Binding Easy Chart Pen Names to SQLTag Names

Ignition
1

OS: Windows 7 Enterprise
Ignition: 7.3.1 (b496)
Java: 1.6.0_23

What I’m trying to do is create a chart to display historical temperature data from one (out of many) furnaces. Rather than create one chart per furnace, I would like to create one chart that can dynamically display the data for any one furnace at a time. From the Ignition documentation and my searches in this Forum, keeping the pen names in a SQL database and then linking them to the Easy Chart ‘Tag Names’ dataset seems like a good way to achieve this.

I’ve created a SQL database that lists each furnace along with its SQLtag names and a Group name (for organizing the pens in Easy Chart):

MachineNumber	 TagName		   GroupName
9563 				Pre Heat 1 	 grp_Pre_Heat
9563 				Pre Heat 2 	 grp_Pre_Heat
9563 				Pre Heat 3 	 grp_Pre_Heat
  :				      :					:
9563 				High Heat 1	 grp_High_Heat
9563 				High Heat 2	 grp_High_Heat
9563 				High Heat 3	 grp_High_Heat
  :				      :					:
10006				RBO				grp_Pre_Heat
10006				Zone 1			grp_Pre_Heat
10006				Zone 2			grp_High_Heat
10006				Zone 3			grp_High_Heat
10006				Zone 4			grp_High_Heat
  				      :					:

The SQLTag names are of the form MachineNumber/TagName. The question I have is what is the best method to transfer or bind the MachineNumber/TagName to the TAG_PATH column of the ‘Tag Names’ dataset?

I think that I could achieve this with Python by copying, replacing, and copying back the ‘Tag Name’ dataset, but it seems like there should be an easier method.

Thanks

2

After examing the Click-to-Graph extra, I’ve implemented a system similar whereby I have a tables in a SQL database that mirror the Easy Chart datasets (‘Tag Pens’, ‘Axes’, and ‘Subplots’). I then added another column for my FURNACE_NUMBER and then select the pens using a SELECT FROM query with a WHERE [FURNACE_NUMBER] = {Root Container.FurnaceNumber} statement with the {Root Container.FurnaceNumber} being passed in when the chart window is opened.

So my question now is whether this is considered an efficient method for dynamically selecting chart pens, or is their a better method?

Thank you.

3

This is absolutely a fine method, just make sure to have the binding that brings in the pens set to polling-off.