Hi
Im trying to configure digital alarms for my Citect project by making the digital alarms and logging them to an alarm log via one device and alarm summary via another device through the alarm category.

I had it working yesterday but today i keep getting the following error:

Failed to load the alarm save file
The file 'Almindexsave.dat' was corrupt or invalid
Citect could not be started

I was getting this error yesterday but i changed the Primary alarm save path in my computer set up wizard to a folder on my desktop and it seemed to cure it... until today.

Im trying to configure the alarms so that i save the alarms in a data base in a folder that can be backed up once a week say and also to display them on the scrolling 3 line display at the bottom of the Xp template.

I have went through a tutorial i have about this and it done it in the method above. I presume the alarm log device is for the data base and the alarm summary device "AlarmSummary" is connected to the 3 lines at the bottom of the page?

Please help

justin

You have got yourself slightly if not very confused:

- The 'Almindexsave.dat' file is where Citects keeps its alarm history so if the system is shuts down it can reload its current alarms when restarted, you MUST not do anything with this file, its purely for Citect use.

- The 3 lines at the bottom of the standard template show the last 3 active alarms, this is alarms from your alarm database in Citect, so if you have 10 alarms come on all within a second of each other you will see the last 3 to come on, to see the rest look on the Active Alarm Page, once Acked and Off they will go into the alarm summary page

- The alarm Log and Summary device fields on the alarm category form is where you can define a device to write out the alarm history to.

- To write to the Alarm Log or Summary device you must create a Device (not IO device) and define which fileds you want logging, there are several ini parameters to control when alarms are written to the Log devices.

All this and moe infro is in the help system and the KB which is on the install CD

Just out of interest which industry are you in over there ?

Cheers

I work for a waste water company.
This is my 1st SCADA job for them. I have done all the basic control stuff but am hitting some walls when trying to configure my alarms.

I pasted back in the original address to the primary alarm server path in the computer set up wizard but the same error is occuring even after i close down and reboot citect.
Does it make a difference if i change the [DATA] file address?

Thanks

Justin

Configuring the alarms should be a fairly simple and painfree task

If you are still in development delete the Almindex.dat file, citect will create a new one

change the [DATA] file address where ?

Ok i got the alarms working on the bottom of the page and also the alarm page.
I now want to create a device that stores any alarms that occur in a dedicated file that i can set up a scheduler in xp that backs up the file every week or month or when ever.
Thats why i changed the [DATA] address so that my device logs go to a dedicated file on my desktop making it easier to back them up.

I seem to have managed this but is it not advisory to change the [DATA] address, will this come back to haunt me later on??

You should have created a device called AlarmHistory or whatever you want to call it, you then select this as the alarm summary device on the alarm category, alarms are logged to this when they drop out of the summary limit defined (you can force them out sooner by changing an ini parameter)

If you use the log device this logs every change of alarm on a seperate entry, personally i wouldnt bother with this and use the alarm summary only

You then specify what you want writing to the device such as:

{Name,20}{OnDate,20}{OnTime,20}{OffDate,20}{OffTime,20}{SumDesc,100}{AckDate,20}{AckTime,20}

On the device form you can specify where you want the files created and how many files you want to create

C:\AlarmDirectory\AlarmHistory.dbf

Some suggested reading in the KB:

Q2003
Q1115

Ok, got that working nicely, thanks.
I used the log device as im not making analogue alarms to go outside parameters, im just using digital on/offs.
Where is the KB? do i need to go online for it?

justin

The log device can be hard to read as it puts a new entry in for every transition i.e. On, Off, Acked etc. it's up to you but i prefer the one line in the summary device

The KB is a choice on install, it should be on your CD you can install it direct form CD, there is a newer version online but those 2 articles should be in the older one.

Thanks, i got the KB.

Im now looking at trending the analogue signals from my PLC using the trend button on the XP template.
How can i set the template that it has say the same 5 trends every time i open it instead of having to dedicate a pen to each one every time i access it?
Sorry if im asking loads of questions but im just getting the hang of some functions.

Justin

First create a page with the trend template on it and save it, then on the button do:

TrnSelect(-2, "Trend_Page", -3);
TrnSetPen(-2,1,"Trend_1");
TrnSetPen(-2,2,"Trend_2");
TrnSetPen(-2,3,"Trend_3");
TrnSetPen(-2,4,"Trend_4");
TrnSetPen(-2,5,"Trend_5");

If its a popup page use:

WinNewAt("Trend_Page",100,100,8)

Otherwise use:

PageDisplay("Trend_Page")


Look at the functions in the help system to see what the options are

Thanks, youre really helping me out here.
I have one final task that was causing me difficulty.

I have set up a device that logs anything that happens in the plant but at the minute i can only log occurances that happen as they are activated on the Citect screen e.g. buttons pressed and logging the message to the device.

How now can i log occurances to the device that happen from the plant i.e. if a pump runs and sets input x1 how do i log this to the device?

Ideally id like to set up a 5-10 line display in a pop up that displays the last 5-10 occurances, much like the alarm dsiplay mentioned above.

Is this dooable?

hmmm not an easy one that, its far too advanced to go into here anyway, i would maybe give Citect support a call, they dont mind writing small apps and will have used this type of functionality before.

If you want to look at it yourself you need to really think about creating an alarm category configured to not display on the system alarm pages and use the alarm on function to drive some code to write out the event to a log device

the device you are talking about is designed for logging operator input and nothing else really

cheers

So is it going to be hastle to set up a data logger type device that can be used to check the operation of the plant over a period of time? i thought that would have been one of the main advantages of having a SCADA system in place...
The display of the last 5-10 events is a luxury item but it would be advantageous to know when the pumps/blowers etc started/stopped etc...

Not a hassle at all, you just need to ask youself a few questions about why you are doing it, if its just for a nice to have and you can afford to miss something then write your own code to log out to a device on your events.

If you MUST log the event you have the alarm system, after all if its critical to know if a motor started or stopped its an alarm so create an alarm category to log to a different summary device than you created before but not dispaly on the alarms lists, if you start writing custom stuff chances are you will miss an event, the alarms in Citect get scanned every 500ms and are managed properly by the system

Also take a look at tag subscribe functions this looks at change of state of a tag you could do it this way, there are loads of different ways of doing it, just not a built in off the shelf one, not that i have used before anyway, i have no requirement for it so may not have looked hard enough !!

Thanks, Im just going to go with the alarm option where i include my equipment run signals as well as their trips. It will be helpful to the operators to see what has occurred in the not too distant past and for ourselves as plant supervisors to make sure that the equipment is doing what it should be.

Im making a non-critical and critical alarm bit in my PLC so ill include a graphic on the screen for each of these conditions.
If i want to sent an email or text message when an alarm occurs do i need to purchase a web client liscense, the pc im using for the SCADA is connected to the internet?

No you only need the web license if you want to use the web client, search the help system for email, there are functions to send email

Ok, on my graphic page ive made 2 buttons: 1 with the up command, MailLogon("user name for outlook from the mail section of my xp control panel","my password for that profile",0);

The 2nd button has the following up command, MailSend("justintrainor","Test","Sending_message_using Cicode_function"," ",0);

The "justintrainor" is the name of a contact that i have just made in outlook in the same fashion that i make any contact profile and in that ive included my gmail email address.

I press the 1st button and then press the 2nd button but no email arrives. Should i be going about this in a different way?

Justin

Does the contact have to be i a set address book i.e. would the email not send if the contact was in the contact list only and not the address book?

Justin

Take a look at Q3748, Q2262 and Q5086 in the KB

Ive looked through those articles in the KB and even asked the IT guy here if he could try and get the emails sent. It still isnt doing it though.
Im not even getting the error screen described in Q3748.
Is there a step by step tutorial anywhere i could reference to?

I havent used that function in anger, only in test and it worked fine

Give Citect support a call, they will have the answers

Or if you need to do a lot of emailng punch in "Citect Alarm Paging System" Google.