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Designer (Concept) is the configuration workspace where you build solutions. All modules are configured here - tags, devices, alarms, scripts, displays, and more. It includes Test Mode for debugging without deployment and supports multiple users working on the same solution simultaneously.

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

Key Concepts

Term	Description	Details
Unified Workspace	Single environment for all configuration	No need to switch between tools
Object Model	.NET-based classes with inherited properties	Access methods without custom code
IntelliSense	Context-aware auto-completion everywhere	Faster, error-free configuration
Test Mode	In-Designer runtime execution	Validate without deployment
Modular Architecture	Isolated module changes	Changes won't break other modules
Multi-User Support	Concurrent engineering capability	Team collaboration on same solution

What Designer Does

Configuration	Development Tools	Testing & Validation
Define tags and data models	IntelliSense everywhere	Execution Profiles
Configure field devices	Real-time validation	Online configuration
Setup alarms and historian	Cross-reference tracking	Simulation tools
Create scripts and logic	Refactoring support	Error checking
Design displays and UI	Import/export capabilities	Performance monitoring
Manage security settings	Version control ready	Build validation

Workspace Organization

Visual Layout

File Edit Insert View Action Tools Settings Windows Help
(shortcuts)	(Last open documents)
(Search)	(Main toolbar)
Solution Runtime Unified Namespace Devices Alarms Historian Datasets Reports Scripts Security Displays Data Explorer Track Changes (Pillar Filter)	Solution / Settings (Selected Page)
	Workspace Selected Page UI
Tatsoft FrameworX 10.1	[Output] [Find Results] <profile> offline config

How It Fits in the Solution Lifecycle

Info

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Designer is the configuration workspace in the Solution Lifecycle:

Solution Center - Create and manage solutions
Designer ← You are here (Configure all modules)
Runtime - Execute and monitor

Designer produces the configuration that Runtime executes. Test Mode lets you validate behavior before publishing to production.

HTML

<h3>Four Pillars – End-to-End Flow</h3>

<table class="wrapped" style="width: 100%; text-align:center;">
  <colgroup>
    <col style="width:23%;" /><col style="width:3%;" />
    <col style="width:23%;" /><col style="width:3%;" />
    <col style="width:23%;" /><col style="width:3%;" />
    <col style="width:22%;" />
  </colgroup>
  <tbody>
    <tr>
      <!-- P1 -->
      <td rowspan="3" style="vertical-align:top; text-align:left; border:1px solid #C1C7D0; border-radius:8px; padding:10px;">
        <strong>P1: UNS</strong><br/>
        • Tags<br/>
        • Templates<br/>
        • Assets
      </td>
      <!-- arrow -->
      <td rowspan="3" style="vertical-align:middle; font-size:18px;">?</td>

      <!-- P2 -->
      <td rowspan="3" style="vertical-align:top; text-align:left; border:1px solid #C1C7D0; border-radius:8px; padding:10px;">
        <strong>P2: Process</strong><br/>
        • Devices<br/>
        • Alarms<br/>
        • Historian
      </td>
      <!-- arrow -->
      <td rowspan="3" style="vertical-align:middle; font-size:18px;">?</td>

      <!-- P3 -->
      <td rowspan="3" style="vertical-align:top; text-align:left; border:1px solid #C1C7D0; border-radius:8px; padding:10px;">
        <strong>P3: App</strong><br/>
        • Scripts<br/>
        • Datasets<br/>
        • Reports
      </td>
      <!-- arrow -->
      <td rowspan="3" style="vertical-align:middle; font-size:18px;">?</td>

      <!-- P4 -->
      <td rowspan="3" style="vertical-align:top; text-align:left; border:1px solid #C1C7D0; border-radius:8px; padding:10px;">
        <strong>P4: UI</strong><br/>
        • Displays<br/>
        • Symbols<br/>
        • Layouts
      </td>
    </tr>
    <!-- these two empty rows allow the rowspans to create the 3-row table structure -->
    <tr></tr>
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<p style="margin-top:8px; text-align:center;">
  ? <em>Iterative Refinement</em>
</p>

Solution Development Workflow

Following the Four Pillars methodology, Designer guides you through a structured configuration process:

Configuration Flow Diagram

P! UNS

Tag
UserTypes
Assets

→

P! UNS

Tag
UserTypes
Assets

→

P! UNS

Tag
UserTypes
Assets

→

P! UNS

Tag
UserTypes
Assets

↑ ______________________________________________________↑

Development Phases

Following the Four Pillars methodology, Designer guides you through a structured configuration process:

Phase Pillar Configuration Tasks Designer Areas
1. Foundation P1: UNS • Create
tags
• Define UserTypes
•
tags • Define UserTypes • Build Asset Tree UNS → Tags, Templates, Assets
2. Integration P2: Process • Setup
devices
• Configure alarms
•
devices • Configure alarms • Enable historian Devices, Alarms, Historian
3. Logic P3: Application • Create
scripts
• Setup datasets
•
scripts • Setup datasets • Build reports Scripts, Datasets, Reports
4. Visualization P4: Operator UI • Design
displays
• Create symbols
•
displays • Create symbols • Configure clients Displays, Symbols, Layouts

Module Organization by Four Pillars

Pillar Structure

Module Organization by Four Pillars
Pillar 1: UNS Foundation - Define Your Data	Pillar 2: Process Modules
Unified Namespace (Local UNS) - Tags & UDTs	Devices, Field Connections: 100+ connectors
DataExplorer Tools	Alarms, Events, and Audit-trail
Extended UNS using TagProvider Services	Historian, time-series data

Pillar 3: Application Modules	Pillar 4: Operator UI
SQL Database Connections and Queries	Symbol Library extensions
Scripts and business logic (C#, VB.NET, Python 3)	Displays (Canvas & Dashboard) & UI Security
Reports, data pub (PDF, CSV, HTML, XML & JSON)	Layouts, Client deployment settings

Object Model Power

All configured objects inherit from .NET classes, providing native functionality without custom coding:

InfotitleExamples of

Built-in Intelligence Examples

Code Blocktitle

DateTime Tag Operations:

csharp

Tag.DateTimeExample.Value.DayOfWeek  // Returns Monday, Tuesday, etc.
Tag.DateTimeExample.Value.AddDays(7)  // Date arithmetic

Code Blocktitle


Tag.DateTimeExample.Value.ToString("yyyy-MM-dd")  // Formatting

Script Performance Monitoring:

csharp

Script.Task.Example1.LastCPUTime      // CPU usage tracking
Script.Task.Example1.LastExecutionTime // Performance metrics
Script.Task.Example1.ExecutionCount    // Execution statistics

Automatic Methods Available:

String manipulation (Substring, Replace, Trim)
Mathematical operations (Min, Max, Round)
Collection handling (Count, First, Last)
Data conversion (ToInt32, ToDouble)

This means you get hundreds of methods and properties automatically - no coding required!

Feature Highlights

Development Productivity

IntelliSense everywhere - Auto-completion for tags, objects, properties
Real-time validation - Red borders and tooltips for errors
Refactoring support - Rename with automatic reference updates
Cross-reference tools - Find all uses instantly
Keyboard shortcuts - Standard editing (Ctrl+S, F5, etc.)
Search and replace - Global changes across solution

Unified Configuration

Single environment - All modules in one interface
Consistent UI patterns - Same experience across modules
Context menus - Right-click relevant operations
Drag-drop support - Between panels and modules
Quick navigation - Jump to Home, Tags, Draw, Runtime
Dockable panels - Customize workspace layout

Testing and Validation

Test Mode - Run without leaving Designer
Online configuration - Modify running solutions
Simulation tools - Test without field devices
Build validation - Automatic error checking
Performance monitoring - Real-time resource usage
Breakpoint debugging - Script development tools

Collaboration Features

Multi-user editing - Teams work simultaneously
Change tracking - See who modified what
Version comparison - Track configuration evolution
Module locking - Prevent conflicts
Comment system - Document decisions

In this section...

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Versions Compared

Old Version 40

New Version 41

Key

In this page:

Key Concepts

What Designer Does

Workspace Organization

Visual Layout

(shortcuts)

How It Fits in the Solution Lifecycle

Solution Development Workflow

Development Phases

Module Organization by Four Pillars

Pillar Structure

Object Model Power

Built-in Intelligence Examples

Feature Highlights

Development Productivity

Unified Configuration

Testing and Validation

Collaboration Features

In this section...

tags<br>• Define UserTypes<br>• Build Asset Tree	UNS → Tags, Templates, Assets
2. Integration	P2: Process	• Setup

devices<br>• Configure alarms<br>• Enable historian	Devices, Alarms, Historian
3. Logic	P3: Application	• Create

scripts<br>• Setup datasets<br>• Build reports	Scripts, Datasets, Reports
4. Visualization	P4: Operator UI	• Design