FactoryWidgets WidgetServer Configuration
Once you install the WidgetServer, which takes just a few minutes, configuration is quick and simple, as all you really need to do is connect the WidgetServer to your datasource and it’s ready!
Quick Links on this page:
Example WidgetServer Configuration Screen
Configuring an OPC Data Source
Configuring an OPC Data Source involves entering 5 simple pieces of information:
- Data Source Name - a friendly name that helps you relate the data source to your operations
- Computer Name - the name of the computer where your data source resides - i.e where your OPC server exists. This may or may not be the same computer where the WidgetServer is running.
- OPC Server - the name or Prog ID of your OPC Server.
- Group Name - a friendly name for the OPC group.
- Scan Rate - the rate at which the WidgetServer will subscribe to the OPC items in this group.
The next step is to add OPC items to the Data Source that was created. This is done by clicking Edit Tags next to the Data Source then clicking the Add Tags button. You will see the item browser below. Highlight any number of tags and click Add Selected. When you are finished choosing tags click OK. You can then give each tag a friendly item name that can be used to access that tag.
You can test that the OPC Data Source is working by clicking Test Data Source. Testing the Data Source is important to ensure the correct privileges are being used by your DCOM configuration. If testing the Data Source to your OPC server fails you will want to review our DCOM Tutorial.
You can also test each individual OPC item by clicking the Test Tag next to the Data Source. Either type in an item name or look up a tag, then click the Test button. If you receive a good quality on the item then you have a connection to the OPC server and the device at the other end of the OPC server.
Configuring a Historian Data Source
Configuring a Historian Data Source involves entering 4 simple pieces of information:
- Data Source Name - a friendly name that helps you relate the data source to your operations
- Server - the name of the server where your data source resides - i.e where your Wonderware Historian runs. This may or may not be the same computer where the WidgetServer is running
- Username - the login name for your data source. In the example it is a SQL server username used to access Wonderware™ Historian
- Password - the password that is used with the Username
Once you have configured the Data Source, you can test it using the “Test Data Source” and “Test Tag” links as shown below. This saves you time in knowing that the WidgetServer is ready and working before you move to configuring the FactoryWidgets.
When testing a tag, simply enter a valid tagname for your datasource and press the Test button or the enter key on your keyboard. The results shown will tell you the timestamp and value received from the datasource.
If you have good data here, then you are ready to setup your FactoryWidgets on user Desktops.
Widget Settings
Clicking on View->Widget Settings enables the system administrator to see the list of saved configurations stored on the WidgetServer. The administrator can mark a configuration as global so that it will be come read-only to users and be available for all users. This time saving feature makes it easy to provide a consistent experience across users. This feature can also be used to take a particularly effective configuration that one user has made and share it with others. Read more about shared & saved configurations and how they help end users of FactoryWidgets.
Optional WidgetServer Configuration Settings
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Licensing Mode allows you to control how FactoryWidgets licenses are managed by your WidgetServer. Details are shown below.
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Service Port is the TCP/IP port number that the WidgetServer listens on. You can change this to any port that you or your IT staff prefers. This is the only port used by the Widget Server
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