Frequently Asked Questions

Database & Security System

Q. What does the Shared Tags folder store?

A. The Shared Tags folder stores the tags imported from the PC-based Control linked to the IWS project. The PC-based Control is linked to the project by the New Project wizard.

Q. How do I count how many tags are configured in the project database?

A. The number of tags currently used in the project is displayed in the status bar at the bottom of the development environment. Each array position and each class member of the tags configured in the IWS tag database are counted.

Q. How do I see the list of "Users" I've added during runtime in my project that I have created with the CreateUser() function?

A. Execute the following command: "Studio Path\BIN\Studio Manager.exe" "Studio Path\BIN\ExtUser.dll" (for example: "E:\Program Files\Studio\BIN\Studio Manager.exe" "E:\Program Files\Studio\BIN\ExtUser.dll" ). This command will launch a dialog. You can see the users created by the CreateUser() function, and you can then create or delete users.

Graphics

Q. How do I insert and configure an ActiveX object in a project?

A. To insert an ActiveX object in a project screen:

On the Graphics tab of the ribbon, in the Libraries group, click ActiveX Control.
Select the ActiveX control that you want to insert from the list, and then click OK. The ActiveX object will then appear on the screen. (Unregistered ActiveX objects will not be available in this list box.)
Double-click on the ActiveX object and assign a name to it (enter a value in the Name field). The animations and methods list can be viewed by selecting the Methods button. The static properties can be set by the Properties button (A detailed description about the objects properties can be found in the component documentation, provided by the component developer).

There are three functions to access the ActiveX component during runtime:

XGet(strName,strProperties): Returns the value of the properties strProperties from the object strName. The list of properties which can be read from the object are listed in the Object Properties dialog from the object, with the syntax Properties Name(PropGet) (for example, Color(PropGet) ).
XSet(strName,strProperties,Value): Writes the value Value to the properties strProperties of the object strName. The list of properties which can be set to the object are listed in the Object Properties dialog from the object, with the syntax Properties Name(PropPut) (for example, Color(PropPut) ).
XRun(strName, strMethod, Parameter1, Parameter2, …, ParameterN): Executes the method strMethod from the object strName, according to the parameters Parameter1, Parameter2, …, ParameterN. The list of methods available in the object is listed in the Object Properties dialog from the object, with the syntax Method Name(Method) (for example, OpenFile(Method) ).

Tip: Before inserting an ActiveX control (usually an OCX file) into the project, make sure it has been properly registered in the computer. To register an ActiveX control from with the development application, click Register Controls on the Home tab of the ribbon.

Note: The amount of parameters set in the XRun() function can vary from 0 up to 255 and it depends each the ActiveX component. It's possible to use tags to set the parameters; however, the tag type must match the component parameter type (Boolean, integer, string or real).

Q. How do I designate one screen that will open each time I start the project?

A. On the Project tab of the ribbon, in the Settings group, click Viewer, and then in the Project Settings dialog, type the startup screen name in the Startup screen box.

Q. How do I insert a background picture on the screen?

A. Right click on the screen and select the option Screen Attributes from the popup menu. Enable the checkbox Enable Background and choose the picture format in the combo-box besides this label. Copy the picture file to the Screen sub-folder of the project and rename it with the same name of the screen (ScreenName.scr file). Using the Shared image option, it's possible to copy a bitmap file to the Screen sub-folder and share this picture with more than one screen. In this case, it's necessary to type the bitmap name in the Shared image field.

Tasks

Q. How do I convert the History Trend to an ASCII file?

A. To convert a History Trend file to an ASCII format, copy the file "StudioPath\bin\hst2txt.exe" to the path "\project_name\hst\". Alternatively, you can use the HST2TXT function in a Math worksheet to convert binary files into text format automatically without having to use a DOS window.

Q. How do I exchange data with FOX Pro by an ODBC protocol?

A. When exchanging data with FOX Pro database, it's necessary to set the parameter UseQuote=0 from the [ODBC] section in the project_name.app file.

Q. How do I set a DATE field for an ODBC interface with an Oracle package?

A. Configure the "Column" cells in the ODBC worksheet with the syntax ColumnName.ts (for example: MyDate.ts ).

Q. How do I execute a Math worksheet during the startup and another Math worksheet during the project shutdown?

Startup: Execute a Math worksheet during the startup by creating a Math worksheet and filling in its Execution field with the expression <TagName>=0 (for example, StartTag=0 ). In the last line of the Math worksheet, set the value 1 to the <TagName> tag. The <TagName>tag type should be Boolean.
Shutdown: Instead of executing the ShutDown() function directly, execute one Math worksheet and configure the ShutDown() function in the last line of this Math worksheet.

Communication

Q. How do I set a "communication error" alarm?

A. Configure a tag in the Write Status or Read Status field of the driver worksheets and configure an alarm whenever this tag is not 0 (zero).

Q. How do I communicate with a Siemens S7-200 PLC without using Prodave software?

A. Siemens S7-200 PLC has a Freeport that can implement any protocol via PLC programming. There is PLC free software distributed by Siemens that implements Modbus protocol in the PLC Freeport (for further details contact Siemens support). Using this software in the PLC with IWS's Modbus driver (MODBU), you can exchange information between them.

Q. How do I start and stop communication drivers during runtime?

A. There are three functions available to handle the execution of the communication drivers during runtime:

Start all drivers configured in the project: StartTask("Driver")
For example: StartTask("Driver")

Start a specific driver configured in the project:

WinExec("StudioPath\bin\Studio Manager.exe" + " + "StudioPath\bin\Driver.dll" + " + "DriverName")

For example:

WinExec( Asc2Str(34) + "C:\Program Files\InduSoft Web Studio v7.0\Bin\Studio Manager.exe" + Asc2Str(34) + " " + Asc2Str(34) + "C:\Program Files\InduSoft Web Studio v7.0\Bin\Driver.dll" + Asc2Str(34) + " " + Asc2Str(34) + "MODBU" + Asc2Str(34) )

Note: The Asc2Str(34) function is used to concatenate quotation marks for paths where there are space chars.

Stop a specific driver configured in the project: EndTask("DriverDriverName")
For example: EndTask("DriverMODBU")

Tip: You can start or stop other tasks using the StartTask(TaskName) and EndTask(TaskName) functions. For example, StartTaks("Viewer"), Endtask("Viewer").

Q. What are the parameters of the IWS DDE Server?

A. The IWS DDE Server and NetDDE Server parameters are shown in the table below:

Comm. Type	Application	Topic	Item
Network DDE	\\<Computer Name>\NDDE$	UNISOFT$	<TagName>
Local DDE	UNIDDE	DB	<TagName>
Network DDE	\\<Computer Name>\NDDE$	UNISOFT$	<TagName>
Local DDE	UNIDDE	DB	<TagName>

Q. How do I exchange data with Excel by using NetDDE?

A. NetDDE can be used to exchange data, via the DDE protocol, between networked stations.

Start the DDEServer module from the development application (Tasks on the Home tab of the ribbon).
Run Excel in the remote station.
Open an Excel worksheet and fill the cells that must exchange data with IWS, using the following syntax:
```
='\computer name\NDDE$'|'UNISOFT$'!tag name
```
For example:
```
='\PC\NDDE$'|'UNISOFT$'!second
```

Note:

When running under Windows NT or Windows2000, it is necessary to make sure that the services Network DDE and Network DDE DSDM are started. (Use the Services shortcut from Control Panel to start these services).
When running under Windows 98, it is necessary to run the program WindowsPath etdde.exe in both computers (for example, c:\Windows etdde.exe ).

Q. Is the IWS OPC interface compliant with OPC specification v1.0a or v2.0?

A. The IWS OPC Client and OPC Server modules are compliant with both OPC specification v1.0a and v2.0.

Q. How do I get errors from Intellution / GE Fanuc iFIX applications?

A. If your project is communicating via TCP/IP with an iFIX application, then you should add the following key to your project file (i.e., project_name.APP):

[TCP]
SetQualityToBadOnError=1

After you do this, if the iFIX application generates an error during runtime, then the quality of the affected tags in your project will be set to BAD. You can get this information by reading the Quality tag field (i.e., tagname->Quality).

General

Q. What operating systems are compatible with InduSoft Web Studio and CEView?

A. See table below. "N" means that the operating system is NOT supported, and "Y" means that the operating system is supported.

Operating System		InduSoft Web Studio				CEView
Name	Version	v2.x	v3.x thru v4.1	v4.2 thru v6.0	v6.1 or higher	v3.x	v4.x	v5.x	v6.x
Windows Vista	Any	N	N	N	Y	N	N	N	N
Windows XP	Any	N	Y	Y	Y	N	N	N	N
Windows 2000	Any	N	Y	Y	Y	N	N	N	N
Windows NT	v4.0+SP4 or higher	Y	Y	Y	N	N	N	N	N
Windows ME	Any	N	Y	N	N	N	N	N	N
Windows 98	Any	N	Y	N	N	N	N	N	N
Windows 95	Any	Y	Y	N	N	N	N	N	N
Windows CE	v2.12	N	N	N	N	Y	N	N	N
Windows CE	v3.x	N	N	N	N	Y	Y	Y	Y
Windows CE.Net	v4.0	N	N	N	N	N	N	Y	Y
	v4.1	N	N	N	N	N	N	Y	Y
	v4.2	N	N	N	N	N	N	Y	Y
	v5.0	N	N	N	N	N	N	N	Y
	v6.0	N	N	N	N	N	N	N	Y

Q. How do I start IWS automatically when the computer is powered on?

A. Create a shortcut to […]\InduSoft Web Studio v7.0\Bin\RunStudio.exe and then place it in your Startup folder (C:\WINDOWS\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs\Startup\).

Q. How do I disable Dr. Watson?

A. The step-by-step procedure to disable Dr. Watson under Windows NT is described below:

Execute the program WindowsPath\RegEdit.exe (for example, C:\WinNT\Regedit.exe )
Select the path HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\AeDebug
Set the value 0 (zero) to the parameter "Auto" from the path selected.
Close the Registry Editor window.

CAUTION:

Special cautions must be taken when editing parameters in the Registry Editor program because some of them can modify the overall behavior of the operating system.

There are two ways to modify the data format in IWS:

Off-Line: Set the parameters Order=<DateFormat> (for example, DMY ) and Separator=Separator (for example, / or .) from the [International] section from the […]\InduSoft Web Studio v7.0\Bin\Program Settings.ini file.
Note: You will need to verify your project to apply date settings to previously saved Web pages.
On-Line: Use the function SetDateFormat( strSeparator, strDateFormat ). For example, SetDateFormat("/","MDY").

Q. What features are not supported by CEView?

A. The main features not supported by CEView are: DDE, NetDDE, ODBC, PasteLink, and a number of functions.

Q. How do I show a splashwindow when starting a project in CEView?

A. To enable your project to show a splash window during startup, add the following key to the device's CEView.ini file:

[OEM]
SpashWnd = Path to bitmap File // default is Splash.bmp
SplashWndTime = Time in milliseconds // default is 1000

Q. How do I see runtime messages and errors on a "blind" Windows Embedded device — that is, a device that has no display?

A. If the device has a network connection, then you can use the Remote LogWin tool to view the device's messages as they are generated.

You can also save the messages to a dump file (dump.txt) and access the file at your convenience. To create the file, add the following key to the device's CEView.ini file:

[OEM]
BlindDevice = 1

Q. What are the main steps to create a Web-based application?

A. Follow the procedure below:

Develop the project locally. Don't use features that are not supported by Thin Clients for the screens which will be saved as HTML format.
After saving the screens in the standard format (Save in the Application menu), save the screens that must be available for the Thin Client in HTML format (Save as HTML in the Application menu).
On the Project tab of the ribbon, in the Web group, click Thin Client.
In the Data Server IP box, type the IP address of the Server station (i.e., the station where the project is running).
On the Home tab of the ribbon, click Tasks, and then set the TCP/IP Server module as Startup=Automatic.
Open the project tags database and set the option Server instead of Local in the Scope column for all tags that must exchange value between the Server and the Thin Client station.
Verify the project (Verify on the Home tab of the ribbon) to update the HTML files with these new settings.
If there is no Web Server running on the computer, copy the program NTWebServer.exe from the Bin sub-folder of the program directory into the Web directory (e.g., \project name\Web) and run it. The path where this Web Server program is executed will be the root directory of the server. The Web Server is necessary to export data (web files) in HTTP protocol to the Thin Clients.
Run the project on the Server station.
Using a browser (for example, Internet Explorer v4.1+SP1 or newer version) in the Thin Client station, type the URL address to download the screen that had been saved in HTML format (for example, http://ServerIPAddress/ScreenName.html).

Note: The Thin Client requires an ActiveX component ( ISSymbol.ocx ) to handle the screens on the browser. If the Thin Client is connected to the Internet, this component is downloaded and registered automatically. Otherwise, it's necessary to copy it to the \OSPath\System32 directory of the Thin Client and register it by the command regsvr32 ISSymbol.ocx. This file can be found in the \BIN folder from the IWS installation directory.

Q. How do I maintain communication between a Thin Client connecting via proxy and a Web Gateway application running on Microsoft IIS?

A. Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS) has a configuration option to keep HTTP connections alive. When this option is enabled, it may conflict with Thin Clients that are connecting via proxy. To disable this option:

Start Internet Services Manager.
In the Internet Information Services window, open the local server ( * server name ).
Right-click on Default Web Sites and select Properties from the shortcut menu. The Default Web Site Properties dialog is displayed.
Select the Web Site tab of the Default Web Site Properties dialog.
In the Connections pane of the Web Site tab, uncheck the HTTP Keep-Alives Enabled option.
Click OK to save the change and close the dialog.

Q. How do I send an email from the IWS project?

A. Follow the procedure below:

Execute the function CNFEMail(strSMTP,strFrom,strPOP3,strUser, strPassword,numTimeOut) to configure the overall parameters used to send emails. After executing this function once, the parameters set by it are kept in the system until the project is shut down. So, most projects execute this function just once, after starting the project;

Execute the function SendEMail(strSubject,strMessage,strTO) and/or SendEMailExt(strSubject,strMessage,strTO,strCC,strBCC, strFile1,...,strFileN) each time that an email message must be sent. The main difference between both functions are listed in the next table:

Characteristic	SendEmail	SendEmailExt
Execution	Synchronous	Asynchronous
Supports Subject text	Y	Y
Supports Message text	Y	Y
Supports TO addresses	Y	Y
Supports CC addresses	N	Y
Supports BCC addresses	N	Y
Supports attached files	N	Y

Q. The runtime task (TCP/IP, OPC, DDE, ODBC, etc) does not work.

A. Make sure the runtime task is set to Automatic in the Execution Tasks dialog (Tasks on the Home tab of the ribbon). Select a runtime task that must be executed (for example, TCP/IP Server), click Startup, and then set it as Automatic.

Q. The browser from the Thin Client does not display the screen and launches a warning message regarding ISSymbol.ocx.

Q. The browser of the Thin Client launches an error message missing the ISSymbol.ocx and does not display the screens from the Server.

A.ISSymbol.ocx is the ActiveX object used by the browser from the Thin Client to view the web pages. If the Thin Client is connected to the Internet, the ISSymbol.ocx control is automatically downloaded and registered in the Thin Client station. Otherwise, it's necessary to copy it to the \WinNT\System32 folder of the Thin Client station and register it manually. Once it is registered your browser will be able to see the pages.

Note: Use the command regsvr32 ISSymbol32.ocx to register the ActiveX component in the Thin Client.

Q. The screens are shown on the Thin Client (Browser); however, the data (tags values) are not read from the Server.

A. Make sure the parameter in the column Scope from the project tags database is set as Server instead of Local. The tags set as Server keep the same value in the Server and in the Thin Client (Browser). The tags set as Local have independent values in the Server and in the Thin Client (Browser).

CAUTION:

It's necessary to verify the project (Verify on the Home tab of the ribbon) after modifying the tags settings. Otherwise, the changes will not be updated in the Web pages.

Q. The "On Up" expressions configured in the Command animation are not executed.

A. The "On Up" expressions from the Command animation are not executed if the mouse pointer is dragged out the object area before releasing it. If the checkbox Release from the Command Object Properties window is enabled, the On Up expression is executed even if the mouse pointer is dragged out the object area before releasing it.

Q. The Trend History does not work after adding or removing tags in the Trend worksheet.

A. When a tag is inserted or removed FROM a Trend worksheet, the format of the history files ( *.hst ) is modified. The same .hst file cannot have two different formats; otherwise, the data will not be retrieved from it properly by the Trend object. If you need to add or remove tags for history files, there are two valid procedures: Create a new Trend worksheet or delete the old *.hst files.

Q. The value of indirect tags ( @TagName ) is not shown in the Thin client program.

A. When a screen is saved as HTML, IWS saves a ScreenName.tagl file in the \WEB subfolder. This file has the list of all tags configured in the screen (objects and animations). When a screen is opened in the Thin Client browser, the tags listed in the ScreenName.tagl are "enabled" for TCP/IP communication with the server station. It provides an optimized communication between the server station and the Thin Client stations.

When using indirect tags in this way ( @IndirectTag ), the tags pointed will not exchange data with the Server, unless they had been configured in the screen. In other words, the tags that will be pointed in the screen MUST be configured in any object of the screen to enable the TCP/IP communication for these tags with the server station.

Tip: Add a transparent rectangle (no fill and no line) in the screen corner. Apply the Command animation to this rectangle and configure the tags (which can be pointed by indirect tags during runtime in the Thin Client station) in the Expression fields (keep the Tag Name fields blank). These tags will be added to the ScreenName.TAGL file, and they will be available for TCP/IP communication with the Server station.

Q. Which functionalities are not supported by PocketPC platforms (for example, IPaq, Cassiopeia, Jornada)?

A. Windows CE devices powered PocketPC do not support some functionality which are supported by Windows CE devices powered by the "standard" Windows CE version:

Functionality not supported by PocketPC devices
DCOM (Distributed Component Object Model): It means that all features based on DCOM (for example, remote OPC communication) are not supported by PocketPC devices.
`DialGetClientIP()` function does not work for PocketPC devices

Q. How do I enable the "Hibernate" options from the operating system after installing IWS on a notebook?

A. Follow the procedure below:

Run the Registry Editor ( <Start button>\Run egedit ).
Select the following path from the Registry Editor: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\ Proteq\Parameters
The IoPortAddress parameter from the path mentioned above is set with the hexadecimal value, 0x00000111. Set this parameter with the hexadecimal address of the LPT1 parallel port of your notebook (for example, 0x00000378 ).
Close the Registry Editor and reboot the computer.

Tip: The Hexadecimal address of the LPT1 parallel port of the notebook can be gotten from the Control Panel ( System\Hardware\Device Manager\Ports (COM & LPT)\Printer Port (LPT1)\Properties\Resources ). Pick the initial address of the I/O Range. Usually it is the hexadecimal address 0x00000378.