Prerequisites

As a basic prerequisite, the reader must have minimal knowledge about how to use the Action.Net, learn how to create and run projects Action.Net, edit screens and objects such as tags, historian, and alarms. For more information on this topic, visit the resources listed in the "Learn more" section at the end of this document.

Additionally, you need basic knowledge of ActionView, its terminologies, and how to configure the Ini file.

Projects and environment

For the current version the prerequisites for using the ActionView Importer extension are:

• Action.Net version 2016.2.55 or higher installed on the machine;

• SQL Server Database Manager;

• ActionView project to be imported, configured in the default directories and subdirectories, with the DATABASE in SQL Server format available;

• Archive. INI of the ActionView project for import, correctly configured for reading your database;

• New project Action.NET to receive the ActionView project data; and

• For the generation of the . CSV of screens, special configuration should be made in the . INI, as described in the item 4.

Importing screens

As already mentioned, importing ActionView screens is actually done by reading the screen configuration tables (FORM) and objects on the screens (CONTROL) of the ActionView parametric database and creating a file with these indications.

Because the technological characteristics are quite different the import only brings the basic settings of the screens and the types and positions of the objects, including them in a text file . CSV, whose format is recognized by Extension Importer. CSV's Action.NET.

For each screen described will be created in the Action.NET a corresponding screen. 

For each object described on a screen, a symbol will be created on the screen. The symbols on the Action.NET are previously defined graphical objects by the user. Contains the graphical, text, actions, and parameters characteristics required to function as display objects on the screens.

Then, before importing, you will need to define the list of matches between each ActionView object and the corresponding Symbol Action.Net addressee.

This list will be defined in the project file. ActionView INI in a new section called [screen convert]. In this section, parameters with the name of display objects and the criteria for choosing the symbols for the destination will be described. For each object type, several symbols and the usage criterion of each can be defined. The following is an example:

ANALOGn = symbol, minlen, maxlen

Serves to describe ANALOG objects, the order number is required to differentiate one definition from another.

Symbol: Is the name of the symbol on the Action.Net to be used when in ActionView an ANALOG object is found, whose lenght (length) is between the next two numbers, Minlen and Maxlen.

It will be included in the . CSV an object description line Action.NET, indicating the screen name, the symbol name, the target position on the screen in pixels (top and left). The tag of the point to which this object refers will be considered as the parameter Tag on the symbol.

The minlen and maxlen numbers must be on the "TWIPS" drive, as they are in the ActionView database.

Open

DIGITALn = symbol, minlen, maxlen, prefixTag, prefixFig

Serves to describe DIGITAL objects, the order number is required to differentiate one definition from the other.

Symbol: Is the name of the symbol on the Action.Net to be used when in ActionView a DIGITAL object is found, which represents the state of an ActionView point, whose Variable starts with the prefix indicated in prefixTag.

prefixFig: If there are different symbols to use for points that have the same prefix, the prefix of the name of the figure used in actionview should be entered in each case. For example, sectionpoints use different symbols for vertical and horizontal positions.

Minlen and Maxlen – should be left in Zero as they are not used.

It will be included in the . CSV an object description line Action.NET, indicating the screen name, the symbol name, the target position on the screen in pixels (top and left). The tag on the Action.NET that will match the point in actionview, will be considered as the parameter Tag on the symbol.

Open

LABELn = symbol, minlen, maxlen

Serves to describe LABEL objects, the order number is required to differentiate one definition from another.

Symbol: Is the name of the symbol on the Action.Net to be used when in ActionView an ANALOG object is found, whose lenght (length) is between the next two numbers, Minlen and Maxlen.

It will be included in the . CSV an object description line Action.NET, indicating the screen name, the symbol name, the target position on the screen in pixels (top and left). The text of the Label object in actionview will be considered as the parameter LABELon the symbol.

The minlen and maxlen numbers must be on the "TWIPS" drive, as they are in the ActionView database.

BUTTONn = symbol, minlen, maxlen, prefixTag, prefixFig

Serves to describe BUTTON objects, the order number is required to differentiate one definition from another.

Symbol: Is the name of the symbol on the Action.Net to be used when in ActionView a BUTTON object is found, whose lenght (length) is between the next two numbers, Minlen and Maxlen.

It will be included in the . CSV an object description line Action.NET, indicating the screen name, the symbol name, the target position on the screen in pixels (top and left). The casption text of the Label object in actionview, will be considered as the CAPTION on the symbol. The name of the screen or command indicated on the BUTTON will be considered the TARGET  on the symbol.

prefixTag, It is not used and can be left blank

prefixFig, It can be used with the "caption" of the Button to be chosen.

The minlen and maxlen numbers must be on the "TWIPS" drive, as they are in the ActionView database.

Other settings

Other settings required are the definition of prefixes to be used in the conversion of ActionView tags, which start by numeric digits, which in the Action.NET must start by letters.

You should inspect these tags before importing to determine which letters can be used that do not create double tags.

These settings are in the same import section of Actionview screens.

PrefixForProtection - Informs the prefix to be used at points that start with numbers, and these numbers match numbers of protection ANSI functions.

PrefixForSwitches - Informs the prefix to be used at points that start with numbers, and these numbers match numbers of ANSI key functions.

DoOnlyDisplays -  If new import executions are required, only for generation of screen definition files, after having already imported the tags, you can connect this option: In this case only the generation of displays will be performed.

Step-by-step import

Data import

With the new project open, open the "ActionView importer" extension under "Run → Extensions → Import."

From the ActionView import home screen, select the ini file from the ActionView project to be imported.

Then select from the options for duplication of alarms and points which are appropriate to the type of project to be imported. Or Action.Net by default does not accept duplication of these items. However, there are scenarios where you need to have the same point applied in two channels. For example, when you use master channels to read field data and slave channels to serve such data to other servers at other levels of the organization, acting as a gateway. In this case, you can configure the new project to act with duplicate points.

You also need to tell which ActionView systems will be imported by selecting them from the list of available systems

After selecting the options, start the import from the "OK" button.

Importing screens

The Actionview import process, when finished, generates a ".csv" file with the name in the format "{Project Name}Display{999}.csv", containing information required for importing screens. Where: "{Project Name}" refers to the project name Action.Net "{999}" refers to the millisecond in which the operation was initiated.

This file is stored in the folder to which the project resides Action.Net (typically under "C:\Action.Net\Projects").

To import the file, run the csv importer from the Action.Net "Run → Extensions → Import".

Select the generated ".csv" files and click the "Ok" button to perform the import.

Learn more

The following are links to help learn Action.Net:

• Action.NET - Guia do Usuário

• In Youtube da SPIN you can access training Action.Net at various levels of knowledge.