Add Alarms and Events to a FactoryTalk Optix Connector

Users can add the alarms and events to the
FactoryTalk Optix
 connector. Alarms are typically used to indicate the conditions that need immediate attention. An alarm is activated when a defined threshold or condition is reached, such as a temperature exceeding a specified limit. To add an alarm to the connector, the user should create an alarm object, configure its properties, and set up a display widget like the alarm grid. For more information, refer to Alarms in the
FactoryTalk Optix
 documentation.
Events are used to track both critical and non-critical system changes and activities. For more information on how to add events, refer to Events in the
FactoryTalk Optix
 documentation.
NOTE:
Events are generated whenever there is a change in the alarm state from True to False.
The Exclusive Level Alarm monitors the values of variables related to physical quantities. This alarm is activated when the value of the monitored variable reaches one or more specified limits. If multiple limits are reached consecutively, the alarm signals only the last limit reached. This section describes how to bind the Exclusive Level Alarm to the connector.
NOTE:
The user can bind all other alarm types as well.
In the 1.07.00 release, the new (observable) pattern was implemented to streamline the process of pushing alarms and events. This enhancement eliminates the need for extensive manual configuration of the push alarm method and its associated parameters, making the process more efficient and user-friendly. The following section describes how to use it.
Configure an Exclusive Level Alarm grid by following the steps described in FactoryTalk Optix documentation and configure its Exclusive Level Alarm event with the following steps:
  1. Open the
    FactoryTalk Optix
     project in the
    FactoryTalk Optix Studio
    .
  2. From the left pane, right-click the
    Model
     and navigate to
    New
     >
    Object
    .
    Select Object
    An object is created under the model.
    Created Object
  3. Right-click the newly created object and navigate to
    New
     >
    Variable
    .
    Select Variable
    The variable is created under the newly created object.
    Created Variable
  4. From the left pane, expand the
    UI
     node.
    Expand UI Node
  5. Right-click the
    Screens
     object and navigate to
    New
     >
    Screen
    .
    Select Screen
    NOTE:
    If there is no Screens object, right-click on the
    UI
     node and navigate to
    New
     >
    Screens
    .
    Select Screens
  6. Right-click the
    Screen1 (type)
     object and navigate to
    New
     >
    Containers
     >
    Panel
    .
    Select Panel
  7. Hover over the newly created panel name and click the [] icon to rename the panel name. For example, “Alarms”.
    Rename Panel Name
  8. From the left pane, right-click the
    Alarms
     and navigate to
    New
     >
    Exclusive level alarm
    .
    Select Exclusive Level Alarm
  9. In the
    Properties
     window, Provide the limit values for the
    High-high limit
    ,
    High limit
    ,
    Low limit
    , and
    Low-low limit
    .
    Set Limits
  10. Under the
    Messages
     section, provide the appropriate alarm message for the
    high-high state
    ,
    high state
    ,
    low state
    , and
    low-low state
    .
    NOTE:
    This message will be added as a description in the event in Cognite.
    Add Alarm Messages
  11. In the
    Input variable
     box, Click the [] icon.
    Add Dynamic Link
  12. In the
    FTOptixStudio
     window, select the newly created variable and click
    Select
    .
    FactoryTalk Optix Studio Window
  13. Click the [] from the top menu.
    Click Libraries Icon
  14. In the
    Libraries
     window, click
    Widgets
    .
  15. Under
    Components
    , drag the
    Alarm Grid
     and drop under the
    Alarms
     panel in the left pane.
    Add Alarm Grid
    The
    AlarmGrid1
     is added under
    Alarms
    .
    AlarmGrid
  16. Close the
    Libraries
     window.
  17. Expand the newly created alarm grid and click
    AlarmsDataGrid
    .
  18. In the
    Properties
     window, click the [+] icon next to the
    Columns
     and click
    Text column
    .
    Add Text Column
  19. Scroll down the
    Properties
     window to view the
    DataGridColumn1
    .
  20. In the
    Text
     box, click the [] icon.
    Click Dynamic Link
  21. In the
    FTOptixStudio
     window, under the
    Basic
     tab, expand
    Aliases
    .
  22. Expand
    Alarms DataGrid
    .
  23. Expand
    Alarm Condition
    .
    Expand Alarm Condition
  24. Scroll down and expand
    Limit Alarm
    .
    Expand Limit Alarm
  25. Expand
    ExclusiveLimitAlarm
     and select
    CurrentState
    .
  26. Click
    Select
    .
    FactoryTalk Optix Studio Window
  27. Click the
    AlarmDataGrid
     from the left pane.
  28. In the
    Properties
     window, provide the
    Left Margin
     and
    Right Margin
     values as per your screen resolution.
    Set Margins
  29. Right-click the
    MainWindow (type)
     and navigate to
    New
     >
    Screens
     >
    Screen1
     to add the newly created screen to the main window.
    Add Screen
  30. In the
    Properties
     window, set the Left and Right margin values as zero.
    Set Margins
  31. Right-click the
    MainWindow (type)
     and navigate to
    New
     >
    Base controls
     >
    Linear gauge
    .
    Add Linear Gauge
  32. Drag the newly created linear gauge in the UI editor (Screen1) to just above the
    AlarmGrid
    .
    Linear Gauge
  33. Select the
    LinearGauge1
     from the left pane.
  34. In the
    Properties
     window, set the Minimum and Maximum values.
    Set Limits
  35. Click the [] icon from the
    Value
     box.
    Add Dynamic Link
  36. In the
    FTOptixStudio
     dialog box, select the newly created variable and click
    Select
    .
    FTOptixStudio Window
    NOTE:
    To adjust the size of the main window, double-click the
    MainWindow (type)
     node under the
    UI
     node, then drag the edges of the selected window object in the UI editor (Screen1).
  37. Configure other objects in your project (such as the FTDataMosaixDataStore object).
  38. Click the [] icon to run the emulator.
  39. Generate an alarm by adjusting the configured variable's value using the linear gauge to set it within the High, High-high, Low, or Low-low threshold limits. This action will trigger an alarm that is displayed in the Alarm Grid. When the value returns to a normal state via the linear gauge, an event is created and pushed to Cognite, accessible under the Data Explorer menu in the Events tab.
    Alarm State Change
    Alarm State Change
    NOTE:
    The user can click
    Acknowledge All
     and then
    Confirm All
     to acknowledge and confirm the events. The events will not be generated if the user acknowledge or confirm the events.
    Open the Cognite page to view the alarm details.
    Alarm Details - Cognite
    The user can view the configured description when pushing events to Cognite.
    Exclusive Alarm Details
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