Chapter 4 Human Machine Interface
© National Instruments Corporation 4-3 BridgeVIEW User Manual
Front Panel Objects
A front panel is the user interface of a virtual instrument (VI). You build
the front panel of a VI with a combination of controls and indicators
representing the values of the tags. Controls are the means of supplying
data to your VI, and indicators display data that your VI generates. There
are many types of controls and indicators available from the Controls
palette, shown in the following illustration. You can choose objects to place
on your front panel such as real-time trend displays, alarms and events
displays, and numeric indicators. You also can choose automation symbols,
such as vessels, pumps, and valves.
To develop an HMI application, configure your tags, create the front panel
interface and then use the HMI G Wizard to build your block diagram.
For more information about how to use the HMI G Wizard, refer to the
HMI G Wizard section in this chapter. If you prefer to build the block
diagram on your own, without the assistance of the HMI G Wizard, you
may do so, or you can get started by building a basic block diagram with
the HMI G Wizard and then building upon that to create a more advanced
HMI on your own.
HMI G Wizard
The HMI G Wizard provides an easy interface for you to generate
repetitive pieces of diagram code. If you are new to G programming,
the HMI G Wizard can be an immense help in building simple tag
monitoring and control loops.
Booleans
(Acknowledge
Alarm Button)
Vessels
Automation
Decorations
Tag Controls
and Indicators
Graphs
(Real-Time Trend,
Historical Trend)
Pipes, Pumps,
and Valves
Alarms and Events