Lascar PanelPilotACE Design Studio Instruction Manual

PanelPilotACE Design Studio

Target System Requirements

• Minimum Operating System: Windows XP SP3, or Windows Server 2003 SP2 (not tested on
Windows Servers)

• CPU: x86 AMD64

• RAM: 512 MB

• Hard disk: 200 MB free space

• Minimum Screen Resolution: 1152x800

• Network: Not required

• USB Port: at least 1 free USB 2.0 (or above) Port

• Administrator privilege to install the application

• Key board and Mouse

Getting Started

Starting Panel Pilot ACE

PanelPilotACE Design Studio provides user with two windows one is the

Window and PanelPilotACE Design Window.

PanelPilotACE Home

Each time you open PanelPilotACE Design Studio you are taken directly to the Home Window
which gives quick information on Recent Projects,
projects and getting started information with tutorial videos.

The projects designed in design studio can be directly opened by double clicking the project file.
The project is opened in the design studio and you are directly taken to the designer window which
provides the user with all the tools for designing the project.

Working with projects

Design studio project specifies the files, folders, and image resources that make up the project.

A project created is stored in the folder is made up of,

• Images: A folder that stores all the images used in designing the project.

• Project: A file with project name followed by a ppproj extension.

• Preview image: A preview (.png) file that stores the project’s default screen image.

PanelPilotACE Design Studio is a Multiple Document Interface (MDI), it supports working on

multiple project files. Features supported are,

• Multiple project files can be opened in Design Studio.

Project templates to start with pre-designed basic

• Multiple project files can be saved with Save All option.

• Multiple project files can be closed with Close All option.

• User can use the project elements from another open project in the Design Studio to any

other open project in the Design Studio (using copy and paste actions on elements).

• Screen from an open project in Design Studio can be copied to another project in Design
Studio (using copy and paste actions on screen).

Using Projects

Project Properties

Project is designed using screen/screens. Project designed is associated with the device model it
is designed for. Project properties that can be configured are,

• Project Name: This sets the name of the project and the project name is valid if it satisfies the
following validator conditions,

The project's identifier name must have at least 2 characters and cannot have more

than 248 characters.

Only the following characters are allowed:

'a' to 'z', 'A' to 'Z', '0' to '9', ' ' (Space), '~', '`', '!', '@', '#', '$', '%', '&', ''', '(', ')', '-', '_', '+', '=', '{', '}',
'[', ']', ',', '.'

The name cannot start with space or '.', and the following keywords are reserved (case
insensitive):

AUX, COM1, COM2, COM3, COM4, COM5, COM6, COM7, COM8, COM9, CON, LPT1, LPT2, LPT3,
LPT4, LPT5, LPT6, LPT7, LPT8, LPT9, NUL, PRN

For example, identifier name "aux" is not allowed, and "aux.project" is also not allowed. But
"aux_project" and "project.aux" are allowed.

• Device Model: This is a read only property, displays the model of the device for which this
project is designed.

• Display Brightness: The display brightness of the device can be set here.

• Device Screen Size: The device screen size is a read only property; this is set with the initial

device configuration, related to the device model.

• Analogue Input Channels: This is a read only property and is set with the device configuration,
related to the device model.

• Alarm output Channels: This is a read only property and is set with the device configuration,
related to the device model.

• PWM Output Channels: This is a read only property and is set with the device configuration,
related to the device model.

• Digital Input/output Channels: The number of digital input/output channels available is set with
the device configuration, related to the device model. The signal type of these channels can be
set.

o Signal Type configured to Input: Function elements that use input signal type - Digital

Channel Indicator.

o Signal Type configure to Output: Function elements that use output signal type - Switch,

Switch with Indicator, Digital Output Controller.

• Default Screen: Project’s default screen can be set here. Default screen is the first screen to be
loaded on to the device display screen.

To set default screen for a project, do one of the following,

 Project browser, click project , change the default screen property in the

property editor

 Project browser, right click the screen and select set as default screen option provided

in the context menu.

Note: Default screen in the project browser is always indicated in bold fonts.

Creating a New Project

This tutorial guides you through the process of creating a new project in PPACE Design Studio.
(Design Window)

To create a new project in design studio, do one of the following:

• Click the New Project Button on the toolbar.

• Press Ctrl + N.

• On File Menu, click New.

Any of these steps launches the New Project dialog box, from which you can select the project

that you want to create.

The New Project Dialog,

• Once the New Project Dialog opens user can change the project name and also the storage
path for the created project files.

• Set as default Project location option is provided to let the user set the default project
location path and this is the default path set in for new project action.

The new project thus created has an empty screen for the user to start designing the

project.