Pen Style dialog box
- Last UpdatedOct 29, 2026
- 4 minute read
Use the Pen Style dialog box to customize the style of the pen that draws the point's values during run time.
Access the dialog box
To access the Pen Style dialog box for a specific point, do the following:
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In the screen editor, select the Trend Control object, and then open its object properties.
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In the object properties, click Points.
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In the Points dialog box, select a point, and then click the Style column for that point.
This dialog box can also be opened on the client during project run time, by clicking the Pen Style tool in either the toolbar or the legend of the trend control. For more information, see About the trend control runtime interface. Please note, however, that the full range of settings is available only when the runtime is SCADA for Windows and the client is the local Viewer. In all other combinations of runtimes and clients, the Pen Style tool can be used only to change the pen color.
The dialog box in detail
The table below describes the elements in the Pen Style dialog.
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Area / Element Name |
Description |
|
|---|---|---|
|
Line Settings |
State |
You have the option of defining a Hi Limit and a Lo Limit for each data Point, with the Options dialog. The Pen Style Dialog allows you to configure different settings for the pen (for example, color), both when its values are within the limits (Normal State) and not within the limits (Out of Limits state). |
|
Use Normal Settings |
Available only for the Out of Limits state. When checked, the pen will always be displayed with the settings for the Normal state, even if the data point values are not within the limits configured for it. |
|
|
Type |
The type of line (for example, solid, dashed, dotted) that connects the data points. |
|
|
Weight |
The weight of the line that connects the data points. |
|
|
Expansion |
The algorithm used to connect the points, as follows:
|
|
|
Marker |
The shape used to mark each data point. If no shape is selected, then only the connecting line between points is displayed. |
|
|
Marker size |
The size of the data point marker. |
|
|
Color |
The color of the trend line and data point markers. |
|
|
Fill |
Fill Type |
The type of fill between the trend line and the number line. |
|
Pattern File |
The graphic file used to fill the trend area. Available only Fill Type is set to Custom Pattern. Click the browse button to open a Windows file browser and then select the desired graphics file. The file should be located in your project folder. See the figure below this table for an example of trends with custom fill patterns. Note: This feature should be used only with small images that can be tiled to fill the trend area. If you select a large image instead, with the intent of having it fill the entire trend area by itself, you might see unexpected behavior during project run time — for example, the image might not align properly within the trend area or it might overlap itself in strange ways, depending on the size and position of the Trend Control object in the screen. |
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|
Color |
The color used to fill the trend area. Available only when Fill Type is set to Solid Color. |
|
|
Fill Transparency (%) |
The transparency level of the fill. (If the fill is transparent, then other trends behind it can be seen through it, making the entire graph easier to read.) Available for both Custom Pattern and Solid Color. |
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: Consecutive points are directly connected to each other by an analog line. This
option is suitable for numerical values.
: Consecutive points are connected only through horizontal or vertical steps (depending
on the orientation of the trend display). This option is suitable for Boolean values.
Tip: To programmatically modify these pen style settings during project run time, go to the Options dialog box and then specify an appropriate value for Style Modifier. For more information, see Modify the pen style of a point during run time.