Layers (PA)

Layers determine which data metrics are displayed in a page or template. For example, a page can display occupancy data during lighting layer selection and temperature data during heating layer selection. Layer selection affects any object whose binding source is a project tree device node.

You configure layers in a dialog called the Layer Manager. In the leftmost portion of the Layer Manager, you can organize layers into groups. These groups affect the text that appears in the Layer Selection Widget. In the rightmost portion of the layer manager, you can edit settings for each layer, including the data metric path to use for each device root and the color values to map onto data values. The color map accepts number and boolean values. For boolean values, FALSE corresponds to the minimum value's color and TRUE to the maximum value's color.

The following image shows the two portions of the layer manager.

You control layer groups in two places. First, in the Layer Manager, you must control which layers are in which group, which affects the text in the Layer Selection Widget. Secondly, in the layer group tabs in the Page Editor, you can optionally control which objects appear in which group.

You should use layer groups tabs sparingly and only for the purpose of hiding objects based on selection. Do not copy objects and paste them in multiple layer groups for the purpose of displaying different data points. Multiple instances of an object must be loaded by the browser and can negatively affect runtime performance, even if performance speeds are fast in the Editor. Unless you want to hide objects, always create objects using the Default layer group tab, and then use layers to change the data values displayed. An item in the Default layer group will always appear, regardless of layer selection. For example, if you want to show HVAC diffusers only when certain layers are selected, and hide the diffusers otherwise, put those diffusers in a non-default layer group and all other items in Default.

The following interactions open the Layer Manager:

• From the Dashboard Manager, click the Layer Manager icon above the Project Tree, as shown in the following image.

  

• From the Dashboard Manager, with a node selected that has no page created yet, click the large Manage Layers button, as shown in the following image.

  

• From the Zones or Widgets tab of the Page Editor, click the Layer Manager icon, as shown in the following image.

  

• Click any of the layer group tabs at the top of the page editor, and select New Layer Group, as shown in the following image.

  

To create a new layer in the Layer Manager:

1. In the Layer Manager, click the Layer button, as shown in the following image.

   

2. Create a name for the new layer, as shown in the following image, and click Apply.

   

3. In the leftmost portion of the Layer Manager, drag the new layer and drop it in the appropriate layer group, as shown in the following image.

   

4. In the rightmost portion of the Layer Manager, define the Point Map for the layer, as shown in the following image.

   

   You can select one data metric path for each device template root.

5. Optionally, edit the scale minimum and maximum for any zone groups using this layer, as shown in the following image.

   

6. Optionally, edit the default color and gradient for any zone groups using this layer, as shown in the following image.

   

Layer groups determine which objects appear on a page. Layer groups do not affect device templates.

To add a new layer to the Layer Manager:

1. In the Layer Manager, click the Group button, as shown in the following image.

   

2. Create a name for the new layer group.

To delete a layer or layer group:

• In the rightmost portion of the Layer Manager, click the Delete icon next to the layer or layer group.

You manage layer groups in the Layer Manager. As you edit pages, you can change which layer group you are editing via tabs in the Page Editor. The following image shows an example set of these tabs.

By default, when you create a new page, only the Default layer group tab is included.

The following interactions use layer groups when you edit pages:

• To add objects to the Default group, leave the Default tab selected, as shown in the following image.

  

• To transfer all objects from group A into group B, click the group A tab and choose group B. The following image demonstrates how to move all objects from the Default layer group into the HVAC layer group.

  

• To add a new layer group tab, click the plus sign, as shown in the following image.

  

• To view objects in group C or add new objects to group C, you can click the group C tab. In the following image, the Energy Usage tab is selected.

  

• To remove a layer group tab, and delete all of the objects associated with that layer group, click the X, as shown in the following image.

  

To enable the user to change layers, add a Layer Selection widget to a page, template or report. See Widget: Layer Selection.