Unified environment for building and testing FrameworX solutions
Platform → Solution Lifecycle -> Designer | Tutorial | How-to Guide | Reference
Overview
Designer is the unified configuration component where you build and test complete FrameworX solutions. This page introduce key concepts about the Four Pillars Methodology to build solution and the Designer workspace that enables it.
- Four Pillars Methodology: how to organize and execute a solution development.
- Designer Workspace: unified interface to all module configuration and development tools
Key Concepts
Four Pillars Methodology
It is an optimized methodology for solution development of industrial applications.
It organize the all the necessary core modules for typical projects into four groups:
- Data Foundation - Unified Namespace Module
- Industrial Operations - Process Modules: Devices, Alarms and Historian.
- Business Operations - Application Modules: Datasets, Reports and Scripts.
- User Interaction - Operator UI Modules: Security, Displays and Clients UI deployment.
Designer Workspace
It is the unified environment for all configuration, No need to switch between tools. It includes:
- Solution Explorer - configuration access to all modules and tools
- Solution - custom solution settings, import and export tools
- Runtime - settings for the execution, diagnostics, and activation commands
- Modules - configuration UI for all modules
- Data Explorer - Integrated tool for data discovery and tests
- Track Changes - built version control system
How Designer Fits in the Solution Lifecycle
Designer is the configuration workspace in the Solution Lifecycle:
- Solution Center - Create and manage solutions
- Designer ← You are here (Configure all modules)
- Runtime - Execute and monitor
Designer produces the configuration that Runtime executes. Execution Profiles let you validate behavior before publishing to production.
Solution Development Workflow
Following the Four Pillars methodology, Designer guides you through a structured configuration process:
Configuration Flow Diagram
P1: Foundation
| → | P2: Industrial Operations
| → | P3: Business Operations
| → | P4: User Interaction
|
| ↑ ______________________________________________________↑ | ||||||
Development Phases
| Phase | Pillar | Configuration Tasks | Designer Modules |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Foundation | P1: Foundation | • Create tags<br>• Define UserTypes<br>• Build Asset Tree | UNS → Tags, Templates, Assets |
| 2. Industrial Operations | P2: Process | • Setup devices<br>• Configure alarms<br>• Enable historian | Devices, Alarms, Historian |
| 3. Business Operations | P3: Application | • Setup datasets<br>• Build reports<br>• Create scripts | Datasets, Reports, Scripts |
| 4. User Interaction | P4: Operator UI | • Design displays<br>• Create symbols<br>• Configure clients | Displays, Symbols, Layouts |
Module Organization by the Four Pillars
| Module Organization by Four Pillars | |
|---|---|
Pillar 1: UNS Foundation | Pillar 2: Process Modules |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Pillar 3: Application Modules | Pillar 4: Operator UI |
|
|
|
|
|
|
What the Designer Does
| Configuration | Development Tools | Testing & Validation |
|---|---|---|
| Define tags and data models | IntelliSense everywhere | Execution Profiles |
| Configure field devices | Real-time validation | Online configuration |
| Setup alarms and historian | Cross-reference tracking | Simulation tools |
| Create scripts and logic | Refactoring support | Error checking |
| Design displays and UI | Import/export capabilities | Performance monitoring |
| Manage security settings | Version control ready | Build validation |
Integrated Development Environment
Editor Type | Features | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
C#/VB.NET Editors | IntelliSense, syntax highlighting, debugging | Control logic and system integration |
Python Editor | Output playground, interactive execution | Analytics and data processing |
SQL Editors | Query builder, visual designer | Database integration |
JSON/XML Editors | Schema validation, formatting | Web data exchange |
Rich Text Editor | PDF/HTML output | Report generation |
Feature Highlights
Development Productivity
- IntelliSense everywhere - Auto-completion for tags, objects, properties
- Real-time validation - Red borders and tooltips for errors
- Refactoring support - Rename with automatic reference updates
- Cross-reference tools - Find all uses instantly
- Keyboard shortcuts - Standard editing (Ctrl+S, F5, etc.)
- Search and replace - Global changes across solution
Unified Configuration
- Single environment - All modules in one interface
- Consistent UI patterns - Same experience across modules
- Context menus - Right-click relevant operations
- Drag-drop support - Between panels and modules
- Quick navigation - Jump to Home, Tags, Draw, Runtime
- Dockable panels - Customize workspace layout
Testing and Validation
- Execution Profiles - Run in Development, Validation, or Production modes
- Online configuration - Modify running solutions
- Simulation tools - Test without field devices
- Build validation - Automatic error checking
- Performance monitoring - Real-time resource usage
- Breakpoint debugging - Script development tools
Collaboration Features
- Multi-user editing - Teams work simultaneously
- Change tracking - See who modified what
- Version comparison - Track configuration evolution
- Module locking - Prevent conflicts
- Comment system - Document decisions
What's Next
→ Four Pillars Methodology: optimized methodology for solution development.
→ Designer Workspace: UI for all module configuration and development tools.
In this section...