You can use the Tag Window to browse and configure the Tags in the Fernhill SCADA database:
Icons are used to indicate the type of tag. For example:
You can use folders to organize tags
in a suitable hierarchy for your project.
To select an entry in the Tag Window, click the tag with the left mouse button. When a tag is selected:
Right-clicking an entry in the Tag Window opens the Tag Window Menu.
The Tag Window Menu allows you to:
To access these functions, right-click an entry in the Tag Window. The Tag Window menu commands vary depending on whether you click a tag, a folder, or the tag database:
Tag | Folder | Tag Database |
---|---|---|
![]() | ![]() | ![]() |
The top of the Tag menu may contain additional commands. For example, when you open the menu for a Graphic Page Tag these commands are available:
For more information see Additional Tag Menu Commands later on in this article.
In Fernhill SCADA, you can use Folders to organize your tags in a logical structure.
There are three types of folder:
Folder Type | Icon | Use |
---|---|---|
Standard | ![]() | You can use a Standard Folder to organize your tags. Use Standard Folders to group related SCADA tags together. |
Template | ![]() | A Template Folder is a template from which you can create Linked Folders. Tags in Template Folders are not active. For more information see the Fernhill SCADA concepts page: Linked Folders. |
Linked | ![]() | A linked folder references a Template Folder. Changes to the Template Folder are automatically copied to any Linked Folders attached to the Template Folder. For more information see the Fernhill SCADA concepts page: Linked Folders. |
Linked Folders provide a way to reduce the work needed to create a SCADA application that has duplicate equipment. For more information see Linked Folders.
The linked folders Menu provides commands to manage Template Folders and Linked Folders:
Command | Description |
---|---|
Add new Template Folder | Adds a new template folder. |
Add new Linked Folder | Prompts you to select a Template Folder then creates a Linked Folder attached to the Template Folder. Note: You need to have created at least one Template Folder to use this command. |
Link to Template Folder | This command only applies to Standard Folders. The command prompts you to select a Template Folder then changes the Standard Folder to a Linked Folder. |
Unlink from Template Folder | This command only applies to Linked Folders. The command changes a Linked Folder to a Standard Folder. The contents of the folder are not changed by this command. |
Change to Standard Folder | This command only applies to Template Folders. The command changes the Template Folder to a Standard Folder. All Linked Folders that refer to the Template Folder are automatically unlinked. |
Change to Template Folder | This command only applies to Standard Folders. The command changes the Standard Folder to a Template Folder. |
To find out more see the Fernhill SCADA concepts page Linked Folders.
You can use the Add new tag commands to add tags to folders. The New Tag menu has two submenus. The first submenu allows you to select the driver. The second submenu allows you to select the tag type supported by that driver. Each driver guide provides further information about the tags provided by that driver:
Driver | Version | Features Provided |
---|---|---|
Core | 1.0 |
SCADA and
HMI Graphic Pages. Trends. I/O Data Point Tags. Internal and calculated data point tags. Alarm Tags. IEC 61131-3 Programs |
Allen Bradley | 2.2 | Tags to interface to Allen Bradley PLC Devices. |
BACnet | 3.78 | Tags to interface to a BACnet device. |
DNP3 | 3.46 | Tags to interface to a DNP3 outstation or an RTU. |
File | 1.6 | Tags to read data files and associate I/O Data Point Tags with values in the file. |
Idec Micro | 2.1 | Tags to interface to Idec Micro PLC Devices. |
Message Services | 3.23 | Alarm routing. Text report generation. SMTP Email connector. |
Mitsubishi Melsec | 1.1 | Tags to interface to Mitsubishi Melsec PLC Devices. |
Modbus | 1.0 | Tags to interface to Modbus Devices. |
Modbus Slave | 3.10 | Provide a Modbus service to other software. |
MQTT | 3.22 | Message Queuing Telemetry Transport driver. |
ODBC Client | 1.2 | Read data from ODBC compatible databases. |
Omron | 1.0 | Tags to interface to Omron PLC Devices. |
OPC Client | 1.3 | Tags to interface to OPC Data Access Servers. |
Random | 1.0 | Update tags from a random number generator. |
Siemens S7 | 1.4 | Tags to interface to Siemens S7 PLC Devices. |
SNMP Client | 1.3 | Read data from, and write data to, an SNMP Agent. |
Note: The Version column gives the version of Fernhill SCADA required to support the corresponding driver.
When you create a new folder, or a new tag, Fernhill SCADA automatically generates a new name. You can change the name if you do not want to keep the automatically generated name.
You can change a tag name using any of these methods:
Press Return to complete the name change, or press ESC to cancel the name change.
Tag names can contain any characters except: period (.), double quote("), asterisk (*), colon (:), less than (<), greater than (>), question mark (?), backslash (\), vertical bar (|).
When you rename a tag, Fernhill SCADA will update references to the tag.
You can move a tag or folder two different ways:
You can copy a tag or folder three different ways:
You can delete a tag or folder in two different ways:
Note: This method places a copy of the configuration on the clipboard. If you want to undo this action, use the Paste command to restore the configuration.
Note: This method permanently deletes the tag or folder and cannot be undone.
When you delete a Data Point Tag with historic storage enabled, the historic data table is retained. Over time the Historian may contain many historic data tables that are no longer referenced by Data Point Tags.
Use the "Delete Unused Historic Tables" command to remove historic data tables that are no longer referenced by Data Point Tags.
Relationships exist between tags, for example:
As a project grows, it can become increasingly difficult to keep track of the relationships between tags. To find out where a tag is referenced:
The Fernhill SCADA Server stores a log of events and user actions in the Event Log. You can use the Show Events menu to display these types of events:
Event Type | Description |
---|---|
All | All types of event. |
Authentication | Events that relate to a user logging in or logging off. |
Configuration | Events that relate to configuration changes. |
Tag Command | Events that relate to Tag Commands. |
You can add a password to certain tag types to protect your work. Once a password has been added, all users must enter the password to open the tag in the editor.
Password protection is supported on these types of tag:
To add password protection to a tag:
To remove password protection from a tag:
You can back up the tags in a Fernhill SCADA database to a backup file (.fhsbak). A backup file can be used for:
When creating a backup you have two options:
Backup Option | Description and When to Use |
---|---|
Configuration | Copies only the configuration to the backup file. Use this option when creating a backup to deploy on a production system. When this type of backup is restored on the production system, the production system will retain its existing data. |
Configuration and Data | Copies configuration and Data to the backup file. Use this option for disaster recovery. When this type of backup is restored, the tags are initialized using the data in from the backup. |
To back up configuration to a file:
To restore configuration from a file:
The initial state of a tag following a restore depends on:
If the backup included tag data, the initial data for the tag is taken from the backup. Otherwise, if the tag existed in the database before the restore operation, the initial data is taken from the previous database. Otherwise, the tag is initialized as if it was new.
Some tag types have associated log files. For example:
The log files provide information, which can be useful when diagnosing faults.
The Download Log Files command retrieves the log files from the server and stores these compressed into one ZIP file.
To download the log files:
When complete, the saved zip file will open in Windows Explorer.
For some tag types, the Tag Menu provides additional commands:
Command | Description |
---|---|
Edit Graphic |
Opens the tag in the Graphic Editor. Applies to: |
Edit Trend Plot |
Opens the tag in the Plot Editor. Applies to: |
Edit Value Duration Plot |
Opens the tag in the Plot Editor. Applies to: |
View Trend Plot |
Opens a temporary trend plot for the tag. Applies to:
|
View Value Duration Plot |
Opens a temporary value duration plot for the tag. Applies to:
|
Open in Operator Interface |
Opens the tag in the Operator Interface. Applies to: |
View Data Log |
Opens a live Data Log showing the data sent and received on the channel. Applies to: |
Edit Calculation |
Opens a Text Editor allowing you to edit a calculation. Applies to: |
Edit Program |
Opens a Text Editor allowing you to edit a program. Applies to: |
View Code Listing |
Displays the compiled code of a program or calculation. Applies to: |
For information about configuring the properties of tags.
For information about monitoring tag status, finding tag references or finding code errors.
Fernhill SCADA Configuration Tool
To learn about other features the Fernhill SCADA Configuration Tool.
For the meaning of terms used in Fernhill SCADA.