CyFlex Operator Display: Introduction
December
2012
The CyFlex® Operator Display gives users of CyFlex test systems a powerful way to control the test operations and monitor the relevant measurements, states, and performance parameters. It gives operators all of these functions in screens that are fully configurable. The Operator Display or “OD” lets you switch between multiple display screens, each with a graphical and/or tabular layout that you can tailor to the testing requirements and preferences.
You can build up OD screens with output displays and input controls– text or graphic fields arranged in a grid layout. To switch among screens just click in a row of labeled tabs. The fields can be CyFlex Variable values with labels and optional units, arranged in rows and columns. They can be a variety of graphical displays, including dials, bars, sliders, toggle switches, and plots. Collections of these fields can be organized into “groups”, rectangular areas of the screen holding display fields that you want to associate together.
The instructions for showing which Variables, display types, and OD screens can be saved in Configuration files and reloaded as desired. You can save and load different configurations for the various test profiles which they follow.
The Operator Display screen can be configured to display a wide variety of information and continuously update it. This sample screen shows
·
a
virtual dashboard of gauges and LED indicators
· multiple groups of related CyFlex Variables by label and value
· a row of labeled screen tabs at screen top left
· a pair of stripcharts
· a command line for entering CyFlex text commands
· strings that describe the current GP Test.
The following terms should be helpful in discussing what Operator Display can do and how it works. Refer to the annotated drawing below to identify them in the Operator Display Main Window.
· Main Window – the complete window that appears when the application starts
· Configuration – the display settings that determine which CyFlex data is displayed, in which screen location, and in which format
· Menu Bar – the standard pulldown menus common to graphical interfaces for high-level functions, e.g. open, save, or load a configuration, select variables, exit
· Toolbar – the optional row of labeled buttons that users can assign to run CyFlex or Linux commands
· Screen Tabs – the row of labeled tabs to switch among display areas. Each tab is the entry point for a rectangular display area with its own configurable layout. Click any tab to display its portion of the screen
· Display Area – a rectangular portion of the Operator Display screen configured to hold any of the standard Groups or Fields
· Tab Display Area – the Display Area for a single tab.
· Field – the display area for a single CyFlex Variable, either text or graphics
· Display – a Field which is used only for display output and no user input
· Control – a Field which is used for user input, either as text entry or graphical simulation of hardware controls, e.g. knob, button, dial
· Widget – the graphical element in a Field that shows the image of a Display or Control, e.g. knob, dial, text input
· Group – a rectangular display area comprised of a set of Fields, typically in some logical grouping, arranged in rows and columns with a common background color
· Command Line – a single text field and button that let you enter a CyFlex text command and then press the button to execute it
· String – a single line of text for display only
How to Start the Operator Display Program
Operator Display can be started from the command prompt in a Linux shell or added to the CyFlex go script:
[user@cmx0nn directory]$ runqtui spec.ui
where the “spec.ui” argument is the name of a “specs” or configuration file, described below. Users may choose the “specs” portion of the filename, while the “.ui” file extension is standard for Operator Display.
The Operator Display window itself behaves like any other Linux window. It may be maximized, minimized, or closed with the standard buttons in the top right corner of the frame.
How to Stop the Operator Display Program
The program can be stopped any one of several ways:
1. Close - the top right window Close button
2. Menu - in the top left Menu Bar: File > Exit
3. Keyboard - from the keyboard: Ctrl-q
The runqtui command also has arguments that determine whether or not the Operator is permitted to change the CyFlex Variable selected for each Field. This “LockedVariable” property is built into the graphical widget of each Field. They may be enabled or disabled collectively, depending on the command arguments:
|
runqtui Argument |
Function |
|
-lnone |
LockedVariable is ignored [default] |
|
-ladmin |
LockedVariable is based on current settings |
|
-lprop |
LockedVariable is enabled |
|
-lall |
LockedVariable is disabled |
The current configuration can be saved to the current specs.ui file or a different file and path using the File > Save or File> Save As… entries in the Tool Bar, respectively:
· File > Save saves the current configuration immediately
· File > Save As… saves the current configuration to the file and path selected in the popup Save UI File dialog.
The runqtui command has additional arguments to assign and limit saving the current configuration to a specs.ui file:
|
runqtui Argument |
Function |
|
-ssave |
Changes to Variable selections are saved to current specs.ui file [default] |
|
-ssaveas |
Changes to Variable selections may be saved to a selected specs.ui file |
|
-snone |
Changes to Variable selections may not be saved to a file |
Once the program starts with a given configuration, there is minimal interaction required. However, users can perform several standard functions from the pulldown menus in the Menu Bar:
· Open – open and load an Operator Display configuration file
· Save – save the current Operator Display configuration
· Save As… -- save the current Operator Display configuration to a selected file
· Exit – stop the program and close its window
· Toolbar Setup – display the Toolbar Setup dialog to create and edit the Toolbar
The Toolbar is an optional row of labeled buttons shown below the Menu Bar. Users may click the buttons to run CyFlex or Linux commands that have been assigned in the Setup dialog. You can select a label, an icon, and a tooltip to any valid command, one row in the dialog for each command:
|
Label |
Label for the Toolbar Entry |
|
Icon |
Icon Image for the Toolbar Entry |
|
Command |
Command to execute |
|
ToolTip |
Text to display on mouse hovering |
|
Wait |
Not used |
|
Output |
Not used |
· Select Variables – change the CyFlex Variable in a Field: open a list of Variables and drag your selection to the Field
· Help Contents F1 – open the CyFlex Help Browser for Operator Display
· About – display the About panel for the CyFlex Operator Display
· About Qt – display the About panel for Qt
The Operator Display screen displays the standard CyFlex layout of data Fields as text and/or graphics. The Fields are organized in rows and columns with related items grouped together for convenience. Each Field is either a “Display” (output) or “Control” (input), or both. They range in complexity from a simple button to a full-featured stripchart with realtime graphics.
An additional “Screen Tabs” display is available for multiple panels. It includes a row of tabs at the top margin for selecting one among many screen tabs to display. Screen Tabs are not required, but are quite versatile; they can show a large number of fields in a relatively small area by successive tabbing.
Screens can be configured to include Groups and Display and Control Fields in virtually any arrangement. The Qt Designer utility (described separately) automates this process in a drag-and-drop service. Different configurations can in turn be saved or loaded as specs files for different operating environments.
Individual Fields can be tailored your preferences. RightClick on the Field to choose either the Variable Selection or the Edit Properties dialog.
The CyFlex Variable can be chosen in the Variable Selection dialog for the Field. You may select a Group of Variables and a Variable by label in the respective pulldown menus. SubVariables may be selected for CyFlex Statistical and Composite Variables.
The display properties of the Field may be chosen in the Edit Properties dialog. Properties appropriate to the Field are listed with corresponding Values that you may choose.
Recall that Operator Display screens are built up of Fields. Here is a summary of the different types of Fields that can make up the Display Areas:
1. Group – a rectangular area to group related Display and/or Control Fields in rows and columns. Adjacent groups can be differentiated easily with contrasting background colors. Groups can be arranged on the screen in contiguous tiles to maximize the data display.
2. Value – a text Display to output a CyFlex Real, Integer, or Logical Variable. The Field includes the Variable label and text value updated continuously.
It can also be used as a Control to input a value for a CyFlex Variable used as a parameter or a setpoint. DoubleClick on the value to display the “Enter New Value” dialog. Enter the text and click OK to set the new value. The value will be overwritten if the CyFlex Variable changes with each scan.
3. Simple Value – a text Display to output a CyFlex Real, Integer, Logical, or String Variable. Simple Value Fields are designed to optimize screen space; they are often organized in rows and columns in a Group.
Simple Values are Display-only Fields by default, but may be configured as input Controls as well to enter data where appropriate:
a. rightClick on the Field
b. choose Edit Properties in the popup menu to display the dialog
c. scroll down to the readOnlyString in the Property column, click its Value checkbox to False, and Close the dialog
d. doubleClick on the value in the Field to display the same Enter New Value dialog as with the Value Field above
4. Bar – a graphical Display that emulates an analog bar display for CyFlex Real or Integer Variables. It includes the Variable label and dynamic sliding bar with scale to indicate the current value. The bar display can be oriented horizontally or vertically in its Edit Properties dialog.
5. String – a text Display to output a CyFlex String Variable. It includes the Variable label and value text string.
Strings are Display-only Fields by default, but may be configured as input Controls as well to enter strings where appropriate. Use the same technique to enter a String value as the Simple Values Field above with the readOnlyString property.
6. Gauge – a graphical Display to output a CyFlex Real or Integer Variables. It is particularly useful as an indicator of dynamic behavior. The Field includes the Variable label with optional Units.
7. LED – a graphical Display that emulates various styles of LED lights to display the value of a CyFlex Logical Variable. It includes the Variable label and text describing the current Variable state.
8. Stripchart – a graphical Display that emulates an electromechnical stripchart recorder to display the values of multiple CyFlex Real or Integer Variables. It has the same display properties as the standalone Stripchart application. The Help Browser in Stripchart gives detailed information on its capabilities and properties.
1. Command Line – a single text field Control in which you can enter a CyFlex command and then run it with the Execute button. Click the down arrow to select from a list of previous entries.
2. Command Button – a labeled button Control that you can press to execute a prescribed CyFlex command. The command should be easily identified by the label or adjacent text
3. Knob – a graphical Control & Display that emulates an analog knob to input the value of any CyFlex Real or Integer Variable. It includes the Variable label and a text readout of the current Variable value.
4. Pushbutton – a graphical Control & Display that emulates various styles of on/off pushbuttons to set the value of a CyFlex Logical Variable. It includes the Variable label and text describing the current Variable state.
5. Toggle Buttons – a graphical Control & Display that emulates various styles of on/off toggle buttons to set the value of a CyFlex Logical Variable. It includes the Variable label and text describing the current Variable state.
Quick Display is both a standalone CyFlex display application and an embedded display in Operator Display. It gives you the ability to quickly create a tabular display of rows and columns of Simple Value Fields. The resulting display can be embedded in a Group box in Operator Display.
To configure a “standalone” Quick Display, i.e. in a separate window, run the application on the command line:
[user@cmx0nn directory]$ quick_display &
Starting with a blank array of numbered rows and columns, you can drag CyFlex Variables by name from the list provided to the array location of choice. The list supports a name filter in the Filter field. Current Variable properties are preserved but may be changed in Operator Display in their Edit Properties dialog.
Use the Rows & Columns counter fields to add new rows or columns or remove blank bottom rows or right columns.
When the array is populated as desired, click the OK button and then save the configuration to a file in the Select File dialog. The default directory is /specs/qt/. Quick Display will write two files with the selected name, one with a .ui extension for the standalone version and .qdl for the embedded version in Operator Display.
The same technique used to create a standalone Quick Display can be used to embed a Quick Display in Operator Display. While the process uses Qt Designer and will not be covered fully here, it is reasonably straightforward in practice.
1. In Qt Designer, add a Group box to your Operator Display specs
2. Run Operator Display and open the specs file in the Open UI File dialog from File > Open
3. RightClick on the new Group and choose Edit Display in the popup menu to launch the same Quick Display builder screen above
4. Drag in the Variables to the locations you want. Remove any blank rows and columns with the integer counters as needed
5. Click OK and save the specs in the Select File dialog
6. In Operator Display, rightClick on the new Group and choose Edit Properties in the popup menu to launch the dialog
7. Change the FileName value to the specs filename just chosen with the .qdl extension
8. Click Close
Your Quick Display selections will be embedded in the Group box in Operator Display. The box may be resized or moved in Qt Designer as desired.
Several sample Operator Display screenshots are shown here to indicate the capabilities of displays available.
This screen is a standard layout for a Fuel screen tab, including a set of text displays with a Command Line input and two Stripcharts at right. The text displays are Simple Value Fields in Group boxes. A column of Buttons indicates the current Fuel System Mode. String Variables of interest are also shown.
This screen is the same as above with the Main Display screen tab shown. It features a dashboard style row of Gauges and a column of LED indicators with a Value Field for the throttle command [%].
This screen is the same Operator Display configuration with the Startup Display screen tab shown. It includes Group rows of LED indicators for CyFlex Logical Variables associated with Digital Inputs and Digital Outputs. The screen might be used during startup of the test article, after which the user can quickly switch to another screen tab.
This screen is a sample of Qt Designer, the user interface tool used to create and change Operator Display screens. A User Guide for Qt Designer is available in a separate document. The Qt Designer Manual is authored by the Qt Project and is available online.
