This page covers bindings for Project Assist 2.0, version 10, for facilities. For DGLux5 bindings, see Bindings.
As part of configuring the objects in your pages and templates, you create bindings. You create a binding by dragging a binding source and dropping it on a binding target.
You find binding sources in the Project Assist Binding Dialog. The Binding Dialog is not available in the Image tab of the Page Editor. The following image shows the Binding Dialog.
The Binding Dialog contains three tabs that hold the following four kinds of binding sources:
Source Type | Description |
---|---|
Points (Templates only) | Represents a relativized data metric available to this template. See Device Templates and Relativization. This binding retrieves a metric that is determined by the template instance. Auto action: Data Action List. |
Project Tree non-device nodes | Represents a page or module in this project. This binding retrieves a project path. Auto action: Navigation. |
Project Tree device nodes | Represents a device in this project. This binding retrieves a project path that is determined by the template instance and a metric that is determined by the layer. See also: Device Templates and Relativization, Layers. Auto action: Data Action List. |
Data | Represents an absolute path in the data source. Retrieves a data node. Auto action: Data Action List. |
Binding targets can be divided into the following three categories:
Target type | Description |
---|---|
Single Metric | Includes zones and callouts, except for the Node List callout. These targets hold multiple pieces of information about one metric. A new Single Metric binding overrides the old one. |
Series Metric | Includes charts, gauges, and Node List callouts. These targets have series; they hold multiple pieces of information about one or more metrics. A new Series Metric binding adds another series. See also: How to Work with Series. |
Property | Includes any single property of an object. These targets determine a single property based on a single piece of information. If the target is an object, the binding source value determines the value of the object’s default property. If the target is a property, the binding source value determines the value of that particular property. Conversion bindings can be created with this kind of binding target. |
Generally, a binding retrieves information from the source, displays that information in the target, and creates a default action called an Auto action.
You can override default actions by using custom actions. See Actions.
The following image shows an example of a Node List callout that has five metrics bound to it. The Node List callout displays metric information, and clicking a node list item invokes the default action type.
The following image demonstrates an example of a binding. Because the binding in this image has a Point source, this binding retrieves the Damper_Position metric for the currently open template and creates a Data Action List action. Because the binding in this image has a Property target, the metric value affects the HVAC tile's default property.
The following image demonstrates another binding example. Because this binding has a Point source, this binding will retrieve information for the currently open template, and a Data Action List action is created. Because this binding has a Series Metric target, the metric will be added as a series.
If the binding target is in the Property category, you can optionally change that binding to a conversion binding. In a conversion binding, the target value is determined as the result of performing calculation, formatting, or mapping on the source value.
A binding that can be changed to a conversion binding is surrounded by a blue rectangle in the Project Assist Property Inspector, as shown in the following image.
The Project Assist Binding Dialog is not available in the Image tab of the Page Editor.
The following interactions open or close the Property Inspector. See also: Object Properties.
To display the properties for a different object, you can keep the Project Assist Property Inspector open and select different objects.
The following interactions open or close the Binding Dialog. See also: Object Properties.
See also: Binding Sources, Binding Targets
To create a drag-and-drop binding:
Drag the binding source, and drop it on the binding target.
The binding has been created. You can click Preview in the toolbar to preview it.
The following image demonstrates dragging a binding source to a binding target.
You can change any drag-and-drop binding into a conversion binding, except for bindings where the target is a zone, chart, gauge, or callout. In other words, any binding where the target is of the Property type can be changed to a conversion binding.
To create a conversion binding, first you must create a drag-and-drop binding as described above.
To change a binding into a conversion binding:
Close the Project Assist Property Inspector.
The conversion binding is created.
The following are the possible types of conversion bindings:
Value Map—The binding compares the source value to one or more Input values in order from top to bottom, until it encounters a true statement. Then, it returns the Output associated with the true statement. If none of the statements is true, it returns the Default value.
The following image shows an example of a Value Map conversion. In this example, the zone is green if the source value is true, then red if the source value is false, and then black if the source value is neither true nor false.
For numbers, a Value Map conversion evaluates whether the source value is less than or equal to each Input value. For other data types, a Value Map conversion checks whether the source value is equal to each Input value.
To create a Value Map conversion, you must define the following: Input Field, Inputs, Outputs, and Default. To add more Inputs and Outputs, click the green dot. To delete an Input and Output pair, click the red dot.
Expression—A custom expression determines the string that displays the value. The expression can include a number formatting string within square brackets. See Scripting and Syntax. The expression can also include other strings, such as unit names. To create an Expression conversion, you must define the following: Input Field and Expression.
The following image shows an example of an Expression conversion.
An Expression conversion can also call the value of other key/value pairs associated with this metric. For example, to call the status, use [status]
. The following can be called:
status
formattedValue
updateTime
valueName
type
icon
path
point
meta
value
vFormatted
vTooltip
status
update
(DVR time or the last update time)Number Offset—The target value is calculated based on the source value, an operator, and a number. To create a Number Offset conversion, you must define the following: Input Field, Offset, and Offset Val.
The following image shows an example of a Number Offset conversion. In this example, the gauge maximum is set as the current value plus 20.
The following are properties that you configure as part of a conversion binding.
Property | Relevant Bindings | Purpose |
---|---|---|
Input Field | All | Specifies the aspect of the input data metric that is used for the binding. For example, this might be Status, Value, or Name. |
Binding Path | All | Specifies the absolute path to the data metric. For templates, if the original binding source is a Point, then when you edit the Binding Path property you change the binding source to an absolute location. |
Conversion | All | Specifies the type of conversion. |
Inputs | Value Map | Specifies each test value to compare with the source value. |
Outputs | Value Map | Specifies each value to assign to the target if the expression with the corresponding Input evaluates to TRUE. |
Default | Value Map | Specifies a value to assign to the target if none of the expressions evaluate to TRUE. |
Expression | Expression | Specifies the string to use to format the source value. This creates the target value as a formatted string. The Expression can include a number format pattern. See Scripting and Syntax. The Expression can also include other strings, such as units. Number format patterns must be in square brackets ([]). The string value enclosed in square brackets becomes the exact source value, as a string. |
Offset | Number Offset | Specifies the offset operator that is used to modify the target value. The value of the Offset property can be one of the following:
|
Offset Val | Number Offset | Specifies the number that is used to modify the target value. |
Input Min | Number Scale, Gradient Scale | Specifies the lower bound of the original scale. |
Input Max | Number Scale, Gradient Scale | Specifies the upper bound of the original scale. |
Output Min | Number Scale | Specifies the lower bound of the new scale. |
Output Max | Number Scale | Specifies the upper bound of the new scale. |
Gradient | Number Scale | Determines the colors for a gradient. To add colors, click below the track in the dialog box. To delete colors, right-click them in the dialog box. |
To view tooltips that indicate the sources of all bindings, and to preview user interactions with target objects, you can preview the page or template. See How to Begin Previewing Content.
To delete a series, see How to Work with Series.
You can’t delete a binding to a Single Metric binding target. Instead, you can replace the old binding with a new one.
To delete other bindings:
Click the blue dot next to the property.
This opens the Conversion Binding popup window.