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Introduction

Every knowledge area domain has its own terminology, and the same applies to software applications . Certainly the nomenclature used by Tatsoft FrameworX follows market standards whenever possible, but some specific terms related to the system and other common words may have a special meaning when using are no exception. While our platform uses industry-standard terms whenever possible, certain words may carry specific meanings in this context.

This glossary has most the terms and keywords used by our platform and also concepts and related technologies that are relevant to our context

It is recommended to at least read this glossary once after using our platform for a couple of months. Doing a review of the definitions and nomenclature used by the FactoryStudio platform and Tatsoft development and engineering teams, combined with your experience with the product, will put your understanding of the system and efficiency on creating applications to a new higher level.

We recommend reviewing this glossary after you've gained some experience with the platform. Revisiting these definitions will help clarify key concepts and improve your efficiency when building applications.

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Glossary (A-Z)

AlarmArea
A hierarchical grouping of AlarmGroups for structured alarm management. Can contain child AlarmAreas, useful for large systems.

AlarmGroup
A collection of AlarmItems sharing common properties. Simplifies configuration with settings like AckRequired, AutoAckTime, and Sound.

AlarmItem
A tag or expression monitored by the Alarm Module, including condition, limit, deadband, and message settings.

App Domain, Application Domain
A virtual, isolated environment for running a .NET application, providing process isolation.

Application, Project, Solution
"Project" applies to version 9.2 and earlier. "Solution" applies to version 10+. "Application" refers to the functional use of the configuration.

Application Modules
Modules that execute a system's internal logic and transformations, including Datasets, Reports, Scripts, and Displays.

Assembly
An executable file (.EXE or .DLL) created using managed code within the .NET framework.

Asset Tree
A hierarchical view of variables and templates reflecting equipment, recipes, setpoints, and other process data.

Audit Trail
Logs changes and events during runtime execution, useful for diagnostics and compliance.

Channels
Configuration object in the Devices Module specifying communication protocol and settings.

Client
Software interacting with the server or runtime. Includes .NET, HTML5, and Remote Clients. In scripting, "Client Domain" refers to client-local values.

Client Connection
A runtime connection to the solution from a local or remote station. Does not include engineering sessions.

CodeBehind
Custom VB.NET or C# code used for event handling, calculations, and behavior. Can also call Python classes.

Component, User Controls
Graphical controls used in displays. Includes buttons, inputs, and custom elements.

Connection Target
Defines the data source (Local Solution, TagProvider, or Remote source).

DatasetDBs
Settings in the Datasets Module for external database connections.

DatasetFile
A logical object in the Datasets Module for reading/writing ASCII, Unicode, or XML files.

DatasetQuery
A configured SQL query in the Datasets Module, with properties and methods for execution.

DatasetTable
A table mapping Tags to database columns for read/write operations.

DataTemplate (UDT)
User-defined data structure with nested variables and template references.

Designer, Solution Designer
The interface used to configure FrameworX solutions.

Display / Screen
Visual container for user interface elements.

DLL Hell
Conflicts from shared DLLs in legacy systems, addressed by .NET’s assembly isolation

Represents the virtual isolated computer environment, where a .NET application runs. Isolated, in its context, means that the memory areas and components used by programming running in that environment are completely isolated from other programs running in the same computer.
The inherent isolation of the .NET domains creates an intrinsically safe protection for the running projects, as it prevents one process from interfering with another, allowing even two different versions of the same program to run side by side.
A more technical definition if AppDomain is the boundaries that the CLR (Common Language Runtime) provides around the objects created from the same application.

.

Domain, Server Domain, Client Domain

Object value scope during runtime: Server-wide vs. Client-local.

Draw
Designer module for building synoptic screens and animations.

Dynamics and Animations
Changes to graphical attributes based on tag values.

Enumerations
Maps possible tag values to states, labels, and colors.

Form, Report Form
Rich text document that can embed real-time data and symbols; exportable to PDF.

FrameworX
The core software platform and runtime environment.

FrameworX Unlimited
Licensing model with unlimited Clients, Developers, and Connections

Features and programs that implement internal system functions which run without any user configuration.
Examples are the Network Synchronization task and the Background Report Generator. Some Studio tools (e.g., ModuleInformation.exe) may display status information of those internal Modules. However, this information is required only for advanced system optimizations.

FrameworX Unlimited

.

FX EDGE
A FrameworX

deployment for edge computing scenarios.

FX MQTT Broker

Built-in MQTT broker in the FrameworX platform.

FX MQTT Simulator

A MQTT Client simulator (with Sparkplug) for testing, included in the product installation

Simulator for testing MQTT Clients and Sparkplug payloads.

HistorianTag
Tag configured for storage in a HistorianTable, optionally referencing external sources.

Hot Updates (Hot Reload)
Apply offline changes to the runtime without restarting execution.

Industrial Icons
Pre-built graphics suited for industrial applications.

Internal Module
Background functionality that operates without user configuration.

Modifier (Device/Points)

Auxiliary parameter to effect read and write points for a device, the treatment of Arrays, bit masks, strings, swap and other operations in which a DataType definition can not define them completely.

Parameter for DevicePoints enabling custom access for arrays, bits, and strings.

Modular Architecture
System design that splits functionality into interchangeable modules.

Module
Executable unit interfacing with the real-time database.

Namespace
Logical space where named runtime objects exist.

A program that accesses the database in real time (RtDB) and can be composed of one or more Assemblies.

An address space. All objects created with a Namespace have unique names. "Address space" can also be understood as a form of tier objects. All process variables are grouped in the tag namespace; all reports grouped in the namespace report. The name of an object should be unique within the namespace to which the object belongs.

Object Type (RunObj type)

Identifies the type of runtime object (

e.g., Display, Report, Script).

Objects, Runtime Objects

Entities managed and accessed in runtime via displays and scripts.

ObjectValues, PropertyValue
Runtime

properties of Tags and system objects.

Online Configuration
Ability to edit running systems in real time.

Parameters (Tag Configuration)

Specify the many options in our product line. It includes:

FrameworX: Our Unlimited version, unlimited Clients, I/O and development, server based with all the tools you need

FactoryStudio: Scalable, by the number of I/O & clients

EdgeHMI: Scalable by I/O, more affordable

EdgeGateway: Embedded device communications and processing at the edge or as flexible secure gateway

This Product Family reflects in the software licenses.

A configuration set Studio sketches of displays, reports, scripts and user notes created and edited with a single entity.

ProjectDB (or project database) is a database that contains configuration information. Matches files with the extension <Project>.Tproj (current type, for example) or <Project>_ version.Teng (type released, for example).

Settings that define tag behavior and data handling.

Permissions, PermissionsGroup
Access levels and user role definitions.

Plugin
Reusable component exported/imported from a solution.

Policies
Rules for login and user session handling.

Points, DevicePoint
Mapped values representing physical I/O or register addresses.

Process Modules
Modules such as Alarms, Devices, and Historian that interface with the physical process.

Process Tag
Tag that reflects real-world data via devices or other sources.

Product Family
Platform variants: FrameworX, FactoryStudio, MachineHMI, EdgeConnect.

Product Family and Model
Defines runtime licensing requirements.

Project File
In versions before v10, contains project configuration (.tproj, .trun).

Protocols
Communication rules supported by the Devices Module.

Property or Attribute
Defined value of a runtime object.

PropertyWatch
Tool for live inspection/modification of values.

, RunDB, Runtime Database, RtDB

In-memory database that stores tag data during execution.

Rendering Engine
Graphics rendering engine supporting WPF, HTML5, and Portable Clients.

Reports WebData
Interfaces for JSON, XML, HTML data exchange or file output.

Runtime
Phase where the solution executes in real time.

Runtime Database
The core in-memory database used during solution execution.

Runtime Startup
The initialization of the runtime, handled by TStartup.exe or TServer.exe.

RuntimeUsers
Authenticated users stored in secure databases or identity providers.

ScriptClass
Reusable code library for use in script and display logic.

ScriptExpression
Single-line code for simple runtime actions.

ScriptTask
Script block triggered by events or timers.

Smart Symbols
Reusable graphical components bound to data and templates.

Solution
A complete application configuration built using the platform.

Solution File / Solution Name
Saved configuration file (.dbsln) with the solution's name.

SolutionDB / SolutionDatabase
Database file storing the configuration of a solution.

StorageLocation
Defines where historian data is saved or retrieved.

Tag Type
Specifies the kind of data (e.g., Integer, Digital, Text).

TagProvider Connections
Enable live access to external data sources without redundant tags.

TargetPlatform
Specifies runtime host platform (Windows/.NET Framework or .NET 8/Linux)

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Task (Script.Task)

A code program written in C#, VB.NET

, or Python.

Time-Series
Sequentially recorded data points with timestamps.

Toggle
Switches a value between 0 and 1

The program that performs the configuration of a project.

.

Trust, Partial Trust, Full Trust

Execution permissions: full vs limited system access.

shared data model for organizing, publishing, and consuming system data.

User
Any individual accessing the application via design or runtime interfaces.