Alarm Areas (Reference)

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Configuration Properties

Creating Alarm Areas

1. Navigate to Alarms → Areas
2. Click Plus icon
3. Enter Name
4. Select Parent for hierarchy (leave blank for root)
5. Add Description
6. Press Enter to save

Hierarchical Structure

Example plant hierarchy:

• Plant
  • Production 
    • Line 1
    • Lline 2
    • Line 3
  • Utilities
    • Power
    • Water
    • HAVC
  • Storage
    • RawMaterials
    • FinishedGoods

Configure AlarmItems:

AlarmItem.Area = "Plant.Production.Line1"

Using Auxiliary Values

Assign responsibility or metadata:

Area: Utilities.Power
AuxValue: "Electrical Team"

Area: Production.Line1  
AuxValue: "Shift A Supervisor"

Access in scripts:

csharp

string responsible = @Alarm.Area.Utilities.Power.AuxValue;
// Returns: "Electrical Team"

Area-Based Operations

Acknowledge by Area

csharp

// Acknowledge all alarms in Production area
@Alarm.Area.Production.AckAll();

// Acknowledge specific sub-area
@Alarm.Area.Production.Line1.AckAll();

Filter Alarms

csharp

// Get active alarms for area
var productionAlarms = @Alarm.Area.Production.ActiveAlarms;

// Count alarms in area
int utilityCount = @Alarm.Area.Utilities.AlarmCount;

Enable/Disable Areas

csharp

// Disable all alarms in maintenance area
@Alarm.Area.Storage.Enabled = false;

Display Integration

AlarmAreas work with display controls for visualization:

AlarmViewer Filtering

Filter display to show only specific areas:

• Set AlarmViewer.AreaFilter = "Production.Line1"
• Users see only relevant alarms

Area Navigation Tree

Use AlarmArea control for hierarchical navigation:

• Tree view of all areas
• Click to filter associated alarms
• Visual indicators for active alarms per area

Common Hierarchies

By Location

• Site
  • Building_1
    • Floor_1
    • Floor_2
  • Building_B
    • Floor_1
    • Floor_2

By Function

• Operations
  • Process
  • Quality
  • Safety

By System

•  PlantSystems
  • FeedSystem
  • ReactorSystem
  • ProductSystem

Runtime Namespace

Access areas programmatically:

csharp

// Navigate hierarchy
var area = @Alarm.Area["Plant.Production.Line1"];

// Get area properties
string areaName = area.Name;
string responsible = area.AuxValue;
bool isEnabled = area.Enabled;

// Area statistics
int activeCount = area.ActiveAlarmCount;
int unackedCount = area.UnacknowledgedCount;

// Area operations
area.AckAll();           // Acknowledge all
area.Enabled = false;    // Disable area

Best Practices Checklist

• Match plant structure - Mirror physical or logical layout
• Consistent naming - Use standard naming conventions
• Limit depth - 3-4 levels maximum for usability
• Group functionally - Related equipment in same area
• Document responsibility - Use AuxValue for team assignments
• Plan hierarchy early - Harder to restructure later
• Test filtering - Verify displays show correct areas

Troubleshooting

Alarms not appearing in area:

• Verify Area property in AlarmItem
• Check area name spelling/path
• Confirm area is Enabled

Cannot acknowledge by area:

• Check user permissions
• Verify AlarmGroup.AckRequired
• Confirm alarms are active

Area tree not showing:

• Verify Parent relationships
• Check for circular references
• Confirm root areas have no Parent

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