The following example describes the creation of a simple operator app with OPC-UA communication. The example app consists of a view with a display of the current temperature and an input field for the limit value entry.
The operator app is created with the Unified-E App Designer via drag and drop. Programming skills for app development are not required. Your app will automatically run on Android, iOS and Windows devices.
The next step is to determine which endpoints or datapoints (e.g. PLC variables, SQL queries) the operator app should communicate with.
Now that you've defined the datapoints, switch back to the Views editor to configure the views of the control app.
The created app can be tested without publishing on the App Designer PC. The app test can use simulated values or values of a real endpoint with endpoint connection. The current values of the data points are displayed under Endpoint_1.
If your operator app communicates directly with the endpoints without a gateway, then you do not need the app manager and can go straight to step 3.
For gateway communication, the Unified-E App Manager program must first be downloaded and installed on the PC in production or on the machine. This makes the PC a gateway in production and the link between endpoints and HMI devices. All endpoints must therefore be accessible from the gateway PC.
The quickest way to get to the trial license is as follows:
After creating the operator app in step 1 and setting up the gateway PC in step 2 (only necessary if communication is to take place via the gateway), an app package must be generated and published back in the App Designer from the operator app. This app package is then subsequently installed on the HMI device (eg smartphone). When publishing the app package, it must again be differentiated whether the operator app should later communicate indirectly via the gateway or directly with the endpoints.
If the App Manager were installed on a remote PC, then remote publishing is done by entering the gateway license and app name, as shown here:
To run the created operator app, it must be embedded in a base app from the app stores. The basic app must first be installed on the operating device (eg smartphone) and serves as a kind of operator app container.
This requires the app manager and the base app. In App Manager, an authorized user must first start the registration process for the operator app. Subsequently, the operator app is registered on the smartphone by scanning a registration code.
In this example, the OPC UA server must be accessible directly from the HMI device (eg smartphone) via WLAN, so that a direct communication between smartphone and OPC UA end point is possible.
There are several options for registering the operator app..
Option 1:
Register app package via URL in the base app
Option 2:
App package will be emailed to Smartphone (for iOS & Android). In this case, the basic app must open the email attachment (.uea file). After assigning a new app name, the operator app is registered.
The registered operator app can now be started in the start view of the Unified-E base app.
The view configured in step 1 appears.