Bindings (PA)

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:

Binding targets can be divided into the following three categories:

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.

• Right-click the selected object, and choose Edit Properties.
• With the object selected, toggle the Properties icon in the toolbar.

The following interactions open or close the Binding Dialog. See also: Object Properties.

• Right-click the selected object, and choose Bind Data.
• With the object selected, toggle the Binding Dialog icon in the toolbar.

See also: Binding Sources, Binding Targets

To create a drag-and-drop binding:

1. If this is a page, choose a layer group tab, or leave the layer group as Default. See Layers.
2. In the Project Assist Binding Dialog, select the Points, Project, or Data tab.

3. 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:

1. In the Project Assist Property Inspector, click the blue dot next to the property, as shown in the following image.

   

   This opens the Conversion Binding popup window.

2. In the Conversion Binding popup window, specify the following:
   • Input Field—This input field is an aspect of the binding source, such as name, status, or value.
   • Conversion—A conversion type. See Conversion Binding Types.
   • The required information for the conversion type—Each type of conversion binding requires different information. See Conversion Binding Types.

3. Close the Project Assist Property Inspector.

   The conversion binding is created.

The following are the possible types of conversion bindings:

• None—No conversion is used. The binding target equals the binding source.

• 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.

  

  Note

  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.

  

• Number Scale—Based on the source value’s relationship to a scale, the target value is calculated as the corresponding value on a different scale. To create a Number Scale conversion, you must define the following: Input Field, Input Min and Max, and Output Min and Max.
• Gradient Scale—Based on the source value’s relationship to a scale, the target value is calculated as the corresponding value on a color gradient. To create a Gradient Scale conversion, you must define the following: Input Field, Input Min and Max, and Gradient.

The following are properties that you configure as part of a conversion binding.

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:

1. Click the blue dot next to the property.

   This opens the Conversion Binding popup window.

2. In the popup window, click Unbind.