Access configuration tools for solutions.
Reference → Solution → Designer → Workspace | Settings | Data Explorer
Related Topics:
- Solution Settings (Concept) - Understanding solution configuration
- Managing Solutions (Guide) - Step-by-step procedures
- Plugins and Templates - Reusable components
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Navigation Pages
| Page | Type | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Settings | Configuration | Global solution parameters |
| Categories | Configuration | Organization labels |
| Import Tags | Tool | Tag import wizards |
| Import Plugin | Tool | Plugin integration |
| Export | Tool | Backup and plugin creation |
| History | Tool | Event tracking and audit |
Key Concepts
Target Platform
Defines the operating system and framework:
| Platform | Framework | Use Case |
|---|---|---|
| Windows Only | .NET Framework 4.8 | Windows-specific features |
| Multiplatform | .NET 8 | Linux and cross-platform |
Product Family and Model
Licensing configuration for production:
| Aspect | Purpose | Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Product Family | License type | Feature availability |
| Product Model | Point limits | Tag count restrictions |
Categories
Metadata labels for organizing applications:
- Applied across all configuration tables
- Used for filtering and grouping
- Associated with default symbols
Plugins
Self-contained solution components:
- Reusable across solutions
- Include tags, displays, scripts
- Version controlled
- Update managed
Typical Workflow
Initial Setup
- Verify Settings - Check Target Platform and Product Model
- Define Categories - Create organizational structure
- Import Tags - Bring in existing definitions
- Add Plugins - Include reusable components
Development
- Use Categories - Apply to new objects
- Export Regularly - Create backups
- Track History - Monitor changes
- Update Plugins - Keep components current
Deployment
- Validate Settings - Confirm production configuration
- Export Solution - Create deployment package
- Review History - Check recent changes
Common Tasks
| Task | Location | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Change platform | Settings | Switch Windows/Linux |
| Set license | Settings | Configure Product Model |
| Organize objects | Categories | Apply labels |
| Import from CSV | Import Tags | Bulk tag creation |
| Add components | Import Plugin | Reuse standards |
| Backup solution | Export | Save complete copy |
| Create plugin | Export | Make reusable parts |
| Review changes | History | Audit trail |
Data Storage
Configuration Location
All settings stored in .dbsln file:
| Setting | Table | Encrypted |
|---|---|---|
| Settings | SolutionSettings | Yes |
| Categories | Categories | Yes |
| Plugin Info | PluginRegistry | Yes |
| History | SolutionHistory | Yes |
Temporary Folders
Solution-Data/
??? Designer/ # UI settings
??? Runtime/ # Execution cache
??? Git/ # Export files
??? Backup/ # Build backupsIntegration Points
With Other Modules
| Module | Integration | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| UNS | Tag import | Define data model |
| Devices | Import wizards | Configure channels |
| All modules | Categories | Organization |
| All modules | Export/Plugin | Packaging |
External Systems
| System | Via | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| CSV Files | Import Tags | Bulk configuration |
| ControlLogix | Import wizard | PLC integration |
| Git | Export | Version control |
| Other solutions | Plugins | Reuse |
Best Practices Checklist
Settings Management
- Set Target Platform early
- Match Product Model to license
- Configure Python path if needed
- Set Culture Info for localization
Category Usage
- Define before creating objects
- Use consistent naming
- Apply to all object types
- Associate with symbols
Plugin Management
- Version control plugins
- Document plugin contents
- Test before updating
- Keep update history
Export Strategy
- Regular full backups
- Export before major changes
- Create plugins for standards
- Use Git integration
Troubleshooting
Common Issues
| Problem | Cause | Solution |
|---|---|---|
| Can't import tags | Wrong format | Check CSV headers |
| Plugin fails | Version mismatch | Update plugin |
| Export too large | Many images | Exclude images |
| History missing | Not enabled | Enable in settings |
Validation
| Check | Method | Expected |
|---|---|---|
| Platform correct | Settings page | Matches target |
| License valid | Settings page | Matches production |
| Categories defined | Categories page | All needed labels |
| Plugins current | History page | No updates pending |
In this section...
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<h1 style="text-align: center;">Solution<br>Settings and Tools</h1>
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Introduction to Solution Settings and Tools
The Solution section in the Designer workspace gathers detailed information about solutions, offering rich metadata and various tools to aid in designing and individually managing solutions on the software platform. It includes Solution Settings for configuration, Solution Categories for organization, Import Tags and Import Plugins to accelerate solution creation, Export for sharing configurations, and History for tracking key actions in the solution configuration.
On this page:
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Key Concepts and Terms
The Solutions section holds key global settings, such as Target Platform, and a set of tools to allow Import and Export configurations.
TargetPlatform
Defines the Operating Platform where the Solution is intended to run. It can be Windows Only (.NET Framework 4.8), or Multiplatform (Linux and any OS support .NET 8.)
Product Family and Model
Define the licensing requirements to run the solution in production. Even though the Designer is unlimited, you should always set up those fields properly so that the Designer will limit its functionality consistent with the license required for field deployment.
Categories
Metadata labels that can be used across all configuration tables, assisting in organizing large-scale applications.
Plugins
Subsets of a solution, which can holds Tags, Displays, or any other objects. Useful to creating reusable components and enforcing development standards.
Understanding The Solution Module Usage
The Solution Module is typically used only when a new Solution is created.
Usually, it is important to double check if the Target Platform, Product Family and Model, are correctly setup. When using Python, its necessary also to locate property the path for the Python engine.
For large solutions, defining the Categories at the begging will prove useful to organize your configuration.
If you have tag definitions available on other systems, you can bring them with the Tag Import Wizards, which support importing from CSV files, ControlLogix devices, and various other options.
Finally, if you have PlugIns created by your own team or received from integrators, they can be added in this section to speed up the solution development.
Plugins are created with the Solution Export user Interface.
When you perform any of these actions, the Solution History tracks the event.
Configuring Solution Settings and Categories
Go to Solution Settings for animation on the settings available.
Go to Solutions Categories to learn how to define and use Categories.
Working with Import and Export Tools
Go to Solution Import Tags on how Import Tag definitions from other systems.
Go to Solution Import PlugIns on how Import PlugIns into the solution.
Go to Solutions Export on how to backup the solution, or create PlugIns
Using the Solution History
Go to Solution History on how to track major Solution events, and update Plugins.
Temporary Data Folders
When editing and running the solution, temporary sub-folders are created under a Solutions-Data folder.
In most cases, it's not necessary to have any direct interaction with these folders, other than knowing they don't store solution configuration — only user UI settings and temporary files. Therefore, they can be deleted at any time if necessary.
→ Read more at Temporary Data Folders.
In this section: