Adding Device Editors, Device Summaries, and Device Controls
Devices are Ross Video products that can be monitored and controlled using DashBoard. Devices include NK routers, openGear cards, and DashBoard Connect devices.
When you add a device editor, device summary, or device control to a CustomPanel, the device acts as a data source for the panel. Other panel components can access parameter data from the device.
Device Editors and Device Summaries
A device editor is the default monitoring and control interface for a device. It is generated based on layout data and parameter data provided by the device. You can embed device editors into CustomPanels. The layout of an embedded device editor cannot be edited.
Device summaries are displays of device status information, and can be shown as status dots (with or without label) or full summaries ((Figure 1.6)). You can create a customized device monitoring interface by dragging device summaries from the DashBoard Tree View (or Advanced Tree View) into a CustomPanel.
Figure 1.6 - Two Ways to Display a Device Summary; as a Status Dot with Label (left), and as a Full Device Summary
If a user hovers over a status dot, a tooltip shows the status as text. If they click the status dot for a frame, a list of status information for the frame and all its cards appears. If they click a card in the list, the device editor for that card opens.
To add a device editor or device summary:
1.With the CustomPanel open, enter PanelBuilder Edit Mode.
Tip: To enter Edit Mode, press CTRL+G.
2.In the DashBoard Tree View, locate the device.
3.Drag and drop the device from the Tree View onto the CustomPanel.
The Insert into Component dialog box appears.
4.Select one of the following:
•Device Summary — shows detailed device summary information, and may include a link for opening the device’s editor. The link appears only if the device has an editor.
•Embedded Editor — shows the default device monitoring and control interface for the device.
•Status Dot — shows a color-coded dot to indicate device status.
5.If you want to include the device’s label, select Show Label.
Tip: Alternatively, you can create a custom label later instead of importing the device’s label.
6.Click OK.
The device editor or device summary appears on the CustomPanel.
Device controls are interface elements that enable users to view configuration settings and to configure device properties. You can create a device control panel by opening a device’s editor and dragging individual device controls or groups of device controls into CustomPanels (Figure 1.6).
Figure 1.7 - Example of a Group of Device Controls
To add device controls:
1.In the DashBoard Tree View, double-click the device to open its Device View.
2.In the Device View, enter Edit Mode.
Tip: To enter Edit Mode, press CTRL+G.
3.Rearrange the CustomPanel view and Device View to make both visible.
Tip: Drag the tab of a view to undock it. As you drag it around the screen, a red rectangle appears, to indicate where the view will be shown after you drop it.
4.Click and drag the control(s) you want to add from the Device View, and drop them onto the CustomPanel.
Tips:
•You can select a single control or a group of controls. As you hover the Device View, the selected control(s) are indicated by a white outline ((Figure 1.8)). When you click to select them, the outline turns bright green.
•If you click a single control and then press the cursor up button, the set of controls to which the single control belongs is selected.
•When you drop controls onto the CustomPanel, be sure that the correct destination (container element) is outlined in white.
Figure 1.8 - A Device View, with a Group of Device Controls Selected (bright green outline)
After you drop the control(s), the Insert into Component dialog box appears. The options shown depend on whether you are adding a single control or multiple controls, and on whether or not you are dropping them into a container element such as a canvas or table cell.
5.If you added only a single control, in the Parameter View Options area, select one of the following:
•Include Parameter Name — The name of the control, as defined on the device, is also displayed. Alternatively, you can create a custom label in PanelBuilder.
•Keep returned elements together — Applies to parameters that return multiple controls, such as a set of buttons.
When selected, returned elements can only be modified as a group, and are displayed together neatly. For example, if placed on an absolute position canvas, they do not overlap.
When not selected, returned elements can be individually modified. For example, you can apply different style options to each element, or position them in separate table cells.
Figure 1.9 - Parameter View Options
6.If you added a group of controls, in the Menu Import Options area, select one of the following:
•Link to menu — Formatting of controls is inherited from the device, and is not editable.
•Import menu — Formatting of controls is editable, but if they change on the device, the changes are not reflected on the CustomPanel.
Figure 1.10 - Menu Import Options
7.If you dropped the control(s) onto a container element, in the Add Data Source/Device Control to CustomPanel area, specify the scope of elements with which the device’s data source is to be associated:
a.In the right-most drop-down list, select the container element with which to associate the data source.
b.In the left-most drop-down list, select one of the following options:
•Add to — associates the data source with the selected container element.
This is the default if the selected container does not already have an associated data source. This option makes it easy to add additional controls from the same device to this container.
•Insert Before — creates a container for the data source above the selected container element.
This is the default if the selected container is already associated with a data source.
•Insert After — creates a container for the data source beneath the selected container element.
Note: Each element in the component hierarchy can be associated with only one data source. Components that do not have an associated data source inherit a data source association from their parent element.
Figure 1.11 - Add Data Source/Device Control To CustomPanel
8.Click OK.
The device controls are added to the CustomPanel as new components.