Command Line Options

Help Contents

Introduction

You can use command line options to change the way the operator interface starts. For example the --Connect option will automatically connect the operator interface to a Fernhill SCADA Server.

These command line options are supported:

OptionDescription
--Connect=CONNSTR Automatically connects the operator interface to a Fernhill SCADA Server. The CONNSTR option value starts with a node name, which can be any of the following:
  • A node name, for example: scadasvr
  • A full qualified domain name, for example scadasvr.internal
  • An IP Address, for example: 192.168.1.8
You can append additional parameters to CONNSTR using semicolons (;) to separate the additional values. For information on how to do this, see Connect Option below.
--ConnectLocalService Automatically connects the operator interface to the Fernhill SCADA Server running on the local computer. This is equivalent to:
--Connect=localhost.
--StartView=TAGNAME Overrides the starting page to TAGNAME.
--Title=TITLE Overrides the application window title to TITLE.
--Toolbar=POSITION Defines where the Operator Toolbar appears in the Operator Interface. POSITION can be one of these values:
  • Auto (the default)
  • Vertical
  • Horizontal
  • None
The default mode is Auto, where the operator interface will choose Vertical or Horizontal to best fit the screen orientation.
--FullScreen Starts the Operator Interface in full screen mode.
To exit full screen mode, press F11.
--NoDisconnect Prevents the operator returning to the Operator Interface Start Page. When this option is used:
  • The Disconnect entry is removed from the Operator Menu.
  • The only option in the Connection Failed Dialog is to retry the connection to the Fernhill SCADA Server. Note: The Connection Failed Dialog opens when the connection to the Fernhill SCADA Server breaks.
  • Pressing the Cancel Connection button opens the Connection Failed Dialog.
--DetectLongPress Enables long press detection for the left mouse button. This option allows operators to open a right-click context menu using a long press of the left mouse button. It is useful in situations where the operator interface is a touch screen with no mouse pointer.
--NoAlarmBellSound Starts the Operator Interface with the alarm bell sound disabled.
For more information see Alarm Bell Sound.
--TimeZone=ZONE Overrides the time zone used to display date and time of day values.
For example --TimeZone=America/Los_Angeles overrides the operator interface to display timestamp values in Pacific Standard Time.
--Locale=LOCALE Overrides the locale used to display messages in an alternative language.
For example --Locale=de overrides the operator interface to display messages in the German language.
Note: Translation of the user interface into alternative languages is work in progress.
--DateFormat=DFORMAT Overrides the way date values are displayed.
For example --DateFormat=dd-MMM-yyyy overrides date values to show: date, month name, and year. For example 12-Mar-2019.
See Date and Time of Day Format for the format of the DFORMAT value.
--TimeFormat=TFORMAT Overrides the way time of day values are displayed.
For example --TimeFormat=HH:mm.ss.SXXX overrides time of day values to:
  • Show tenths of seconds instead of thousandths of seconds.
  • Show an ISO 8601 time zone indicator.
See Date and Time of Day Format for the format of the TFORMAT value.
--GraphicMode=MODE Selects the graphics API used to draw graphics.
MODE can be one of these values:
  • Auto (the default)
  • Direct3D
  • OpenGL
  • GDI
  • Cairo
The default mode is Auto, where the operator interface will choose the most appropriate mode for the hardware. Not all modes are supported on all operating systems. For more information see GraphicMode Option below.
--ScreenDensity=D Sets the screen density of the display used for the Operator Interface. The value D should be restricted to these values:
  • 4 corresponds to 96 DPI
  • 6 corresponds to 144 DPI
  • 8 corresponds to 192 DPI
  • 10 corresponds to 240 DPI
  • 12 corresponds to 288 DPI
The Operator Interface will obtain the default value from the operating system. The default value is usually 4, which corresponds to 96 DPI.
--BarcodePort=PORT Sets the serial port name of the optional barcode reader. Use --BarcodeSettings=X to set the communication settings of the serial port.
--BarcodeSettings=X Sets the serial communication format of the of the BarcodePort. For information on the format of X, see Serial Port Mode String. The default format is:
Baud=9600 Data=8 Partity=N Stop=1

Connect Option

The first part of the CONNSTR option value is always the node name of the computer to connect to. You can append additional parameters to the CONNSTR option value to change how the connection is made. These additional parameters are supported:

CONNSTR ParameterDescription
User=name The username to login with. Use the special name Guest to login to the guest account. If this parameter is not used, the connection will try to use Windows Integrated Authentication.
Pass=secret The password to authenticate the user with. This connect option is ignored if the User parameter is not included.
BackupConnection=value The alternate connection to use if the main connection fails. This value of this parameter can be any of the following:
  • A node name, for example: scadasvr
  • A full qualified domain name, for example scadasvr.internal
  • An IP Address, for example: 192.168.1.8
Timeout=value The timeout for the connection in seconds. If this parameter is not used, the timeout defaults to 30 seconds.

Use quotation marks to escape complex CONNSTR option values. For more information see Escape Option Values below.

Examples:

  1. Connect to the server scadasvr using windows integrated authentication:

    --Connect=scadasvr

    Note: Windows integrated authentication requires both client and server computer to run Windows.

  2. Connect to the IP Address 192.168.1.5 using the Guest account:

    --Connect='192.168.1.5;User=Guest'

    Note: This example uses Linux style single quotes to escape the option value.
    For more information see Escape Option Values below.

  3. Connect to the IP Address 192.168.1.5 with a backup connection IP Address 192.168.2.5 and user account Operator:

    --Connect='192.168.1.5;BackupConnection=192.168.2.5;User=Operator;Pass=*****'

    Note: This example uses Linux style single quotes to escape the option value.
    For more information see Escape Option Values below.

StartView Option

The ViewName parameter of the command line option: --StartView=ViewName defines the first view shown to the operator. The ViewName parameter uses this syntax:

ViewName ::= full-tag-name { '?' type-name }

type-name ::= [ 'Graphic' | 'Trend' | 'ValueDurationPlot' | 'Text' | 'Alarms' ]

Where:

Examples:

Example Description
--StartView=Graphics.Index Shows the Graphic Page Tag "Graphics.Index" to the operator.
--StartView=Graphics.Index?Graphic Shows the Graphic Page Tag "Graphics.Index" to the operator.
--StartView=Example.River Levels?Trend Shows the Trend Plot Tag "Example.River Levels" to the operator.
--StartView=?Alarms Shows all alarms to the operator
--StartView=System?Alarms Shows the alarms in the folder "System" to the operator

Toolbar Option

The Operator Toolbar can appear in one of two locations:

The default behavior of the Operator Interface is to automatically choose the best location for the current screen orientation.

You can use the Toolbar option to override the default behavior:

OptionDescription
Auto This is the default, where the Operator Interface chooses between Horizontal and Vertical.
Horizontal The toolbar is placed along the top edge of the Window.
Vertical The toolbar is placed along the left and right edges of the Window.
None No toolbar is displayed.

Note: This option is intended for use in kiosk applications where graphic pages provide their own navigation.

GraphicMode Option

Operating systems often provide more than one library for drawing graphics. For example in Windows:

The Operator Interface automatically chooses the best option for drawing graphics. You can override the automatic selection and tell the Operator Interface which graphics library to use. This table shows which modes are supported on the different types of hardware.

Mode Windows Linux Android macOS iOS
Direct3D Yes No No No No
OpenGL Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
GDI Yes No No No No
Cairo No Yes No No No

Escape Option Values

If you want to use spaces, or special characters, in a Command Option Value you will need to use quotation marks. The quotation marks tell the command line where a Command Option Value begins and ends. The type of quotation mark to use depends on the operating system you are using:

Further Information

Operator Interface

To learn about the other features of the Operator Interface.

Alarm Handling

For an overview of how alarms are generated and managed.

Glossary

For the meaning of terms used in Fernhill SCADA.