Functional explanation
The Equipment Symbol Library is delivered as an EnvisionSCADA project. It contains one page per equipment type under the library path Equipment Library, one overview page per equipment group, a design system page, a primitives page and an example screen. Each equipment page holds the symbol master, the faceplate master and one live instance of the symbol.
The symbols follow the ISA-101 high performance HMI philosophy: equipment is drawn as neutral line art on a mid-grey page, a running or open equipment is drawn solid and a stopped or closed one hollow, and colour is reserved for abnormal conditions (fault, warning, alarm severity, interlock, communication failure, bad quality). Every coloured cue is paired with a glyph so it never relies on colour alone, and the silhouette of an equipment never changes with its state.
The symbol represents the equipment and carries no controls: clicking a symbol opens its faceplate, hovering it shows a tooltip with its tag, description and state. The faceplate provides the status, mode, commands, values, trend and alarms of the equipment.
Library structure
The pages are organised by library path in the Pages panel of the Quick Menu. Symbol masters carry the same library path as their page, faceplate masters sit in a Faceplates sub folder and the shared primitives in the Design System folder of the Symbols panel.
| Library path | Pages | Content |
|---|---|---|
| Equipment Library/00 Design System | Lib_DesignSystem, Lib_Primitives | State matrix of six reference symbols in every state, colour palette, type scale, geometry notes; the primitive masters every symbol and faceplate is composed from |
| Equipment Library/01 Rotating Equipment | Lib_Rotating_Overview, Lib_Rotating_Pump, Lib_Rotating_Motor, ... | Pump, centrifugal pump, positive displacement pump, motor, fan, blower, compressor, turbine, agitator, conveyor, screw conveyor, belt conveyor, feeder, crusher, mill |
| Equipment Library/02 Valves | Lib_Valves_Overview, Lib_Valves_ControlValve, ... | Ball, butterfly, gate, globe, check, solenoid, control, three-way, four-way, motorized, pneumatic and safety / relief valves |
| Equipment Library/03 Tanks and Vessels | Lib_Vessels_Overview, Lib_Vessels_StorageTank, ... | Storage tank, process tank, hopper, silo, pressure vessel, reactor, separator, scrubber |
| Equipment Library/04 Process Equipment | Lib_Process_Overview, Lib_Process_HeatExchanger, ... | Heat exchanger, heater, furnace, boiler, chiller, cooling tower, evaporator, condenser, dryer, filter, membrane / RO unit |
| Equipment Library/05 Electrical | Lib_Electrical_Overview, Lib_Electrical_CircuitBreaker, ... | Circuit breaker, motor breaker, contactor, disconnect switch, transformer, generator, UPS, battery, variable frequency drive, soft starter, power meter |
| Equipment Library/06 Instrumentation | Lib_Instruments_Overview, ... | Pressure gauge, temperature gauge, flow meter, level gauge, weigh scale, speed indicator, vibration sensor |
| Equipment Library/07 Utility Equipment | Lib_Utility_Overview, ... | Air compressor, air dryer, HVAC unit, cooling unit, water treatment unit, dosing pump |
| Equipment Library/08 Safety Equipment | Lib_Safety_Overview, ... | Emergency stop, safety valve, fire pump, fire extinguisher, fire detector, gas detector |
| Equipment Library/09 Example Screen | Lib_ExampleScreen | A water treatment train built from the library symbols with process piping, electrical feed, instrument signals and utilities |
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Equipment page
Every equipment page shows the same four areas.
Symbol master: the reusable master symbol of the equipment type, named SYM_ followed by the equipment name (for example SYM_Pump). Place instances of it on any page with the Symbols panel or with the Design API and MCP tools.
Faceplate master: the popup master of the equipment type, named FP_ followed by the equipment name (for example FP_Pump). The symbol opens it with the OpenPopup action and passes its own replacer values, so the faceplate always shows the equipment that was clicked.
Live instance: one placed instance of the symbol (for example P-101), driven by client variables. Click it to open the faceplate, hover it to see its state. The Signals panel next to it lists the values of its client variables.
State controls: buttons that force a condition on the live instance: Fault, Warning, Interlock, Permissive not met, Manual, Local, Maintenance, Disabled, Comm failure, Bad quality, a test alarm of severity 1 to 4, Acknowledge, Reset and the commands of the equipment (Start / Stop, Open / Close, Close / Open). They write the client variables of the instance in the browser; nothing is written to a device.
State model
Every symbol shows its state with the same layers: the body fill, an attention ring around the body, a glyph badge at the bottom left of the ring, mode badges at the top right and an alarm badge at the top left. The identity of the equipment never changes; only these layers do.
Alarms are shown by the Alarm Indicator, which is a setting of the symbol itself rather than part of the drawing. On a symbol that is linked to a UDT instance the runtime draws a frame around the symbol in the colour of the worst active alarm severity, with the severity shape and the number of active alarms as a badge on the top left corner. Frame and badge blink while any of those alarms is unacknowledged and disappear when no alarm is active. The attention ring is reserved for a condition the alarm system does not report: a symbol whose equipment is interlocked. Fault, warning and communication failure raise alarms, so the Alarm Indicator already frames those, and drawing a second ring for them would put two frames around one symbol. Each condition keeps its own glyph badge, so it stays identifiable without relying on colour.
| State | Body fill | Ring | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stopped / closed / de-energized | Hollow | None | None |
| Running / open / energized | Solid | None | None |
| Starting / stopping / opening / closing | Intermediate grey | None | None |
| Manual | As state | None | M badge, top right |
| Local | As state | None | L badge, top right |
| Warning | As state | Orange | Exclamation glyph |
| Alarm | As state | As state | Severity shape with the active alarm count, top left: square for severity 1, inverted triangle for 2, triangle for 3, diamond for 4; blinks while unacknowledged |
| Fault | As state | Red | F glyph |
| Interlocked | As state | Amber | Lock glyph |
| Permissive not satisfied | As state | None | P glyph |
| Maintenance | As state | None | Wrench glyph |
| Disabled | Disabled grey | None | Slash glyph; the compact value is hidden |
| Communication failure | Disabled grey | Purple | Question mark glyph; values show --- |
| Bad quality | As state | None | Question mark glyph; values show --- |
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Faceplates
A faceplate is a fixed frame around a tabbed container. The frame is always visible and shows the equipment tag, its description and type, the status lamps and, at the bottom, the runtime, the number of starts and the last command. An operator never has to open a tab to see whether the equipment is faulted.
The detail sits on tabs, in the same order on every faceplate. A tab is shown when the equipment has content for it, so a pressure gauge has Values, Trend, Alarms and Limits while a pump has Operate, Values, Trend and Alarms.
The status lamps differ per kind: Running / Fault / Interlock / Permissive / Comm fail for a motor, Open / Closed / Fault / Interlock / Comm fail for a valve, Energized / Closed / Tripped / Fault / Comm fail for a breaker, Quality OK / Warning / Fault / Maintenance / Comm fail for an instrument.
| Tab | Content | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Operate | Auto / Manual and Local / Remote, the commands (START / STOP / RESET, OPEN / CLOSE / RESET, CLOSE / OPEN / RESET, RESET), the setpoint, and for a controller the process value, setpoint and output with its output limits and the TUNING button | What the operator acts on. This is the tab a faceplate opens on. |
| Values | The value tiles of the equipment, and for electrical equipment the current, voltage, power and frequency | What the operator reads. |
| Trend | A trend of up to four pens over a five minute window | Recent behaviour. |
| Alarms | The alarms of this equipment, and the ACKNOWLEDGE button where the kind has one | Acknowledging sits with the list it acknowledges. |
| Limits | The HIGH HIGH, HIGH, LOW and LOW LOW limits, with the active limit marked | Shown for instruments, vessels and detectors. |
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The sections an equipment gets depend on its faceplate kind. Each section appears on the tab listed above.
| Faceplate kind | Tabs | Equipment |
|---|---|---|
| Motor | Operate (Auto / Manual, START / STOP / RESET, setpoint), Values (speed, current, power, winding temperature, vibration), Trend, Alarms | Pumps, fans, blowers, compressors, conveyors, crushers, mills, utility units |
| Valve | Operate (mode, OPEN / CLOSE / RESET), Values (position, command status, open hours), Trend, Alarms | On / off valves |
| Control | Operate (mode, process value, setpoint and output, output limits, TUNING), Values, Trend, Alarms | Control valves, heaters, boilers, chillers, dryers |
| Analog | Values, Trend, Alarms (with ACKNOWLEDGE), Limits | Instruments, static process units |
| Vessel | Values (level, temperature, pressure), Trend, Alarms (with ACKNOWLEDGE), Limits | Tanks, hoppers, silos, reactors, separators |
| Breaker | Operate (mode, CLOSE / OPEN / RESET), Values (current, voltage, power, frequency), Trend, Alarms | Breakers, contactors, disconnect switches |
| Generator | Operate (mode, START / STOP / RESET), Values (electrical measurements), Trend, Alarms | Generator, UPS |
| Meter | Values (electrical measurements), Trend, Alarms | Transformer, power meter, battery |
| Safety | Operate (RESET / ACKNOWLEDGE), Values, Alarms | Emergency stop, fire extinguisher |
| Detector | Values, Trend, Alarms (with ACKNOWLEDGE), Limits | Fire detector, gas detector, safety / relief valve |
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Linking a symbol to real equipment
Every symbol master and faceplate master uses the same five replacers, with the same keys on every master, so one mapping applies to the whole library.
| Replacer | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Variable prefix | Prefix of every variable of the equipment; the symbol appends _Signal | client.P101, PLC1.P101 |
| Equipment tag | The tag shown under the symbol and in the faceplate header | P-101 |
| Description | The description shown in the faceplate header and the tooltip | Intake pump A |
| Engineering unit | The unit of the primary process value | m3/h |
| Faceplate symbol | The faceplate master the symbol opens | FP_Pump |
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In the library the Variable prefix is a client variable prefix such as client.P101, and the symbol reads client.P101_Run, client.P101_Fault, client.P101_Flow and so on. To connect a symbol to real equipment, set the Variable prefix of the instance to the prefix of the equipment's variables (for example PLC1.P101 when the variables are named PLC1.P101_Run, PLC1.P101_Flow, ...), or bind the master in a UDT definition and map the definition's parameters to the five replacers. The signal names the symbols and faceplates expect are listed in the design reference of the library (Run, Starting, Stopping, Open, Closed, Opening, Closing, Energized, Tripped, Fault, Warning, Auto, Remote, Interlock, Permissive, Disabled, Maint, CommFail, Quality, AlarmSev, AlarmCount, AlarmUnack, PV, SP, MV, Position, Speed, Current, Voltage, Power, Level, Temperature, Pressure, Flow, Vibration, Runtime, Starts, HH, H, L, LL, OutMin, OutMax, Kp, Ti, Td and the commands CmdStart, CmdStop, CmdOpen, CmdClose, CmdReset, CmdAuto, CmdManual, CmdAck).
Trend ranges and the number of decimals are part of each equipment master, so choose the master whose range fits the equipment, or copy the master and adjust it.
The library contains eleven UDT definitions, one per faceplate kind: Lib_Motor, Lib_Valve, Lib_Control, Lib_Analog, Lib_Vessel, Lib_Breaker, Lib_Genset, Lib_Meter, Lib_Safety, Lib_Detector and Lib_Passive. Each one binds every symbol master of its kind and maps the five replacers above, so an equipment type is an instance with its own parameter values (tag, description, engineering unit, range, setpoint, full load amps, rated power and the four alarm limits) rather than a definition of its own.
In the library every member is created on the device Local, so the project runs without a PLC and each instance owns variables named <Instance>_<Signal>. To drive the symbols from real equipment, point the members of a copy of the definition at your own device, or map the five replacers on your own definition; the symbol masters need no change either way.
Use Create UDT Symbol to place a symbol for an instance. That is what links the symbol to the instance, which is also what the Alarm Indicator needs before it draws anything.
Every instance is attached to a node in the Asset Manager: the catalogue under Library and its eight equipment groups, and the example screen under Plant and its areas. Attaching an instance is what lets the Navigator list it, gives its alarms an Asset path the viewers can filter on, and produces the alarm counts per node.
Attaching an instance also changes its name: the full name is composed from the asset path plus the instance name, so P101 attached to Library/Rotating is named Library.Rotating.P101. The variables are not named after that. They follow the Key parameter, which holds the tag without separators, so the variables of that instance stay P101_Speed and moving the equipment to another node in the tree leaves every variable name unchanged.
Colour Library and themes
Every colour of the library is a Color Library name (Bg_Page, Eq_On, Eq_Off, St_Fault, Al_Sev1, Text_Primary, ...). The project contains two themes, ISA Light (default) and ISA Dark, and a Select Theme action switches the whole library between them. Changing an entry in the Color Library restyles every symbol and faceplate that uses it.
Installing the library in an existing project
The delivered project file replaces the project it is imported into, so it is the way to open the library as a project of its own. To add the library to a project that already exists, import three parts in this order.
| Part | Where | What it carries |
|---|---|---|
| Colour library | Configuration, Color Library | Every colour name the symbols use, in both themes |
| Pages | Configuration, Pages, Import | All symbol and faceplate masters, with their library paths |
| UDT types | Configuration, UDT Manager, Import | The eleven definitions, their members, alarms, simulation and symbol links |
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The colour library is imported first because the symbols reference its entries by name. The pages are imported next, on the Pages screen, and carry every symbol master and faceplate master; a page whose name already exists is updated and a new one is added. The UDT types are imported last, from the UDT Manager, and carry the definitions, their members, the simulation and the links to the symbol masters. A definition that names a master which is not present is imported with a warning, so importing the types before the pages reports the missing masters instead of failing.
Extending the library
A new equipment type is one entry in the generator catalogue (Tools/SymbolLibrary in the EnvisionSCADA repository) plus, when the silhouette is new, one 64 x 64 body drawing. The generator creates the page, the symbol master, the faceplate master, the live instance and the page script through the MCP tools, so the new type follows the design system automatically. Adding a new faceplate section is one new primitive master on the Lib_Primitives page. The design reference Docs/Design/SymbolLibrary.md documents the visual system, the state model, the signal contract and the component architecture.