GOTO
GoTo command

Menu: 	Edit/Go To Block

Shortcut key:	Ctrl G

Right Click Menu:	none

This command brings up the Goto block dialog. This allows you to move the mouse pointer to a named block.

See Also:

 Goto block dialog.


Reload File
Reload Last File

This option controls the action that Vista takes when started. If the option is set then the last file worked on is reloaded automatically into vista.


Enumeration Control


Colour Options

The Option/Colour menu option toggles the display between colour and monochrome. The monochrome mode is useful if Vista is running on a laptop computer with fewer than 256 colours which tells the programs that it can display 256 colours. If the computer cannot display 256 colours then you can not change to colour.


View Screen List
View Screens List


View Schematic


Help Contents

Vista Contents

Release Notes

Introduction

Schematics

The Oval Menu

ZOOM	View	Compile

Center	View Block name	Compile

Window	View Block Comment	View Error

Extent

ZoomIn

ZoomOut

Floating Text	Goto Block

Floating Text Add	Goto Command

Goto Block Dialog

Screens

Add Screen

Add Screen Variable

Edit Screen

Edit Screen Variable


Help Screens contents


Help Schematic Contents


Screens List Add


Screens List Delete


Screens List Duplicate


Duplicate
Edit / Duplicate

Duplicates the currently selected blocks and wires.


View Header

This command brings up the Vista program's header Dialog containing information on the author, modification dates etc.

See also:

  Header Option, Header Dialog


Header Option

This option controls the printing of the header information.

See Also:

Header Dialog, View Header Command


Center
Centre command

Menu: 	none

Shortcut key:	none

Right Click Menu:	Centre

The Centre command moves the schematic so that the current mouse position moves to the centre of the view area.

See Also:

Navigating around the schematic


Extent
Zoom Extents command

Menu: 	View/Zoom Extents

Shortcut key:	none

Right Click Menu:	Zoom Extents

The Zoom Extents command adjusts the size of the diagram on the screen that the entire diagram fitts onto the viewing area.

See Also:

Zoom In    Zoom Out


Window


ZoomIn
ZoomIn command

Menu: 	View/ZoomIn

Shortcut key:	Ctrl PgUp

Right Click Menu:	ZoomIn

The ZoomIn command increases the size of the diagram on the screen

See Also:

Zoom Out   Zoom Extents


ZoomOut
ZoomOut command

Menu: 	View/ZoomOut

Shortcut key:	Ctrl PgDown

Right Click Menu:	ZoomOut

The ZoomOut command decreases the size of the diagram on the screen

See Also:

Zoom In  Zoom Extents


Print Page Setup

Standard Windows Print Setup Dialog


Compile
Compiler / Compile command

This command invokes the compiler to check the syntax of the Vista program and produce a file suitable to download to the Elite series drive.


View Error
Compiler / View Error

This command brings up the error file produced by the compiler using notepad.


Floating Text Add


Help Blocks Contents


View Block Name


View Block Comment


About Box
About Box Dialog


Add Screen


Edit Screen
Edit Screen Dialog

The Edit screen Dialog allows the attributes of the screen to be adjusted.

Title	Provides the title for the screen in the main screens view.

Text	The text that appears on the screen in the Elite Series. This text is limited to 16 characters wide.

Access Panel	The selections within this panel control the screen access when the Elite Series is not in commission mode. Visible selects a Read Only screen, Alter selects a Read/Write screen so the User is allowed to modify the variable that the screen is connected too, and Hidden does not allow the screen to be seen in commission mode.

Display Mode

Top Line : The screen text will be displayed on the top line of the display and the status line will be displayed on the bottom line of the display.

Bottom Line : The screen text will be displayed on the bottom line of the display and the status line will be displayed on the top line of the display this is the default display mode.

Both Lines : The screen text will be displayed on both lines of the display.

Scroll Left : The screen text will be displayed on the bottom line of the display with the status line on the top line of the display. When modifying an enumerated variable the displayed text will be shifted to the left to display the full enurmeration text.

Scroll Up : The screen text will be displayed on the bottom line of the display with the status line on the top line of the display. When modifying an enumerated variable the displayed text will be shifted to the top line and the full enurmeration text will be displayed on the bottom line.

Attributes:

Primary Screen: This screen is marked as the power-on screen. On power-on the Elite Series searches for the first screen with the Primary screen attribute set. Only one screen is allowed to have this attribute set.

Fault Screen: The screen to jump to when a fault occurs. Only one screen is allowed to have this attribute set.

Break Key Repeat: If this attribute is set then the automatic key repeat is stopped when this key is shown. This causes a delay to occur if scrolling quickly through the screens.

Commission Screen: The screen with this attribute set requires a password to get to its sub screens. The text need to include two modifiable variables in it. The first is the commission mode flag and the second is the password variable.

See Also

Edit Screen Variable


Edit Screen Variable


Add Screen Variable


Delete Screen Variable


Header
Header Dialog

This dialog allows the header information to be viewed and changed.

See Also:

View Header Command, Header Option


Block Configuration
Default Block Configuration


Parameter Edit
Parameter Edit Dialog


Floating Text Edit
Floating Text Edit Dialog


Output Parameters
Output Parameters Edit Dialog


Screens Page Setup
Page Setup Dialog(Screens)


Subcircuit Configuration


Page Setup Dialog
Page Setup Dialog(Schematics)


Select Screens Dialog


Goto Block Dialog

This Dialog allows you to jump directly to a block rather than zooming and panning to find it.

The Initial Search will only show blocks that match the begining of the text in the search text box. Word search will match the word anywhere in the name or comment of the block.


Introduction

VISTA

Vista is a program produced by PDL Electronics for use with the PDL Microdrive Elite and subsequent products.  This software enables engineers to rapidly build powerful and sophisticated control systems with a minimum of time and effort by drawing the control system they require.  This control system is compiled and sent to the PDL Elite AC Motor controllers through an RS232 serial link.  The PDL Elite series have the capability to run this circuit as a real-time digital control system.

The result of these developments is that customers can custom configure drives in a flexible manner.  It becomes cost effective to provide a perfect solution to a problem rather than the closest fit.  It is possible to hold drives in stock and download to them the appropriate application.  A pump controller can be modified to become a belt feeder or a crane controller.  The drives are sophisticated enough to store multiple applications and switch between them through the informative control panel attached on the front of the device.  These custom configurations contain blocks that are connected together to construct a virtual circuit.  Blocks range from simple adders to PID controllers and Fibre optic input and output.  They allow the engineer to rapidly build an intelligent solution with appropriate detail.  This section of Vista is called the 'Schematics' section.

Obviously the usefulness of such a system would be limited if the inbuilt user interface was unable to be customised to reflect the application.   The PDL Microdrive Elite series have a  two line LCD display which can clearly communicate words, numbers and even bar graphs.  Vista allows the configuration of these screens lists with the same flexibility as the custom configurations.  Vista was used within PDL Electronics in the development of the Microdrive Elite and has shown its flexibility as changes were made, as even more advanced features and multiple languages were added.  It is possible to build a user interface that is appropriate to the task at hand.  Through security settings and commission modes that protect important settings from operators the applications engineer working with the device can still have full control.  Display customisation and security and security were effected using the Vista 'screens list'.

A Vista document contains one schematic and one or more screens lists.

Vista is a product conceived by the Research and Development division of PDL Electronics, Napier, New Zealand.  The design and initial product development of the system was contracted out to the Computer Science department at Massey University to leverage the Universities expertise in Human-Computer interfaces.  Since April 1996 the product has been developed by PDL Electronics in Napier.


Release Notes

VISTA

!!!DO NOT DISTRIBUTE!!!

To pass on suggestions to correct this product e-mail Alan on

ATims@pdl-elec.co.nz

The documentation for Vista will, in part, be based on your experiences and information that you think should have been in this help system.

PLEASE COMPLAIN LOUDLY AND LIBERALLY

VIA E-MAIL

Introduction                                            Contents


Oval Menu

The Oval Menu

This menu is used to place a block on the schematic diagram.  A block will be placed at the location in the schematic where the cursor was when the oval menu was activated.  It is activated by double clicking with the left mouse button in the schematic window.  The cursor may then be moved to select a section of the menu.  Clicking on a section of the menu will select a block and the oval menu will disappear.

The oval menu has submenus for some of the sections of the menu.  If a section of the menu has a triangle drawn in it, it has a submenu.  A section having a submenu also has a block drawn it.  This block is representitive of the type of blocks contained in its submenu.  A submenu is activated by first moving the mouse pointer over the submenu triangle.  This will change the shading of the section around the triangle.  Clicking on the triangle with the mouse will then bring up the submenu.  The submenu is the same size as the original menu and in the same location.  Sections can be selected as before.  To go back to the main menu, click on a triangle located at the periphery of the circular centre of the oval menu.

Note that a block is associated with all but one section of the main menu. This permits blocks to be placed without opening a submenu.  The blank section of the main menu may be clicked on to cancel the addition of a block to the schematic.


View Previous
View Previous command

Menu: 	none

Shortcut key:	none

Right Click Menu:	none

The view previous command restores the position and size of the schematic to what it was prior to the last zoom, pan or goto block operation.

See Also:


View Next


Navigating around the schematic

Moving around the schematic can be accomplished by using the mouse, toolbar or keyboard.

Zoom In 	Right Click Menu	Ctrl PgUp	View/ZoomIn

Zoom Out	Right Click Menu	Ctrl PgDown	View/ZoonOut

Zoom Extents	Right Click Menu	Ctrl PgDown	View/ZoonExtents

Panning	Scroll Bars	Arrow Keys

Jump to Block	Ctrl G	Edit/GoTo Block

Moves the mouse and view to the selected block


Overview of programming
OverView of Programming in Vista for the Elite Series drives.


Some Does and Don'ts
Programming -- Some Do and Don'ts


Zoom In Command


Zoom Out Command