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you to easily manage symbols, image files, import objects from a 5000 objects gallery, create your own symbols with dynamic properties, and map tags and templates to its default graphical user interface. 

There are three main repositories for reusable components

: the Images, the Symbol Factory library, and the Local Symbols Gallery. Let's explore each one.

Images: Used to insert an external image file

(like an icon, wallpaper, object, or a background image) from your computer to the project configuration. You can manage the imported images

on Edit > Displays > Resources. After the image is imported, you no longer need the original file. Images can be used as color brushes for any drawing object, and they can even be used as "color" or the ColorFill dynamic attributes. 

Symbol Factory: This is an extensive library of elements, with more than

5,000 symbols that use vector graphics, that you can use for creating your displays or use as a template to create your own custom symbols.

These objects can be applied statically,

as an image or icon

. You can add Dynamics and save them to the Local Symbols library. 

Smart Symbols: These are the most frequently used symbols. They include the symbols you create in

a project and a library of more than 500 symbols designed specifically

for FactoryStudio. The symbols in this library can be

synchronized with the library

. When you change a symbol in this library, the change will be automatically applied to all displays using that symbol. Local Symbols

can have dynamics properties that you can easily map to tags in displays; they can also be defined

as the default graphical representation of tags. 

Image Resources

Image Resources

You can import any image file at in the Edit > Displays > Resources tab. This creates a repository of images for the application that is stored inside the project database file, so you don't . You do not need the original files anymore. These images can be used to be the fill Fill of an object, such as rectangles, ellipses, LabelBoxes, paths, page background, or target color in runtime dynamics using colors. 

If you need to update an image with a new version, you can replace it, and it will be updated throughout the application. Be sure to keep the resource name the same.

You can use any image file to fill or "paint" an object when creating you create displays from in Draw > Drawing.

You can import the following file types:

• .bmp
• .gif
• .ico
• .jpg
• .png
• .tiff
• .wdp

To manage resources:

• Go to Edit > Displays > Resources.
• Click Import Images.
• Navigate to where the images are that you want to import.
• Select the image files and click Open.
• In each row, enter or select information, as needed.

Adding an image to a display

• Go to Draw Environment, and click on the Insert Image Resource.
• A new window will open. Now Click on the Import file button.
• The new image becomes the fill Fill for the rectangle. Click on Fill to change the image settings.
• You can change the Stretch to None, Fill, Uniform and UniformToFill. Also, you can see all of the image files that are in the project, and you can change between then them by using the Select Resource button or just click clicking on the image in the top toolbar .

Symbol Factory

The symbols from the Symbol Factory are efficient and well designed vector graphics graphic images. If you need an object like a pump , or a valve or others in your applicationsapplication, just open the library and browse for the element or search by name. The difference between the in symbols from the Symbol Factory and Local Symbols is that the symbols from the Symbol Factory, once included in a display, become part of that display , and have no further connection with the library. In contrast, LocalLocal Symbols can keep an active link with the library , and can also have dynamic properties.

• Go to the Draw Environment then and click on the Symbol Factory Icon on in the vertical toolbar.
• After clicking on the icon, the Symbol Factory will open, to . To insert a symbol just , choose one category and symbol then . Then, double-click on the symbol and click in any place on the screen.

Adding color change animation to Symbol Factory elements

If you want to insert a color change animation , without changing anything on the symbol, you can copy the symbol and overlay a transparent image on top of your image.

For example, suppose we have two pumps. To insert a simple animation that shows when the pump is ON or OFF, follow these steps:

• First, make a copy of the object, select the symbol, and click Ctrl+D to duplicate it (you . You can also select the Symbol, hold the CTRL key and drag the object, or you can copy/paste it).

• Then select the second pump and click on the Union button  on  in the horizontal toolbar.
• Now with With this new pump, locate the OPACITY property at in the left panel, select an Opacity from 0.2 to 0.5 , according the desired visual effect, and select the color for your initial brush (red or green, for instance).

• Double click on the second pump and change the setting of the Fill Dynamic.

• Select both pumps and click on the Align Horizontal Center button and Align Vertical Center button.

• If the pump, with the Opacity changes, stays behind the other pump, click on the Move to The Front button to bring it bring the pump with the Opacity changes to the front.

• You can now click on the Display Preview button  on  in the top toolbar to see the new pump's animation.

Smart

Symbols

The Smart symbols library Symbols Library includes the most frequently used graphics. You can also create symbols and add them to the a project's local library. Symbols can just be a static image images, or they can have dynamic properties and tags links.

To view the symbols used by in your project, do one of the following:

• To see only the symbols used in this a specific project, go to Draw > Symbols. In that page you You can export, import, or delete symbols on this page.
• To see all of the available symbols, go to Draw > Drawing, and click Open Symbol Library.

Creating new Symbols

You can use the drawing tools and the COMBINE commands at in the horizontal toolbar to draw your own symbols.

You can also bring use the symbols from the Symbol Factory and click at on the UNGROUP command at in the horizontal toolbar to edit the imported symbols.

You can also use the "Direct Selection" cursor to edit internal elements without needing to ungroup.

If you want to save the a new symbol to the Local Symbols Library, just select the object or objects that you want to be part of the symbol. Then, then right-click and select "Make a new symbol". 

• Enter the Name, Folder, and the description of the Symbol.

• Now you You can open the Symbol Library and choose the symbol to use at in your displays.

The components in the Local Symbol library's components may have built-in dynamic properties, and they may have an easy way to map them to the realtime tags in your application. This is explained in the following section.

If you have a symbol has both dynamic properties and tags being used in that symbol, the system will automatically create label parameters for the symbol label parameters. After making the a new symbol, double click it the symbol to verify its configuration these parameters.

In order to Edit a symbol that is already one of the symbols in the Local Symbol library, insert the symbol in a display, right click on the symbolit, and select "Edit Symbol", that . This will let you change the symbol by changing the drawing tool , and locking the other elements in the page, so you change the symbol. When you finish, right-click at any position anywhere to select Save to Library, Save Only to Local display, or Cancel to cancel your editing.

The objects from " Local Symbols " are composed of some the default symbols from in the file SymbolLibrary.tproj , added with the product installation, file and the symbols you created for your specific project. If you change, delete, or insert a symbol in the SymbolLibrary.Tproj, it will be accessible to all projects in any project on that computer. The symbols you are using use in your project are saved inside the PROJECT file; therefore . Therefore, they are completely independent of any external file. 

Inserting a Local Symbol

• Go to the Draw Environment, right-click any place of on the screen and select "Insert Symbol". Alternately, you can click on the "Local Symbol icon" on in the vertical toolbar.

• After selecting the a category and symbol, click on the symbol and then . Then, click on the screen to position the symbol. You can also drag-drop symbols to onto the screen. If you double-click on a symbol, that it will close the Library window, allowing library window and will allow you to insert the selected object.
• Double-click on the a symbol to see its runtime properties and map it to the tags in your application.

Symbol Parameters

When you insert a symbol from the Symbol Library, it may some have parameters, like in the example . For our example, the VerticalTank symbol has the parameters LevelValue, MaxScale, and MinScale parameters. To change the tags linked tags to those these parameters, just edit the new tag names in the dialog.

Editing and modifying symbols

Right-click on the VerticalTank symbol and select Edit Symbol. Now you enter in This starts the Edit mode , and allows you can to see all of the objects that are part of the Vertical Tank.

Click on the Black black rectangle to see its Dynamics.

As you see we We use #<PropertyName>:TagName 

That This syntax will create the exposed label parameters for the symbol, making . This makes it easier to map the any linked tags when you are using the symbol.

For In this examplesexample, the symbol has the labels "Level","MinScale", and "MaxScale" labels. When you insert this symbol in your display, you will be able to set the values for those these parameters. After The default value is after the ":" character, you have the default value. 

When creating symbols, it is useful to initially map the properties to client.SimulationDigital, Client.SimulationAnalog, or Client.SimulationDouble, which . These are variables with values changing that change every second so you can see the result of your dynamic properties. You can use the internal variables Client.DigitalValue, Client.NumericValue, and Client.TextValue , variables when you just want to put use a placeholder value , with no without any built-in simulation.

In order to save the symbol, right-click on the symbol or on the display and press Save to Symbol Library, or click the Save icon on the top toolbar. Double-click on the symbol to verify its properties. 

Linking Tags and Symbols

You can configure a symbol A symbol can be configured to be the default representation of a Tag Type. In this way, every tag type. Every time you paste a tag into the Draw Environment, a symbol will be automatically created mapping and mapped to the inserted tag. 

The tags of type Digital, Integer, Double, Decimal, Text, DateTime, and TimeSpan have a default visualization that is TimeSpan tag types have the name of the tag and an input/output text box . If you as their default visualization. To select multiple lines at in Edit>Tags>Objects (, click in one line, shift click in on a line and hold down shift while clicking on another line to mark a range), right-click to copy those lines to the clipboard, and paste into the displays, the . The system will automatically create one object to for each of those the tags.

If you want to change any of the properties of for the objects that were created, for instance change the TextIO dynamic from "TwoWay" to "OutputOnly", select select all the TextBox objects (clicking with the mouse on the display, and keeping it pressed, select by clicking and dragging over the display. Select the area with the objects ), and double-click at on any selected object to open the "Edit Combined Dynamics" dialog. 

Mapping a Symbol to a Tag Template

You can also define a symbol to be the default view for a tag template.

• Go to Edit > Tags > Templates to create a new template.

Go to Edit > Tags > Objects and create Tags tags with Type: Demo type.

• Back at In the Draw environment, insert some any objects that you want to be part of the symbol. In the example, we use a TextBlock and TextBox with the parameters #Tag: (Tag.Demo.Integer1) in for their dynamic properties.

• Now, select the TextBox and the TextBlock and right-click and to make it a New Symbol with the Name and Folder called "Demo".
• The parentheses () in the expression of the TextBox and TextBlock , defined expression define the scope , on what should be replaced when you map the symbol. The hash tag syntax
• For the hashtag syntax, #Label: when When you paste the Tagstags, it is they become the placeholder that will show where in where the tag name should be replaced with the dynamic animations or expressions the name of tag should be replaced.
• Go to Edit>Tags and copy all tags with Type:Demo.

• Back to Draw environment and paste Paste the tags .in the Draw environment 

When inserting tags of that this template type, the system will look for a Symbol symbol with the same name of Templatethe template. If a match is found, that the symbol is created and linked to the Tag you were inserting at tag you inserted in the display. 

Linking Tags and Symbols using Categories

If you want to You can map a Symbol with symbol to a group of Tagstags, but you don't want do not have to make this the symbol map to all Tags of the tags with the same Type. you can type. To do this, use the Category column to link which symbols should be used as the default interface to for each group of tags.

• Go to Run > Dictionaries > Categories and create new categories.

• Back to Insert a symbol in the Draw Environment and insert one symbol. 
• Go to the Draw > Symbols Tab tab and on the Category Column chose the respective category for the symbol in the Category column. 

Go to Edit > Tags and define the category for the tags.

Select all Tags, copy then paste then of the tags and copy/paste them into the Draw Environment. Each Tag tag will map to the respective symbol, according to the association defined in the Category column.