Dynamic User Control Visibility

In SCADA software, operator interfaces are designed to monitor field processes and allow operator intervention when required.

However, making every user control visible at all times on a SCADA screen may cause operators to encounter controls that are not required at that moment, especially in complex processes.

EOS SCADA addresses this issue dynamically by allowing the visibility of user controls to be linked to the value of any SCADA data.

Thus, a button, indicator, graph or other user control can become visible when a defined condition is met and hidden when the condition is no longer met.

Benefits of Hiding User Controls

Changing the visibility of user controls according to data values helps SCADA screens become dynamic interfaces that adapt to process conditions.

  • State-based visualization: Only the user controls relevant to specific system or process states can be displayed.
  • Interface simplification: Controls that are not currently required can be hidden to create clearer and simpler operator interfaces.
  • Operational safety: When sending a command is not appropriate under certain operating conditions, command controls can be hidden to reduce the possibility of an incorrect operator action.
  • Operator guidance: When a specific process condition occurs, the related control can be made visible to direct the operator's attention to the required operation.

Hiding / Showing a User Control According to Data Value

To link the visibility of a user control to a SCADA data value, first open the relevant project in the EDITOR software.

  1. Open the project in the EDITOR software. Open the SCADA screen containing the user control to which the hide/show feature will be added.
  2. Select the user control. Click the user control to which the visibility feature will be applied.
  3. Open the action settings. Click the Action setting in the user control settings to open the action settings window.
  4. Add a new action. In the opened action settings window, click the + button to add a new action.
  5. Select the new action. Click the newly added action in the list to edit its properties.
  6. Select Valuechanged as the action type. Set the Action option to Valuechanged.
  7. Select Visibleinvisible as the operation type. Set the Operation option to Visibleinvisible.
  8. Set the limit value. Enter the threshold value that determines whether the user control will be visible or hidden in the Limit Value field.
  9. Select the limit type. Configure the Limit Type option to determine how the data value will be compared with the limit value.
  10. Select the data to be processed. Click the Data to Process option to determine which SCADA data value will control the visibility operation. Select the relevant data from the opened window.
  11. Confirm the data selection. After completing the data selection, click the relevant confirmation button to complete the selection.
  12. Save the action settings. Click the save button in the Action Settings window to store the configured settings.
  13. Save the project. After the project is saved, the visibility control configuration will be complete.

Example Visibility Condition

The Limit Value and Limit Type are used together to define the condition under which the user control will be visible or hidden.

Example settings:

  • Limit Value: 0.5
  • Limit Type: Greaterthan

In this case, when the processed data value is greater than 0.5, the user control becomes visible.

When the data value is equal to or less than 0.5, the user control becomes hidden.

Thus, the visibility of the user control is managed automatically according to the condition of the real-time data read by the SCADA system rather than being changed manually by the operator.

Additional Safety for Command Controls

Data-value-based visibility is not limited to improving screen design. It can also provide an additional safety layer, especially for user controls that send commands to controllers.

For example, if a command must not be sent under a specific process condition, the related command button or control can remain hidden while that condition exists. When the condition changes, the control can become visible again.

CAUTION: Hiding a user control should not by itself be considered an authorization or security mechanism.

Access restrictions should not rely only on visibility control and should also be supported by appropriate authorization mechanisms.

Therefore, this visibility feature should be used to simplify the operator interface, remove inappropriate operations from the screen and make user controls dynamically responsive to process conditions.

Conclusion

In EOS SCADA, hiding or showing user controls according to data values allows SCADA screens to adapt to real-time process conditions.

The Valuechanged action determines the data to be monitored, while the Visibleinvisible operation manages the visibility state of the user control. The Limit Value and Limit Type define the conditions under which this behavior occurs.

This approach enables both simpler and clearer operator interfaces and dynamic management of user controls according to process conditions.

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