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To install FrameworX:
1.Run the Installer: Click on the FrameworX-Setup.exe file. The installation will complete in just a few minutes, adding FrameworX to \Program Files (x86)\Tatsoft\ folder.
2.Accessing the Application:
•After installation, right-click the FrameworX icon in the Desktop. When running, at the Windows TaskBar, you can select “Pin to Taskbar” for easy access.
•Alternatively, type “FrameworX” in the Windows search box to locate and launch the application.
When the application is first time launched, it may request to update the Microsoft Visual Studio Redistributable package, simple authorize to proceed.
3. Firewall Authorization:
Upon first editing or running solutions post-installation, Windows Firewall may prompt for authorization. Simply click “OK” to proceed.
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If you have a previous installation using the MSIX installer, please uninstall it first. Due to restrictions with running .NET 8 applications, the MSIX option is no longer supported. If you have a previous installation using the Setup.exe installer, you can install the new version without uninstalling the old one. However, the installation will be slightly faster if the previous version is removed first. |
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For more information about installation folders refer to the Managing Installations section. |
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.NET 8 is required to create solutions to other operating platforms like Linux, and to edit displays to show on web browsers. If you receive a warning that .NET 8 is not available on your computer, you still will be able to work with Windows-only solutions and displays. To install the .NET 8, follow the link in the installer message, or you can find the .NET 8 Desktop Runtime installer from Microsoft here: https://dotnet.microsoft.com/en-us/download/dotnet/8.0. Be sure to pick the version that matches your CPU architecture, which is likely x64. (And don't pick the "SDK" or ".NET Runtime" or other versions - just the ".NET 8 Desktop Runtime") |
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Upon launching FrameworX, the first interface you’ll encounter is the SolutionsManager. This tool allows you to:
•Manage Solutions: View, create, edit, or run solutions stored on your computer.
•Explore the Demo: Access the Demo Solution installed with the product, located in your Documents folder. You can also download additional demos and examples from Solution Examples.
Select the Demo solution, and click on RUN to execute it, or Edit to access its configuration.
System Requirements
The tables below show the system requirements for the proper installation and operation of the Product.
Installation System Requirements
Hardware
Minimum
Recommended
CPU
Intel Core 2 Duo
Intel Core i7
RAM
4 Gb
8 Gb
Operation System
Windows 10
Windows 10
Disk Space
2 Gb
10 Gb
Display Resolution
1024 x 768
1280 x 1024 or higher
.NET Framework
v4.8
v4.8
1. Downloading and Installing FrameworX
We commend downloading our evaluation version to start exploring our software. You can do that by filling out the form here.
We offer a FREE TRIAL with:
Two hours of resettable runtime
Multiple demo projects to use, review, and learn from
500 communication points
Access to all the features in the platform
Access to all our standard communication protocols
MQTT Broker
OPC Client and Server
The Engineering Environment is enabled to edit projects for 30 days with no time restrictions. After the 30-day evaluation period, your project will open but with limited access to the entire project. Project Information access is enabled.
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You can execute Project Examples and Demos with the Free Trial. For simple applications that show casing-specific functionality, check Solution Examples. For complete demos of typical applications, check Demo Projects Overview |
When you install FrameworX for the first time, just click Install. It takes less than a minute!
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Time Limit The Runtime will run for two hours. You will need to restart it during your 30-day evaluation period. The Runtime will not run after 30 days. Contact Sales if an additional access license is needed. |
2. Managing and Running Solutions
When you first open the software, you'll find a list of your current solutions. By default, you'll find all of our demos installed. Before creating your own solution, we recommend exploring our demos!
For new users, we recommend starting with the Brewery Demo. In this solution, we’ve built a brewery line from scratch, using all of the main software features. At our training site, you’ll find a free course that explains how we did this, from creating a project to adding alarming capabilities.
To open a Solution, just select from the list and click "Run" to simply deploy it or "Edit" to take a look at how we created it.
It will take a minute to open the solution. Once it's successfully started, you'll find the following Welcome Window.
Creating a New Solution
If you want to create your own solution, simply click "New" in the Solution ManagerSolutionsManager, and follow the wizard steps.
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The first step is to select the Product that the solution is intended to use. To facilitate multiple scenarios in a cost-effective way, FrameworX has its product line organized into families and models. More information can be found in Product Family.
Once you've selected the product |
Creating a new Solution consists of three phases. First, you must choose which version of the Product Family you'll use and click Next. The features included in your selection will be represented by the icons on the bottom of the page.
, you must choose what kind of |
solution you'll build |
, Windows or Multi-Platform.
Finally, you can add a |
description and choose a |
template for your solution here as well |
. For this example, |
you can select "HeaderLayout". When you're ready, simply click "Create New Solution". |
Creating a new solution may take a minute - once loading is complete, you'll see our Home Page, that contains all of the basic information for this solution.
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By default, our Solution Explorer Navigation is filtered by All Modules and Features. If you wish to work with a simplified version of the platform, simply change the filter in the first box. |
In the homepage you can also change the Theme you'll be using: we offer five different options (Light, Dark, Indigo, Blue and Live). By default, Light will be selected.
4. Creating a Unified Namespace
The Unified Namespace is the data model your solution will be using.
This is where you'll create your tags, which represent real-time and historical data variables that modules can read, write, and subscribe to.
Tags are Local (created within FrameworX) or Remote (dynamically accessed via ExternalTags Sources connectivity). The ExternalTags Sources enable direct interaction with variables in remote systems, bypassing the need to create specific tags in the project. It establishes connections with tags sources which can be set up in a table or directly in the assets, enhancing the versatility of data access and exploration in the Unified Namespace.
Additional metadata, known as Tag Attributes (e.g., last update time, quality status, description), are automatically generated upon tag creation.
To start, we'll create one tag as example.
5. Using the Data Explorer
The DataExplore tools allows you to easily perform data mining and monitoring from various data sources, including MQTT Brokers, OPC-UA, PLCs and SQL databases.
Each Data Source has specific features suitable that connection, but all tools share common look and fell, and similar workflows. This section will present those common workflows, and the specific features for each connection type, which include:
MQTT: Run Built-in Broker or the publisher simulator. Browse data from any broker.
OPC-UA: Run Built-in Server or simulator. Browse data from local or remote servers.
ControlLogix PLCs: Discover ControlLogix PLC in your network, connect to browse its data structure.
SQL Queries: Explore SQL database and build new queries visually.
6. Using Device Protocols
The Devices module implements real-item data communication with a wide variety of field devices and industrial protocols.
The Devices module supports standard interfaces like OPC-UA, OPC-DA and MQTT, Hart, and many proprietary protocols to various PLCs manufacturers.
The connectivity also includes IT protocols, like SNMP and Ping, and connection with Historian tools, such as OSIsoft PI, GE Historian, InfluxDB and Canary.
To maintain an organized and efficient communication structure, devices are grouped into channels based on their communication protocol and settings, and further organized into nodes representing individual devices or stations.
Channels are responsible for managing communication protocols and drivers, while Nodes handle multiple threads pointing to the configured Channels. Understanding the relationship between Channels and Nodes is essential for efficient data exchange.
- Channels: execute processes based on communication protocols and drivers, configuring the required protocol or driver for a specific device. To create a new channel, navigate to Devices → Channels and click on "New Channel" Fill in the necessary information in the "Create New Channel" window and confirm by clicking "OK." The new channel will appear as a row in the table.
- Nodes: perform multiple threads pointing to the Channels, ensuring efficient data exchange and minimizing latency. To configure nodes, go to Devices → Nodes and input the required information. Columns can be added or removed by right-clicking the column heading area. Device node configuration properties include Name, Channel, PrimaryStation, BackupStation, SyncDate, SyncStation, SyncSettings, TemplateID and Description, each serving a specific purpose.
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After the solution is created, it opens the Designer homepage, the main UI for editing your solutions.
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→ Go to Solution Configuration tutorial, for a step-by-step guide on adding content to your first solution. |
Licensing And Registration
To deploy your solution into production and run it without time limitations, a valid license is required.
- License Information: Access details about your license and activation links via the Solutions Manager. Both online and offline activation methods are available. For comprehensive guidance, see Licensing and Activation.
- Acquiring a License: If you haven’t obtained a license yet, please reach out to us.
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Click on the "Your License" title, at the left side, to navigate to the Page License Information page |
Next Steps, Exploring More Features
With these foundational steps completed, you’re ready to delve deeper into FrameworX:
- •Solution Design: Learn how to start designing your solution in Solution Configuration.
- •Platform Features: Explore the Platform Overview to familiarize yourself with the platform’s capabilities.
- •Tutorials: Engage with our Tutorials for comprehensive exercises.
- •User Guide: Consult the User Guide for detailed information on each module.
- •Training: Access free videos and training courses by signing in at the Training Site.
- •Solution Examples: Review Solution Examples that showcase various aspects and functionalities of the platform.
- •Community Engagement: Join our community forum to exchange ideas and seek assistance.
You can also schedule an
7. Mapping Tags
8. Create the Display to show the data
9. Running the application, .NET and HTML5
10. Licensing And Registration
Exploring More Features
With these ten steps, you've learned the basic on working with FrameworX and you're ready to continue your journey.
To learn more, we recommend you:
- Explore the User Guide, that goes into detail on each module.
- Take a look at our Solution Examples, that showcase different aspects and functionalities of the platform.
If you have any questions or would like to get in touch with us take a look at Support and Resources.
You can also schedule a introductory meeting with one of our onboarding specialists here.
Feedback
Please provide us with feedback on our software and documentation. Share your ideas for new features or specific training topics on our website.
We look forward to engaging with you and making progress together.
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