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Alarms → Tutorial | Concept | How-to Guide | Reference

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

<ac:structured-macro ac:name="warning"> ac:rich-text-body Before deleting: Ensure no AlarmItems are linked to the group. Check via Alarms → Items and use Track Changes → Cross Reference. </ac:rich-text-body> </ac:structured-macro>

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:

csharp

// 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"

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:

csharp

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

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

// Enable/disable group
@Alarm.Group.Warning.Enabled = false;

Best Practices

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

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

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

Auto-acknowledge not working:

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

In this section...

Extended Features

In this section: