the cache. The shutdown command is executed only when the cache is emptied (using the FlushCache command). We recommend that the total number of displays that are displayed or minimized simultaneously not exceed 40, although the optimal number may vary based on computer hardware and display requirements.
Title Bar
Select to include a title bar for the display at runtime. You can type a name for the display that will be used in place of its component name in the title bar. If the
Title Bar
 box is cleared,
System Menu
 and the
Minimize/Maximize
 buttons are not available.
You can insert a numeric, string, or time and date variable into the text of the title bar.
Insert Variable
To insert a variable in the title bar, click this button and select from the list the type of variable to be inserted. In the dialog box, specify the details of the variable and then click
OK
.
System Menu
Select to include a system menu with the display. If this check box is cleared, the system menu is not available from the display at runtime.
To close a display at runtime when the system menu is not available, the operator can use Ctrl+F4.
Minimize Button
Select to include the minimize button in the upper right corner of the display at runtime.
Pin Button
Select to show
Pin
or
Unpin
command in the system menu of the display at runtime. Click
Pin
to keep the display on top, and click
Unpin
to remove the pinned displays from top.
This option applies to
On Top
 displays only.
Size to Main Window at Runtime
Select to make the display the same size as the main window at runtime. This works in conjunction with the
Pan
and
Scale
options.
For example, if the
Scale
option is chosen and the display's natural size is smaller than the main window, the display will be increased to the size of the main window, with all the objects in it increased proportionally.
If the
Pan
option is chosen and the display's natural size is smaller than the main window, the display will be in the corner of a window that completely covers the main window.
Show Last Acquired Value
Select to display the last known value for each tag. In many applications this results in faster screen display. With this box selected, the last acquired values are displayed until current values arrive from the network devices.
If you do not select this check box, objects with values that have not yet been updated, appear in outline form. The outline indicates to the operator that data is not current.
The first time a tag is referenced, graphic objects will be in outline until tags are initialized and given values.
Tip:
 The option is intended for SE HMI tags. It is not applied to direct reference tags.
Maximum Tag Update Rate
Click the down arrow to scroll the list and select a number to specify the maximum rate at which tags in the display will be updated. The default maximum rate for tags to be updated is 1 second.
Screen Statistics
Click to show the statistics information for the current display, such as total referenced tags, total expressions and so on.
Size
  • Use Current Size
    Click this to specify that the size of the display in the edit window will be its
    natural
     size at runtime. A display's natural size is used with the
    Pan
    and
    Scale
    options to determine how it will appear at runtime. If you choose this option, the
    Width
    and
    Height
    input fields are not available.
    When you select this option for the Size property for a display, the View option
    Zoom to Fit
     works the same way as
    Cancel Zoom
    , which returns a display to its original size after one of the other zoom options has been used.
  • Specify Size in Pixels
    Click this to specify a width and height in pixels for the display. At runtime, the specified dimensions are used rather than the size the display is in the edit window. Also, when you select this
    Size
    option, the
    Zoom to Fit View
     option is turned on which allows you to resize the display while maintaining its aspect ratio.
    You can override the width setting at runtime using the width parameter of the Display command (
    /W
    ) and you can override the height setting at runtime using the height parameter of the Display command (/H).
Allow Display to be Resized
Select to allow the operator to resize the display with the mouse at runtime. This works in conjunction with the
Pan
and
Scale
options.
  • Pan
    Select this option to keep the objects their original size when you resize the display. For example, if you resize the display to one quarter its original size, only the objects in that quarter of the display will be visible. A scroll bar will appear, allowing you to scroll through the rest of the display.
  • Scale
    Select this option to have the objects retain their relative sizes when you resize the display. For example, if you resize a display to one quarter of its original size, the entire display will be visible with all objects being one quarter their original size.
    Avoid using Scale with docked displays. For docked displays set to scale, the aspect ration is not maintained. Displays docked top or bottom will be stretched horizontally, and those docked left or right will be stretched vertically.
Position
  • Use Current Position
    Choose this option to open the display in its position in the edit window, at runtime. If you check this box, the
    X
    and
    Y
    input boxes are not available.
  • Specify Position in Pixels
    In the
    X
     field, specify the horizontal position of the display in pixels. The default is 0 which positions the left side of the display on the left edge of the FactoryTalk View SE Client window.
    In the
    Y
     field, specify the vertical position of the display in pixels. The default is 0 which positions the top edge of the display on the top edge of the FactoryTalk View SE Client window.
Security Code
Click the down arrow to display the security codes.
The default code is *, which gives access to the display to all users. Choose a security code from A to P to restrict access to the display so that only users who have the display's security code specified in their account will be able to display it.
Background Color
Click to select the background color for the graphic display.
Use Gradient Style
If you want the background to have a gradient look, select the
Use gradient style
check box. In this case, clicking the color square brings up the gradient fill dialog box.
Track Screen for Navigation
Select to add this display to the navigation history when the display is opened during runtime. If you do not select this check box, the display will not be added to the navigation history.
Navigation History Screen Name
When you select the
Track Screen for Navigation
 check box, the
Navigation History Screen Name
 text box is enabled to input a substitute name to be used in the navigation history. If you do not specify a name, the current display name is used in the navigation history.
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