Call built-in Interval Control as a user Pick Action

[rlao]

Hi,

When configuring fields such as alarm redirection delays and execution offsets (time-based interval properties) in a database object's properties, it brings up a nice Interval control popup that lets you explicitly specify number of hours, minutes, seconds, etc. which makes configuration very intuitive.

However, when you call a control method on those types of properties as a pick action for example, you don't get that nice interval control popup. You just get a generic control dialog box and you are forced to input your desired interval as number of seconds.

Is there a way to call that nice Interval control as a user method so I can put it into a mimic script?

[BevanWeiss · Accepted solution]

There is no way that I know of to do this.

In the past we've always had to create a VB form to allow for such 'complex' data entry.

It might warrant a feature request however.  I'm just not sure how it could be exposed.  The ?Control action really attaches to an entire point object.  I guess there could possibly be a ?Configure:'PropertyName' action exposed which would call up the appropriate custom dialog for the PropertyName specified.  Aggregates could be handled with

?Configure:'AggregateName.PropertyName'

But again, I don't believe anything like this is currently available within ClearSCADA.

[BevanWeiss]

Immediately after I posted the reply I thought of a way that 'might' have worked.  But I just tested it and it didn't.  So you can strike out this option.

If you call a Logic Program which has VAR_INPUT parameters configured, put don't specify them when executing (through a UI control), it will prompt you to enter the parameter value.  I was hoping that having a TIME VAR_INPUT it would prompt in a fashion that allowed for entering of time duration, which could then be scaled into the appropriate property value.  Unfortunately this was not the case, and it only provided a simple text entry field (which I'll raise a feature request to try to enhance).

So there's no working option I can recommend sorry.

[tfranklin]

We've requested this feature a number if times in the past.  My first thought was to have them utilize the DisplayObjectMenu function call and add an option for something like &ControlOnly=TRUE to the end.  DisplayObjectMenu accesses the entirety of the object similar to the ?Control function would. 

We've tried using DisplayObjectMenu and excluding everything but control, but since there are other items in that "Group" of exclusions it ultimately still prompts you to select something prior to getting the control menu. 

To those who roam the forums about, please consider this feature in future releases.  As Bevan mentioned, the only suitable workaround is to script a form that is somewhat complex due to consideration of varying datatypes and error handling with control min/max. 

[rlao]

Thanks bevan, I feared this might have been the case. Looks like I'll just have to script a user form myself