Handling Static Objects in Screens

Handling static objects on screen is a feature that allows all unanimated objects to have a bitmap image which will be inserted as screen's background image.  This feature, above all in devices with Windows CE platforms, allows screens containing unanimated objects to be loaded much faster.

Basically when transferring a project to a remote device, WinCE or Win32/64, and a certain screen has been enabled with the "Static Object in background" option, this screen will be checked to see if it contains any unanimated objects known as "static objects", if found a bitmap image will be created with the static objects (this file will have the same screen name plus a  "_st" suffix and ".bmp" extension). After this, a temporary screen xml file will also be created (with the same screen name plus ".movscr_st" extension) in which the created bitmap will be associated as screen background without the static object definitions. This temporary screen  file and bitmap image will be the one transferred to the device (therefore modified).  This will allow the screen to be used in the device  without its static objects defined as symbols but displayed as background bitmap image only.

To enable the Static Object in background management  in screens you will have to enable the  "Static Object in Background" option in the project's execution properties and the "Static Object in Background" option in the style properties of the screens you wish to have this feature.  If the  "Static Object in Background" option is not enabled in the project's execution properties, the static object management will not work even though the  "Static Object in Background" option has been enabled in each of the screen's style properties. However, if the  "Static Object in Background"  option is enabled in the project's execution properties, this management will result active in all the screens enabled with the  "Static Object in Background" option.

The static object in background management is executed during project transfer mode to a remote device using the  "Upload Project to Device/FTP..." command, and is executed with all three of the default plug-ins, "TCP", "FTP" and "MS ActiveSync". During the project transfer phase the following operations will be performed:

1. If the "Static Object in Background" option has been enabled in the project, the following warning message will be generated:
   
   The project will be adapted on the target in order to manage the static objects in background image (option set inside this project).
   Make sure to preserve an updated copy of this  project for continuing to develop!
   Would you like to proceed with uploading?
    

2. Responding with "Yes" to point  1) will start project transfer otherwise this operation will be cancelled

3. Each screen enabled with the "Static Object in Background" option will be initialized and a ".bmp" file will be created with the for all static objects detected with their images and a  ".movscr_st" file will be created as a modified copy of the original screen's ".movscr" file.  However the  ".movscr_st" file will not include the static object's xml definitions and the background images will be the bitmaps created with the static objects. These two files, ".movscr_st" and ".bmp" will created in the same original screen's folder.

4. At this point the file that will be transferred to the device will not be the screen's original file with the ".movscr" extension, but the one with the ".movscr_st" extension and the bitmap file. During the transfer phase the file's extension will be renamed to ".movscr" otherwise the Movicon runtime module will not recognize the file as the screen's.

At this point it is necessary to know what static objects are exactly.  Basically, they are all those symbols inserted on screen without animation or logic associated to them.  To be more precise, in order for an object to be  considered 'static' it must have the following conditions:

• object must not have any set variables in any of its animation, execution etc. properties

• object must not have any IL Logic or Basic Script associated to it

• object must not have any text set as its title (text may be subject to language changes)

• object must not have a public name if screen has been set in a publc symbol container

• object must not be set with levels other than zero if the screen is associated with the Screen Layer Variable

• object must not have its "Visible on Web Client" option set at false (disabled)

• object must not have its "Visible on WinCE" option set at false (disabled)

• object must not have an access mask in read other than "FFFF" if project's user management is active.

• object must not be set to be invisible based on zooming factor (the "Enable Zoom" visibility property must be set at false - disabled)

• object must not be set with a Command List

• object must not be overlapped with other objects that are not static, otherwise it will not be visible in runtime because part of the bitmap background.

• some objects cannot be static for obvious reasons and include the: Alarm window and Alarm Banner, Historical Log window, DataLogger/Recipe Wndow, Recipe Manager, TraceDB, window, IP Camera viewer, Grid, Hour Selector and Scheduler TAB Group, Embedded Screen and ActiveX/OCX

When using a composed symbol it will be considered static if, in addition to being static as whole, each of its individual elements are static as well.

When the "Static Object in Background" is enabled, the screens with this option enabled will not be adapted to the page.  In this case the "Fit in window" option will be in grey and no longer changeable, and the screen will not be adapted in runtime. The "Fit in Window" option will however be disabled only if the "Static Object in Background" option is enabled both at project and individual screen level.

Temporary ".movscr_st" and ".bmp" file management

The temporary ".movscr_st" and ".bmp" files, which are the modified screen and background image files to be associated to the screen, are created during project transfer when needed. These files will be created in the same folder belonging to the original screen, and will be kept in this folder after the project has been transferred.  The next time the project is transferred, these files will be re-created only if the original screen file is dated after the date of the two files, otherwise the already existing ones will be transferred.  The temporary files will keep the same screen name plus a suffix either in the name or extension. For example, two temporary files will be created for a screen called  "Screen1.movscr" with the  "Screen1.movscr_st" and "Screen1_st.bmp" names.

The temporary ".movscr_st" and ".bmp" files will automatically be deleted by Movicon when one of the following conditions verify:

• when the project's "Static Object in Background" option is disabled. In this case the temporary files of all project screens will be deleted

• when the "Static Object in Background" option of each individual screen is disabled. In this case the temporary files of those screens will be deleted

• when a screen is renamed. In this case the temporary files of those screens will be deleted

• when a screen is moved to a different folder. In this case the temporary files of those screens will be deleted

• when the project's "Enable Password Management" option is changed. In this case all the temporary files of all the project's screens will be deleted

Naturally, after the temporary files have been deleted, which can also be done manually by user,  these files will be re-created by Movicon during the next project transfer if necessary.