1.1. Open the Expression Editor in CimEdit

About this task

There are several places in CimEdit where you enter an expression as part of your configuration.

The expression is entered in an Expression field.

 

Several tools are available to help you build the expression, including the following.

  • Point, variable and operation selections located to the right of an Expression field.
  • Edit Expression dialog box.
  • Expression Editor operations.

Point, Variable and Operation selections located to the right of an Expression field

Procedure

  1. Click the Popup Menu button  to the right of an Expression field in a Properties dialog box.

    The Popup menu opens with the following tools that help build expressions.

    A Opens:
    • The Select a Point browser.
    • The Point Properties dialog box for a selected point.
    • A New Point dialog box.
    • The Expression Editor.
    B Opens a Select a (Historian) Tag browser.
    C Displays extended menus with the expression operations and functions that are associated with the selected category.
    D Opens the Select Variable browser
  2. Double click an operation to select it.

    The operation is put at the current cursor position in the input box. If the operation requires an argument, the cursor is positioned for you to type the argument.

  3. Insert a Point ID, point attribute or variable either after the operator or between parentheses, if they appear with an operator.
    Note: Guidelines
    • A CimEdit/CimView expression can be up through 3000 characters long.
    • When you use a device Point ID in the Expression Editor for virtual points, the raw value of the point is used by default.
    • If you want to use the engineering units value, enter EU_CONV(< point_id >) in the expression.

    Edit Expression dialog box

    The Edit Expression dialog box provides an area to create an expression with all the operators listed for your convenience.

    Click either button to the right of an Expression field to open the Edit Expression dialog box.

    A Opens the Expression Editor.
    B Displays a Popup menu; select Edit Expression to open the Expression Editor.

    Buttons in the Edit Expression dialog box do the following.

    Button Description
    OK Closes the Expression Editor and enters the saved expression in the Expression field.
    Cancel Cancels the expression session and closes the Expression Editor
    If the Expression field:  
    Was blank.  
    Had an expression.  
    Help Opens help.
    Browse Opens the Select a Point browser.
    Edit Opens the Point Properties dialog box for a selected point in the expression box.
    New Opens a New Point dialog box.