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Solution Development →  Tutorial | Concept | How-to Guide | Reference

Create Solution Structure (3 min)

Create New Solution

1. Open Solution Center
2. Click New
3. Configure:
   • Name: TankFarmMonitor
   • Template: HeaderLayout
   • Product: FactoryStudio (or your license)
4. Click Create
5. Designer opens automatically

Create Asset Folders

1. Go to Unified Namespace → AssetTree

Create structure:

• TankFarm/

• • Tank1
  • Tank2
  • Tank3

Configure Tags (5 min)

Create Basic Tags

Using simple types (no templates yet):

1. Go to Unified Namespace → Tags
2. Create these tags:

Tank 1 Tags:

1. Copy-Paste for Tank 2 and 3:

• Select all Tank1 rows (Ctrl+Click)
• • Copy (Ctrl+C)
  • Paste (Ctrl+V)
  • Find/Replace: Tank1 → Tank2
  • Paste again and replace Tank2 → Tank3

Add Simulation

For testing without real devices:

1. Select Tank1_Level
2. In properties, set:
   • Min: 0
   • Max: 100
   • Simulation: Ramp
   • Period: 60 seconds
3. For temperatures:
   • Tank1_Temp: Random, 20-30°C
   • Tank2_Temp: Random, 20-30°C
   • Tank3_Temp: Random, 20-30°C

Setup Alarms (3 min)

Copy Tags to Alarms

1. Go back to Tags table
2. Select level tags:
   • Tank1_Level
   • Tank2_Level
   • Tank3_Level
3. Copy (Ctrl+C)
4. Go to Alarms → Items
5. Paste (Ctrl+V)
6. Configure each row:

1. Copy first row, paste, modify for Tank2 and Tank3

Configure Historian (3 min)

Copy Tags to Historian

1. Go to Tags table
2. Select all level and temperature tags
3. Copy (Ctrl+C)
4. Go to Historian → Tags
5. Paste (Ctrl+V)
6. Set intervals:
   • Level tags: 10 seconds
   • Temperature tags: 30 seconds

Storage Configuration

1. Go to Historian → Storage
2. Use default SQLite for testing
3. Set retention: 30 days

Create Main Display (7 min)

Setup Display

1. Go to Displays → Draw
2. Create new display: Overview

Quick Tank Creation

For each tank:

1. Draw Rectangle (tank body)
   • Size: 200x300
   • Fill: Light gray
   • Border: Dark gray, 2px
2. Copy Tag to Display:
   • Go to Tags table
   • Select Tank1_Level
   • Copy (Ctrl+C)
   • Go back to display
   • Paste (Ctrl+V)
   • Text box appears with tag binding
3. Add Bargraph:
   • Draw rectangle inside tank
   • Double-click for properties
   • Dynamics → Bargraph
   • Expression: Tag.Tank1_Level
   • Direction: Bottom to Top
4. Add Values Display:
   • Add TextBox
   • Type: Level: #Tag.Tank1_Level# %
   • Copy, paste, change to: Temp: #Tag.Tank1_Temp# °C
5. Status Indicator:
   • Draw circle
   • Dynamics → FillColor
   • Expression: Tag.Tank1_Status
   • Limits: 0=Gray, 1=Yellow, 2=Green
6. Duplicate for Other Tanks:
   • Select all Tank1 graphics
   • Copy and paste twice
   • Use Replace (Ctrl+H): Tank1 → Tank2, Tank3

Create Trend Display (3 min)

Add Trend from Historian

1. Create new display: Trends
2. Go to Historian → Tags
3. Select all configured tags
4. Copy (Ctrl+C)
5. Go back to display
6. Paste (Ctrl+V)
7. TrendChart automatically created with all historian tags

Configure Chart

1. Set time range: Last hour
2. Add navigation buttons to return to Overview

Create Simple Report (3 min)

Production Report

1. Go to Reports → Text
2. Create new: DailyReport
3. Add content:

   DAILY TANK REPORT
   Date: @Info.Date@
   
   Tank 1: @Tag.Tank1_Level@ %
   Tank 2: @Tag.Tank2_Level@ %
   Tank 3: @Tag.Tank3_Level@ %
   
   Average: @Tag.Average@

4. Go to Scripts → Tasks
5. Create task to calculate average:

   csharp

   @Tag.Average = (@Tag.Tank1_Level + 
                   @Tag.Tank2_Level + 
                   @Tag.Tank3_Level) / 3;

Test Solution (2 min)

Start Test Mode

1. Press F5 or click Run Testshortcut
2. Verify:
   • Levels changing (simulation)
   • Alarms triggering
   • Trends updating
   • Navigation working

Test Checklist

• All tags showing values
• Bargraphs animating
• Alarms at 90% and 10%
• Trend showing history
• Report generating

Run Solution (2 min)

Start Runtime

1. Go to Runtime → Startup
2. Select Development profile
3. Click Run Startup

Open Clients

1. Web Browser: http://localhost
2. Mobile: Use tablet browser
3. Navigate through displays

Productivity Tips

Copy-Paste Workflow

The power of copy-paste:

1. Create once in Tags
2. Copy to Alarms, Historian, Points
3. Automatic binding when pasted to displays
4. Bulk operations with Find/Replace

Quick Duplication

For similar equipment:

1. Configure one completely
2. Copy all related items
3. Paste and Find/Replace names
4. Saves 70% configuration time

Direct Tag Dropping

Alternative to copy-paste:

1. Select tags in tree
2. Drag directly to display
3. Auto-creates appropriate control

Next Steps

Add Complexity Gradually

Now that basics work, add:

1. Device Connection (10 min)
   • Replace simulation with real PLCs
   • Map points to tags
2. User Security (10 min)
   • Add login screen
   • Configure permissions
3. Advanced Graphics (15 min)
   • Import P&ID backgrounds
   • Add animations
   • Create popups
4. Business Logic (15 min)
   • Calculate KPIs
   • Add recipes
   • Create schedules

Learning Resources

• Tutorial: Connecting to Devices
• Tutorial: Adding Scripts
• Tutorial: Security Configuration
• Video: Advanced Graphics

Troubleshooting

Tags not updating:

• Check simulation enabled
• Verify runtime started
• Look for typos in names

Copy-paste not working:

• Ensure compatible types
• Check column mapping
• Verify destination table

Alarms not triggering:

• Check limits are correct
• Verify tag values reaching limits
• Ensure alarm group enabled

This guide demonstrated building a complete solution using basic tag types and the copy-paste accelerator, providing a foundation for more complex applications while maintaining simplicity for beginners.

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