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The Designer provides a unified configuration workspace for all FrameworX solution development. It delivers an integrated environment for design, development, testing, validation, and deployment across all functional modules, organized through the Four Pillars methodology that structures data flow from field connectivity to user visualization.

Key Capabilities:

Configure all modules in one workspace
Test solutions without deployment
Support multi-user collaboration
Provide IntelliSense and validation
Enable offline and online editing

Key Concepts

Concept	Description	Impact
Unified Workspace	Single environment for all configuration	No need to switch between tools
Object Model	.NET-based classes with inherited properties	Access methods without custom code
IntelliSense	Context-aware auto-completion everywhere	Faster, error-free configuration
Test Mode	In-Designer runtime execution	Validate without deployment
Modular Architecture	Isolated module changes	Changes won't break other modules
Multi-User Support	Concurrent engineering capability	Team collaboration on same solution

In this section...

What Designer Does

Configuration

Development Tools

Testing & Validation

Define tags and data models

Configure field devices

Setup alarms and historian

Create scripts and logic

Design displays and UI

Manage security settings

IntelliSense everywhere

Real-time validation

Cross-reference tracking

Refactoring support

Import/export capabilities

Version control

Execution Profiles

Online configuration

Simulation tools

Error checking

Performance monitoring

Build validation

Workspace Layout

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?  Menu Bar            [File][Edit][View][Tools][Help]        ?
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?              ?                        ?                     ?
?  Navigation  ?     Design Canvas      ?   Properties        ?
?     Tree     ?                        ?     Panel           ?
?              ?   (Context-Sensitive)  ?                     ?
? ? Solution   ?                        ?  Tag: Temperature   ?
?   ? UNS      ?                        ?  Type: Float        ?
?     • Tags   ?                        ?  Min: 0             ?
?   ? Devices  ?                        ?  Max: 100           ?
?   ? Displays ?                        ?  Units: °C          ?
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?  Output Window      [Build][Errors][Cross-Reference]        ?
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Solution Development Workflow

Following the Four Pillars methodology, Designer guides you through a structured configuration process:

Phase	Pillar	Configuration Tasks	Designer Areas
1. Foundation	P1: UNS	• Create tags • Define UserTypes • Build Asset Tree	UNS → Tags, Templates, Assets
2. Integration	P2: Process	• Setup devices • Configure alarms • Enable historian	Devices, Alarms, Historian
3. Logic	P3: Application	• Create scripts • Setup datasets • Build reports	Scripts, Datasets, Reports
4. Visualization	P4: Operator UI	• Design displays • Create symbols • Configure clients	Displays, Symbols, Layouts

Module Organization by Four Pillars
Pillar 1: UNS Foundation - Define Your Data	Pillar 2: Process Modules
Unified Namespace (Local UNS) - Tags & UDTs	Devices, Field Connections: 100+ connectors
DataExplorer Tools	Alarms, Events, and Audit-trail
Extended UNS using TagProvider Services	Historian, time-series data

Pillar 3: Application Modules	Pillar 4: Operator UI
SQL Database Connections and Queries	Symbol Library extensions
Scripts and business logic (C#, VB.NET, Python 3)	Displays (Canvas & Dashboard) & UI Security
Reports, data pub (PDF, CSV, HTML, XML & JSON)	Layouts, Client deployment settings

Object Model Power

All configured objects inherit from .NET classes, providing native functionality without custom coding:

Tag.DateTimeExample.Value.DayOfWeek  // Returns Monday, Tuesday, etc.
Tag.DateTimeExample.Value.AddDays(7)  // Date arithmetic

Script.Task.Example1.LastCPUTime      // CPU usage tracking
Script.Task.Example1.LastExecutionTime // Performance metrics

This means you get hundreds of methods and properties automatically - no coding required!

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.)

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

Testing and Validation

Test Mode - Run without leaving Designer
Online configuration - Modify running solutions
Simulation tools - Test without field devices
Build validation - Automatic error checking
Performance monitoring - Real-time resource usage

How It 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. Test Mode lets you validate behavior before publishing to production.

Next Steps

Continue Learning

[Runtime (Concept) →] - Understand solution execution
[P1: UNS Foundation →] - Start building your solution
[The Four Pillars →] - Learn the methodology

Practical Guides

[Designer How-to Guide] - Step-by-step instructions
[Module Configuration] - Detailed module guides
[Test Mode Tutorial] - Testing best practices

This page introduces Designer as your unified workspace for building complete industrial solutions. With its Four Pillars organization and powerful object model, you can efficiently configure everything from data models to user interfaces in one integrated environment.