Pen Style dialog box
Use the Pen Style dialog box to customize the style of the pen that draws the point’s values during run time.
Accessing the dialog box
To access the Pen Style dialog box for a specific point, do the following:
- In the screen editor, select the Trend Control object, and then open its object properties.
- In the object properties, click Points.
- In the Points dialog box, select a point, and then click the Style column for that point.
This dialog box can also be opened on the project client during run time, by clicking the Pen Style tool in either the toolbar or the legend of the trend control. For more information, see About the trend control runtime interface.
The dialog box in detail
Figure 1. Pen Style dialog box
The Pen Style dialog box includes the following elements:
| Area / Element Name | Description | |
|---|---|---|
| Line Settings | State | You have the option of defining a Hi Limit and a Lo Limit for each data Point, with the Options dialog. The Pen Style Dialog allows you to configure different settings for the pen (e.g., color), both when its values are within the limits (Normal State) and not within the limits (Out of Limits state). |
| Use Normal Settings | Available only for the Out of Limits state. When checked, the pen will always be displayed with the settings for the Normal state, even if the data point values are not within the limits configured for it. | |
| Type | The type of line (e.g., solid, dashed, dotted) that connects the data points. | |
| Weight | The weight of the line that connects the data points. | |
| Expansion | The algorithm used to connect the points, as follows:
| |
| Marker | The shape used to mark each data point. If no shape is selected, then only the connecting line between points is displayed. | |
| Marker size | The size of the data point marker. | |
| Color | The color of the trend line and data point markers. | |
| Fill | Fill Type | The type of fill between the trend line and the number line. |
| Pattern File | The graphic file used to fill the trend area. Available only Fill Type is set to Custom Pattern.
Click the browse button to open a Windows file browser and then select the desired graphics file. The file should be located in your project folder. See below for an example of trends with custom fill patterns. | |
| Color | The color used to fill the trend area. Available only when Fill Type is set to Solid Color. | |
| Fill Transparency (%) | The transparency level of the fill. (If the fill is transparent, then other trends behind it can be seen through it, making the entire graph easier to read.) Available for both Custom Pattern and Solid Color. | |
: Consecutive points are directly connected to each other by an analog line. This option is suitable for numerical values.
: Consecutive points are connected only through horizontal or vertical steps (depending on the orientation of the trend display). This option is suitable for Boolean values.
Figure 2. Trends with custom fill patterns
Note: When your project is viewed on either a Windows Embedded device or a Thin Client (any OS), the Pen Style dialog box — which can be opened during run time; see “Accessing the dialog box” above —allows the user to change the pen color only.
Tip: To programmatically modify these pen style settings during run time, configure Style Modifer in the Options dialog box. For more information, see Modify the pen style of a point during run time.