Instrument List

The Instruments List is the main Instrument Index window for adding/editing instruments in Engineer's Instrument Index. By default all instruments for the Project are shown in the Instrument List grid.

A "sub-grid" below the main grid lists the process items (equipment and lines) associated with the currently selected instrument.

The viewable columns, their captions, column size and order are User definable using the Grid Manager utility.

Instrumentation Engineer allows instruments to be created without assigning them to a loop. For example pressure gauges, relief valves etc.

A catalog of common instrument definitions may be created for use when creating instruments with common attributes.

Access the Instruments List

To open the Instrument List, click Select in the Grids and Schedules section of the Home tab.

Select Instruments under the Lists heading from the list of grids that is then displayed. The Instrument List grid is then displayed:

For information on the grid controls including selecting an instrument record, and sorting and filtering the grid data, refer to Working with the Data Grid.

The Instrument List consists of two grids. The main, upper grid displays details of the instruments in the Project.

The lower grid displays details of any process items (equipment and lines) assigned to the instrument (see Assign Process Equipment and Process Lines) currently selected in the upper grid. Switch between displaying equipment and lines in the lower grid by clicking the Associated Process Equipment or Associated Process Lines button. Data in the lower grid cannot be edited in Instrumentation Engineer. The lower grid can be closed and re-opened by clicking Show Process Items in the Associated Items section of the List Tools - Instruments tab.

Note: Instruments are present in both the Instrumentation Engineer module and the Instrument Wiring Manager module (in other words, as field devices). The data for such items is kept in sync between modules. Be aware that field captions in one module may be different from those in the other, depending on how data grids have been configured, etc. In other words, the same field displaying the same data may have a different name in each module.

Add New Tags to the Instrument List

Instruments can also added to the Instrument List manually (see Manually Add a Tag to the Instrument List), or by copying and changing existing instruments (see Copy Instruments). Instruments may also be created from facilities accessible from the Loop List grid (the Loop List grid is also used to assign existing instruments from the Instrument List to any loop).

Various facilities are also provided to import instruments from external sources. See Import Instrument Data from Excel.

Edit Instrument Data

To edit data, you can either double-click on an Instrument record, or select it and click Edit on the Home tab. You can also edit most column data directly in the Grid itself by selecting the cell and entering a new value, selecting a value from a picklist etc. Columns with a yellow colored background cannot be edited directly in the grid.

Special Instrument List Grid Features

Some cells within the grid will display a small button in the right side of the cell when the mouse cursor hovers over it, from which additional information related to the Instrument can be viewed and edited. The cells are:

• Loop No: If the Instrument has been assigned a loop, clicking the Loop No cell button will display the Edit Loop button. Refer to Edit a Loop in the Loop List).

• If no loop is assigned, you can assign a loop to the Instrument using the Assign Loop window. Refer to Global tab.

• Datasheet No: The Datasheet No cell button provides access to facilities for viewing end editing the datasheet assigned to the Instrument, if there is one. Refer to Datasheet Data Entry.

• If a datasheet is not yet assigned, the button provides access to facilities for creating a new datasheet for the Instrument. Refer to Add New Datasheets.

Grid Picklists

Some Instrument List grid cells contain picklists (for example, Area No, Location, Project Status etc.). The value list in each picklist are generally loaded from both the PickList library, plus any value that has been entered in a picklist's field. Therefore manually adding a value into the picklist will add that new value to the picklist for future use.

Notes: A picklist may be set so that grid cells must be completed with the values in it, in other words, other values may not be manually entered.

Any value manually added directly into a grid picklist does not get added to the picklist's value list until you click Refresh in the Records section of the Home tab, or the grid is re-loaded (for example, Instrumentation Engineer is re-started).

The Location field can be used to change the Project location of an instrument. If the Allow duplicate instrument tags in different locations checkbox on the Instruments tab of the Preferences window is checked (refer to Instrument Engineer Options for details), Instrument tags need not be unique in the Project, as long as their location codes, as specified here, are different. Be aware of this when changing the location of instruments.

Refer to Using Picklists for further information on editing picklists.

Instrument List - List Tools Options

The following options are located on the List Tools - Instruments tab: