How to create a pop up warning message

[Patrick]

On a Samba 7" is there a way to create a simple pop up message without changing screens?  I need to warn the operator before proceeding.  I had a browse but did not find anything, any pointer appreciated

 

Cheers

[Flex727]

No, the Vision PLCs do not support pop up windows. Why are you opposed to changing screens? If you are clever about it, you can make a screen that has the exact appearance of a pop up window and nobody would know the difference.

[kratmel]

This is probably not possible without changing the screen.

However, I usually select a place at the top or bottom of the screen - where with the help of a list of pictures or a list of texts i  implement tips for the operator.

If this tips are not active then this place either has a background color or is hidden by the Hide command. It's fast and convenient.

[John_R]

Or, if you have room on your screen,  you can make a binary text button that only shows under a certain condition.

Either make one of its states the same color as your background,  with no text.

or I believe you can link an operand to Hide or Disable View....

But again, it has to fit within your screen, it cannot pop-up over other display elements

[Joe Tauser]

Actually, there is a way to have a psuedo-popup window. 

It's done using a little-known and poorly documented system bit - SB 25 - "Do not draw display background".  I used this for the PID tuning window on an oven project.

I used a V1210.  Here's the display with all the loops called "Setup" called from another screen.  Pressing any one of the "Tune" buttons set a different bit in an array:

I have code that watches for one of bits to go on and call this rung:

You will notice that the description from Unitronics for this bit is flat-out wrong.  The actual operation can be found in the Help if you search for "SB 25" (include quotes).

Which pops this display without drawing the background-

Giving this-

 

Note the PID Tune is now the active window and is modal - nothing on the Setup screen will respond because it's not active.  I have code that uses pointers to interact with the variables on the Tuning display that is not important for this discussion, but leaving the tuning display is simple:

 

By calling the Setup display again without SB 25 set it just blows out whatever display is there, which is normal behavior.

@Patrick - I would not call this "simple" in UnitronicsLand and the suggestion of others to just call another nearly identical display is what I would normally do.  I used it in this application because I needed a way to indirectly interact with a window instead of creating 22 slightly different instances of the same thing.

 

 

Joe T.

 

[Patrick]

Thanks for the advice everyone.  I have previously done some warning screens which are perfectly adequate, but not particularly aesthetic.  I had not thought of faking the background, I will try that.

@Joe TauserI really like your workaround.   I will definitely give it a try as well, thank you.

 

 

[Flex727]

18 hours ago, Joe Tauser said:

Actually, there is a way to have a psuedo-popup window. 

It's done using a little-known and poorly documented system bit - SB 25 - "Do not draw display background".

This is great! I will definitely be putting this to use.

[Joe Tauser]

Edit from my memory of the startup - you may need to redraw the calling screen ("Setup" in this case) by jumping to a blank screen and then back over a couple of scans to make the hole from the popup disappear.  But I was able to get it to work the way I wanted.

Joe T.

[Ausman]

OK Joe, I have to ask about your great solution!  All my searches (including manual looking in the help file itself on it's own)  only bring up the incorrect reference.  In my help files it actually only shows under "HMI Display tasks, SBs 26-34, which you naturally skip if looking for 25!

Perhaps latest help files have it?  Mine are derived from 9.8.65.  Could you please put up a scrnshot and also where specifically you found it.   🧐

cheers, Aus

[kratmel]

🤔

[Joe Tauser]

@kratmel - Nice find on a 10 year old post!

@Ausman - Search "SB 25" in quotes.  Only one find - Color Vision series.  On the bottom of that page you have to expand System Operands-

 

As described in the post kratmel found, Unitronics thinks this bit is no longer needed so they probably forgot about it.  It's not like they don't have enough other things on their plate in R&D.  I'm glad Patrick asked the question, as it triggered my memory.

Joe T.

 

[Ausman]

Ahhhh.......  Have to have a space b/n B & 2.   I'd done all you said but without the space.

👀  

cheers, Aus