A Pen allows viewing data available on the Connections tab. Each Pen has a check box, which indicates whether they are visible on a Display, an icon with a color, and a name. When right-clicking a Pen, users can select the options described on the next table.
Available options on the contextual menu of a Pen
Option |
Description |
|---|---|
Bring to Front |
Moves the selected Pen one position up in the overlay order of Pens. The available options are Bring to Front: Moves the selected Pen to the first position or Bring Forward: Moves the selected Pen one position up |
Send to Back |
Moves the selected Pen one position down in the overlay order of Pens. The available options are Send to Back: Moves the selected Pen to the last position or Send Backward: Moves the selected Pen one position down |
Fit |
Fits the Pen from the selected Display on both vertical and horizontal axes |
Edit |
Allows editing information about the selected Pen |
Show Details |
Shows a window with detailed information about a Pen |
Delete Pen |
Removes the selected Pen from the Display |
NOTES |
When deselecting the check box near a Pen, that Pen stops receiving real-time data. |
When selecting the Edit option on the contextual menu of a Pen, the window on the next figure is displayed.
Edit window
The available options on this window are described on the next table.
Available options on the Edit window
Option |
Description |
|---|---|
Title |
Allows changing the title of a Pen |
Connection |
Allows selecting the type of connection of a Pen. Possible values are Discrete or Continuous |
Line type |
Allows selecting the type of line of a Pen. Possible values are None: No line, only dots, Solid: Solid line, Area: Draws the Pen's area, Dash: Dashed line, Dash Dot: Line with dash-dot, or Dash Dot Dot: Line with dash-dot-dot |
Point type |
Allows selecting the type of points of a Pen. Possible values are None: No indication of points, Circle, Square, Triangle, or Diamond |
Line width |
Allows configuring the width of the drawing line of a Pen |
Type |
Allows configuring the type of connection. Possible values are Don't connect bad points: Does not connect points with bad quality, Connect until bad: Connects points until quality turns bad, Ignore bad: Ignores points with bad quality, or Connect all points: Always connects all points |
Scan (ms) |
Allows configuring the scan time of a Pen |
NOTE |
The Line type and Point type options cannot be configured simultaneously with the value None. |
When clicking the Show Details option on the contextual menu of a Pen, the window on the next figure is displayed.
Details window
The available options on this window are described on the next table.
Available options on the Details window
Option |
Description |
|---|---|
Connection |
Shows the name of a Pen's connection |
Source |
Shows a Pen's data source |
Status |
Shows the status of the last query of a Pen |
Duration |
Shows the duration time of the last query of a Pen |
Points received |
Shows the number of points received during the last query of a Pen |
To change the color of a Pen, right-click the icon with the current color, near the Pen's name, to open the default Windows color selection window, according to the next figure.
Window to select a color for a Pen
To link a Pen to a Plot Area or to a Vertical Axis, drag the Pen from Task Panel's Connections tab to a Plot Area or to a Vertical Axis.
If the Pen is dragged to a Plot Area, it is linked to the first Vertical Axis of that Plot Area. If it is dragged to a Vertical Scale, the Pen is linked to this Vertical Scale and its respective Plot Area.
Users can also right-click a Pen on the Connections tab and select the Insert option. In this case, the Pen is linked to the Display selected at the time and, in case this Display contains more than one Plot Area, the Pen is linked to the lower Plot Area.
To remove a Pen, right-click it and select the Delete Pen option. The dialog box on the next figure is shown, requesting a confirmation for the removal operation.
Confirming the removal of a Pen