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PML Customisation

Introduction

PMLs Character Format

Customising a Graphical User Interface

Serious Warning About PML Customisation

Guide Structure

Hints on the Trying the Examples

Minimising Problems for Future Upgrades

Current PML2 Naming Convention

Note for Users Familiar with OO Concepts

Variables, Objects, Functions and Methods

Object Types

Members and Attributes

User-defined Object Types

Storing Object Type Definitions

Creating Variables (Objects)

Local and Global Variable Names

Notes on Naming Conventions

Creating a Variable with a Built-in Type

Creating Other Types of Variable

Using the Member Values of an Object

PML Functions and Methods

Storing and Loading PML Functions

PML Procedures

Arguments of type ANY

Using the Methods of an Object

Example

Methods on User-Defined Object Types

Method Overloading

Constructor Methods with Arguments

Overloading with ANY

Invoking a Method from Another Method

Developing a PML Object with Methods

Unset Variable Representations

UNSET Values and UNDEFINED Variables

Deleting PML Variables

Forms as Global Variables

General Features of PML

Comments in PML Files

Leaving a PML File with the RETURN Command

Storing and Loading PML Files

Rebuilding All PML File Indexes

Querying the Location of PML Files

PML Expressions

Format of Expressions

Units in Real Expressions

PML 1 and PML 2 Expressions

PML 2 Expressions

Control Logic

IF Construct

Nesting if-constructs

BOOLEAN Expressions and if Statements

IF TRUE Expression

DO Loops

Stopping a DO loop: break and breakif

Skipping Commands in a DO Loop using Skip or Skip if

Nested DO Loops

DO INDEX and DO VALUES

Jumping to a Labelled Line

Conditional Jumping to a Labelled Line

Illegal Jumping

Arrays

Arrays of Arrays (Multi-dimensional Arrays)

Array Methods

Appending a New Element to an Existing Array

Deleting an Array Element

Deleting an Array

Splitting a Text String into Array Elements

Length of String Array Elements

Sorting Arrays Using Array Methods

Sorting Arrays using the VAR Command

Subtotalling Arrays with the VAR Command

Arrays of Objects

Block Evaluation And Arrays

Using Block Evaluate to Sort an Array of Objects

DO VALUES and DO INDICES with Arrays

Macros

Naming and Running Macros

Macros with Arguments

Using Macros and Functions Together

Synonyms in PML Macros and Functions

Using PML in AVEVA Products

Composing Text

Defining Variables for Late Evaluation (Rules)

Using PML in AVEVA E3D™

Accessing DB Elements As Objects

Assigning Values to Element Attributes

Accessing Information About a Session

Evaluating Selected DB Elements

RAW keyword When setting Variables with VAR

Undo and Redo

Copies and References (for Advanced Users)

Assignment

Form and Gadget References

DB References

Deep Copy involving References:

Function Arguments

Constants as Function Arguments

Form and Gadget Properties Passed as Function Arguments

Database Attributes

Errors and Error Handling

Handling Errors

Setting the ONERROR Behaviour

Other Responses to an Error

Handling Files and Directories

Creating a File Object

Example

Reading from Files

Writing to Files

Reading and Writing ARRAYS

Error Handling When Using a File Object

Developing PML Code

Using Unicode Text

Textual File Handling

File Transcoding Utility

Using Unicode as the new AVEVA E3D™ Internal Format

PML Tracing

Diagnostic Messages From Within PML Files

Alpha Log

Alpha Log and PML Tracing

Suspending a Running PML Macro

Querying PML

Querying the Currently Running PML File Stack

Querying the Values of PML Variables

Querying What Can Be Typed Next

Form Concepts: Getting Started

Naming Forms and their Members

Simple Form

Adding a Gadget Callback

Form Definition File

How Forms are Loaded and Displayed

PML Directives

Revisiting our Simple Form

Form and Gadget Callbacks

Callbacks: Expressions

Callbacks: Form Methods / PML Functions

PML Open Callbacks

Open Callbacks at Meta-events

Using a PML Function in an Open Callback

Objects That Can Have Open Callbacks

Undo/Redo Support for Callbacks

Form Callbacks

Gadget Callbacks

Menu and Menufield Callbacks

Core Managed Objects

Forms

Modules and Applications

Minimum Size and Resizability

Intelligent Resizable Forms

Form and Frame Padding Control

Gadget Alignment Control

Form Members

Form Initialisation Callback

Form OK and CANCEL Callbacks

Quit/Close Callback

FIRSTSHOWN callback

KILLING callback

Form Variables: PML Variables within a Form

Form Opacity

Querying Form Members

Icons from Resource Files

Editing an existing Resources or Resx file

Create a New Resource File

Loading, Showing, and Hiding Forms

Loading and Showing Forms

Position of Forms on the Screen

Loading and Registering a Command

Attaching a Command to the UI

Killing a Command

Form Layout

System Font and Unicode Characters

Layout Modes

Tabset Frames

Gadget Boxes, Containers and Grid Co-ordinates

Positioning, Alignment and Size of Gadgets

Auto-placement

Default First Gadget Position in Containers

Relative Placement using the AT-syntax

Positioning Relative to a Previous Gadget

Positioning Relative to the Form Limits

Gadget Size Management

Set Size to the Positional Extent of a Previous Gadget

Set to Size of a Previous Gadget

TagWidth Attribute

Set Size to Literal Value

Intelligent Resizing

ANCHOR Attribute

DOCK Attribute

Basic use of the Frame's DOCK Attribute

More Complex Frame Docking

Syntax Graphs for Gadget Placement and Size

Gadget Size Syntax

Menus

Menu Types and Rules

Hints and Tips for Using Menu Types

Core-Code Based Menus

Defining a Bar Menu Gadget

Defining a Menu Object

Window Menu

Online Help Menu

Popup Menus

Finding Who Popped up a Menu

Toggle Menus

Editing Bars and Menus

Inserting Menus into a Bar

Inserting New Menu Fields

Changing the State of Menufields

Implied Menu-field Groups

Creating Menus Dynamically

Gadgets and their Attributes

Gadget Definition Commands

Some Generic Gadget Members and Methods

Gadgets that Support Pixmaps

Selected and Unselected States

AddPixmap Method

De-activating Gadgets: Greying Out

Greying Out Gadgets on Forms

Making Gadgets Visible and Invisible

Making Gadgets Visible and Invisible in Frames

Setting Keyboard Focus

Refreshing Gadgets

Gadget Background Colour

Managing Pages in Tabset Frames

Managing Fold Up Panel Frames

CONTAINER Gadget

Example of Container Gadget

Paragraph Gadgets

Textual Paragraph Gadgets

Pixmap Paragraph Gadgets

Textual Paragraph Gadgets

Button Gadgets

Buttons of Type Toggle

Buttons of type LINKLABEL

Form Control Attributes

Defining a Dismiss Button

Toggle Gadgets

RToggle Gadgets

Option and Combobox Gadgets

Textual Option Gadgets

Combobox Gadgets

Pixmap Option Gadgets

Setting and Getting the Current Selection

Single Choice List Gadgets

Multiple Choice List Gadgets

Multi-Column List Gadgets

Database Selector Gadgets

Text Gadgets

Controlling Text Gadgets’ Editing

Copying and Pasting into Text Fields

Formatting in Text Input Gadgets: Imperial Units

Unset Text Fields

Validating Input to Text Fields

Setting the Value of a Text Field

TextPane Gadgets

Fixed Width Font

Fast Access to Lists, Selectors and Textpanes using DO Loops

View Gadgets

Defining a View Gadget

Resizable View Gadgets

Pop-up Menus in Views

Defining Alpha Views

Graphical Views

Defining PLOT Views

Accessing DRAW 2D View

Defining MODEL’s Volume (3D) Views

Alert Objects

Position of Alerts

Input Alerts

FMSYS Object and its Methods

Managing the Default Form Layout Mode

Swapping Applications

Checking the Existence of Main Menus and Toolbars

Progress and Interrupt Methods

Writing to the AppWindow’s Status Field

Refreshing View Gadgets

Checking References to Other Forms

Splash Screen

Default Form Positioning

CurrentDocument() Method

LoadForm() Method

Cursor Function Support

Setting the Default Format Object for Text Fields

CMSYS Object and its Methods

Customising Tabbed Menus in Model

PML Add-ins

Application Switching

Defining a PML Add-in

PML Application Control Object

Initialisation

Forms

Registering a Form

Hiding Forms when Exiting Applications

Storing Data Between Sessions

Customising Tabbed Menus in Model

Example: Create a PML Add-in

Create a PML Add-in Definition

Create a PMLOBJ Control FIle

Create PML Commands

Create Image Resources

Create a UIC File

Test the PML Add-in

How to Add a PML Add-in to the PowerWheel™

Add a Context Menu to the UIC File

Create a PMLOBJ Control FIle

Test the PowerWheel™

Add Blank Segments to the PowerWheel™

Aveva.Core.PMLPseudos Addin

Manipulating VIEWS

Manipulating 2D Views

Manipulating 3D Views

Converting a Form to VarChars and Layout Form

Convert Setup Form from FixChars to VarChars

Convert from Setup Form VarChars to Layout Form

Core Managed Objects

Form Core Support

FORM Core Code Interface

Gadget Core Support

GADGET Core Code Interface

Menufield Core Support

MENUFIELD core code interface

PML Defined Menufields Managed by Application Framework Addins

Use of Flexible Explorer Control

Sample Addin:FlexibleExplorerAddin

Flexible Explorer Definitions in XML Files

Description of the Sample Flexible Explorer XML File (FlexibleExplorerSample.xml)

Limitations & Recommendations