PML Forms and Menus
The AVEVA Programmable Macro Language
Author: Romel E. Daguplo Email: romeldhagz@gmail.com
Form Concepts Overview
A type of object represented by a global variable Owns a set of predefined member variables and built-in methods
It can also have user-defined members
Form variables, form gadgets
It can also have user-defined methods
Form members are always accessed using the dot
notation
Example: !!MyForm.Textfield Form name
Form member
Form Concepts Overview
Gadgets own a set of predefined member variables and built-in methods and can be accessed using the dot
notation
Example: !!MyForm.Textfield.Val Gadget as a member
Member variable
Callbacks are user-defined actions assigned to a form and its gadgets and that are executed when the operator interacts with the form Vantage Plant Design Software Customization Reference Manual contains a list of all the members and methods of forms and gadget types
Naming Forms and their Members
Format: !!MyForm !!MyForm.GadgetName !!MyForm.GadgetName.Val
$* name of the form $* name of a gadget on a form $* data value held by that gadget
Within the form definition, the members should be referred to by using !This to replace the form name part of the gadget name. from the above example: !This.GadgetName !This.GadgetName.Val
$* just equal to !!Myform.GadgetName $* just equal to !!Myform.GadgetName.Val
PML 1 (obsolete method but still supported): _GadgetName
$* just equal to !!Myform.GadgetName
Forms
Syntax: setup form !!formname ………… exit Example: setup form !!hello paragraph .Message text ‘Hello world’ button .Bye ‘Goodbye’ OK exit
paragraph command adds a paragraph gadget
Message is the name of the gadget and the dot(.) indicates that the gadget is a member of the form
button command adds a button gadget named .Bye. The text on the button will be ‘Goodbye’
The keyword OK is a form control attribute that specifies that the action of this button is to remove the form from the screen
Form Attributes
Form Types:
MAIN DOCUMENT DIALOG BLOCKINGDIALOG
Examples: setup setup setup setup setup setup setup
form form form form form form form
!!MyForm !!MyForm !!MyForm !!MyForm !!MyForm !!MyForm !!MyForm
dialog dock left dialog resizeable dialog document block block resizeable
- creates a resizable docking dialog - creates a resizable floating dialog - creates a non-resizable floating dialog - creates a non-resizable floating dialog - creates a resizable MDI child document - creates a non-resizable blocking dialog - creates a resizable blocking dialog
Form Attributes
Minimum Size and Resizability A
form will automatically stretch to fit the gadgets you add to it You can use the SIZE keyword to give minimum size in multiples of the character width and line height setup form !!MyForm size 25.5 10
RESIZEABLE command means that the form will be displayed with re-sizing controls at its corners
The
setup form !!MyForm resizeable setup form !!MyForm size 25.5 10 resizeable
Form Title and Icon Title
The TITLE sub-command is used to supply a string that is displayed in its banner at the top of the form’s window The ICONTITLE sub-command is used to supply a string that is used when a form is iconized setup form !!MyForm ………… TITLE ‘My Form Title’ ICONTITLE ‘Short Title’ ………… exit
Or setup form !!MyForm ………… !This.FormTitle = ‘My Form Title’ !This.IconTitle = ‘Short Title’ ………… exit
Form Callbacks (Initcall)
The form’s initialization callback allows the form’s gadgets to be initialized to reflect the current state of the application You can set the callback by assigning to the form’s initcall member: setup form !!MyForm ………… INITCALL ‘!this.init()’ ………… exit
Or setup form !!MyForm ………… !!Myform.InitCall = ‘!this.init()’ ………… exit
Form Callbacks (OK)
The OKCALL callback allows the operator to approve the current gadget settings You can assign to the form’s OKCALL member by: setup form !!MyForm ………… OKCALL ‘!this.approveData1()’ ………… exit
You can modify the OK callback at any time using, !this.OKCall = ‘!this.approveData2()’
Form Callbacks (Cancel)
The CANCELCALL callback allows the operator not to proceed with the function of the form You can assign to the form’s CANCELCALL member by: setup form !!MyForm ………… CANCELCALL ‘!this.cancelForm1()’ ………… exit
You can modify the Cancel callback at any time using, !this.CancelCall = ‘!this.cancelForm2()’
Form Callbacks (Quitcall)
The QUITCALL callback is executed whenever the user presses the QUIT/CLOSE icon (X) on the title bar of forms You can assign to the form’s QUITCALL member by: setup form !!MyForm ………… QUITCALL ‘!this.quitForm1()’ ………… exit
You can modify the Quit callback at any time using, !this.QuitCall = ‘!this.quitForm2()’
Form Control Attributes
A button may optionally have a form control attribute which takes effect after the callback command is invoked Control Attributes: OK
APPLY
CANCEL RESET HELP
Form Control Attributes
Examples: button .Ok ‘OK’ callback ‘!!MyOKFunction’ OK button .Apply ‘Apply’ callback $ ‘!!MyApplyFunction’ APPLY button .Cancel ‘Cancel’ callback $ ‘!!MyCancelFunction’ CANCEL button .Reset ‘Reset’ RESET button .Help ‘Help’ HELP
You can only have one of each type of control attribute on any form except for APPLY which may be used on several buttons
A Simple Form
Example (simpleForm.pmlfrm): setup form !!simpleForm title 'My Form' icontitle 'Myform' paragraph .message text 'Hello world!' button .bye 'Goodbye' ok exit
The Form Definition File
Should be held one per file The file should be stored in a directory pointed to by the PMLLIB environment variable Filename must have suffix .pmlfrm !!MYFORM or !!MyForm or !!myform all corresponds to myform.pmlfrm Begins with setup form and ends with exit Any method definitions should follow the exit command
Each method begins with define method and ends with endmethod
In particular, it will contain the form’s default constructor method This method has the same name with the form and no arguments The only method called automatically when the form is loaded Used to set default values for the gadgets of the form
The form may be given an initialisation method
Which is run whenever the form is shown
No executable statements should appear in the file outside the form definition or form methods
But comments can be put anywhere in the file
Loading and Displaying Forms
PML will automatically load an object or form from file when first used
To display a form (can either be free-standing or as a member of a form family): show !!formname show !!formname free
$* default is a child form
Removing or hiding from the screen: hide !!formname
Redefining a form once loaded: pml reload form !!formname
Loading a form: loadform !!formname
Loading and Displaying Forms Note: If you show the form again, it will appear on the screen but its definition is already known so it will not be loaded again
Removing
a form definition:
kill !!formname
Some Built-in Methods for Forms
A variety of useful method calls have been provided:
To show a form:
!!MyForm.Show() !!MyForm.Show(‘FREE’) !!MyForm.Show(‘At’,0.3,0.5)
$* automatically FREE
To hide a form: !!MyForm.Hide()
To query whether a form is currently shown: if (!!MyForm.Shown()) then ……… endif
Form Member Variables
Used to store additional information on a form which will not be displayed to the user
These are variables which can be any of the PML data types, including ARRAYS and OBJECTS setup form !!MyForm ………… member .MyNumber is REAL member .MyString is STRING member .MyArray is ARRAY ………… exit
The value of a form member can be set and used in just the same way as an object member !this.MyNumber = 42 !this.MyString = ‘Gadz’ !Num = !this.MyNumber
Form Gadgets
There are many kinds of form gadgets Two common aims in defining gadgets on the form Define
the area to be taken up on the form Define the action to be taken if the gadget is selected
Each gadget size and position determines the area taken up The action is defined by the gadget’s CALLBACK
Callbacks
Any selectable gadget has a callback which is defined at the time the gadget is created The callback can do one of the three things: Show
a form Execute a command directly Run a function or method
Callbacks Example: setup form !!MyForm paragraph .Message text ‘Hello world’ button .Change ‘Change Message’ callback $ |!this.Message.Val = ‘Modified’| button .Bye ‘Goodbye’ OK exit a gadget callback is defined by the callback command followed by a command or PML functions enclosed in text delimiters for defining complicated callback, it is recommended to use a form method
Callback Example
For a callback to call a function setup form !!MyForm ………… button .Query ‘Query’ callback ‘!!queryCatalogueDetails()’ ………… exit
For a callback to call a method setup form !!MyForm ………… button .Query ‘Query’ callback ‘!this.queryDetails()’ ………… exit
Callback Example
Showing another form from a form gadget setup form !!MyForm ………… button .Gadz ‘Show Gadz Form’ callback ‘show !!gdzMainForm’ ………… exit
or setup form !!MyForm ………… button .Gadz ‘Show Gadz Form’ form !!gdzMainForm ………… exit
Callbacks: Form Methods
Most callbacks require more than a single command, so invoking a method or function or macro is an essential requirement
Example: setup form !!MyForm title ‘Display Your Message’ paragraph .Message width 15 height 1 text .Capture ‘Enter message: ’ width 15 is STRING button .Bye ‘Goodbye’ OK exit define method .MyForm() $* default constructor – set gadget default values !this.Message.Val = ‘Hello world!’ !this.Capture.Callback = ‘!this.Message.Val = !this.Capture.Val’ !this.OKcall = ‘!this.Success()’ endmethod define method .Success() !this.Message.Val = ‘Hello again!’ !this.Capture.Val = ‘’ endmethod
Callbacks: Form Methods
The great advantage of methods is that you can pass variables as arguments to the method and it can also return a result just like a PML function
Example: define method .Success(!output is GADGET, !input is GADGET) !output.Val = ‘Hello again!’ !input.SetFocus() endmethod define method .setGadget(!output is GADGET) is BOOLEAN !output.Val = ‘Gadget initialized!’ handle any return FALSE endhandle return TRUE endmethod
PML Open Callbacks
When the operator interacts with a GUI, an event occurs
Example:
Types something into a field on a form Moves the cursor into a window Presses down a mouse button Etc.
Application software defines a set of meta-events for forms and gadgets When a meta-event occurs, the application software checks for user-defined callbacks and execute them
PML Open Callbacks
Simple assigned callback is insufficient to fully exploit the gadget’s possible behaviors
To overcome this shortcoming, we can use OPEN CALLBACKS to allow the AppWare to be informed whenever a meta event is encountered
Open Callback:
define method .Control(!object is GADGET, !action is STRING)
!object is a Forms and Menus object (i.e. a form, gadget, or menu) !action is the meta-event that occurred on the object and represents the action to be carried out by the method
PML Open Callbacks
The open callback is a string of the form: ‘!this.MethodName(‘
Note the open bracket ‘(‘ (no arguments and no closing bracket).
The callback is to an open method or function
PML Open Callbacks Example
An open callback to a multi-choice list gadget: setup form !!Open title ‘Test Open Callbacks’ list .Choose callback ‘!this.Control(’ multi width 15 height 8 exit define method .Open() do !i from 1 to 10 !fields[!i] = ‘list field $!i’ enddo !this.Choose.Dtext = !fields endmethod define method .Control(!object is GADGET, !action is STRING) if (!action eq ‘SELECT’) then -- find out all about our gadget object !form = !object.Owner() !type = !object.Type() !name = !object.Name() !field = !object.PickedField !fieldtext = !object.Dtext[!field] $P Selected $!form$n.$!name $!type Field $!field Dtext{$!fieldtext} elseif (!action eq ‘UNSELECT’) then !field = !object.PickedField $P Unselect field $!field endif endmethod
PML Open Callbacks
It is also be essential if we use PML functions as open callbacks define function !!Control(!object is GADGET, !action is STRING) …………… endfunction
List of objects that can have open callbacks is found Vantage Plant Design Software Customisation Guide Section 14.3.4
Gadgets and their Attributes
Types of Gadgets:
FRAME PARAGRAPH BUTTON TOGGLE RGROUP OPTION LIST DATABASE SELECTOR TEXT TEXTPANE VIEW SLIDER RTOGGLE
Gadget Definition Commands
Can only be defined within the form definition sequence setup form ………… exit
Format: type
name
{common prop.}
{specific prop.}
Example:
list
.List1
at X…… Y……
Common properties: position tag tooltip callback anchor docking
}
width 10 lines 3
All gadgets have this Most but not all gadgets have these
Specific properties: The order of commands generally matters See syntax graph in VANTAGE Plant Design Software Customisation Reference Manual
Gadget Size Management
User Specifiable Tagwidth for TEXT, TOGGLE, OPTION and RGROUP Gadgets TEXT, TOGGLE, OPTION and RGROUP gadgets support the Tagwidth syntax Tagwidth specifies the size of the gadget’s tag field in grid width units
option .ELLIST tagwid 7 |Element Id| width 4
The actual tag may have more characters than the declared Tagwidth and still fit in the tag field
Gadget Size Management
Specifying Gadget Size Relative to Other Gadgets
Example:
frame .fr1 ‘Frame 1’ at x0 y0 width 10 height 10 …………… exit frame .fr2 ‘Frame 2’ at xmin ymin width.fr1 height 15 …………… exit
Gadget that Support Pixmaps
Some gadgets support pixmaps as content as an alternative to text e.g. Buttons, Toggles, and Paragraphs Pixmaps are pixelated pictures held in files of type .png
Default size for pixmaps is assumed to be 32x32 pixels
When pixmaps are required, you will need to specify
pathnames to the pixmap file Maximum required size of the image
button .But1 pixmap /C:\pic.png width 26 height 26
Using AddPixmap() Method: button .But1 pixmap width 26 height 26
In the constructor method:
!this.but1.AddPixmap(‘C:\pic.png’)
Gadget Members
Members Contained by All Gadgets
Visible Active Callback Tag
Making gadgets visible and invisible
!!MyForm.List1.Visible = FALSE !!MyForm.List1.Visible = TRUE
$* Invisible $* Visible
Activating and de-activating gadgets !!MyForm.List1.Active = FALSE !!MyForm.List1.Active = TRUE
$* De-activate $* Activate
Gadget Members
Setting Keyboard Focus
The keyboard focus defines which gadget will receive keystrokes !!MyForm.KeyboardFocus = !!MyForm.Gadget
This can be moved at any time to another gadget using the SetFocus() method !!MyForm.Textfield.SetFocus()
Frame Gadgets
Frame gadgets provide visual grouping of gadgets on a form
Frame Definition: frame .MyFrame at x0 y3 ‘My Frame’ ………………… exit
Frame Size:
Automatically expands downwards and to the right when gadget is added but you can specify default size frame .MyFrame at x0 y3 ‘My Frame’ width 25 height 5 ………………… exit
Tabset Frames
A frame with tab pages Tabset
Frame Definition:
frame .MyFrame tabset width 25 height 5 frame .Tab1 ‘Tab 1’ …………… exit frame .Tab2 ‘Tab 2’ …………… exit exit
Paragraph Gadgets
Paragraph gadgets are simple named gadgets which allow piece of text or a pixmap to be displayed on the form
Textual Paragraph Gadgets:
paragraph .Message text ‘Text String’ paragraph .Message at …… text ‘Text String’ width 16 lines 7 paragraph .Message at …… background 2 width 20 lines 2
Pixmap Paragraph Gadgets:
paragraph .Picture at …… pixmap /C:\pic.png paragraph .Picture at …… pixmap /C:\pic.png width 30 height 30
Pixmap may be changed any time by assigning a new value to the .Val member: !!MyForm.Picture.Val = /C:\newpic.png
Button Gadgets
Also called control button , usually displays a child form or invoke a callback (typically a PML Form method) Tag, pixmap, callback, and child form are all optional button .SubForm ‘More…’ form !!ChildForm button .SubForm pixmap /C:\pic.png form !!ChildForm button .Calculate ‘Calculate’ callback ‘!this.Calculate()’ button .But1 ‘More…’ at …… width 10 height 1
Toggle Mode Buttons: button .But1 toggle pixmap /C:\unselectpic.png /C:\selectpic.png /C:\inactivepic.png width 16 height 16 tooltip ‘This is a toggle button’
Toggle Gadgets
Are used for independent on/off settings opposed to a radio group Example: toggle .Bold ‘Bold’ toggle .Italic ‘Italic’ toggle .Underline ‘Underline’
Using Pixmap: toggle .GridOn pixmap /C:\gridon.png callback ‘!this.enableGrid()’
RGroup Gadgets
Used to allow selection of one of a small fixed number of choices
Example: rgroup add add add exit
.MyRGroup ‘Choices:’ horizontal callback ‘!this.Select()’ tag ‘Red’ select ‘RED’ tag ‘Blue’ select ‘BLUE’ tag ‘Green’ select ‘GREEN’ callback ‘!this.RadAction()’
The SELECT keyword in the add command defines its replacement text string (RTEXT) When querying current selection using Selection() method, it will return the RTEXT string of the selected button if (!!MyForm.MyRGroup.Selection() eq ‘RED’) then ……… endif
RToggle Gadgets
Very similar to TOGGLE gadget, but is allowed only in FRAMES, where they operate together to form a set of radio buttons similar to RGROUP gadget Example: frame .MyFrame ‘Frame’ at xmin ymin rtoggle .Rad1 ‘Radio Button 1’ callback ‘!this.Control(’ rtoggle .Rad2 ‘Radio Button 2’ callback ‘!this.Control(’ rtoggle .Rad3 ‘Radio Button 3’ callback ‘!this.Control(’ exit
Option Gadgets
Offers a single choice from a list of items The items on the list can be either pixmaps or text strings but not a mixture Contains two parallel lists of the same length in ARRAY format values (DTEXT) Replacement values (RTEXT) Display
Textual Option Gadgets
Width of a textual option gadget must be specified Example: option .Colour ‘Colours’ at …… callback ‘!!MyFunc()’ width 10 !ColourDtext[1] = ‘Color Black’ !ColourDtext[2] = ‘Color White’ !ColourDtext[3] = ‘Color Red’ !ColourRtext[1] = ‘Black’ !ColourRtext[2] = ‘White’ !ColourRtext[3] = ‘Red’ !this.Colour.Dtext = !ColourDtext !this.Colour.Rtext = !ColourRtext
Pixmap Option Gadgets
Gadget shape must be specified using WIDTH keyword and either HEIGHT or ASPECT DTEXT
member will be the pixmap’s filename
Example: option .Circle ‘Circles’ at …… callback ‘!!MyFunc()’ pixmap width 256 height 128 !CircleDtext[1] = ‘C:\circle1.png’ !CircleDtext[2] = ‘C:\circle2.png’ !CircleRtext[1] = ‘Circle 1’ !CircleRtext[2] = ‘Circle 2’ !this.Circle.Dtext = !CircleDtext !this.Circle.Rtext = !CircleRtext
Option Gadgets
Setting and Getting the Current Selection Setting
selection using Select() Method:
!!MyForm.Colour.Select(‘Dtext’,’Color Black’) !!MyForm.Colour.Select(‘Rtext’,’Black’) !!MyForm.Circle.Select(‘Dtext’,’C:\circle1.png’)
Reading
the selection using Selection() Method:
!Selected = !this.Colour.Selection() !Selected = !this.Colour.Selection(‘Dtext’) !Selected = !this.Colour.Selection(‘Rtext’)
Slider Gadgets
Allows you to interactively to generate values in a specified range, at specified steps Supports
vertical and horizontal
frame .fr1 ‘Slider’ at xmin ymax width 10 text .txt width 3 is REAL slider .sld horizontal callback ‘!this.ControlSlide(’ range -50 +50 step 5 val 0 width 5 exit
Responds
events
to left-mouse SLIDER START, MOVE, and STOP
List Gadgets
Allows the user to make single or multiple selections from many alternatives Appropriate
for long list choices
Single Choice List Gadgets list .Components ‘List’ single zeroselection width 25 lines 15 !ComponentDtext[1] = ‘ELBO1’ !ComponentDtext[2] = ‘FLAN1’ !ComponentRtext[1] = ‘=1565/1543’ !ComponentRtext[2] = ‘=1565/1544’ !this.Components.Dtext = !ComponentDtext !this.Components.Rtext = !ComponentRtext
ZEROSELECTION means no default field selection
only applicable to single choice list gadget
List Gadgets
Multiple Choice List Gadgets list .Components ‘List’ multiple width 25 lines 15 !ComponentDtext[1] = ‘ELBO1’ !ComponentDtext[2] = ‘FLAN1’ !ComponentRtext[1] = ‘=1565/1543’ !ComponentRtext[2] = ‘=1565/1544’ !this.Components.Dtext = !ComponentDtext !this.Components.Rtext = !ComponentRtext
Querying selected values choice list gadget returns a STRING Multiple choice list gadget returns an ARRAY of STRINGS Single
Form Exercise 1
Create the following form. Upon the form is initialized; Default value in textbox: 0 Default frame tag: ‘Sequence Frame’
Upon choosing ‘Fibonacci’ button; Frame tag: ‘Fibonacci Sequence’ The sequence is shown inside the frame.
Upon choosing ‘Hailstone’ button; Frame tag: ‘Hailstone Sequence’ The sequence is shown inside the frame.
Form Exercise 1 Use the functions you created in the previous exercises 3 & 4 found in Part 1. Handle invalid input (0 and string). Input should be a REAL object. Define a constructor method.
Multi-Column List Gadgets
A list gadget with a COLUMNS keyword Column
Oriented - SETCOLUMNS()
list .Components columns single zeroselection width 25 lines 15 !head[1] = ‘Name’ !head[2] = ‘Type’ !col[1][1] !col[1][2] !col[2][1] !col[2][2]
= = = =
‘Flange_B1’ ‘Elbow_B2’ ‘Type is Flange’ ‘Type is Elbow’
!rtext[1] = ‘=156/256’ !rtext[2] = ‘=157/257’ !this.Components.SetHeadings(!head) !this.Components.SetColumns(!col) !this.Components.Rtext = !rtext
Can be apply to Multiple Choice List gadget also
Multi-Column List Gadgets Row
Oriented - SETROWS()
list .Components columns single zeroselection width 25 lines 15 !head[1] = ‘Name’ !head[2] = ‘Type’ !row[1][1] !row[1][2] !row[2][1] !row[2][2]
= = = =
‘Flange_B1’ ‘Type is Flange’ ‘Elbow_B2’ ‘Type is Elbow’
!rtext[1] = ‘=156/256’ !rtext[2] = ‘=157/257’ !this.Components.SetHeadings(!head) !this.Components.SetRows(!row) !this.Components.Rtext = !rtext
DTEXT string is held as a ‘horizontal tab’ character separated string of column data
Database Selector Gadgets
A special kind of list gadget Provides
a mechanism for displaying the current database element along with its owner and members User can interact with a selector to change the current element selector selector selector selector selector
.Sel .Sel .Sel .Sel .Sel
‘Selector:’ single width 12 height 5 DATABASE multiple width 12 height 5 DATABASE OWNERS multiple width 12 height 5 DATABASE MEMBERS single width 12 height 5 DATABASE AUTO callback ‘!this.Mylist(‘ single width 12 height 5 DATABASE
Database Selector Gadgets DATABASE
keyword is mandatory OWNERS and MEMBERS are optional AUTO and MULTIPLE cannot be used together To get and set values for a selector:
Selection() – get value Select() – set value
!element = !this.Sel.Selection()
RTEXT
and DTEXT are always the same as one another AUTO means the selector gadget is updated when you do action to the design explorer form
Text Gadgets
A box that can display a value and into which the user may type a value, or edit an existing value text .Number at ……… width 10 is REAL text .Str ‘Username:’ callback ‘!!MyFunction’ width 10 scroll 100 is STRING text .Bore ‘Bore:’ width 10 is BORE format !!FormatBore text .Passwd ‘Password:’ at …… width 10 NOECHO is STRING
data type using IS Supply a FORMAT object Password type using NOECHO keyword Specify
Text Gadgets
Validating Input to Text Fields Has
an optional validation callback member which the user can specify !textField.ValidateCall =
Example: !!MyForm.Txt1.ValidateCall = ‘!this.Validate()’
VALIDATECALL
is used to apply any checks
if an error is encountered then the callback raises the error and returns
Textpane Gadgets
Provides a box on a form into which a user may type and edit multiple lines of text textpane .Txt ‘Text:’ at …… width 10 height 20 textpane .Txt ‘Text:’ at …… height 20 aspect 0.5
Its contents is an array of strings
Each element of the array corresponds to a line of text in the gadget
Setting contents: !Lines[1] = ‘Hello World’ !Lines[2] = ‘’ !Lines[3] = ‘’ !Lines[4] = ‘Goodbye World’ !this.Txt.Val = !Lines
Fast Access to Lists, Selectors and Textpanes using Do Loops
To a LIST gadget: do !field list !!FormA.ListA ………… enddo
To a SELECTOR gadget: do !field selector !!FormA.SelectorA ………… enddo
To a TEXTPANE gadget: do !line pane !!FormA.TextpaneA ………… enddo
View Gadgets
Used to display and interact with alphanumeric or graphical views Types of View Gadgets:
ALPHA PLOT 2D Graphical Views 3D Graphical Views
Example (using multiple lines): view .MyView at …… PLOT height 10 width 20 cursortype pick border on setcolour 15 exit
Example (using one line): view .MyView at …… PLOT height 10 width 20 bord on setc 15 exit
View Gadgets
Defining ALPHA Views
Views for displaying text output and/or allowing command input view .Input at …… ALPHA height 10 width 20 channel COMMANDS exit view .InputOutput at …… ALPHA height 10 width 20 channel REQUESTS channel COMMANDS exit
channel COMMANDS – causes alpha view to have a command input field and displays command lines and error messages in the messages in the scrollable output region channel REQUESTS – displays the output resulting from commands, in particular, queries in the scrollable output region
View Gadgets
Defining PLOT Views
Views for displaying non-interactive 2D plotfiles setup !!MyForm …… …… view .Diagram at …… PLOT height 10 width 20 …… exit !this.Diagram.Borders = false !this.Diagram.Add(‘C:\plot1.plt’) …… exit
To define the content of the plot view, specify the PLOTFILE path with the Add() method
View Gadgets
Defining DRAFT’s Area (2D) Views
Contents of the view may be any valid 2D graphical element, such as DRAFT SHEET, VIEW, LIBRARY, etc. To define the content of the view, use the PUT command
put CE put /SITE/SHEET
- draws the current element - draws the named Sheet element
Example: view .Drawing at …… AREA height 10 width 20 put /MDS-ABA-3-VIEWS(METRIC)-PS00001-AREA limits 200 100 to 600 500 exit !this.Drawing.Background = ‘beige’
For DRAFT Module only
View Gadgets
Defining DESIGN’s Comparator (2D) Views
Contents of the view may be any valid Process and Instrument Diagram sheet reference
Example: view .Pid at …… COMPARE height 20 width 40 put /SHEET cursortype pointer exit !this.Pid.Background = ‘darkslate’
View Gadgets
Defining DESIGN’s Volume (3D) Views Example: setup form !!MyForm …… view .Model at …… VOLUME height 10 width 30 limits auto iso 3 exit …… exit define method .MyForm() …… !this.Model.Borders = false !this.Model.Shaded = true …… endmethod
Full list of members and methods is found in VANTAGE Plant Design Software Customisation Reference Manual
Form Layout
Typically, gadgets are laid out onto the form from top left to right and from top to bottom Two types of form Layout: Static
Form Layout Complex Form Layout
Gadget Positioning
Form Coordinate System Gadgets
left 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Y
are positioned on a form from top
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
X
1 character width per unit
1 line height per unit
Gadget Auto-Placement
The PATH command can be used to define the logical position of subsequent gadgets
PATH DOWN means that the next gadget will be below the current one, PATH RIGHT means that the next gadget will be to the right of the current one
The spacing between gadgets is controlled by VDIST and HDIST for vertical and horizontal spacing If desperation calls!!! There are settings of HALIGN and VALIGN which can set the alignment LEFT, RIGHT, TOP, CENTRE, and BOTTOM
Gadget Auto-Placement
Example: button .But1 PATH DOWN
$* default placement
.But1
HALIGN CENTRE VDIST 4.0 para .Par2 width 4 height 2 toggle .Tog3
.Par5 $* auto-placed $* auto-placed
.Par2 PATH RIGHT HDIST 6.0 VALIGN BOTTOM list .Lis4 width 5 height 4
$* auto-placed
PATH UP HALIGN RIGHT para .Par5 width 6 height 5
$* auto-placed
.Tog3
.Lis4
Relative Gadget Placement
Each gadget has four label points XMIN
YMIN
XMAX
YMAX
XMAX
YMAX
XMIN
YMIN
gadget
These can be used for positioning using the AT keyword paragraph .message at xmin ymax text ‘Hello world!’
Relative Gadget Placement
Relative to the last gadget 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
X previously created gadget used as reference
YMAX .Msg
Y
YMAX + 2
new paragraph gadget
XMIN
paragraph .Msg ‘Hello!’ at xmin ymax+2
Relative Gadget Placement
Relative to the last gadget 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
.Para
X
existing paragraph gadget
YMAX.Para
.Frm
existing frame gadget
YMAX.Para+5 .Msg
Y new paragraph gadget
XMIN.Para-5
paragraph .Msg ‘Hello!’ at xmin.Para-5 ymax.Para+5
Mixing Auto and Relative Placement
Example:
toggle .t1 at xmin ymin toggle .t2 at xmax ymax.t1+0.25 PATH DOWN VDIST 2.0 toggle .t3 at xmin.t1
places .t3 with respect to XMIN of gadget .t2, whilst Y coordinate for .t3 is auto-placed at current VDIST value (which is 2.0) below the last placed gadget (which is .t2)
Absolute Gadget Positioning
Example: toggle .OnOff at 4 3.5 toggle .OnOff at x 4 y 3.5 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
X
Y
Note: Absolute positioning is not recommended way to define your gadget positions, use relative positioning
Intelligent Positioning and Resizing
So far, we have considered the static layout of the form Defining intelligent positioning and resizing behavior of gadgets is considered as Complex Form Layout describes gadgets with DOCK and ANCHOR attributes
These
Complex Form Layout
Defines form with intelligent positioning and resizing behaviour of gadgets using the DOCK and ANCHOR attributes DOCK Attribute: Allows
you to dock a gadget to the left, right, top, or bottom edge of its container, typically a form or a frame: or you can cause the gadget to dock to all edges, or to no edges
ANCHOR Attribute: Allows
you to control the position of an edge of the gadget relative to the corresponding edge of its container
Complex Form Layout
DOCK Attribute Examples: For
forms:
setup form !!MyForm dialog dock bottom
For
gadgets:
frame .MyFrame at …… width 50 heigth 10 button .But1 ‘This is a button’ dock fill path down frame .Fr1 ‘A Frame’ width 5 height 10 dock right exit exit
Complex Form Layout
ANCHOR Attribute Examples: Only
applicable to gadgets
frame .MyFrame ‘My Frame’ at …… anchor all textpane .Txt anchor all width 5 height 5 button .Apply ‘Apply’ anchor bottom + right at xmax-size ymax+0.5 path left button .Cancel ‘Cancel’ anchor bottom + right exit
Menus
Menus are always members of forms but can be employed in various ways by the form and its gadgets Two types of menus: Main
menu Popup menu
Defining a Bar Menu Gadget
Defined within a form definition Created with bar subcommand Use the bar’s Add() method to add options Example: setup form !!MyForm dialog size 25 1 bar !this.bar.Add(‘Choose’,’Menu1’) !this.bar.Add(‘Window’,’Window’) !this.bar.Add(‘Help’,’Help’) exit
Defining a Menu Object A Menu is a set of menu fields, each representing an action that is invoked when the field is selected A menu field can do one of three things:
Execute
a callback Display a form Display a sub-menu
Defining a Menu Object
Example of a complete menu definition: -- Menu1 definition !menu1 = !this.newMenu('MENU1‘,’Main’) !menu1.Add('CALLBACK',‘Query Elbows',‘!!queryElbows()’) !menu1.Add('SEPARATOR') !menu1.Add('MENU','Pull-right','PULLR') -- PULLR menu definition !pullr = !this.newMenu('PULLR‘,’Main’) !pullr.Add(‘CALLBACK’,’Menu 1’,’show !!MyForm’) !pullr.Add(‘FORM',‘Gadz Menu','gdzMainForm')
Defining a Menu Object
General Syntax: !menu.Add(‘’,’’,’’, {‘’})
Display text
CALLBACK, TOGGLE, MENU, FORM
CALLBACK TOGGLE MENU FORM
– callback string – callback string – menu name string (cannot be blank) – form name string without ‘!!’ (cannot be blank)
Optional argument (unique field name)
Popup Menus
You can use any of your defined menus as popup menus for most interactive gadgets and for the form background as long as you have specified them as belonging to the popup menu system Triggered using Right-click A popup is added to a gadget or form using its SetPopup() method Example (Using MENU keyword): button .But1 'A Button' at …… menu .pop1 popup !this.pop1.Add(‘TOGGLE’,‘Active/Inactive’,’’) !this.pop1.Add('CALLBACK',‘Clear','ALPHA REQUEST Clear') !this.But1.SetPopup(!this.pop1)
Popup Menus
Another Way: button .But1 'A Button' at …… !popit = !this.newMenu(‘POPIT’,’Popup’) !popit.Add(‘TOGGLE’,‘Active/Inactive’,’!this.Control(’) !this.But1.SetPopup(!popit)
Toggle Menus
A menu field with a callback action and a tick-box to show that the field has been selected or unselected
By default, the field is unselected
Example: setup form !!Myform Dialog size 30 5 …… !menu = !this.newMenu(‘Test’,‘popup’) !menu.add(‘TOGGLE',’Active/Inactive’,'!this.toggle(‘,'OnOff') …… exit define method .toggle(!menu is MENU, !action is STRING ) !name = !menu.Fullname() !field = !menu.PickedFieldName $P menu $!name $!action field: $!field endmethod
ALERT Objects
The ALERT object provides a simple way of giving a warning or getting a response from the user, avoiding the necessity of creating a separate form
Alerts are always blocking: they prevent interaction with any other form until they have been actioned
Examples: !!Alert.Error(‘You cannot do this!’) !!Alert.Message(‘Saving your data now’) !!Alert.Warning(‘Do not press this button again!’) !answer = !!Alert.Confirm(‘Are you sure?’) !answer = !!Alert.Question(‘OK to delete component?’)
Confirm Alert returns: ‘YES’ or ‘NO’ Strings
Question Alert returns: ‘YES’ or ‘NO’ or ‘CANCEL’ Strings
ALERT Objects
INPUT Alerts allows the user to obtain textual input from the operator via a blocking alert which overrides all other interactive activities. The alert can be summoned by the alert methods: !!Alert.Input( !prompt is STRING, !default is STRING) is STRING Examples: !!Alert.Error(‘You cannot do this!’) !!Alert.Message(‘Saving your data now’) !!Alert.Warning(‘Do not press this button again!’) !answer = !!Alert.Confirm(‘Are you sure?’) !answer = !!Alert.Question(‘OK to delete component?’)
Confirm Alert returns: ‘YES’ or ‘NO’ Strings
Question Alert returns: ‘YES’ or ‘NO’ or ‘CANCEL’ Strings
Form Exercise 2
Create the following form.
When stretched;
Form Exercise 2 The ‘Choose Template’ list gadget:
It’s contents is based in an option file;
First row means the Name of the template Next row is for the description Third row is the plot files Forth row is the macro file of the template Last row means how many arguments are needed of the template
The list only shows the name and the description of the template Upon choosing each item on the list;
The plot file will change based on the plot file defined in the option file The tag of the frame in the parameters frame will also change base on the name
Disabling and enabling of the parameter fields are also handled
Example (If the selected template’s required arguments are only 2, then parameter field 3 will be disabled and parameter 1 and 2 will be enabled. Same concepts apply to all.)
Form Exercise 2 The ‘Create’ button:
Upon clicking this button;
Check validity of the name supplied (If already exists, etc.) Check validity of the hierarchy Check if all required fields of the chosen template are supplied by the user
If successful to all checking, create the equipment and revert the form’s mode to initialization mode.
Form as initialized:
The first item is the default selection of the form
This means, the plot file, parameter frame tag and enabled/disabled parameter fields are also based on the default item selected
Supplied files:
The option file, plot files, and macro files will be supplied. It is delivered together with this manual under Form Exercise 2 folder
That’s All Folks! DISCLAIMER: This guide is for information purpose only. It is recommended that users following this guide have undergone training first. You may use this manual at your own risk. In no event shall the writer be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, exemplary or consequential damages. All examples in this guide are tested in PDMS 11.6 SP3 and SP5.
Author: Romel E. Daguplo Email: romeldhagz@gmail.com
