Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Guide to
What's New in
TPDesign4 v. 2.1
White Paper
August 2003
Copyright
AMX Corporation, 2003. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced,
transcribed, stored in a retrieval system or translated into any language in any form by any means
without the written permission of AMX.
AMX University
3000 Research Drive
Richardson, TX 75082
Phone 469.624.8000
Fax 469.624.7192
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Introduction ...............................................................................................................1
New User Interface............................................................................................................ 1
TPD4 v 2.1 Enhancements .......................................................................................1
Project Migration ............................................................................................................... 2
Applying Password Protection to Your Project File ........................................................... 2
Creating a Screen Saver ................................................................................................... 3
Importing Image Files To Your Project.............................................................................. 3
Setting General Properties: General Buttons .................................................................... 4
Working With Touch Styles and Active Touch .................................................................. 5
Masterless TCP/IP Transfers ............................................................................................ 6
Virtual NetLinx Master Properties Dialog .......................................................................... 8
Enter Access Password Dialog ......................................................................................... 8
Help Keyboard Dialog ....................................................................................................... 8
Reload Last Workspace Added to Preferences Dialog - Application Tab ......................... 8
Magnifier Window.............................................................................................................. 9
MDI Tabs Context Menu ................................................................................................... 9
Programming Tab Added to Properties Control Window ................................................ 10
Introduction
Several enhancements have been made to TPDesign4 v. 2.1. This document is designed to
introduce the new features and changes for existing TPD4 v 1.0 users.
! Project Migration
! Magnifier Window
This is not an all inclusive lists of changes for version 2.1. For more information on
TPD4 version 2.1 look to the help file and the User Interface TPD4 Design class
offered from AMX University.
Project Migration
If a TP4 project file created with a previous version of TPDesign4 is opened (File > Open), the
Project Migration dialog appears, prompting you to continue with the migration process.
! Read-only: the next time this Project file is opened, the Enter Access Password dialog
appears, prompting the user to enter the correct password in order to gain write access to
the file. The password is not required to open and view the file.
Note that if a read-only file is opened without using the password, it cannot be saved
under a new file name.
! Locked: the next time the panel file is selected to open; the Enter Access Password
dialog appears, prompting the user to enter the correct password to open the file.
If the password is not entered correctly, the file will not be opened at all.
These protection options are not Windows file attributes, and are only relevant within
the context of the TPDesign4 application.
! Refresh Frequency: Select the desired refresh frequency for the selected panel, from the
drop-down list of supported refresh frequencies (based on the selected panel).
! Panel Strings: Use these three fields to specify text strings to appear on the panel, during
these three conditions (Startup, Wakeup and Sleep). For example, if entered the string
"Hello!" for the Wakeup string, the panel will display the message "Hello!" on wakeup.
! Power up page: Click the down-arrow to view a drop-down list of all pages currently
saved in this project. Click to select the initial startup page for the panel.
! Inactivity Page Flip: Click the down arrow to select which page to flip to after the
specified period of inactivity (set on the touch panel).
! Feedback Blink Rate: If you are using blinking button feedback in your project, use this
field to specify the blink frequency, in 1/10th-second increments (default = 5).
5. Locate and select the file(s) to import. TPDesign4 supports most popular image formats.
6. Click Open to import the files to the Images tab.
! When images of any supported file type (except PNG) are imported into a project, the
files are automatically converted to JPGs. For this reason, if you import (or paste) a file
that has the same name as a previously imported file (even if it has a different extension),
TPDesign4 automatically adds the "copy of" prefix to the file. PNGs are not converted
because they are already sufficiently compressed.
! The largest image size supported on the panels is 1280x1024. Any image files that are
imported to the project that are larger than 1280x1024 are automatically scaled down to
fit this maximum resolution. Any scaling that occurs is proportional, so that the image
will not be stretched.
If you import an image file that has already been imported to the Images tab, the
filename is changed to include the prefix "Copy of...". This is true even if the second
version of the image file you have imported is of a different file type with a different
extension.
! Type – The Type (button type) defaults to the button type (General, Bargraph, Joystick,
Multi-State General, Multi-State Bargraph, Text Area or Computer Control) that was set
when the button was created. To change the button a different type, click Type to activate
the button type drop-down menu, containing a list of all available button types. You can
use this option to change the selected button's type.
! Name – This is the button name. To give the button a specific name (other than the
default Button 1, Button 2, Button 3 etc.), click Name to activate the editable field, where
you can type the new name (max. 50 characters).
! Lock Button Name – This option controls how the name of the selected button is
managed by the program. When new buttons are created, by default the buttons are
automatically given a sequential two-part name composed of the button number (relative
to the number of buttons already created in the Project) and button type, separated by a
colon (i.e. "Button 1 : general", "Button 2 : multi-state general", etc).
! Left/Top – Position values. The Left and Top rows indicate the position of the selected
button, in pixels, relative to the upper-left corner of the Design View window. You can
edit these fields to apply specific positioning info for the button. Note that if you select
the button and manually move it around on the page, these constantly update to indicate
the current position.
! Width/Height – Size values. The Width and Height rows indicate the dimensions of the
selected button, in pixels. You can edit these fields to apply specific dimension info for
the button. Note that if you select the button and manually resize it on the page, these
constantly update to indicate the current dimensions.
! Above Popups – This option allows you the selected button(s) on a Main page to always
remain on top of any popup pages (default = No). This option is not available for buttons
on a popup page.
If you set this property on a button (on a main page), then copy that button to a popup
page, the program automatically resets this property to No.
! Touch Style – This selection drop-down allows you to set a "touch style" for the selected
button(s). Touch style describes the way buttons behave when pressed, in terms of the
shape and border style used. For example, by using transparencies you could create a
button that appears to be round (although the actual shape of the button is rectangular), in
which case you may not the button to respond if the user presses outside of the circular
border. See Working With Touch Styles and Active Touch for details.
! Border Style – To change the Border Style for the selected button, click Border Style,
and select the desired border style from the drop-down list.
! Disabled – Indicates how the selected button is rendered. If the button is set as Disabled
(select Yes from the drop-down), the button will be rendered by the panel in a subdued
state (default = No).
! Hidden – Indicates wether or not the selected button is displayed on the panel. If the
button is set as Hidden (select Yes from the drop-down), the button will disappear when
transferred to the panel (default = No).
! Password Protection – Choose the level of password protection to associate with this
button (none, one, two, three, or four).
! Page Flip – Click to view/create a list of page flips. Click the browse button (...) to open
the Button Page Flip Actions dialog.
! Active touch: This touch style limits the active touch area to the visible area of the
button. Areas of the button that are totally transparent will not respond to a press. For
example, if you created a totally transparent button with no border and an icon, only the
icon would respond to a press. Similarly, if a transparent button has a visible border but
no icon, only the border will respond to a press. Touching the transparent areas of the
button does not active the button.
Active Touch requires total transparency on the button in order to work. To make a
button totally transparent, set the Overall Opacity (state) setting to 0. If Overall
Opacity is set to any other value (for partial transparency), Active Touch will not work.
! Bounding box: This touch style forces the panel to respond to a press anywhere within
the rectangular boundaries of the button (regardless of transparencies or border styles).
! Pass through: This style allows the user to press "through" one button to press another
button underneath. If there is no other button underneath the pass through button, the user
simply presses the page (with no resulting action).
Allow several seconds after the panel is rebooted for it to appear in the Online Device
list in the Send To Panel or Receive From Panel dialogs.
! If the file was assigned Read-Only protection, the user has the option to click the Read-
Only button in this dialog to open the file, without any ability to save any changes.
! If the file was Locked, the user must enter the correct password in order to open the file at
all.
! Category: Click the down arrow to select a category of commands to display (select All
Commands to view the entire list).
! Show Accelerators For: Click the down arrow to select which hotkey template to
display.
If the System Page Template was opened as part of the Workspace, the Reload last
workspace option will cause the application to attempt to open the (password-
protected) System Page Template as part of the last opened workspace. In this case
you will be presented with the Enter Access Password dialog. Since there is not a
password to unlock the file, by design the only option is to open the System Page
Template as a Read-Only file.
Transparency
Transparent colors in TPDesing4 are represented by a checkerboard pattern. This set of options
allow you to modify the way that the transparency checkerboard appears. In certain situations,
changing the checkerboard style to different sizes, shades and/or colors can facilitate viewing and
working with graphics.
The Transparency checkerboard is visible on pages and popup pages that are
transparent, in the State Manager when a state is transparent, and in the Button
Preview when a state is transparent.
! Style: Click the down arrow to open a drop-down list of available checkerboard styles
that can be used to represent transparency. The options are Light, Medium, Dark and
Custom. If Custom is selected, the Custom Colors option is enabled (see below).
! Size: Click the down arrow to open a drop-down list of available checkerboard sizes. The
options are Tiny, Small, Medium and Large.
! Custom Colors: If Custom was selected as the Style (see above), then you can specify a
custom color combination for the checkerboard by selecting from these two drop-down
lists.
Magnifier Window
The Magnifier window allows you to magnify a given area of a design view for temporary viewing
in a separate floating window, without zooming the entire design view.
Select View > Magnifier Window (or click the toolbar button) to access the Magnifier Window.
! Right-click inside the Magnifier window to access the Magnify Control context menu,
where you can select a zoom factor from 2 to 8 times actual size.
! Close Page: Click to close only the page associated with the page tab that the context
menu was opened from (this does not close the active page).
! Close All Pages in Panel: Click to close all open pages in the panel file.
! Close All Pages in Panel Except: Click to close all open pages in this panel, except the
one on top.
! Close All Pages Except: Click to close all open pages except the one on top.
! Tab Icons: Click to hide/show the icons that appear in the tabs by default. These icons
can serve as a visual aid in that the icon color matched the color associated with the
parent project in the Workspace Navigator (Pages tab).
! Show Panel Name: Click to display the panel name prior to the page name on the tab.
! Tabs on Top: Click to move the page tabs to the top of the Design View windows area.
! Tabs at Bottom: Click to move the page tabs to the bottom of the Design View windows
area (default position).
To edit any of the listed button properties, click on an item in the right-hand column to
activate the field. Depending on the item selected, you can either set the item
manually, select from a drop-down menu, or both.
One feature of the Properties Control window (both tabs) is that you can click on any value in the
right column, and drag it to another field. When you release the mouse button, the value is copied to
the new location. With an item selected, the cursor will change to indicate any fields that cannot
accept the selected value, and if the selected value is out of the acceptable range for a target field,
TPDesign4 alerts you with an error dialog, and the original value is left unchanged.
! Feedback – Select the type of feedback to associate with this button (channel, inverted
channel, always on, momentary, blink, or none).
! Address Port – Select or enter the port to which the address code will be applied.
! Address Code – Select or enter the address code sent to the master on the selected port.
! Channel Port – Select or enter the port to which the channel code will be applied.
! Channel Code – Select or enter the channel code sent to the master on the selected port.
! Level Control Type – These options allow General buttons to directly control a level
without the need for NetLinx code. Select a level control type for the selected button
(Absolute, Relative or None). These options require additional parameters to be defined.
! Absolute: The button acts like a preset and sets the level to the desired value.
! Relative: The button increments or decrements the current level value by a fixed amount.
! String Output Port – Select or enter the port to which the output string will be applied.
! String Output – Specify the output string sent to the master on button push. Click the
browse button (...) to open the Enter Text dialog. Enter the output string and click OK (or
Cancel to exit without saving).
! Command Port – Select or enter the port to which the command string output will be
applied.
! Command Output – Specify the command string sent to the master on button push.
Click the browse button (...) to open the Enter Text dialog. Enter the command output and
click OK (or Cancel to exit without saving).
! Feedback – Select the type of feedback to associate with this button (channel, inverted
channel, always on, momentary, blink, or none).
! Address Port – Select or enter the port to which the address code will be applied.
! Address Code – Select or enter the address code sent to the master on the selected port.
! Channel Port – Select or enter the port to which the channel code will be applied.
! Channel Code – Select or enter the channel code sent to the master on the selected port.
! Level Control Type – These options allow General buttons to directly control a level
without the need for NetLinx code. Select a level control type for the selected button
(Absolute, Relative or None). These options require additional parameters to be defined.
! Absolute: The button acts like a preset and sets the level to the desired value.
! Relative: The button increments or decrements the current level value by a fixed amount.
! String Output Port – Select or enter the port to which the output string will be applied.
! String Output – Specify the output string sent to the master on button push. Click the
browse button (...) to open the Enter Text dialog. Enter the output string and click OK (or
Cancel to exit without saving).
! Command Port – Select or enter the port to which the command string output will be
applied.
! Command Output – Specify the command string sent to the master on button push.
Click the browse button (...) to open the Enter Text dialog. Enter the command output and
click OK (or Cancel to exit without saving).
! Address Port – Select or enter the port to which the address code will be applied.
! Address Code – Select or enter the address code sent to the master on the selected port.
! Channel Port – Select or enter the port to which the channel code will be applied.
! Channel Code – Select or enter the channel code sent to the master on the selected port.
! Level Port – Select or enter the port to which the Level code will be applied. Select 0
(Setup port) or 1 as the level port for this button.
! Level Code – Select or enter the level code sent to the master on the selected port. Select
Auto-Assign to automatically assign the level code to this button.
! Range Low – This field allows you to set the lower limit for the range used by this button
(0 - 255). The default setting is 0.
! Range High – This field allows you to set the upper limit for the range used by this
button (0 - 255). The default setting is 255.
! Range Inverted – If set to Yes, the range is inverted, so that the top of the level range is
0 and the bottom of the range is 255 on both the X and Y axis (default = No).
! Range Time Up – Specify the amount of time (in 1/10th seconds) it will take for the
bargraph to go from the bottom to the top of the specified range. This option is only
available if Active or Active Centering was selected as the Level Function (see above).
! Range Time Down – Specify the amount of time (in 1/10th seconds) it will take for the
bargraph to go from the top to the bottom of the specified range. This option is only
available if Active or Active Centering was selected as the Level Function (see above).
! String Output Port – Select or enter the port to which the output string will be applied.
! String Output – Specify the output string sent to the master on button push. Click the
browse button (...) to open the Enter Text dialog. Enter the output string and click OK (or
Cancel to exit without saving).
! Command Port – Select or enter the port to which the command string output will be
applied.
! Command Output – Specify the command string sent to the master on button push.
Click the browse button (...) to open the Enter Text dialog. Enter the command output and
click OK (or Cancel to exit without saving).
properties, click in the right-hand table cell to activate the field. Depending on the item selected,
you can either set the item manually, select from a drop-down menu, or both.
The following programming properties are supported for Multi-State Bargraph buttons:
! Address Port – Select or enter the port to which the address code will be applied.
! Address Code – Select or enter the address code sent to the master on the selected port.
! Channel Port – Select or enter the port to which the channel code will be applied.
! Channel Code – Select or enter the channel code sent to the master on the selected port.
! Level Port – Select or enter the port to which the Level code will be applied. Select 0
(Setup port) or 1 as the level port for this button.
! Level Code – Select or enter the level code sent to the master on the selected port. Select
Auto-Assign to automatically assign the level code to this button.
! Range Low – This field allows you to set the lower limit for the range used by this button
(0 - 255). The default setting is 0.
! Range High – This field allows you to set the upper limit for the range used by this
button (0 - 255). The default setting is 255.
! Range Inverted – If set to Yes, the range is inverted, so that the top of the level range is 0
and the bottom of the range is 255 (default = No).
! Range Time Up – Specify the amount of time (in 1/10th seconds) it will take for the
bargraph to go from the bottom to the top of the specified range. This option is only
available if Active or Active Centering was selected as the Level Function (see above).
! Range Time Down – Specify the amount of time (in 1/10th seconds) it will take for the
bargraph to go from the top to the bottom of the specified range. This option is only
available if Active or Active Centering was selected as the Level Function (see above).
! String Output Port – Select or enter the port to which the output string will be applied.
! String Output – Specify the output string sent to the master on button push. Click the
browse button (...) to open the Enter Text dialog. Enter the output string and click OK (or
Cancel to exit without saving).
! Command Port – Select or enter the port to which the command string output will be
applied.
! Command Output – Specify the command string sent to the master on button push.
Click the browse button (...) to open the Enter Text dialog. Enter the command output and
click OK (or Cancel to exit without saving).
! Address Port – Select or enter the port to which the address code will be applied.
! Address Code – Select or enter the address code sent to the master on the selected port.
! Channel Port – Select or enter the port to which the channel code will be applied.
! Channel Code – Select or enter the channel code sent to the master on the selected port.
! Level Port – Select or enter the port to which the Level code will be applied. Select 0
(Setup port) or 1 as the level port for this button.
! Level Code – Select or enter the level code sent to the master on the selected port. Select
Auto-Assign to automatically assign the level code to this button.
! Level Aux – This (read-only) field indicates the auxiliary level sent to the Master on the
selected port.
! Range Low – This field allows you to set the lower limit for the range used by this button
(0 - 255). The default setting is 0.
! Range High – This field allows you to set the upper limit for the range used by this
button (0 - 255). The default setting is 255.
! Range Inverted – If set to Yes, the range is inverted, so that the top of the level range is 0
and the bottom of the range is 255 on both the X and Y axis (default = No).
! Range Aux Inverted – If set to Yes, only the Level Aux range is inverted (default = No).
! String Output Port – Select or enter the port to which the output string will be applied.
! String Output – Specify the output string sent to the master on button push. Click the
browse button (...) to open the Enter Text dialog. Enter the output string and click OK (or
Cancel to exit without saving).
! Command Port – Select or enter the port to which the command string output will be
applied.
! Command Output – Specify the command string sent to the master on button push.
Click the browse button (...) to open the Enter Text dialog. Enter the command output and
click OK (or Cancel to exit without saving).
! Address Port – Select or enter the port to which the address code will be applied.
! Address Code – Select or enter the address code sent to the master on the selected port.
! Channel Port – Select or enter the port to which the channel code will be applied.
! Channel Code – Select or enter the channel code sent to the master on the selected port.
! Address Port – Select or enter the port to which the address code will be applied.
! Address Code – Select or enter the address code sent to the master on the selected port.
! Channel Port – Select or enter the port to which the channel code will be applied.
! Channel Code – Select or enter the channel code sent to the master on the selected port.
! String Output Port – Select or enter the port to which the output string will be applied.
! String Output – Specify the output string sent to the master on button push. Click the
browse button (...) to open the Enter Text dialog. Enter the output string and click OK (or
Cancel to exit without saving).
! Command Port – Select or enter the port to which the command string output will be
applied.
! Command Output – Specify the command string sent to the master on button push.
Click the browse button (...) to open the Enter Text dialog. Enter the command output and
click OK (or Cancel to exit without saving).