Alarms Groups Reference

Organize alarms into groups.

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

Configuration Properties

Pre-Defined Groups

Creating Alarm Groups

1. Navigate to Alarms → Groups
2. Click Plus icon
3. Enter Name and Description
4. Click OK
5. Edit properties by double-clicking
6. Press Enter to save changes

Before deleting: Ensure no AlarmItems are linked to the group. Check via Alarms → Items and use Track Changes → Cross Reference.

Acknowledgment Settings

Example flow:

Alarm Triggered → Wait for Ack → AutoAckTime expires → Auto-acknowledged
                ↓
         Manual Ack → Acknowledged

Notification Configuration

Sound Alerts

• Configure via Sound property
• Plays continuously until acknowledged
• Different sounds for different severities
• See [Alarm Groups Sounds] for audio file setup

Visual Indicators

• Colors property defines alarm states
• Applied in alarm displays
• Consistent across all items in group

Custom Notifications

NotificationMethod calls Script Class methods:

// In Script Class

public void SendCriticalAlert(AlarmEventArgs args)
{
    // Send email
    EmailService.Send(args.Message, args.Priority);
    
    // Send SMS
    SMSService.Alert(args.TagName, args.Value);
    
    // Log to external system
    ExternalLogger.LogAlarm(args);
}

Configure: NotificationMethod = "Script.Class.ServerMain.SendCriticalAlert"

Webhook and MQTT Notifications

From FrameworX 10.1.6, NotificationMethod also accepts a webhook or MQTT broker URI, for example https://alerts.example.com/fx/alarms or mqtts://broker.example.com/plant1/alarms. The runtime then sends the alarm events of the group to the target with no script, and keeps them in a store-and-forward buffer while the target is unreachable. For the URI formats, the message content and the delivery rules, see Alarms Notifications Reference.

Deadband and Timing

ActiveTimeDeadband

Prevents alarm flooding during startup or known conditions:

• Ignores alarms for specified seconds
• Useful during system initialization
• Prevents nuisance alarms

Time-Based Acknowledgment

AckTimeout = 300  // Must acknowledge within 5 minutes
AutoAckTime = 600 // Auto-acknowledge after 10 minutes if not handled

Runtime Access

Access group properties at runtime:

// Check if acknowledgment required
bool needsAck = @Alarm.Group.Critical.AckRequired;

// Get active alarm count for group
int criticalCount = @Alarm.Group.Critical.TotalCount;

// Disable group (set Disable to 0 to re-enable)
@Alarm.Group.Warning.Disable = 1;

Acknowledge All Alarms in a Group

AckAll on a group is a change-triggered command property, not a method. Each change of value acknowledges every unacknowledged alarm item in the group. Writing the same value again does nothing, so a button that always writes 1 acknowledges only the first time. To acknowledge again, change the value once: use the Toggle action (ActionType ToggleValue), or write the current value + 1. Setting the value to 0 and back to 1 in the same script does not reliably acknowledge. This behavior applies to FrameworX 10.1.5 and 10.1.6.

// Acknowledge every unacknowledged alarm in the Critical group
@Alarm.Group.Critical.AckAll = @Alarm.Group.Critical.AckAll + 1;

Common Configurations

Critical Process Alarms

Name: ProcessCritical
AckRequired: True
Sound: Critical.wav
LogEvents: True
AutoAckTime: 0 (never)
Colors: Red
NotificationMethod: Script.Class.Notifications.SendCritical

Informational Logging

Name: InfoLog
AckRequired: False
Show: False
LogEvents: True
Category: Audit

Maintenance Alarms

Name: Maintenance
AckRequired: True
AutoAckTime: 3600 (1 hour)
LogEvents: True
NotificationMethod: Script.Class.Maintenance.ScheduleWork

Best Practices Checklist 

• Group by severity - Critical, Warning, Information
• Consistent sounds - Same severity = same sound
• Clear naming - Group name indicates purpose
• Document settings - Use Description field
• Test notifications - Verify all alert methods work
• Set appropriate timeouts - Balance responsiveness vs alarm fatigue
• Use categories - Organize groups logically

Troubleshooting

Alarms not showing:

• Check Show property is True
• Verify display filter includes group
• Confirm AlarmItems assigned to group

No sound playing:

• Verify sound file path correct
• Check audio system enabled
• Confirm AckRequired if sound should repeat

Notifications not sent:

• Verify NotificationMethod syntax
• Check Script Class method exists
• Review method error logs
• For a webhook or MQTT target (from FrameworX 10.1.6), read Alarm.LastErrorMessage. It says when events were buffered and why.

Auto-acknowledge not working:

• Confirm AutoAckTime > 0
• Check AckRequired is True
• Verify no manual ack occurred

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