ASCENTCompass1.5 UserGuide
ASCENTCompass1.5 UserGuide
5
User Guide
WELCOME TO COMPASS
Welcome to Compass, Alerton’s operator workstation
software for building automation systems.
Compass is your command and control center for facility
operations — from HVAC equipment to irrigation, lighting,
security, and more. Here, you can view and command site
equipment and systems with unprecedented flexibility and
power.
COMPASS 1.5 USER GUIDE
Header
The header includes branding information (a dealer logo and/or a customer logo) and the user name or
the user currently logged in. Clicking the user name opens a menu that allows the user to enable or
disable tool tips, enable or disable automatic scaling of the content display area (Autoscaling), logging
out, and change their password (non-LDAP users).
Tool bar
The tool bar is a set of icons on the left side of the page. Click the icons to navigate data displays, use
Compass tools, and to show or hide controls.
Navigation tree
The navigation tree presents system zones and devices in a graphical tree. You can set up the tree to
reflect system configuration in different views. For example, you could list devices by floors in a building
or by network number.
Access the navigation tree by clicking the Navigation icon in the left navigation panel.
The navigation tree’s appearance is configured by entering data in a spreadsheet file on the Compass
workstation. See the Compass workstation documentation for more information.
Tools menu
The Tools menu gives you access to Compass features such as Device Manager, Energy Logs, Zones,
and Users & Groups..
NOTE NOTE: The Tools menu is only available in a browser launched from any thick-client workstation..
Access the Tools menu by clicking the Tools icon in the left navigation panel.
Feature buttons
Feature buttons provide quick access to such Compass features as:
• Alarm Manager
• Top Display
• DataViewer
• Summary Pages
• Schedule Points/Zones
• System Activity
• User Sessions
Open the feature buttons panel by clicking the icon in the left navigation panel.
Alarm notification
An alarm banner appears at the top of the window when an alarm is annunciated. It lists the point in
alarm and the time elapsed since the occurrence. It also provides a link to Alarm Manager.
Printing
You can print a Compass screen by clicking the printer icon at the top right of some screens or by using
the browser Print function.
1. Click the Print icon or select Print from the browser menu.
2. Check the browser print settings and ensure that printing of background colors and images
is turned on. Some images and colors will not print if this is not enabled.
3. Click Print.
Using filters
Click Filter Options to expand and collapse the filter area. Filter Options lets you select alarms on
these criteria:
• Alarm status (enabled, disabled, or both)
• Alarm state (in alarm, returned to normal, and so on)
• Date range
• Priority
• Alarm Description
Select or type the criteria you are using to filter and then click Update Table.
Viewing alarms
The alarm list shows all current alarms that meet the criteria selected in Filter Options. By default, they
are sorted by status, then by priority, and then by the date and time that they occurred. Sort the list by
clicking the column headings.
Navigate to additional pages in the list using the page number icons at the lower right.
About alarms
Alarms monitor data points in the BACtalk system for conditions you specify, and then generate alarm
messages when one of those conditions is met.
Three components make up a Compass alarm:
• The monitored property, which is the status or value that the alarm watches for an alarm state.
• The alarm setup (in BACnet, technically known as an event-enrollment object), which is saved in a
global or building controller. It watches the monitored point to generate an alarm.
• The alarm handler (in BACnet, technically known as a notification class object), which determines
what pagers and email accounts are notified when an alarm occurs.NOTE: Only the Compass
primary workstation (server) MUST be defined in alarm handlers.
Viewing alarms
Alarm Manager helps you monitor alarm conditions across your BAS.
Column Description
Status
Most Recent Occurrence The date and time that the alarm status last
changed.
Acked Time The date and time that the latest alarm
occurrence was acknowledged.
4. Sort the list by clicking the column headings (cannot sort on Live Data). Data is sorted in this
order:
NOTE:Alarm status is sorted in this order before secondary and tertiary sorting is applied:
• Off Normal, unacknowledged
• Fault, unacknowledged
• Off Normal, acknowledged
• Fault, acknowledged
• Normal, unacknowledged
• Normal, acknowledged
• No alarm
5. Right click a device description or live data value to access a context menu (does not apply
to communication failure alarms).
6. (Optional) Configure alarm priority.
a. From the Alarm Manager, click the gear icon in the upper right corner.
b. Click Configure Alarm Priority.
c. To create a new priority, click Add.
d. Type a priority number in the range of 0–255. Lower numbers represent higher
priorities.
e. Type a text label that describes the severity of the alarm.
Alarm notifications
An alarm banner appears at the top of the window when an alarm is annunciated. It lists the alarm
description, alarm message (if configured), and the time elapsed since the occurrence. It also provides
a link to Alarm Manager.
Alarm banners appear red when an alarm occurs and gray when an alarm returns to normal.
Binary alarms
In alarm, unacknowledged
In alarm, acknowledged
In alarm, unacknowledged
In alarm, acknowledged
In alarm, unacknowledged
In alarm, acknowledged
Communication alarms
In alarm, unacknowledged
In alarm, acknowledged
Fault alarms
In alarm, unacknowledged
In alarm, acknowledged
No occurrence
Column Description
Status
Acked By and Acked Time The user that acknowledged the alarm and
the date/time it was acknowledged.
3. To view or add comments to an occurrence, click the yellow comment icon. The number on
the icon indicates the number of comments added to that occurrence. Once saved,
comments cannot be edited or deleted.
© Honeywell LT-DG-CMPSWEBUI1.5 | Revised July 2016
17
COMPASS 1.5 USER GUIDE
4. To clear or purge an alarm occurrence, click Action and then click Clear or Purge. Clearing
an alarm removes it from the Alarm Manager table and retains it in the historical database.
Purging an alarm removes it from Alarm Manager and the database.
The Comments dialog box appears. It shows the alarm conditions, provides space to add a
comment, and lists previous comments.
2. To add a comment, click the text box and type a comment.
NOTE: Once a comment has been added, it cannot be edited or deleted.
Acting on alarms
Through the Alarm Manager interface, you can respond to and act upon alarms.
Acknowledging alarms
Set the alarm status to Acknowledged and enter the acknowledgement in the system activity log.
Acknowledging an alarm also acknowledges all other unacknowledged occurrences of that alarm.
1. In Alarm Manager, click Action on the same row as the alarm you want to acknowledge.
2. Click Acknowledge from the drop-down menu.
Action Description
Edit Opens the Edit Alarm dialog box so you can change the alarm configuration.
Live Data Opens the Reconfigure Live Data Point dialog box so you can change the
point that is displayed in the Alarm Manager table.
Disable/Enable Disabling prevents the alarm from being annunciated until it is enabled.
Active, unacknowledged alarms cannot be disabled, also alarms that have
returned to normal but are unacknowledged must be acknowledged before
they can be disabled.
Field Description
Host Device Select a host device from the drop down list. Choosing a host device near the monitored
device will conserve network bandwidth.
Alarm The alarm description appears in parentheses in listings of alarms, in alarm history
Description records, and in Compass alarm messages. The alarm description should include a
pointer to the device and object where the alarm originates (for example, “Device
110114, AI 1”). In certain circumstances, the alarm description may be the only way to
find the true source of the alarm.
Alarm Handler Select a device from the drop down list. An alarm handler must be configured before it
will appear in the list.
Priority A number between 1 and 255 (default is 127) that Alarm Manager uses to sort alarms in
the alarm list. Alarms with the lowest priority numbers are shown at the top of the list.
High Limit If the monitored point value goes above this limit, a high limit alarm occurs. If a delay is
set, the alarm does not occur until the delay time has passed and only then if the alarm
condition still exists.
Low Limit If the monitored point value goes below this limit, a low limit alarm occurs. If a delay is
set, the alarm does not occur until the delay time has passed and only then if the alarm
condition still exists.
Deadband The deadband value establishes a range in which no change occurs. The deadband value
is added to the low limit equation and subtracted from the high limit equation to
determine when the alarm returns to normal.
Delay The number of seconds an alarm condition must exist before an alarm occurs. Use the
delay to prevent alarms from occurring too frequently due to operating anomalies.
Notifications As a general rule, leave both of these check boxes enabled. To temporarily disable an
alarm, you can clear both check boxes.
Messages to Send Alarm messages appear in alarm histories, BACnet Alarm Message dialog boxes, and
email alarm notifications. Use alarm messages to characterize the alarm and to indicate
in plain language where the alarm is coming from.
Display a link in Displays a link to a URL, display, or template when the alarm is annunciated. For
the alarm example, you can display a URL to a camera view of a door or zone that is in an alarm
message state to visually check the alarm condition.
Field Description
Host Device Select a host device from the drop down list. Choosing a host device near the monitored
device will conserve network bandwidth.
Alarm The alarm description appears in parentheses in listings of alarms, in alarm history
Description records, and in Compass alarm messages. The alarm description should include a
pointer to the device and object where the alarm originates (for example, “Device
110114, AI 1”). In certain circumstances, the alarm description may be the only way to
find the true source of the alarm.
Alarm Handler Select a device from the drop down list. An alarm handler must be configured before it
will appear in the list.
Priority A number between 1 and 255 (default is 127) that Alarm Manager uses to sort alarms in
the alarm list. Alarms with the lowest priority numbers are shown at the top of the list.
Setpoint Device, Select the setpoint-reference property you want to compare to the monitored analog
Type, and property. If the monitored property varies above or below this setpoint reference by the
Instance values specified for the high limit or low limit offsets, an alarm occurs. You can specify
an external device point for SP reference when the alarm host supports BACnet event-
enrollment objects.
High Limit Type the value to add to the setpoint-reference property to determine if the monitored
Offset property is out of the desired range. If the monitored point value goes above this limit, a
high limit alarm occurs. If a delay is set, the alarm does not occur until the delay time
has passed and only then if the alarm condition still exists.
Low Limit Offset Type the value to subtract from the setpoint-reference property to determine if the
monitored property is out of the desired range. If the monitored point value goes below
this limit, a low limit alarm occurs. If a delay is set, the alarm does not occur until the
delay time has passed and only then if the alarm condition still exists.
Deadband The deadband value establishes a range in which no change occurs. The deadband value
is added to the low limit equation and subtracted from the high limit equation to
determine when the alarm returns to normal.
Delay The number of seconds an alarm condition must exist before an alarm occurs. Use the
delay to prevent alarms from occurring too frequently due to operating anomalies.
Field Description
Notifications As a general rule, leave both of these check boxes enabled. To temporarily disable an
alarm, you can clear both check boxes.
Messages to Send Alarm messages appear in alarm histories, BACnet Alarm Message dialog boxes, and
email alarm notifications. Use alarm messages to characterize the alarm and to indicate
in plain language where the alarm is coming from.
Display a link in Displays a link to a URL, display, or template when the alarm is annunciated. For
the alarm example, you can display a URL to a camera view of a door or zone that is in an alarm
message state to visually check the alarm condition.
Field Description
Host Device Select a host device from the drop down list. Choosing a host device near the monitored
device will conserve network bandwidth.
Alarm The alarm description appears in parentheses in listings of alarms, in alarm history
Description records, and in Compass alarm messages. The alarm description should include a
pointer to the device and object where the alarm originates (for example, “Device
110114, AI 1”). In certain circumstances, the alarm description may be the only way to
find the true source of the alarm.
Alarm Handler Select a device from the drop down list. An alarm handler must be configured at the
primary workstation before it will appear in the list.
Priority A number between 1 and 255 (default is 127) that Alarm Manager uses to sort alarms in
the alarm list. Alarms with the lowest priority numbers are shown at the top of the list.
Alarm Select off->on or on->off from the drop down list. If the monitored point value changes
from the expected state, the point goes into alarm. If a delay is set, the alarm is not
annunciated until the delay time has passed and only then if the alarm condition still
exists.
Delay The number of seconds an alarm condition must exist before an alarm occurs. Use the
delay to prevent alarms from occurring too frequently due to operating anomalies.
Notifications As a general rule, leave both of these check boxes enabled. To temporarily disable an
alarm, you can clear both check boxes.
Messages to Send Alarm messages appear in alarm histories, BACnet Alarm Message dialog boxes, and
email alarm notifications. Use alarm messages to characterize the alarm and to indicate
in plain language where the alarm is coming from.
Display a link in Displays a link to a URL, display, or template when the alarm is annunciated. For
the alarm example, you can display a URL to a camera view of a door or zone that is in an alarm
message state to visually check the alarm condition.
Field Description
Host Device Select a host device from the drop down list. Choosing a host device near the monitored
device will conserve network bandwidth.
Alarm The alarm description appears in parentheses in listings of alarms, in alarm history
Description records, and in Compass alarm messages. The alarm description should include a
pointer to the device and object where the alarm originates (for example, “Device
110114, AI 1”). In certain circumstances, the alarm description may be the only way to
find the true source of the alarm.
Alarm Handler Select a device from the drop down list. An alarm handler must be configured before it
will appear in the list.
Priority A number between 1 and 255 (default is 127) that Alarm Manager uses to sort alarms in
the alarm list. Alarms with the lowest priority numbers are shown at the top of the list.
Cmdpoint Select a device, point type, and point instance from the drop down lists. This point will
Device, Type, be compared to the point for which the alarm is being set up.
and Instance
Delay The number of seconds an alarm condition must exist before an alarm occurs. Use the
delay to prevent alarms from occurring too frequently due to operating anomalies.
Notifications As a general rule, leave both of these check boxes enabled. To temporarily disable an
alarm, you can clear both check boxes.
Messages to Send Alarm messages appear in alarm histories, BACnet Alarm Message dialog boxes, and
email alarm notifications. Use alarm messages to characterize the alarm and to indicate
in plain language where the alarm is coming from.
Display a link in Displays a link to a URL, display, or template when the alarm is annunciated. For
the alarm example, you can display a URL to a camera view of a door or zone that is in an alarm
message state to visually check the alarm condition.
Editing alarms
1. From a data display, right-click a point and then select Alarms.
The Point Alarms window appears.
2. Select an alarm and then click Edit Selected Alarm.
The Edit Alarm Configuration dialog box opens.
3. Type a description and select an alarm handler.
4. Change the alarm parameters: High Limit, Low Limit, Deadband, and Delay.
5. Select the notifications to send when an alarm occurs.
6. Type the text for High Limit, Low Limit, Off Normal, Fault, and Normal alarm messages.
7. If you want to include a link, select Display a link in the alarm message.
a. To include a URL, select URL and then type the URL.
b. To link to a display, select Workstation Display, select Display, and then select a
display from the drop-down list.
c. To link to a device template, select Workstation Display, select Template, and then
select a template from the drop-down list.
8. Click SAVE.
Clearing alarms
Clear alarms from the Alarm Manager view to reduce screen clutter. Clearing does not delete the
occurrence from the alarm database.
CONTEXT Alarms cannot be cleared until they return to normal.
1. In Alarm Manager, identify the occurrence that you want to clear.
2. Click Action... and then select Clear.
3. In the verification window, click OK.
Purging alarms
Remove alarm occurrences from the current view and from the alarm database.
CONTEXT Alarms cannot be purged until they return to normal.
1. In Alarm Manager, identify the occurrence that you want to purge.
2. Click Action... and then select Purge.
3. In the verification window, click OK.
Disabling an alarm
Disable alarms to prevent nuisance notifications while troubleshooting.
CONTEXT Alarms cannot be disabled until they are acknowledged.
1. In Alarm Manager, click Action next to the alarm you want to disable.
2. Select Disable.
The alarm will not be annunciated until it is enabled.
Configuring alarms
Set up new alarms and edit the configuration of existing alarms.
Setting Description
Object Select the object type and instance of live data the point.
Unit text Type the unit text (degrees, cfm, and so on) that will appear to the right of the value.
Decimal Places Select the number of digits to display after the decimal.
Deleting an alarm
Permanently remove an alarm and all occurrences from the Alarm Manager table and the historical
alarm database.
1. From Alarm Manager, click Action on the row of the alarm you want to delete.
2. From the context menu, click Edit.
The Edit Alarm dialog box appears.
3. Click Delete.
Field Description
Recipients The workstation, pagers, and/or email addresses that will be notified when an alarm
occurs.
Field Description
Workstation Select the Compass primary workstation. Do not configure client workstations as alarm
handlers.
Log into alarm Record the alarm in the alarm history log. This must be selected.
history
Activity Time Select the days and times that the recipient will receive alarm notifications.
Period
IMPORTANT:This must be set to Any time (all days selected and no times
entered)
Field Description
Email address Type the email address where the alarm notification will be sent.
Email through workstation Select the Compass primary workstation. Do not select client workstations.
Handled Events Select the events that will trigger notifications to the email recipient.
Activity Time Period Select the days and times that the recipient will receive alarm notifications.
Field Description
Description Type a description for the pager — “Weekend Pager” for example.
Phone Number Use numbers and spaces. To specify the baud rate, add a forward slash and the baud rate
at the end of the phone number. For example, “/2400”. This can help resolve connection
problems.
Alphanumeric Pager When selected, Compass sends an alphanumeric alarm description to the pager.
Pager ID Type the pager identifier that the paging service uses to route the message.
Dial Out Through Select the controller at the local site that will dial out the alarm. This controller must
Controller have a modem and must have Supports Alerton Process IDs selected on the
Capabilities tab in Device Manager.
Handled Events Select the events that cause an alarm to be annunciated to this pager.
Activity Time Period Select the days and times that this pager will receive alarm notifications.
Creating a schedule
The process of creating a new schedule starts from the context menu of the point you want to schedule.
1. On a graphical display, right-click the point.
2. From the context menu, select Schedules and then click Add Point Schedule or Add
Zone Schedule.
3. Select, copy, or create Work Week, Holiday, and Event schedule components.
Adding an event
You can add events to a schedule using a web browser on a Compass workstation.
CONTEXT
NOTE: To quickly add an event, change the view to Monthly and then drag-and-drop the Event button
onto desired date.
Adding a holiday
To set your system OFF for an entire day, add a holiday to the schedule.
CONTEXT
NOTE: To quickly add a holiday, change the view to Monthly and then drag-and-drop the Holiday button
onto desired date.
1. From a display, right-click a point and then select Zone Schedule or Point Schedule.
2. Click Add Holiday or drag the button to the desired day.
The Add Holiday Timeblock window appears.
3. Click the calendar icon and select a date for the holiday. If the holiday spans multiple days,
select Repeat and then select an end date.
4. Click OK.
Control area
Use the control area to select time frames, select logs, and load data. Once you have selected the data
you want, you can collapse the control area to maximize the space available for the charts.To collapse
the control area, click the arrow on the border between the areas. Click the arrow again to expand the
control area.
Set Date/Time
This is where you select the time frame for the data that is retrieved and how much of that data is
displayed on the charts. When the date/time range is set to Current/Current, the DataViewer refreshes
data based on the shortest sample interval of all logs in view.
Load Data
Once you set a time frame and select the logs you want to view, click Load Data to retrieve data from
the Compass primary workstation. Use Load Data to retrieve fresh data or when you have selected
different logs.
Chart area
The chart area is where trendlog data is displayed. It is made up of a summary chart and a main chart.
Summary chart
The summary chart shows data for the entire selected date/time range. It shows only the principal
trendlog or energy log and is less detailed than the main chart.
Main chart
The main chart shows a subset of the data shown on the summary chart. It is more detailed than the
summary chart and can be set to show minimum and maximum values for individual logs.
Chart range
The chart range at the top of the main chart shows the beginning and end dates and times for the data
shown.
Legend
The chart legend, located below the summary chart, shows the date/time and trendlog values based on
the location of the cursor in the main chart. Log names/descriptions and values are shown in their
associated colors.
The legend shows blank values until the cursor moves onto the main chart. Then it shows the date/time
and values as the cursor moves across the chart. Small dots appear on the lines in the main chart to
indicate the date/time being shown.
When the cursor is moved off of the main chart, the legend shows the values that were shown at the
time the cursor was moved off.
Panning
Use the panning arrows to move backward and forward through the data. The panning buttons on the
main chart will only be enabled when the main chart is zoomed in. You can also pan through data by
clicking the shaded area in the summary chart and dragging it left or right.
Zooming
Select a subset of data to view by clicking and dragging in the main chart. The main chart will refresh to
show the range of data selected. The axis labels on the chart will reflect the values of the zoomed view.
Horizontal zooming
Zoom in on a date/time range by clicking and dragging in the main chart to define a new date/time
range. When you zoom in horizontally, the summary chart shows the zoomed-in time frame as a dark
area in the context of the currently selected view. You can zoom in multiple times. To return to the
original view, double-click the main chart or click the zoom out icon.
On a touchscreen device, use standard touchscreen actions to zoom.
Vertical zooming
Zoom in on a subset of data by clicking the desired starting point and dragging your mouse up or down
to the desired end point. You can zoom in multiple times. To return to the original view, double-click the
main chart or click the zoom out icon. On a touchscreen device, use standard touchscreen actions to
zoom.
Creating a trendlog
1. From a data display, right-click the point you want to log.
2. From the context menu, select DataViewer and then click Add Trendlog.
3. Accept or change the default trendlog configuration settings. The trendlog handler and
trendlog instance are generated and assigned automatically when you save the trendlog.
Field Description
Run Trendlogs Indefinitely Clear this check box to select a time frame for the
trendlog. Clear it to enter start and end times for the
trendlog.
Buffer Size The amount of disc space to set aside for this trendlog.
Display Settings — Units The text that appears after the value (degrees, watts, or
hours, for example).
Display Settings — Decimal Places The number of digits shown after the decimal point.
Host Information (read only) The device where the trendlog data will be stored, the
device that will route trendlog notifications, and the
trendlog instance assigned by Compass.
Archive Settings — Auto Archive Period Sets how often trendlog data is archived.
Archive Settings — Replace previously Replaces (in the case of csv files) or appends (in the case
archived logs from the same period of mdb files) the data from the same time period.
Archive Settings — Remove all but the Purges old data and defines how many periods to retain.
most recent x periods from the log when
archiving
Archive Settings — Archive all entries in Archives all data in the database, not just data from the
log when archiving period selected in Archive period.
Archive Settings — Archive formats Sets the format of the archive file. You can select both
formats.
Field Description
Database Settings — Compress database Stores only samples that are different from the previous
samples sample. This helps minimize the size of the database.
Samples gathered before this feature is activated will be
unaffected.
Editing a trendlog
1. From a data display, right-click the point you want to log.
2. On the context menu, select DataViewer and then click Edit Trendlog.
Field Description
Log Description The text that appears in lists of trendlogs. Use a consistent naming
convention for all trendlogs.
Run Trendlogs Indefinitely Clear this check box to select a time frame for the trendlog. Clear it to
enter start and end times for the trendlog.
Trend Interval The number of seconds between samples. If the monitored point and
the is not on the host device, then the minimum interval is 5 seconds. If
the monitored point is on the host device, then the minimum interval is
1.
Notification Threshold The number of samples to collect before notifying the trendlog handler.
Buffer Size The amount of disc space to set aside for this trendlog.
Display Settings — Units The text that appears after the value (degrees, watts, or hours, for
example).
Display Settings — The number of digits shown after the decimal point.
Decimal Places
Host Information (read The device where the trendlog data will be stored, the device that will
only) route trendlog notifications, and the trendlog instance assigned by
Compass.
Archive Settings — Replaces (in the case of csv files) or appends (in the case of mdb files)
Replace previously the data from the same time period.
archived logs from the
same period
Archive Settings — Purges old data and defines how many periods to retain.
Remove all but the most
recent x periods from the
log when archiving
Archive Settings — Archives all data in the database, not just data from the period selected
Archive all entries in log in Archive period.
when archiving
Archive Settings — Sets the format of the archive file. You can select both formats.
Archive formats
Database Settings — The maximum number of samples to store in the database. The oldest
Samples samples will be deleted as new samples are added.
Field Description
Database Settings — Stores only samples that are different from the previous sample. This
Compress database helps minimize the size of the database. Samples gathered before this
samples feature is activated will be unaffected.
Deleting a trendlog
1. From a data display, right-click the point associated with the trendlog you want to delete.
2. On the context menu, select DataViewer and then click Edit Trendlog.
3. Click Delete.
DataViewer tools
Use the tools above the main chart to enable or disable min/max values, copy a URL, enable or disable
tool tips and to export data.
If you select a large data set that will take a long time to export, Compass asks you to confirm the
operation. To reduce the time required to export data, select a view that will return less data.
NOTE: The Export function is not available on touchscreen devices.
When typing column headers, use line breaks (Alt+Enter) to make labels display on multi-
ple lines. Excel text wrapping will not be reflected in the summary page.
6. Configure the point and property for each column.
a. Place the cursor in a cell on the Point row and then press Ctrl+O. The Select Property
window appears.
b. Select the object type.
c. Type the object instance.
d. Select a property. This is either the present value or the value being written to the
priority array.
e. Select an index. This is the index that the present value writes to (if you selected
Present Value as the property) or the priority index of the value that will be displayed (if
you selected Priority Array as the property).
Step result: A numeric string is written to the cell. The string is a type of short hand for
the point configuration.
7. Type default values for the decimal places and commandable parameters of each point. The
other parameters are not currently used.
Parameter Description
decimal places The number of characters displayed to the right of the decimal. Analog points only. For
an analog point, if no value is given, the full precision value from the device is displayed.
commandable Allows the value of the point to be changed from the summary page. Valid values are
"yes" and "no" or blank to use the default.
Polling Policy The frequency at which data is refreshed on the summary page. Setting this to slow
can help reduce network traffic.If you leave this field blank, devices will be polled at the
normal frequency.
Polling frequencies: fast = once per second, normal = every five seconds, slow = every
30 seconds
Use the fast setting only for devices connected over Ethernet. The fast polling rate may
overwhelm an MS/TP network and reduce system performance.
Link Creates a hyperlink to a display, template, or summary page. When the user clicks the
device description, Compass opens the link.
8. (Optional) Override default device name links. By default, device names are configured to
open the device properties template (99999999.dvtx).
a. Type Link in the Parameter column. Leaving this blank will default to the device
properties template.
b. Type a device template number, display number, or URL in the Default Value column.
To link to templates or displays in another rep/job, type the rep/job/filename path
(generic/generic/000110010.dspx, for example).
NOTE: You can truncate URLs (www.alerton.com) and shorten template/display names
(850.dspx will link to 000000850.dspx in the current rep/job).
9. (Optional) Type column-specific default values for the decimal places, commandable,
Polling Policy, and Link parameters in the cells where the parameter row and the point
column intersect. These values apply to a single point on all devices unless overridden by a
point-specific value.
10. Enter device instances in column B below the point configuration rows. Devices without
exceptions to the default values will be listed only once.
11. (Optional) Assign point-specific values.
Point-specific values are useful if your system includes devices (perhaps from multiple man-
ufacturers) that write data to different points.
a. Create a new row for the device instance.
NOTE: A device instance can be listed multiple times (once to populate the summary
page and once for each parameter you override).
b. Type the parameter name in the Parameter column. Only point, decimal places,
commandable, Polling Policy, and Link parameters can be defined as point-specific
values.
c. Type a value in the cell where the device instance row intersects the point column.
3. Use the Data Display Editor to create or change displays and templates. For detailed
instructions on editing displays, see the Display Developer’s Guide or, from the Data Display
Editor Help menu, click Edit Mode Help.
4. In the Target Display column, enter the display, template, or summary page that will open
when a user clicks the navigation tree entry. Leaving this field blank makes the node a text-
only label; nothing happens when a user clicks it.
a. Type file names for displays or templates. Add paths for files that are not in the current
<rep>/<job>/displaysfolder.
b. Type summary page titles to link to summary pages.
c. For nodes that target templates, type device instances in the Device Instance column.
When a user clicks the node, the template opens with data from the specified device.
d. Type a User Security level (0 to 10) for each node. A user must have security privileges
equal to or greater than this value to open the node. For information about security
levels, see the Compass Installation and Operation Guide.
e. To create a user- or group-specific navigation tree, save the file with a filename in the
format navtree-user ID.xlsx or navtree-group ID.xlsx. For example to create a custom
navigation tree for the Technicians group, you would save the file as navtree-
technicians.xlsx. File names are not case sensitive.
Next time Compass starts up, it will add the user- and group-specific navigation trees to
the standard navigation tree based on user ID. The user-specific tree is at the top, then
the tree(s) for any groups that the user belongs to, and then the standard navigation
tree.
f. If Compass is running, restart it.