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Animation

Animation shows a state by movement: an object blinks, turns, fades or disappears. Every animation property can have a fixed value or follow a signal, like the other properties (see Bind signals).

Before you begin​

  • A page is open in the screen editor.
  • For a bound animation the signal exists; here the bit signal Pump_Running.

Steps​

1. Define a project color​

Colors that carry a meaning, such as an alarm color, are best kept as project colors. Click an empty part of the page; under Project click Add (or Edit when colors exist) next to Project colors. Add color adds a row with a Name, a Light theme and a Dark theme value and a Description; here alarm_high.

Project colors window with the new color alarm_high, its light and dark theme values and Unused.

Objects that use a project color change with it. Each row shows how often the color is used. Deleting a used color asks whether to move its objects to another color or to turn it into a fixed color. Add suggested set, Import and Export exchange color sets between projects.

Select the object and tick Blink in the Animation group. Speed (Hz) sets how often it blinks, here 2; empty uses the Blink rate of the project (1 Hz by default). Blink Color sets the second color: the object changes between its own color and the blink color. Without a blink color the object turns grey and faint in the off phase.

Rectangle with Blink ticked and Speed (Hz) 2 in the Animation group.

All objects that blink at the same speed blink together.

3. Turn an object​

Tick Rotation and set Speed (rpm), here 20 (30 by default). Reverse Direction turns it the other way. The object turns around its pivot, set in the 3 × 3 grid at the top of the properties (Middle Center by default). Rotate (°) in the Transform group sets a fixed angle instead.

Rectangle turning around its centre with Rotation ticked.

4. Bind the animation to a signal​

Hover over Blink and click Bind to tag, choose the signal, here Pump_Running, and click Bind. The object blinks while the signal is true. Rotation, Visible, Opacity and Rotate (°) are bound the same way; Opacity is 0–100 % on the screen.

Blink row bound to Pump_Running, with Edit mapping below it.

Project settings for animation​

Click an empty part of the page; the settings are under Project:

SettingValues
Blink rate0.5–4 Hz, default 1 Hz; used when an object has no Speed (Hz)
Color-only stateWarning (default) or Error: how the project check reports a color bound to a signal without a second cue (text, icon, shape, blinking, visibility or rotation)

The check also reports a blink color that is not a project color. Its results are in the list of problems of the script check.

Good to know​

  • Operators can turn blinking off for themselves with Turn blinking off in the session menu of the runtime screen; alarm acknowledgement is not affected.
  • Color should not be the only cue of a state: add text, an icon or a shape (ISA-101).
  • Visible off hides the object on the runtime screen; in the editor it is shown faint while live values are simulated.