Presenting DBDOC 11.2 Feature Update!

DBDOC depends on feedback from you, our clients, to provide better and better support for graphics and other system features, as well as support for the ways you actually use DBDOC.

DBDOC 11.2 Feature Update is an improvement on DBDOC 11.2 that addresses issues that came to light as 11.2 was used in the field over the past few months.  If you are upgrading, DBDOC 11.2 Feature Update is now the preferred upgrade version, and is available here.  

What does 11.2 Feature Update add to 11.2?

Improved S+ Support

Most significantly, your feedback on DBDOC 11.2 has provided enough information to make a number of improvements to our support for SPlus graphics, such as the following: 

• Direct links to Station block PV, SP and MA blocks in more instances
• Handling duplicate column names in SPO tag database file
• Numerous places where appearance is improved in SPO graphics
• Elimination of many unnecessary live-value hotspots

Please continue to let us know when you see issues with your graphics, text, or hotspot placement.  DBDOC's graphics support involves a fair amount of reverse engineering, and we are constantly learning more about the file formats we are supporting.

@Values like Set Point (SP) and Process Value (PV) on SPlus graphics were erroneously linking to the base Station Block, instead of the appropriate SP or PV blocks.  This is corrected in 11.2 Feature Update.

Live Specs on Ladder

In another area, in response to client feedback, Hyperview has added full support for the "new" live specs on ladder diagrams (not just CAD/CLD diagrams).   Prior to DBDOC 11.1, live specs were implemented as a form of live loop annotation, but this could be a highly inefficient use of live data bandwidth, as almost never changing specs were fetched as often as other sorts of live data.  In DBDOC 11.1, specs were integrated with layered specs, and comparisons between live and static specs were automated (read more here).  However, on our first pass, we missed adding this feature to ladder diagrams.   This has now been corrected, and clients with ladder diagrams can now enjoy full-featured and bandwidth-efficient live specs.

Press S on Ladder Diagrams to show integrated live specs, automatically highlighting discrepancies between live and static values on wired inputs and other specs.

Working CIUMON Interaction with ABB HAOPC

Several clients encountered a problem where CIUMON was found to be receiving data only once every 10 seconds from HAOPC.  This has now was fixed and has been subsequently verified in three different client systems.

Documentation for Custom Function Codes

11.2 Feature Update generates automatic documentation of the inputs, outputs, and specifications of custom function code blocks.

In addition a variety of other minor fixes and additions are included in DBDOC 11.2 Feature Update.   Please contact support @ gmcl.com if you have any questions about what has changed.  It's entirely possible that issues you have seen in earlier versions are now fixed, and if not, we want to know!

New Visual Signal Tracing Features: Signal ID, Quality Info, Input Trees, Output Trees

With DBDOC 11.2, Hyperview has added a number of interesting visual features on configuration diagrams that should make signal tracing even more intuitive. 

You've probably noticed the first new feature.  Now, when you mouse over a signal line on a CAD/CLD, it highlights and shows a tooltip with the block number and the quality type of the signal.  This is handy for quickly decoding a visual rat's nest of signals.

Hovering the mouse over a signal line highlights it in yellow.

If you want a better look, simply click on the signal line.  The highlight will "stick".

The line is now sticky-highlighted in orange.

Input Trees

You can visually display the "tree" of inputs for a block by right-clicking on a function block and choosing "Show Input Tree For This Block".  All the signals leading into the block and their ancestors are highlighted in red.

From a function block's context menu, you can display the input tree for a block.

If you trace the signal onto another sheet via the IREF, the input tree highlight continues on the adjacent CAD/CLD.  

Of course, it depends on the particulars whether this sort of visual signal tracing is helpful.  Many configuration diagrams contain feedback loops, causing virtually every block on the sheet to become highlighted.  

If an IREF is connected to an OREF on the same sheet, both will be highlighted, of course.

Here, for example, the input tree for Block 4109 has been shown.

Input signal tree for Block 4109.

Zooming out, we can see that an OREF is highlighted, as well as a number of IREFs.

Luckily, it is quick and easy to see why.  Hovering the OREF signal shows that it is in fact the identical signal that comes in the IREF in the lower left of the diagram.

The yellow highlight shows that both the OREF and IREF are connected to Block 4219.

Output Trees

Output trees can be displayed in the same way, and are shown in green.

Both input and output trees can be shown at the same time, for different blocks, or the same block.

Note: It's worth knowing that the input or out signal tree is calculated "on the fly," when you load a document.  Most of these trees would be very large indeed, if they were computed in totality for the entire system.  This "on the fly" tree building should not affect you if you are physically tracing signals from sheet to adjacent sheet, but if you "skipped ahead" without going through connecting sheets, lines would not be highlighted, even if they were in fact ultimately in the ancestor or descendant tree of the root block.

Quality

The new line information also gives you more information about signal quality.   Of course, you can already see if a line has quality, based on whether it is black or blue. 

Block 1790 is black, and has no quality.

Block 1790 is 133 is blue, and has PROCESS quality.

And this signal coming in from a DI/B block has PROCESS, COMMS, and IMPORT quality.

We hope you find this extra visual support for DBDOC's signal tracing capabilities handy.  Let us know what you think!