Use the Watch tool

This software includes a standalone Watch tool, separate from the project development environment, that you can use to connect to a running project and then monitor that project's database.

The Watch tool is functionally similar to the Watch window in the project development environment, but it differs in several important ways:

• The Watch tool can connect to projects running on both the local computer and remote computers, while the Watch window only shows the project that is currently open in the project development environment;

• You can open multiple instances of the Watch tool in order to connect to different projects at the same time; and

• The Watch tool runs separate from the project development environment, and it can be left open when the project development environment is closed.

Before you try to use the Watch tool to connect to a project, confirm the project is running and the TCP/IP Server Runtime task is started. The TCP/IP Server (also known as the Data Server) is what makes the project database accessible to debugging tools like Watch. Also, if the project runtime is hosted on a remote computer, note the host name or IP address of that computer. For more information, see Runtime Tasks.

Any time you try to access a project, if that project's security system is enabled then you may be asked to log on. This includes when you use the Watch tool to connect to a project. As such, your user account needs to belong to a group that has the Enable Remote Debugging Tools option selected, in the security system settings. If you also want to be able to write values to the database, the Watch (write) option should also be selected, but that option is not required simply to use the Watch tool. For more information, see Security System.

Open the tool from the Local Management tools

To open the Watch tool from the Local Management tools:

1. On the Home tab of the ribbon, in the Local Management group, click Tasks. The Runtime Tasks dialog box is displayed.

2. In the list of execution tasks, select the Watch task and then click Start. The Watch tool is displayed in a separate window, and it automatically connects to the project running on the local computer (also known as LOCAL).

3. Click OK to close the Runtime Tasks dialog box.

Open the tool from the Remote Management tools

To open the Watch tool from the Remote Management tools:

4. On the Home tab of the ribbon, in the Remote Management group, click Watch. The Remote Computer dialog box is displayed.

   

5. In the Mode box, select one of the following:

   Mode	Description
   Encrypted TCP/IP	Connect to the project's TCP/IP Server using encrypted communication.
   TCP/IP	Connect to the project's TCP/IP Server using standard communication.

   If you want to use Encrypted TCP/IP mode, the Encrypted Port option needs to be selected in the project settings. If you want to use TCP/IP mode, the standard Port option needs to be selected in the project settings. For more information about both options, see Communication tab.

6. In the Host box, type the host name or IP address of the computer that is hosting the project runtime. You do not need to include the port number as long as it has not been changed from the default port for the selected mode (for example, port 51234 for Encrypted TCP/IP). If the port number has been changed, however, include the correct port number with the specified host.

   Even though you are opening the tool from the Remote Management tools, you can use it to connect to the project running on the local computer. To do this, leave the Host box empty.

7. Click OK. The Watch tool is displayed in a separate window, and it automatically connects to the specified host.

Remember that you can open multiple instances of the tool as long as you specify a different host and/or port for each instance.

Run the tool from the command prompt

The Watch tool is actually a small utility program that is included with AVEVA Edge, and you can run it from the Windows command prompt with appropriate parameters. The default location of the Watch tool is:

C:\Program Files (x86)\AVEVA\AVEVA Edge 2026\Bin\DatabaseSpyExt.exe

To run the program from the command prompt, make sure you are in the correct directory and then enter the following:

DatabaseSpyExt /dsip:<host name or IP address> /dsport:<port number> /dssecure /username:<optional> /password:<optional>

The /dsip parameter indicates the host name or IP address of the computer or device that hosts the project runtime. For a project running on the local computer, you can specify the host as localhost or 127.0.0.1.

The /dsport parameter indicates the port number for the project runtime server (also known as the data server). You do not need to include this parameter as long as the port number has not been changed from the default (that is, port 51234 for encrypted communication, port 1234 for standard communication).

The /dssecure parameter indicates that you want to use encrypted communication, and when you do, you will be asked to trust the server's certificate. (In other words, you will be prompted to save the certificate in your local certificate store.) If you want to use standard communication, do not include this parameter.

The /username and /password parameters allow you to log on to the project as a user other than Guest, assuming that the project security system is enabled and you need to log on to the project in order to use the remote debugging tools.

You can open multiple instances of the Watch tool as long as you specify a different host and/or port for each instance.

Use the tool to monitor the project database

If the Watch tool successfully connects to the specified host, it is displayed in its own window separate from the project development environment.

As stated at the beginning of this topic, the Watch tool is functionally similar to the Watch window in the project development environment. It provides the same basic interface, and in most cases it can be used in the same way.

When you use the tool to connect to a project running on a remote computer, however, there are some limitations on accessing tags in the Shared Database part of the project database. For example, you might not be able to access class members that were imported through Tag Integration.

When you are done, click Close to disconnect from the specified host and close the tool.