Visual Priority in User Controls

When designing SCADA screens, multiple user controls may need to occupy the same area or overlap each other. Especially in designs where symbols, buttons, displays, and decorative screen objects are used together, the order of objects on the screen becomes important.

Which of the overlapping controls is displayed above the others is determined by the user's control visual priority.

The Bring to Front operation causes the selected user control to be displayed above the other controls, while the Send to Back operation causes the selected control to be displayed behind the other controls.

Important: The Bring to Front and Send to Back operations do not change the position or size of the user control on the screen. They only change its visual order relative to other screen objects.

When Are Bring to Front and Send to Back Used?

This feature is particularly useful in designs where multiple screen objects overlap each other.

  • Managing overlapping user controls: It is possible to determine which object is displayed above the others when controls overlap.
  • Graphic and symbol designs: A symbol can be displayed in front of or behind another user control.
  • Managing operator interaction: In overlapping user controls, the control with which the operator needs to interact can be brought visually to the foreground.
  • Organizing complex screens: The layering order of objects on the SCADA screen can be changed to create more organized and understandable screen designs.

Bringing a User Control to the Front / Sending It to the Back

To bring a user control to the front or send it to the back, the user control on which the operation will be performed must first be selected.

After the user control has been selected, the operation can be performed using any of the following methods.

  1. Use the quick access button bar. Select the user control to be brought to the front and click the BRING TO FRONT button in the quick access button bar. To send the user control behind the other controls, click the SEND TO BACK button.
  2. Open the settings window using the right mouse button. Right-click on the selection rectangle of the user control on which the Bring to Front or Send to Back operation will be performed. In the settings window that opens, select the required BRING TO FRONT or SEND TO BACK button.
  3. Use the SCADA tree menu. Click the SCREENS menu item under the SCADA tree menu. Select the relevant screen from the screen list that opens. Among the user controls displayed under the screen name, identify the control that you want to bring to the front or send to the back.
  4. Change the order of the user control. Drag the relevant user control with the mouse in the SCADA tree menu to change its position in the tree. When the position of the user control in the ordering changes, its visual priority on the screen changes accordingly.

User Control Order in the SCADA Tree Menu

The visual priority of user controls is related to their order in the SCADA tree menu.

CAUTION: The user control at the top of the SCADA tree structure has the lowest visual priority on the screen.

To move a user control to the front, the control must be moved downward in the tree structure.

Therefore, if a user control is intended to appear above another control on the screen, attention must be paid not only to its physical position on the screen but also to its order in the SCADA tree menu.

Example of the Bring to Front / Send to Back Operation

Consider two user controls placed on top of each other on the same screen. In this case, different results can be achieved by changing only their visual order while their positions on the screen remain unchanged.

Example:

  • The first user control is located on the background layer of the screen.
  • The second user control is positioned over the first control.
  • The first control is selected and the BRING TO FRONT operation is applied.

The first user control is then displayed above the other control.

Conversely, when the SEND TO BACK operation is applied to the selected control, the control can be displayed behind the other objects.

In this way, the screen design can be organized by changing only the visual layering order without having to rearrange the physical positions of the screen objects.

Considerations for Screen Design

Bring to Front and Send to Back operations should be used carefully, especially on complex SCADA screens containing a large number of user controls.

  • The visual order of controls located in the same area should be checked.
  • Care should be taken to ensure that the control with which the operator needs to interact does not remain behind another control.
  • The relationship between the user control order in the SCADA tree menu and the visual priority on the screen should be taken into consideration.
  • The layering arrangement of user controls on complex screens should be organized as systematically as possible.

Conclusion

Within EOS SCADA, bringing user controls to the front or sending them to the back allows the visual priority of overlapping screen objects to be managed.

The operation can be performed using the quick access buttons, the settings window opened by right-clicking on the user control, or the user control ordering in the SCADA tree menu.

Especially on complex operator screens, this feature makes it possible to organize the visual relationships between user controls, bring important controls to the foreground, and create screen designs in a more controlled manner.

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