Skill Template

Hands-on exercises for navigating Designer interface and using productivity features.
[getting-started, new-solution, tags, simulator, display, beginner, quickstart]

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when:

• The user just created a new blank solution
• The user says "help me get started" or "set up a basic demo"
• The solution has no tags and the user wants to see something running quickly

Do NOT use this skill when:

• The solution already has tags and devices configured
• The user is asking about a specific module (use the module-specific skill instead)

Prerequisites

• A new solution must be open (create_solution or open_solution completed)
• No existing tags needed — this skill creates everything from scratch

MCP Tools and Tables Involved

Tools: get_table_schema, write_objects, list_protocols, list_elements Tables: UnsTags, DevicesChannels, DevicesNodes, DevicesPoints, DisplaysList

Implementation Steps

Step 1: Create Tags in the Unified Namespace

Tags are the foundation — all modules connect through them. Start with a small set that represents a realistic process.

get_table_schema('UnsTags')

Create tags organized by area using slash-separated folder paths:

{
  "table_type": "UnsTags",
  "data": [
    { "Name": "Plant/Reactor1/Temperature", "DataType": "Double", "Description": "Reactor temperature in °C" },
    { "Name": "Plant/Reactor1/Pressure",    "DataType": "Double", "Description": "Reactor pressure in bar" },
    { "Name": "Plant/Reactor1/Level",       "DataType": "Double", "Description": "Reactor level in %" },
    { "Name": "Plant/Reactor1/FlowRate",    "DataType": "Double", "Description": "Inlet flow rate in L/min" },
    { "Name": "Plant/Reactor1/Status",      "DataType": "Integer", "Description": "0=Off, 1=Running, 2=Alarm" }
  ]
}

Key decisions:

• Use Double for analog measurements, Integer for states/enums
• Slash paths (Plant/Reactor1/) create a browsable asset tree
• Always add Description — it appears in Designer tooltips and AI context

Step 2: Set Up the Value Simulator

The Value Simulator generates realistic changing values for testing — no real hardware needed.

First, get the protocol schema:

list_protocols('ValueSimulator')

Then create the device pipeline (Channel → Node → Points):

{
  "tables": [
    {
      "table_type": "DevicesChannels",
      "data": [
        { "Name": "Simulator", "Protocol": "ValueSimulator" }
      ]
    },
    {
      "table_type": "DevicesNodes",
      "data": [
        { "Name": "Simulator.SimNode1" }
      ]
    },
    {
      "table_type": "DevicesPoints",
      "data": [
        { "Name": "Simulator.SimNode1.Temperature", "TagName": "Plant/Reactor1/Temperature", "Address": "ramp(20,95,0.5)"  },
        { "Name": "Simulator.SimNode1.Pressure",    "TagName": "Plant/Reactor1/Pressure",    "Address": "sin(1,5,0.1)"     },
        { "Name": "Simulator.SimNode1.Level",        "TagName": "Plant/Reactor1/Level",       "Address": "random(0,100)"    },
        { "Name": "Simulator.SimNode1.FlowRate",     "TagName": "Plant/Reactor1/FlowRate",    "Address": "sin(10,50,0.05)"  },
        { "Name": "Simulator.SimNode1.Status",       "TagName": "Plant/Reactor1/Status",      "Address": "random(0,2)"      }
      ]
    }
  ]
}

Value Simulator address patterns:

• random(min,max) — random value in range
• sin(center,amplitude,frequency) — sine wave
• ramp(min,max,step) — ramp up then reset

Important: Always call list_protocols('ValueSimulator') first to get the exact address syntax for the current version. The examples above are common patterns but the protocol schema is the source of truth.

Step 3: Create a Basic Display

Create a simple dashboard to visualize the live data.

list_elements('Dashboard')
get_table_schema('DisplaysList')

Create a dashboard with text displays for each tag:

{
  "table_type": "DisplaysList",
  "data": [
    {
      "Name": "MainPage",
      "PanelType": "Dashboard",
      "Columns": 2,
      "Rows": 3,
      "Title": "Reactor 1 Monitor",
      "Elements": [
        {
          "Type": "TextBlock",
          "Column": 0, "Row": 0,
          "LinkedValue": "Tag.Plant/Reactor1/Temperature",
          "Label": "Temperature (°C)"
        },
        {
          "Type": "TextBlock",
          "Column": 1, "Row": 0,
          "LinkedValue": "Tag.Plant/Reactor1/Pressure",
          "Label": "Pressure (bar)"
        },
        {
          "Type": "TextBlock",
          "Column": 0, "Row": 1,
          "LinkedValue": "Tag.Plant/Reactor1/Level",
          "Label": "Level (%)"
        },
        {
          "Type": "TextBlock",
          "Column": 1, "Row": 1,
          "LinkedValue": "Tag.Plant/Reactor1/FlowRate",
          "Label": "Flow Rate (L/min)"
        },
        {
          "Type": "TrendChart",
          "Column": 0, "Row": 2, "ColumnSpan": 2,
          "Pens": [
            { "TagName": "Tag.Plant/Reactor1/Temperature", "Color": "#FF3498DB" },
            { "TagName": "Tag.Plant/Reactor1/Pressure", "Color": "#FFE74C3C" }
          ]
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}

Key decisions:

• PanelType: "Dashboard" — required, do not omit (defaults to Canvas otherwise)
• MainPage is the default startup display
• Use LinkedValue with full runtime path: Tag.Plant/Reactor1/Temperature
• Omit color properties to use theme defaults (except for trend pens)

Step 4: Start Runtime

designer_action('start_runtime')

Wait a few seconds, then verify:

get_runtime_state()

You should see tag values changing as the simulator feeds data.

Verification

1. get_objects('UnsTags') — confirm 5 tags exist
2. get_objects('DevicesChannels') — confirm Simulator channel exists
3. get_objects('DevicesPoints') — confirm 5 points mapped to tags
4. get_runtime_state() — runtime should be running, tags should have changing values
5. Take one screenshot of the display to confirm visual rendering

Common Pitfalls

• Forgetting PanelType: Omitting PanelType on a display defaults to Canvas, which uses absolute positioning (Left/Top) instead of grid layout. Always set PanelType: "Dashboard" for grid-based layouts.
• Wrong LinkedValue path: Use Tag.Plant/Reactor1/Temperature (with Tag. prefix) in display bindings. The tag Name is Plant/Reactor1/Temperature but the runtime namespace path needs the Tag. prefix.
• Simulator address syntax: Always check list_protocols('ValueSimulator') for current syntax. Don't guess address formats from memory.
• Points without TagName: Every DevicesPoint needs a TagName to map to a UNS tag. Points without TagName don't feed data anywhere.

What's Next

From here, the user can add:

• Alarms → skill-alarm-pipeline
• Historian → skill-historian-configuration
• ML models → skill-edge-ml-pipeline
• MQTT publishing → search for MQTT skills
• More displays → search for display/dashboard skills

In this section...