Alarms Areas Reference

Structure alarms by area or system zone.

Reference → Modules → Alarms → UI → Items | Groups | Areas | Global | Monitor

Configuration Properties

Creating Alarm Areas

1. Navigate to Alarms → Areas
2. Click Plus icon
3. Enter Name
4. Select Parent for hierarchy (leave blank for root)
5. Add Description
6. Press Enter to save

Hierarchical Structure

Example plant hierarchy:

• Plant
  • Production 
    • Line 1
    • Lline 2
    • Line 3
  • Utilities
    • Power
    • Water
    • HAVC
  • Storage
    • RawMaterials
    • FinishedGoods

Configure AlarmItems:

AlarmItem.Area = "Plant.Production.Line1"

Area-Based Operations

Acknowledge by Area

AckAll is a trigger property, not a method. Write any new value to fire it.

// Acknowledge every unacknowledged alarm in Production and all its child areas
@Alarm.Area.Production.AckAll = 1;

// Acknowledge only the items assigned directly to this area (child areas untouched)
@Alarm.Area.Production.AckAllLocal = 1;

Filter Alarms

// Active alarms in an area and every area below it
int productionCount = @Alarm.Area.Production.TotalCount;

// Unacknowledged alarms in the same subtree
int productionUnAck = @Alarm.Area.Production.UnAckCount;

// Same counts restricted to items assigned directly to the area
int localCount = @Alarm.Area.Production.TotalCountLocal;

// Build a filter for this area plus its children, then apply it to the active alarm table
string filter = await @Alarm.Area.Production.GetFilterAsync();
var rows = @Alarm.QueryActive.Table.Select(filter);

Disable or Suspend Areas

// Disable alarm evaluation for the whole area subtree
@Alarm.Area.Storage.Disable = 1;

// Suspend new activations without clearing already-active alarms
@Alarm.Area.Storage.Suspend = 1;

// Non-recursive variants affect only items assigned directly to the area
@Alarm.Area.Storage.DisableLocal = 1;

Display Integration

AlarmAreas work with display controls for visualization:

AlarmViewer Filtering

Filter display to show only specific areas:

• Set AlarmViewer.AreaFilter = "Production.Line1"
• Users see only relevant alarms

Area Navigation Tree

Use AlarmArea control for hierarchical navigation:

• Tree view of all areas
• Click to filter associated alarms
• Visual indicators for active alarms per area

Common Hierarchies

By Location

• Site
  • Building_1
    • Floor_1
    • Floor_2
  • Building_B
    • Floor_1
    • Floor_2

By Function

• Operations
  • Process
  • Quality
  • Safety

By System

•  PlantSystems
  • FeedSystem
  • ReactorSystem
  • ProductSystem

Runtime Namespace

Access areas programmatically:

// Look up an area by name
var area = @Alarm.Area["Production"];

// Identity
string areaName = area.Name;            // script-stable identifier
string label = area.DisplayName;        // localized label shown on operator screens
string parent = area.ParentArea;        // parent area name, empty at root level
string notes = area.Description;

// Counts and status
int total = area.TotalCount;            // active alarms in this area and below
int unAck = area.UnAckCount;            // unacknowledged alarms in this area and below
int totalLocal = area.TotalCountLocal;  // this area only
int unAckLocal = area.UnAckCountLocal;  // this area only
int state = area.AlarmState;            // rolled-up state of the area subtree
var worst = area.PriorityItem;          // highest-priority active item in the subtree

// Operations
area.AckAll = 1;                        // acknowledge the subtree
area.Disable = 1;                       // disable the subtree
area.Suspend = 1;                       // suspend the subtree

// Child areas
string[] children = await area.GetChildrenAreasAsync(true);

Best Practices Checklist

• Match plant structure - Mirror physical or logical layout
• Consistent naming - Use standard naming conventions
• Limit depth - 3-4 levels maximum for usability
• Group functionally - Related equipment in same area
• Document responsibility - Use the Description column for team assignments
• Plan hierarchy early - Harder to restructure later
• Test filtering - Verify displays show correct areas

Troubleshooting

Alarms not appearing in area:

• Verify Area property in AlarmItem
• Check area name spelling/path
• Confirm the area is not Disabled or Suspended

Cannot acknowledge by area:

• Check user permissions
• Verify AlarmGroup.AckRequired
• Confirm alarms are active

Area tree not showing:

• Verify Parent relationships
• Check for circular references
• Confirm root areas have no Parent

In this section...