Key Components of a Situational Awareness Project

A project created from Situational Awareness Starter Project uses the Workspace architecture to enable the runtime environment to respond to contextual changes. This topic provides an introduction to the key components of this architecture.

• Screen Profile

  A screen profile defines the arrangement of screens used by a Plant SCADA display client with multiple monitors. You can create a screen profile in the Setup activity in Plant SCADA Studio (see Screen Profiles).

  

  You can then apply a screen profile to a display client using the Screen Setup page of the Computer Setup Wizard.

  

• Workspace

  The Workspace is the engine that manages the contextual content changes within each screen. It enables contextual navigation, and optionally provides a tailored, situational awareness-aligned operator experience.

  A startup context is set for each Workspace by linking each screen to a Level 1 entry in a project menu named "Navigation". This provides a starting point for any contextual navigation that occurs within the Workspace.

  

  Startup context is set for each screen via the Screen Setup page of the Computer Setup Wizard.

  For information on how to configure an appropriate navigation menu, see Prepare the Navigation Menu.

• Master Page

  A master page provides the layout for the content that is managed by a Workspace. It differs from other graphics pages, as it is made up of a set of Panes that each host individual pages at runtime (see "Panes" below).

  

  The size of a master page needs to match the resolution of the screen on which it will display. The master pages that are provided with Plant SCADA come in two resolutions:

  • HD1080 - 16:9 (1920 x 1080)

  • UHD4K - 16:9 (3840 x 2160)

    To specify the master page that displays on a screen when runtime starts, use the Screen Setup page of the Computer Setup Wizard.

    To create your own master page, see Create a Master Page for a Customized Workspace.

• Panes

  Panes are sections within a master page that form a framework for the content that appears at runtime. Each pane hosts a page that can be dynamically updated.

  

  The properties associated with a pane allow you to specify how it behaves when the context of a client changes, the type of content it can display, and how a page fills the space within the pane (see Configure Panes on a Master Page).

  If your project is based on Plant SCADA's Situational Awareness Starter Project, a default layout of panes is available via the included master pages (see Default Layout).

There are two ways to initiate an update within this architecture:

• Commands — typically used on the Header Bar or a navigation menu to display a page.

• Contextual updates — the content of a pane may update when a piece of equipment comes into context.

Contextual updates are enabled by associating "Content Types" with the equipment and pages in a project. This allows a pane to update automatically when equipment of a particular type comes into context. See Autofill.

See Also

Configure Your Project