General Variable Properties

You can associate the main data relating to the Movicon variables by using the general properties.

To modify the General properties of variables select the object with the mouse and use the Movicon 'Properties Window'.

Name

This edit box is used for entering the name to be assigned as an mnemonic code relating to the variable. The variable's name must be unique as it is used for identifying the variable anywhere in the project.

Movicon proposes the chars VAR followed by a progressive number for default. The default name can be replaced by another name as pleased.

Description

This edit box allows you to type a text string which can be used as a comment to describe the variable within the Real Time DB.

Type

This selection is used to specify the type of data represented by the variable in the Real Time DB. The list box will propose the following data types:

Bit

Byte with sign / Byte without sign (8 bit)

Word with sign / Word without sign (16 bit)

Doubleword with sign / Doubleword without sign (32 bit)

Float (32 bit single precision)

Double (long) (64 bit double precision)

String (each character one byte + termination character 0)

Byte array (fixed length with starting address and byte number)

Fixed Length Array

Structure: A list of Structure types available will be listed if present on the 'Structure Prototypes' group.

See paragraphs "Array Variables" and "Structure Variables" for further information on these variable types.

Element type for Array

This property is used for selecting they element type for the Array variables.  This property can only be selected if the 'Fixed Length Array' option has been chosen in the  "Type" field.  The available element choices:

• Sign Byte (8 Bit with sign)

• Byte (8 Bit without sign)

• Sign Word (16 Bit with sign)

• Word (16 Bit without sign)

• Sign DWord (32 Bit with sign)

• DWord (32 Bit without sign)

• Float (32 Bit single precision)

• Double (64 Bit double precision)

Initial Quality

This selection lets you define the variable's initial quality. This setting is significant for those variables which are to be exchanged with other devices or programs, eg. through communication drivers, OPC, Networking. This property is very useful when finding out whether the variables which are read by the field are updated correctly and contain valid values. The variable quality states can be:

• Good: valid data

• Uncertain: the data has not yet been updated and therefore is not definite

• Bad: data is not valid

• Not Connected: not connected to field therefore data is not defined

Inherit Quality

This property is managed for structure variables only and is used for updating the variable structure's quality based on the quality of each of its individual members.  When the dynamic link is set for each individual structure member ("Fixed I/O address" property), each member will have its own quality status.  In this situation when the structure variable's "Inherit Quality" property is enabled, the structure variable's quality will be set based on the status quality of each of its individual members.  It will only take  just  one member to have a "Not Good" quality to set the structure variable to a "Not Good" quality status as well.  However, if the "Inherited Quality" is left disabled, the Structure Variable's quality will not be influenced by its members' qualities.

Retentive not Shared

The variable's retentive is enabled when declared as 'Not Shared' area type.

Area

This property is used for defining the data area type in which the variable is to be mapped. The options are:

• Not Shared

• Input

• Flag

• Output

When you select the 'Not Shared' data area, it will not be necessary to define the variable's absolute address as this will be automatically allocated by Movicon without making any errors of superimposing unwanted addresses. When you use the Input, Output and Flag areas you can associate an absolute address to the variable but special attention must be paid as not to superimpose unwanted addresses.

Address

An absolute address must be specified for variables mapped in the Shared (Input, Flag, Output) data areas. The Movicon Shared memory is addressed in bytes. When having to address a bit you must use the 'x.x' syntax (eg. 10.5 = byte 10 bit 5) .

This field is enabled automatically when the variable has been defined as a "Fixed Length Array", even though the "Not Shared" internal area has been selected.  The internal address, however, will be used for defining the number of array elements using the  "x(x)" syntax.  For instance, when entering "10(5)" an array with 5 elements will be defined starting from the 10 address.  In this case the variable's start address will not have any meaning but only the parameter indicating the number of array elements will be considered.  The Array variables can be defined with a maximum 4096 elements.

Auto Alloc

This command allows you to assign a free address to the variable ("Address" property) within the selected shared area.

Dynamic

This property is used for associating the variable to a network item, an OPC Server tag or a communication task, directly. You can type the command line, using the appropriate syntax, directly into the appropriated box, or use the 'Tag Browser' window which appears when double clicking the mouse on the edit box.

The syntax which will be reported in the property's box is as follows:

Networking Syntaxes

[NET]\\ComputerName\VariableName

where:

[NET] = Movicon suffix which identifies a network connection

ComputerName = Name of remote computer Server

VariableName = Name of variable in Server project to be connected

OPC Syntaxes

[OPC] ServerName.Version\DeviceName.GroupName.TagName

where:

[OPC] = Movicon Suffix identifies a OPC connection

ServerName = Name with which the OPC Server registered in the operating system

DeviceName = Name of device configured in the Server

GroupName = Name of the tag's starting group.

TagName = Name of tag configured in the Server

Driver Syntaxes

[DRV]DriverName.Sta=StationName|Addr=TagAddress

where:

[DRV] = Movicon Suffix identifies a connection to a Communication Driver

DriverName = Name of Communication Driver to be used

StationName = Name of station configured in the driver

TagAddress = Address of Tag in the device (use the device's syntax)

OPC Group Name

The name of a OPC Group to which the variable belongs can be entered in this property.  This setting is only valid if a OPC link has been set in the variable's "Dynamic Address" or " Dynamic address" property. If the specified OPC Group resides in the  'OPC Client DA' resource the dynamic OPC tag generated by the dynamic address is entered by Movicon in the specified OPC Group obtaining refresh time and the properties of that specified Group.  However, if the name of the OPC Group is not in the 'OPC Client DA' resource, Movicon will insert the dynamic tag in an generic group purposely created for dynamic tags with the name of  "DynTag" whose refresh time is determined by the  "OPC Client DA" resource's  "Default Dynamic Update Rate"  property.

The name of the "Dynamic OPC Group" of the variables with dynamic OPC addresses is determined by the following conditions:

• Name set in the variable's "OPC Group Name" property

• if the  "OPC Group Name" property is not set, the name will be inherited from the name of the "Variable Group" which the variable belongs to.

• set with the default name of "DynTag"  if previous two cases do not comply

The name of the OPC Group may exist as the  "OPC Client DA" resource's OPC Group.  

Therefore take these types into concideration:

• Static OPC Group: created in the "OPC Cleint DA" resource

• Dynamic OPC Group: is the variable is not linked to a OPC  Item

Enable Statistic Data

Enable the statistic data for the variables in question. In this case you will get minimum, maximum and average variable value availability plus other information. To access this information you need to use the variable's appropriate Basic Script functions, such as "DBVarObjCmdTarget.StatisticDataMaxValue", "DBVarObjCmdTarget.StatisticDataMinValue", etc.. Statistic data can be moved from one variable to another  by using the appropriate commands in the  "Variable Commands List".

The variable statistic data, only if retentive, is persistent. The variable's statistic data is then save in the variable's retentive file together with  other already existing data (values, quality and timestamp etc.).

IntelliSense

When enabled, this property consents you to add the variable to the VBA's 'IntelliSense, so that it becomes available in the popup list that appears when pressing the "Ctrl+Space" keys inside the basic script code (also see the section on "IntelliSense use for RealTimeDB variables").

Attention! When a Structure or Byte Array variable has its "IntelliSense" enabled, it cannot be used directly without specifying members. When used without specifying members, only one element of the array or structure variable will be read or written and not all of it.

For instance, lets consider that VAR00001 and VAR00002 are two Byte Array variable types, with the same number of elements the following code will have two different results according to the "IntelliSense" option:

Sub Click()

VAR00001 = VAR00002

End Sub

"IntelliSense" Option = True -> Only the first byte of the  "VAR00002" Array variable will be read and written in the first byte of the  "VAR00001" variable

"IntelliSense" Option  = False -> All the bytes of the  "VAR00002" variable are read and written in the "VAR00001" variable bytes

This difference is due to the fact that the variable enabled with the "IntelliSense" option is considered by the basic script as an object with a series of properties (the variable's elements), and one of these properties (array item) is taken as a predefined property in cases where not specified.

Enable Member Properties

This check box allows you to enable the possibility to edit  the properties of one member from a structure variable. This option only shows when a structure member has been selected and doesn't shoe for ordinary variables.  

For further information please refer to the section on  "Modifying Structure Member properties".

Inherit Quality

Through this property, which is only supported for variables of type structure,it is possible to make sure that the quality of the variable structure is updated

based on the quality of the individual members. When you set up dynamic linking for individual members of the structure (property "Physical Address I / O" of the individual

members) each member state will have its quality. If in this situation the properties"Inherit Quality" of the structure variable is enabled, then the quality of structure variable will be set based on the quality status of individual members.It is sufficient that at least one of the individual members have quality "not good" that the variable structure will be set with quality "not good." If instead the property "Inherit Quality" is left disabled, then the variable qualitystructure will not be affected by the quality of its members.