Graphics Objects

Graphics Builder > Graphics Objects | Graphics Builder

Graphics objects are the components you add to a graphics page to create a meaningful representation of the process that the page will monitor. Objects are added to a page via Graphics Builder's drawing toolbox (see Display the Drawing Toolbox). Each button on the drawing toolbox allows you to add a particular graphic object type to the page that is currently displayed (see Graphics Object Types). Objects can be moved, reshaped, or copied after they have been added to a page.

Objects are defined by a set of properties that control how the object behaves at runtime. These properties can be used to assign keyboard commands and access rights to an object, and can be configured in such a way that the object will dynamically change at runtime when an expression returns a certain value or a variable tag changes state.

Each object has:

Properties that relate to the particular object type
Properties that are common to all objects.

Common object properties can be used to manipulate the following aspects of an object:

3D effects
Visibility
Movement
Scaling
Fill
Input commands
Slider control
Access
Metadata.

For example, you can associate a tool tip with any object. This is achieved via the object's Access (General) properties. For more information, see Define Common Object Properties.

Note: Some objects may not support every common property set. For example, buttons will not support slider behavior.

The Object Properties dialog box appears when an object is initially draw. You can also access it at any time by double-clicking an object.

Note: Object properties will override any conflicting Cicode display functions.