The SCADA designer is the editor for 2D process drawings: tanks, pumps, valves, meters and machines joined by pipes and cables, with titles and zones. A drawing on its own holds no device data; you connect its symbols to devices afterwards, on a device’s or a site’s Views (see Binding symbols to live data).
The Process Diagrams list
Open Process Diagrams in the IoT menu. The list shows Name, Last saved and Saved versions, with Search by name….
| Action | Does |
|---|---|
| New diagram | Asks for a Name (1 to 120 characters) and opens the editor |
| Edit | Opens the editor |
| Rename | Changes the name only |
| Duplicate | Makes a copy named “ |
| Delete | Asks “Delete “ |
Without Create, edit and delete process diagrams the list is read-only. An organisation keeps up to 500 drawings.
The editor
The editor fills the page: the toolbar on top, the Symbols palette on the left, the canvas in the middle and the Inspector on the right. Either panel can be collapsed.
Tools
| Tool | Key | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Select | V | Select, move and resize |
| Connect | C | Draw a connection: click a symbol, then the symbol to join it to, or drag from one port circle to another |
| Pan | H | Move the view (or hold Space) |
| Title | T | Place a title or note |
| Zone | Z | Draw a zone outline around part of the process |
| Divider | D | Draw a divider line |
The toolbar also has Undo, Redo, Zoom in, Zoom out, Fit to view, Grid, Guides, Align, Distribute, Order, Duplicate, Delete, Copy, Paste, Connect the two selected symbols, Layers and Overview (a minimap).
Keyboard
| Keys | Does |
|---|---|
| Arrow keys | Move the selection 1 unit; with Shift 10 |
| Alt + arrow keys | Resize; with Shift in steps of 50 |
Delete or Backspace | Delete the selection |
F2 | Rename the selected symbol |
Ctrl+Z, Ctrl+Shift+Z or Ctrl+Y | Undo, redo (up to 100 steps) |
Ctrl+C, Ctrl+V, Ctrl+D | Copy, paste, duplicate |
A or Ctrl+A | Select all |
K | Connect the two selected symbols |
], [ | Make the selected symbol 10 % larger or smaller |
Ctrl+], Ctrl+[ | Bring to front, send to back |
+, -, 0 | Zoom in, zoom out, fit |
Escape | Cancel a drag, leave a tool, clear the selection |
On a Mac, use Cmd for Ctrl.
Placing and arranging
- Add a symbol: click a tile in the palette to add it at the centre of the view (Enter on a tile does the same), or drag a tile to where you want it.
- Snap: with Grid on, symbols snap to a 10-unit grid; with Guides on, they also snap to the edges and centres of their neighbours. Hold Alt while dragging to place freely.
- Select several: Shift-click, or drag a box.
- Align and distribute: select several symbols and use Align (left, centres, right, top, middles, bottom) or Distribute (horizontally, vertically).
- Rename:
F2or a double-click changes the symbol’s name, never its id. A symbol added since the editor opened takes its id from the name (Chiller 1 →chiller_1); a saved symbol keeps its id, because a view may link it.
Layers
Layers lists every symbol, connection and shape, with Find an item. Per item you can Lock (it cannot be moved by accident), Hide, Unlock and Show; Unlock all and Show all reset them.
Reusable pieces
Select part of a drawing and choose Save the selection as a reusable piece. Give it a name (up to 60 characters). Insert a saved piece places it again in this or another drawing. Saved pieces are kept in this browser. Copy puts the selection on the clipboard as text, so you can paste it into a drawing on another board; the editor reads pasted text only as a drawing piece and never runs it.
The inspector
With nothing selected, the inspector shows the Diagram settings: “these settings apply to the whole diagram”.
| Setting | Values and defaults |
|---|---|
| Canvas width, Canvas height | 200 to 4,000 scene units; 1,200 × 700 |
| Symbol size | 0.2 to 2 (0.6). A symbol box is 100 units high at 1. |
| Background | None, Dots, Panel |
| View | Fit to the diagram (zooms in on the symbols) or The whole canvas |
| Show names and numbers around symbols | On |
| Calm look | Off. On: running parts are drawn in plain ink, not green; only a warning or an alarm shows colour (ISA-101 style). |
With a symbol selected, the inspector has the tabs Properties, Rules, Actions, Problems and What-if.
Properties of a symbol, in groups:
| Group | Fields |
|---|---|
| Symbol | The symbol itself; swap it for another |
| Position and size | x, y, Turn (0°, 90°, 180°, 270°), Flip, Length (cells) 1 to 3 for pipes and conveyors, Own size 0.2 to 4 |
| Name and number | Name (up to 60 characters), Name position (Below, Above, Hidden), Number position (Below, Beside), Show the number, a second reading on two-row symbols |
| Scale and units | Minimum, Maximum for symbols that show a level, Unit, Decimals |
| Medium | The state decides, Cold (blue), Hot (red), Water (primary), A colour of my own |
| Colours | Liquid colour, Idle colour, Running colour, Warning colour, Critical colour |
| Advanced | The symbol’s Id. “A name typed here becomes a code (Chiller 1 → chiller_1).” Connections, rules and views refer to it, so change it only when you must. |
Symbols that turn or open also offer a hand / auto mode badge. Selecting several symbols shows the fields they share; “A change is written to every one of them.”
Which device value a symbol shows is not set here: “Which device value this symbol shows is connected on the device’s or the site’s Views once the drawing is saved, not here.”
Problems
Problems lists errors, warnings and notes, for example “More than one symbol has the id pump1”, “Connection 3 ends on a symbol that is not on the canvas”, “pump2 is outside the canvas”, “A title has no words”, “Rule 4 never applies: rule 2 always stops every target first”, and “180 of 200 symbols are used”. Click a problem to select what it names. With none: “No problems found. Every symbol is placed, every connection ends on a symbol and every rule names something that exists.”
What-if
What-if previews how the drawing reacts to values without touching data: “Nothing here is stored.” Set Value, Second value, Capacity, Running and Status (Normal, Warning, Critical) for the selected symbol or All symbols, and board parameter values. Rules that match with these values shows which rules fire. Reset all puts every value back to what the data says.
Save and close
Save stores the drawing; the editor says “Drawing saved.” Close with unsaved changes asks “Discard your changes?”. Every place that shows the drawing draws the new version. A save that adds symbols of a library your organisation does not hold is refused (see Symbols and industry packs).
Drawings inside a card
A Process diagram card can also carry a drawing of its own, made in the card’s settings with the same editor. To turn it into a stored drawing you can attach to devices, use Make this drawing editable in the card’s menu: a copy is saved for the device or site the page shows and added to its views, while the card keeps the original picture for every other device.
Use the drawing
- Attach it to a device or a site and connect its symbols: Binding symbols to live data.
- Give it to every device of a profile: One drawing for many places.
- Make a 3D view from it: 3D views.