1. In design mode, create a new Canvas screen or object.
2. Find the Shape control on the Toolbox pane and drag a desired object to your screen.

3. Use the Settings pane to apply common settings (sizing, grouping, alignment, etc.) to this object (and others) on your screen.

4. Optionally, use the Name property to rename the object if you plan to reference it in another screen or control, or plan to script this control.
5. Configure the Style property.

1. Style —

   The Style property defines the style sheet applied to an object on a screen. A style sheet consists of a predetermined list of properties and property values configured for a particular control type.

   • Click to reveal a drop-down menu of predetermined styles configured for the selected control.
   • Select a desired style and its properties will be applied to the control.
   • Alternately, you can create a new style based on other property values configured for the control.
   • Or you can select <None> to remove subscription to any style.

   Styles are created in two ways:

   • In the control's Properties pane. Click (Add a new style based on this control) next to the Style property, after you have configured property values in the Properties pane. See Add a new style based on a control for more information.
   • In the Canvas Settings in the Backstage view. The default style for any control is configured in the Backstage view. See Manage style sheets in the Backstage view for more information.

   Tip: You can also change a control's Style on the Controls view of the Screen pane.

6. Configure the Location properties. See To configure location, size, resizing, layer, and visibility properties below.
7. Configure the Script property.

1. Include in script —

   The Include in script check box indicates that the control will appear in the objects collection of the screen (if scripting is enabled). To optimize performance, best practice dictates that you only include the controls you need to manipulate via script. Other controls should be excluded. When you add an event to a control, it will be automatically added to script and the Include in script property (and the In Script check box on the Controls view) will be set to True.

   Tip: You can also change the Include in Script setting on the Controls view of the Screen pane.

8. Configure the Shape properties. See To configure Shape properties below.
9. Configure the Hyperlink properties to indicate what to do when the Shape is clicked. See To configure the hyperlink properties below.
10. Configure the Font properties. See To configure font properties below.
11. Configure the Tooltip properties. See To configure tooltip properties below.
12. Configure the Display properties. See To configure display properties below.
13. Configure the point Value properties. See To configure the point value below.
14. Configure the Generic properties:

1. String — The String property specifies a generic string property that can be used when scripting this control. Type a string and reference it in your script as necessary.
2. Yes/No — The Yes/No property specifies a generic Boolean yes/no property that can be used when scripting this control. Click the check box to enable the property and reference it in your script as necessary.

15. Configure other Shape properties.
16. Save the screen.
17. Run the screen to test your configuration.

1. Find the Location properties and configure the size and location properties for the control:

1. Height —

   The Height property specifies the height of the control (or screen).

   Tip: You can also change the height of a control using the Settings pane (click on the (Settings) to the right of the control in design mode) or on the Controls view of the Screen pane.

2. Horizontal resize mode —

   The Horizontal resize mode property specifies whether and how the control dynamically moves or resizes horizontally when the screen is resized in run mode. Options include:

   • None — No resizing occurs.
   • Shift — The object will shift horizontally.
   • Expand — The object will expand or shrink horizontally the same number of pixels as the screen.
   • Proportional — The object expands or shrinks proportionally to the screen.

   The default value is None.

3. Layer —

   The Layer property specifies the name of the layer to which this object is assigned. Layers can be used to show, hide, and edit multiple controls on one layer without affecting controls on another layer.

   • Type the name of the layer into the Layer field (the name can be a previously created layer or a new layer).
   • All layers are listed on the Layers pane, where you can manage the layers for the screen in design mode and run mode.

   Tip: You can also edit a control's Layer on the Controls view of the Screen pane.

   Note: Layer visibility can be controlled at runtime via the AddLayer, HideLayer, SetLayerVisibility, and ShowLayer methods on the Screen object.

4. Lock —

   The Lock property indicates whether the control is locked to the current position. A locked control cannot be moved via click and drag, or nudged with the arrow keys, or resized.

   Tip: You can also toggle the lock setting of a control using the Settings pane (click on the (Settings) to the right of the control in design mode).

5. Vertical resize mode —

   The Vertical resize mode property specifies whether and how the control dynamically moves or resizes vertically when the screen is resized in run mode. Options include:

   • None — No resizing occurs.
   • Shift — The object will shift vertically.
   • Expand — The object will expand or shrink vertically the same number of pixels as the screen.
   • Proportional — The object expands or shrinks proportionally to the screen.

   The default value is None.

6. Visible —

   The Visible check box indicates whether the control is visible in run mode.

   Tip: You can also change a control's Visible setting on the Controls view of the Screen pane.

7. Width —

   The Width property specifies the width of the control (or screen).

   Tip: You can also change the width of a control using the Settings pane (click on the (Settings) to the right of the control in design mode) or on the Controls view of the Screen pane.

8. X —

   The X property specifies the location of the control along the horizontal axis. Use the up, down, left, and right arrow keys to nudge a control by 1 pixel. Arrow moves a control by 1 pixel. Ctrl+Arrow moves a control by 10 pixels. Ctrl+Shift+Arrow moves a control by 100 pixels.

   Tip: You can also change the location of the control using the Settings pane; click on the (Settings) to the right of the control in design mode.

9. Y —

   The Y property specifies the location of the control along the vertical axis. Use the up, down, left, and right arrow keys to nudge a control by 1 pixel. Arrow moves a control by 1 pixel. Ctrl+Arrow moves a control by 10 pixels. Ctrl+Shift+Arrow moves a control by 100 pixels.

   Tip: You can also change the location of the control using the Settings pane; click on the (Settings) to the right of the control in design mode.

10. Z index —

    The Z index property is used to determine the order in which controls are layered on top of each other. Controls with higher values will draw on top of those with lower values. The newest control added to a screen will always have the highest value and will be the top layer. Two or more controls can be on the same index (layer).

    Tip: You can also change the Z index of a control using the Settings pane (click on the (Settings) to the right of the control in design mode) or on the Controls view of the Screen pane.

2. Configure any other Shape properties.
3. Save the screen.
4. Run the screen to test your configuration.

1. Find the Shape properties and configure the Shape properties for the control:

1. Arrow size — The Arrow size property specifies the size of the arrowheads at the end of the line shapes. Select a number using the spin control. The default value is 20. The Shape type must be one of the arrow shapes to take effect.
2. Custom line style — The Custom line style property specifies a special abbreviated syntax that defines the line's pattern. If you want to manually modify these values, set the Line style type to Custom. For example, 1 3 1 renders a dot-dash-dot effect.
3. Line style — The Line style property specifies the style of the Shape's border line. Click to select from the following options: Custom, Solid, Dashed, and Dotted. The default value is Solid. Select Custom to define your own line style and enter the values in the Custom line style property.
4. Line width — The Line width property specifies the width of the Shape's border line.
5. Shape geometry — The Shape geometry property specifies a special abbreviated syntax that defines the shape's geometry. If you want to manually modify these values, set the Shape type to Custom. See Configuring Your Own Custom Shapes for information about how to create your own custom shapes.
6. Shape type —

   The Shape type property specifies the type of shape to draw. Click to select from the following options:

   • Circle
   • Custom shape (default)
   • Diamond
   • Double-ended horizontal arrow
   • Double-ended vertical arrow
   • Down arrow
   • Left arrow
   • Line (horizontal)
   • Line (vertical)
   • Right arrow
   • Square
   • Triangle
   • Up arrow
   • Valve (horizontal)
   • Valve (vertical)

   The default value is Custom shape. Select Custom shape to define your own shape and enter the values in the Shape geometry property.

   See Configuring Your Own Custom Shapes for information about how to create your own custom shapes.

7. Stretch —

   The Stretch property describes how the shape is resized to fill its allocated space. Click to select from the following options:

   • None — The shape preserves its original size.
   • Fill — The shape is resized to fill the destination dimensions. The aspect ratio is not preserved.
   • Uniform — The shape is resized to fit in the destination dimensions while it preserves its native aspect ratio.
   • UniformToFill — The shape is resized to fill the destination dimensions while it preserves its native aspect ratio. If the aspect ratio of the destination rectangle differs from the source, the shape is clipped to fit in the destination dimensions.

   The default value is Fill.

2. Configure any other Shape properties.
3. Save the screen.
4. Run the screen to test your configuration.

The Shape supports several operational modes to open a new window or screen when clicked.

1. Find the Hyperlink properties to configure the click mode, hyperlink mode and the screen that will be opened.
1. Click mode —

   The Click mode property determines the type of click to use when clicking on a control. Any associated facility will be passed to the specified screen (or script). Options are:

   • None — No hyperlink action is taken, however if a script is coded on the control’s Click event, the script will be executed.
   • Single click — A single click will open the specified screen, and the control’s Click event is disabled.
   • Double click — A double click will open the specified screen, and the control’s Double Click event is disabled. Additionally, if a script is coded on the control’s Click event, the script will be executed.

   None is the default value.

   

2. Hyperlink mode —

   The Hyperlink mode property specifies how to handle navigation when clicking an element (e.g., row in a grid, Navigation Button, Shape, or Text Tool). Specify the Screen file source to open in the Screen path property. Several hyperlink navigation options are available:

   • Open — Open a designated screen in a new window (default).
   • Modal open — Open a designated screen in a new modal window. A modal window is a type of popup that is subordinate to a parent window that appears in front of the parent and usurps the parent’s control. You cannot interact with the parent window until the modal window has been closed. This type of window is used when you want a user to focus on or interact with information in the popup.
   • Open and close — Open a designated screen in a new window and close the current screen.
   • Replace — Replace the current screen with the designated screen.
   • Replace with navigation — Replace the current screen with the specified screen and add a navigation toolbar to the top of the screen.
   • Close — Close the current screen.

   The default value is Open.

   See Hyperlinking Screens for more information about this functionality.

3. Screen file source —

   This property specifies the source of the file, object file, screen file, image file, or video file. Options include:

   • BSS — Indicates that the file is stored in an APPS or BSS folder
   • Local — Indicates that the file is stored in a local or network file-system folder.
4. Screen path —

   The Screen path property specifies the screen that will open when an element (e.g., a row in a Grid, Image or Shape on a Map, Navigation Button, Shape, or Text Tool) is clicked. Browse for the screen file.

   Click to select a path and file from the Open / Open File / Select File dialog box, where you can access:

   • BSS — Indicates that the file is stored in an APPS or BSS folder
   • Local — Indicates that the file is stored in a local or network file-system folder.
2. Configure any other Shape properties.
3. Save the screen.
4. Run the screen to test your configuration.

1. Find the Font properties to configure the font size and text properties for the control:

1. Font size — The Font size property specifies the font size of the text on the control or map visual.

2. Text style — The Text style property specifies the style to use for the text that appears on the control or map visual. Options include: Normal, Italic, or Oblique. The default value is Normal.
3. Text weight — The Text weight property specifies the weight to use for the text that appears on the control or map visual. Options are: Normal or Bold. The default value is Normal.

2. Configure other control properties as necessary.
3. Save the screen.
4. Run the screen to test your configuration.

1. Find the Tooltip properties and configure the content of the tooltip for this control:

1. Tooltip —

   The Tooltip property specifies the text that will appear on the tooltip. The text display a static text string, such as a label, legend, tooltip, or a dynamic text string based on point or facility attributes. Dynamic text is built using tokens, which can represent real-time CVS point properties, point configuration properties, and facility properties. In run mode, the tokens are replaced with the attribute's value. Click to configure the static text and/or property tokens using the CygNet Property String dialog box. Note: A tooltip can be single-line or multi-line. Type any text, select tokens, and press Enter to separate the lines. If more than five lines are entered, a scroll bar will appear in design mode. The scroll bar does not display in run mode. Also see the Tooltip Opening event for controls that support tooltips.

   Multi-line tooltip example

2. Tooltip enabled — The Tooltip enabled property indicates whether to display a tooltip when the mouse hovers over the control or map visual.
3. Tooltip mode —

The Tooltip mode property specifies how the tooltip will be displayed. Options include:

• Text — The tooltip displays as plain and/or tokenized text defined in the Tooltip property, using resolved point and facility properties.
• Object — The tooltip displays as a Canvas object, passing in the facility tag of the control.
• Script — A TooltipOpening event is fired to allow script to create a custom tooltip.

The default value is Text.

4. Tooltip object path — The Tooltip object path property specifies the path used for the tooltip when Object mode is selected. Click to select a path and file from the Open / Open File / Select File dialog box, where you can access:

2. Configure other Shape properties.
3. Save the screen.
4. Run the screen to test your configuration.

1. Find the Display properties and configure the content of the cursor, data suppression options, and dynamic text options for this control:

1. Mouse cursor — The Mouse cursor property determines which mouse cursor will appear when the mouse hovers over this control or map visual. Select an option from the drop-down menu: Arrow (), Hand (), Wait (), or Help (). The default cursor is the Arrow ().
2. Suppress data retrieval — The Suppress data retrieval check box indicates whether all CygNet data retrieval is suppressed for the control or map visual. Use this if you want to store point information in the control but don't want to automatically query services for data. Tokens will not be replaced and point state colors will be ignored.You can configure the control with a valid point configuration but the control will not retrieve any CygNet data. This allows you to display static text for a control, while still allowing CygNet data context available from script.If a control has a point configured, but Suppress data retrieval is enabled, Canvas won’t do much point processing. The one exception is point validity. If the control is configured to Hide invalid tag, then Canvas will check if the current tag is valid, even if Suppress data retrieval is enabled. This will allow you to configure some static text that will dynamically hide in the case of a templated screen for a facility that doesn’t have that particular point.
3. Text — The Text property specifies the text that will appear on the face of the control. The item can display a static text string, such as a label, legend, tooltip, or a dynamic text string based on point or facility attributes. Dynamic text is built using tokens, which can represent real-time CVS point properties, point configuration properties, and facility properties. In run mode, the tokens are replaced with the attribute's value. Click to configure the static text and/or property tokens using the CygNet Property String dialog box. For most controls there is no default. For the Detail, Donut, and Tile View controls the default value is the %Value% token.

2. Configure other Shape properties.
3. Save the screen.
4. Run the screen to test your configuration.

The source of CygNet data for the control can be explicitly configured <Self> or it can be received from the screen or another control. This is also where you configure the control's color and alarm acknowledgment properties: the fill, text, and border line color can be based on the point state of the associated CygNet point, or as an explicitly defined color. Also configurable is the control's date, time, and value format, whether to display a context menu where you can acknowledge alarms interact with other CygNet information.

1. Find the Value properties and configure the color, date and time format, invalid tag display, point configuration, context menu display, and value format properties of the control.

1. Color configuration — The Color configuration drop-down contains all options required to specify the color properties of the control. Click to reveal a set of color options where you can specify the source of the color to be used for the elements of the control. The Color configuration box consists of the following options.

1. Fill color — The Fill color property specifies the color used for the internal body of the Shape.
2. Text color — The Text color property specifies the color used for the text on the control or map visual.
3. Line color — The Line color property specifies the color used for the border line of the Shape.
4. For each color property select the source and the color:

   For each color property select the Source and Color:

   • Source — Click to reveal three options:
     • Auto — The color will automatically follow the selected client theme regardless of the underlying color palette (by selecting Auto). Where applicable, color-related properties will default to this configuration, allowing them to automatically follow the theme of the current client rather than fixing them to the one used when the screen was created. By using Auto for the color configuration, a screen developer can work in their preferred theme without affecting the presentation of the final screen when displayed by the user—avoiding display problems such as white text over a very light background, etc.

       Note:    Auto is not supported as a color source in TWC screens. If a property specifies Auto for color configuration, the screen will use the <Self> color that is specified in the Canvas file during the publishing process. See Color on TWC Screens.

     • Point State — Select Point State to specify that the source of the color corresponds to the point state color defined for the point represented in the element. The default point state colors for a CygNet system are defined by the system’s point scheme.
     • <Self> — Select <Self> to explicitly configure the color. When <Self> is selected a Color field is automatically displayed beneath the Source field and must be configured.
   • Color — Only displays if the Source is <Self>. Click to customize the color using the color picker.

2. Context menu items — See To configure custom context menu items below.
3. Date and time format —

   The Date and time format property specifies the format for a point's timestamp using any of the valid .NET standard or custom numeric format strings. The date and time format applies to any point's timestamp property. Use this property to override the Default date format, which is configured in the Application settings page of the Backstage view. The default date format is YYYY/MM/DD HH:MM:SS.fff, which corresponds to 2024/01/01 10:20:30.0001. All timestamps are local client time.

   If an invalid format is configured for the Date and time format, the control will automatically use the format configured for the Default date format saved in the global settings file, and configured in the Backstage view.

   Note: You can also use the Microsoft .NET Standard Date and Time Format Strings to define the text representation of a date and time value in Canvas. For example, "d" is the short date pattern and corresponds to 1/1/2024, "F" is the full date/time pattern and corresponds to Monday, January 1, 2024 1:45:30 PM.

4. Hide invalid tag —

   The Hide invalid tag check box indicates whether to hide the element (a control, button, image, or map visual item) if it resolves to an invalid or unknown tag.

   Note: Invalid point tags and relative facility resolution work in the following way for single-value controls: when a point tag is invalid or unknown, the tag can be hidden using the Hide invalid tag property. In this situation, a control with only facility-based tokens that has a valid relative facility resolution, but results in an invalid point tag, then the point tag will be treated as an invalid tag and displayed accordingly.

   There may be a scenario where you want to hide a control when using facility-based attributes and relative facilities. Say you have a templated screen with a Text Tool displaying a Gas Meter, but not all Wells have an associated Gas Meter. You could hide the control for a Well that does not have an associated Gas Meter, and by not specifying a UDC, you can always show (or hide) a facility resolution with facility-based attributes only.

5. Point configuration — The Point configuration property is used to configure the CygNet point associated with the control. Click to reveal a drop-down area where you can configure the Selection mode, source Facility tag, source SiteService, source Facility, and the UDC or Long Point ID for the point. Each option is described below.

1. Selection mode —

   The Selection mode property is used to determine how the control will receive CygNet information from other controls or from itself. Two options are available; click the desired radio button:

   • Facility tag — The Facility tag selector consists of a Source chooser and Resolve to a relative facility check box. If the Source is <Self> a Facility tag selector and relative facility options are also displayed. Facility tag is the default option.
   • SiteService / Facility — The SiteService / Facility selector consists of Source and SiteService and facility choosers.

   Sending and receiving facility tags

   Some controls on the same screen allow for the sending of facility information from one control to another.

   1. On the sending control configure the Facility sender mode property to send facility tag information to another control on the same screen.
   2. On the receiving control configure the Selection mode property (in either CygNet connection or Point configuration section) to Facility tag and select the Facility Source to the sending control.
   3. On the receiving control configure a display tag that associates to a facility property, e.g., %FacilityTag%.

   Example

   Add a control to a screen (e.g., a Tag Chooser or Grid) and configure it as a facility sender to send a facility to the screen. Add another control to the screen (e.g., a Text Tool or Donut) and configure it to receive the facility from the screen. In this scenario the Tag Chooser or Grid will send a facility to the screen and the screen will then send the facility to a Text Tool or the Donut.

2. SiteService — The SiteService property is where you specify the source of the SiteService for the control (or screen) to use. The source for the SiteService can be explicitly configured for this control or it can be received from another control on the same screen, or from the screen, or from another screen. Click to reveal the SiteService selector. Options include:
• Source — Options include <Self> or Screen (default):
  • <Self> — Select <Self> to explicitly configure the SiteService for this control or screen element. A SiteService selector is displayed:
    • SiteService — The SiteService property specifies the SiteService for which the control (or screen or screen element) is to display data. Click to select a service using the Select Service dialog box.
• Screen — Select Screen to receive the SiteService from the screen for this control or screen element. By default, the sender is the Screen control if no other senders have been configured.

3. Facility — The Facility tag or Facility property is where you specify the source of the facility for the control (or screen) to use. The source for the facility can be explicitly configured for this control or it can be received from another control on the same screen, or from the screen, or from another screen. Click to reveal the Facility tag or Facility selector. Options include: Click to reveal the Facility selector. Options include:
• Source — Options include <Self>, Screen (default), or a list of Sender controls.
• <Self> — Select <Self> to explicitly configure the facility for this control. A Facility tag or Facility selector is displayed, depending on the Selection mode:
  • Facility — The Facility property specifies the facility for which the control (or screen) is to display data. Click to select a facility using the Select Facility dialog box.
  • Facility Tag — The Facility tag property specifies the full facility tag identifier for which the control (or screen) is to display data. Click to select a facility using the Select Facility Tag dialog box.
• Screen — Select Screen to inherit the facility from the screen for this control. By default, the sender is the Screen control if no other senders have been configured. Once Screen is selected Inherited from Screen will display for the Facility property.
• Sender — A list of sender controls that have been configured with a facility will be displayed. Select the name of the control that will send its facility to this control. By default, the sender is the Screen control if no other senders have been configured. Once a sender control has been specified its name will display in the Source field.
• Resolve to a relative facility — The Resolve to a relative facility check box redirects the source of the facility to a relative facility, overriding the configured source facility. Once selected a list of configured Relative links is displayed. See Using Relative Facilities in Canvas for more information about configuring and scripting relative facility links.
  • Relative link — The Relative link property specifies a list of all available relative facility paths. Click to reveal a drop-down menu of all available relative facility definitions (relative links). Select a link from the list. If an order-in-type attribute is specified for the selected link, the Order in type field will display.
  • Order in type — The Order in type property specifies the attribute value used to represent the order in type (facility ordinal) if the relative facility definition is configured for one. It is possible to have multiple relative facility definition sets with the same definition name. In this case, if the specified Relative link is configured for ordinalization, then you need to configure the attribute value in the box.

4. Point —

   The Point property is used to determine how the CygNet point will be configured. Click the appropriate radio button to reveal the desired field.

   • UDC — The UDC property specifies the UDC for which the control is to display data. Click to select a UDC using the Select UDC dialog box.
   • Long point ID — The Long point ID property specifies the long point ID of the CygNet point for which the control is to display data. Type the tag into the field.

6. Show context menu — The context menu can be disabled at the control level.

   The Show context menu check box indicates whether a right-click context menu will be available or suppressed in run mode. The default context menu will allow alarm acknowledgment, access to point history and alarm history, point configuration, and facility configuration.

   Note: The CygNet Thin Web Client supports its own context menu in the web view. When activated the context menu appears on the right side of the page. From the CygNet TWC web view context menu you can view point values, acknowledge a point in alarm, view and edit alarm values, and add a selected point to an ad-hoc chart. See Using the Thin Web Client Context Menu.

   Note: The context menu will not be available in run mode, if the Shape control has no point configured.
7. Value format — The Value format property specifies the format for the point's value using any of the valid .NET standard or custom numeric format strings. The value format applies to a point's Value, Primary Value, and Alternate Value properties. The default value format is #,##0.00, which corresponds to 123,456,789.12. Formats use # and 0, with a period (.) as the decimal separator and comma (,) as the thousands separator. Add additional zeros to show more decimal places.

2. Configure other Shape properties.
3. Save the screen.
4. Run the screen to test your configuration.

The Custom Context Menu Configuration dialog box is where you configure any custom context menu items that will appear in the right-click context menu for the screen or control. Each custom context menu option will call an event into script so that you can customize screen or control behavior. The custom context menu options will appear at the bottom of the fixed context menu options, separated by a line.

Perform the following steps to configure a custom context menu.

Sample Custom Context Menu Configuration dialog box

1. Click to open Custom Context Menu Configuration dialog box.
2. Click Add to add a menu item.
3. To add child menu items, select the parent menu item and click Add. You can add multiple nested menu items if desired.
4. Click to expand the menu items.
5. For each menu item click on <New> to reveal the properties:
   1. Title — The Title property specifies the menu name to be displayed in the runtime context menu.
   2. Is separator — The Is separator check box indicates whether this menu item will be a separator line in the menu at runtime. Once saved the separator has no configuration and no children. Separators do not have event IDs. Any event ID on a menu item when it’s converted to a separator is deleted. You can give it a title of 'Separator" or "----------" if desired.
   3. Script event ID — The Script event ID specifies the event ID that will be called when the menu item is selected from the runtime right-click context menu. The event ID is passed in as a parameter into the Custom Context Menu Action event, along with other relevant information in the context of the click, for example, facility or point tag, as appropriate.
6. Menu items can be easily reordered by dragging and dropping an item to a new location in the list.
7. Or click (Delete this item and its children) to remove a selected menu item as necessary.
8. Once the context menu items are configured, click OK to save.
9. Or click Cancel to abort and close the Custom Context Menu Configuration dialog box.