How-To Guide  ·  Allen-Bradley PanelView Plus 7  ·  Function Keys in FactoryTalk View ME

PanelView Plus 7 Function Keys: Models, Key Assignments, Testing and Troubleshooting

Keypad models: 2711P-B10C22D9P, 2711P-B7C22D9P, 2711P-B15C22D9P  ·  FactoryTalk View Studio ME  ·  Key Assignments

1. Which PanelView Plus 7 Terminals Have Function Keys

The operator-input type is the letter after 2711P- in the catalog number: T = touch, B = key and touch (2711P-UM008, p. 16). Only the PanelView Plus 7 Performance family offers key-and-touch models, in three sizes. Every PanelView Plus 7 Standard terminal is touch-only: Rockwell states that operators interact with the Standard terminals by using touch screen input (2711P-TD008, p. 1), and every Standard model is listed with touch operator input (2711P-TD008, pp. 4-6).

The AC-powered key-and-touch versions (2711P-B7C22A9P, 2711P-B10C22A9P, 2711P-B15C22A9P and their -B versions) are also key-and-touch models (2711P-TD009, pp. 5-7) but are listed by Rockwell as discontinued (2711P-TD009, p. 2).

The Keypad Layout

Keypad models are similar to the touch models except for the function keys to the left and right of the display; larger models have more keys (2711P-UM008, p. 13). Besides the function keys, the keypad has (2711P-UM008, p. 13, Table 2):

Key Names in FactoryTalk View ME

The function-key equivalents table in the FactoryTalk View ME guide covers keys up to F20 and K1 to K20 (VIEWME-UM004, pp. 347-348). The PanelView Plus 7 keypad table lists only F keys (2711P-UM008, p. 13). Rockwell's rule: if the application will run on a PanelView Plus 7 terminal, assign keys that are supported by the runtime terminal, because different sizes of terminals have different function keys (VIEWME-UM004, p. 347). In practice, a key such as F14 exists on the 10.4-in. and 15-in. keypads but not on the 6.5-in. keypad, which stops at F12.

2. Touch-Only Terminals: What to Use Instead of Function Keys

Touch-only terminals, including the 2711P-T10C22D9P (see our 2711P-T10C22D9P setup guide) and every PanelView Plus 7 Standard model, have no physical function keys. The documented way to operate these terminals is to press the objects on the display using the touch screen (VIEWME-UM004, p. 345). For data entry, a virtual keyboard or numeric keypad opens on the screen at runtime (2711P-UM007, p. 13).

The same button works on both kinds of terminal. FactoryTalk View ME counts a button press when the operator clicks the object with a mouse, presses it on a touch screen, or presses the function key associated with the object (VIEWME-UM004, p. 352). So you can build one set of on-screen buttons, give them function keys for keypad terminals, and the touch operator simply presses the button.

Make On-Screen Buttons Easy to Touch

• Do not place important buttons where an On Top display will cover them; the operator cannot press a covered button (VIEWME-UM004, p. 346).
• Make buttons large enough to touch easily (VIEWME-UM004, p. 346).
• Use touch margins on buttons that sit close together. A touch margin is a touch-insensitive border inside the button; a press on it is not registered. Set it in the Horizontal margin and Vertical margin boxes on the button's General tab, or the HorizontalMargin and VerticalMargin properties (VIEWME-UM004, p. 346).

3. Plan Your Key Assignments

Before you build displays, decide whether the operator will use a keyboard, the touch screen, a mouse, or a combination (VIEWME-UM004, pp. 42, 262). You can assign up to 34 function keys to each graphic display (VIEWME-UM004, p. 347). Rockwell's tips for assigning function keys (VIEWME-UM004, p. 347):

• Same key, same job, every display. For example, if every display has a Goto display button that returns the operator to a display called Main Menu, assign the same function key to that button on each display.
• Put the key name in the caption. For multistate buttons, include the key name in the caption of each state, or create a text object as a label and group it with the button so you do not have to caption every state.
• Use keys the terminal has. Different terminal sizes have different function keys (see the table in section 1).

4. Assign a Function Key to a Button in FactoryTalk View Studio

Function keys are assigned in FactoryTalk View Studio for Machine Edition, button by button on each display (VIEWME-UM004, pp. 346-348), and reach the terminal inside the .mer runtime file, which compiles all of the application information into a single file (VIEWME-UM004, p. 184).

1. Open the graphic display. In the Graphics folder, open an existing display, or right-click Displays and select New to create one (VIEWME-UM004, p. 262).
2. Create the button and connect it. Add the button you want the key to press (Goto display, momentary push button and so on; see section 5) and assign its tags on the Connections tab of its Properties dialog box (VIEWME-UM004, p. 344).
3. Open Key Assignments. From the Edit menu, select Key Assignments, or right-click the button and select Key Assignments (VIEWME-UM004, p. 348).
4. Assign the key in the Key Assignment Properties dialog box. VIEWME-UM004 does not describe the dialog's fields; it refers to FactoryTalk View Help for using the dialog to assign and change function keys (p. 348).
5. Label the button with the key name in its caption (for example "F2 Main Menu") (VIEWME-UM004, p. 347).
6. Save the display. From the File menu, select Save (VIEWME-UM004, p. 262).
7. Repeat on every display that carries the same operation, using the same key (VIEWME-UM004, p. 347).

Objects That Accept Function Keys

You can assign function keys to the buttons in your displays and to the numeric input cursor point (VIEWME-UM004, p. 346). Of the objects that change tag values, the operator can use function keys with all of them except control list selectors, third-party ActiveX objects and drawing objects with slider animation; those three can only be pressed with a mouse or touch screen (VIEWME-UM004, p. 242).

5. Link a Key to an Action: Display Changes, Tag Writes and Macros

A function key does whatever the button it is assigned to does. Pick the button type for the job.

Change Displays

Write a Tag Value

Run a Macro

A macro is a list of tag assignments in the form <tag>=<value>; each time it runs, the values are written to the tags (VIEWME-UM004, p. 443). One of the documented ways to run a macro is when the operator presses a Macro button (VIEWME-UM004, p. 444), so a function key assigned to that button runs the macro (function keys press buttons: VIEWME-UM004, p. 346). Rockwell's worked example uses a momentary push button instead (VIEWME-UM004, p. 445):

1. Create a memory tag called ResetProdData.
2. Create a momentary push button captioned Reset Production Data and assign ResetProdData to its Value connection. (This is the button you give a function key.)
3. Create a macro called Macro1 with the tag assignments TotalProductionUnits=0, LineDownTime=0, TotalRejects=0.
4. In the Global Connections editor, assign ResetProdData to the Remote Macro1 connection. When the button is pressed, the tag changes from 0 to 1 and Macro1 runs.

Holding a Key Down: Auto Repeat

Pressing the function key associated with a button counts as a button press, and auto repeat works with it (VIEWME-UM004, p. 352). Auto repeat is available on multistate push, ramp, move up/down, page up/down and move left/right buttons. Set Auto repeat rate (presses per second; the default 0 means auto repeat is off) and Auto repeat delay on the button's Timing tab, or the AutoRepeatRate and AutoRepeatDelay properties (VIEWME-UM004, p. 352).

Enter Key Handshaking

If Enter key handshaking is set up for an object, the operator cannot send a new value to the object's Value connection while handshaking is in effect (VIEWME-UM004, p. 352). Expect a second key press to be ignored until the data source has read the first value.

6. Per-Display Assignments and Keeping Keys Consistent

VIEWME-UM004 describes function keys as assigned to buttons on each graphic display, up to 34 per display (p. 347). It does not describe a single application-wide function-key map. Consistency comes from how you build the displays:

• Template display. Rockwell recommends a template display with common elements such as navigation buttons, and starting each new display from a duplicate of it (VIEWME-UM004, p. 42).
• Global objects. Base objects built in a global object display can be copied into graphic displays as reference objects; updating the base object updates every copy (VIEWME-UM004, pp. 42-43, 400). The link properties VIEWME-UM004 lists for reference objects are LinkSize, LinkConnections and LinkAnimation (p. 403). It does not list key assignments among them, so after copying buttons into a display, open Key Assignments on that display and confirm the keys.
• Remote display changes. The data source can change displays through the Remote Display Number global connection (VIEWME-UM004, p. 182). While display change is controlled remotely, a Goto display button (and its key) cannot open Replace displays, although On Top displays still open (VIEWME-UM004, p. 180).

7. Test, Create the .mer, and Run It on the Terminal

Quick Check: Test Display

From the View menu, select Test Display (return with View → Edit Display) (VIEWME-UM004, p. 267). Test mode is not the same as running the display: tag values are read and written if communications are set up, but display navigation, data logging and macros do not work in this mode (VIEWME-UM004, p. 267). Use it to check tag-writing keys, not navigation keys.

Full Check: Test Application

1. From the Application menu, select Test Application. A FactoryTalk View ME Station emulator opens on the development computer and runs the application (VIEWME-UM004, p. 184).
2. If the application uses multiple languages, pick the languages and initial language, then press Finish (VIEWME-UM004, p. 184).
3. Press each assigned key and confirm the display change, tag write or macro.
4. Stop the test with a shutdown button or by typing the character x. There is a two-hour limit for test running (VIEWME-UM004, p. 184).

A PC keyboard has only F1 to F12. Use these combinations for the other keys (VIEWME-UM004, pp. 347-348):

Create the Runtime (.mer) File

1. With the application open, from the Application menu select Create Runtime Application (or click its toolbar button).
2. Choose the folder and file name.
3. In Save as type, choose the FactoryTalk View ME Station version the terminal runs.
4. Choose a conversion option: Always allow conversion, Never allow conversion, or Conversion protected by password (controls whether the .mer can be turned back into an .med).
5. Click Save. If the application has multiple languages, select them in the language wizard and click Finish.

Source: VIEWME-UM004, pp. 184-186.

Download and Run on the PanelView Plus 7

1. On the terminal, start FactoryTalk View ME Station if it is not already running (VIEWME-UM004, p. 210).
2. For an Ethernet transfer, no driver setup is needed; the Ethernet driver is selected and loaded by default (VIEWME-UM004, p. 211).
3. On the development computer, use ME Transfer Utility to download the .mer to the terminal (VIEWME-UM004, p. 213). You can also transfer with a flash card as described in the terminal's user manual (VIEWME-UM004, p. 210).
4. On the terminal, press Load Application [F1], select the .mer, then Run Application [F2] (2711P-UM007, p. 44; 2711P-UM008, p. 62). On keypad terminals you can press the function key or touch the on-screen button for these operations (2711P-UM008, p. 62).
5. Press every assigned key on the real keypad and confirm the result.

8. Troubleshooting Function Keys

9. Frequently Asked Questions

10. Related Guides

Reference Documentation

The following Rockwell Automation publications were used as references for this guide. These are the official manufacturer documents for the software and hardware covered in this article. Page references in this guide are the printed page numbers in each publication.

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