2. Best Practices When designing a new project Tags Database Graphic Interface General Performance optimization Troubleshooting When deploying the project
3. When designing a project Application Resolution Platform and License Review Project Settings (Viewer, Communication, Web) Touch-screen settings (cursor, focus, vk, right-click, object size) Translation (objects size) Communication (every state or last state)
4. Tags Database Arrays Classes Tag Fields (->Hi, ->HiLimit, ->Quality, ->TimeStamp, etc) Tag names (use objective names - avoid long names) Avoid retentive values/parameters for a large number of tags Tag Integration Tag description
5. Graphic Interface Screen groups Re-use screens (array tags, indirect tags, or mnemonics) Share background pictures when applicable Linked Symbols $Ext() function to text used in external dialogs, such as MsgBox or InputBox.
6. General Avoid spaces and special characters in file names (e.g.: screen names) Add comments to scripts and worksheets History Life Time Avoid calling modal dialogs on the Server (MsgBox, InputBox, $RDFileN, etc) when using Thin Clients. Avoid hard-coded paths. Use $GetAppPath().
7. General Avoid repeated scripts – Global Procedures. Use ‘$region:<BlockName> to organize procedures in the Global Procedures dialog When applicable, use ‘On Error Resume Next’ and ‘On Error Goto 0’ in scripts Make sure that when using $DBCursorOpen() or $DBCursorOpenSQL(), call $DBCursorClose() to avoid memory leaking.
8. General When using the Recipe task, enable the XML format. When using Thin Clients, enable the SSL option, as well as the Web Tunneling Gateway.
9. Performance optimization Sequential addresses in the driver sheet Consider the options “Screen” or “Auto” in the Main Driver Sheet and OPC Client worksheets. Adjust the “Send Period” for communication with Thin Clients Trend decimation and Database Gateway Avoid large picture objects and fill effects in low-end HMIs (Windows Embedded CE).
10. Troubleshooting Output window (Log Options, and Log Tags) Database Spy Cross-Reference $Trace() function
11. When deploying the project Clear Database Spy Disable LogWin “save to disk” option Remove “test” files (ST, larm, ebump) Remove unused tags from the project Quality Feedback (unexpected errors) Run “Verify” command Create a backup