Canvas® Software Readme

 

Visit www.eaton.com/electrical for additional information.  Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s), printable copy of Help Pages, Release Notes and other pertinent documents can be easily accessed using the website’s Product eXpert Search Tool and Key Words Canvas.  Product eXpert can be found under Tools & Downloads > Knowledge Base > Product eXpert or through the following link: http://chexpert.ch.cutler-hammer.com/

Hardware Requirements

Canvas and KEPServer_ePro CD-ROM

Help Files

Software Registration/Activation

PanelMate ePro PS – Runtime Software and Driver Files

Release Notes

Upgrade Notes

 

 

Hardware Requirements

Recommended minimum hardware requirements for the Canvas Software and KEPServer_ePro installation:

Hard disk space         200 MB

Standard I/O port       Ethernet (optional for file transfers)*

Drive                          CD-ROM drive (for SW installation)

                                   USB Memory device (optional for file ePro PS file transfers)*

Input Devices             Keyboard, mouse or compatible pointing device

Video                          XGA (1024x768)

Operating System     Microsoft Windows XP (SP2 or later) or Windows Vista (SP1 or later) with Internet Explorer V6.0 or higher

PanelMate ePro PS file transfers can be done via Ethernet, or USB Flash drive. Only one method is required at minimum.

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Canvas and KEPServer_ePro CD-ROM

The Canvas Software CD-ROM includes the KEPServer_ePro OPC software and the Canvas Professional development software in addition to the Canvas Runtime software and Help files. The Canvas Professional software is used to develop operator interface applications for the PanelMate ePro PS industrial Operator Interface (OI) products.

When installing Canvas on your computer you will automatically install the following:

Canvas Professional – software with numerous feature enhancements for developing applications for the PanelMate PS including support for Recipe Management and Data Archiving.

Canvas Runtime – Runtime files for the ePro PS hardware. These files can be transferred to the ePro PS hardware by using the Canvas Professional Send to File feature or they can be installed directly on the ePro PS hardware.

Documentation – Canvas Help File. The Help File information is also available in.pdf format for printing.

 

After installing the Canvas Software on your computer you will be prompted to install the KEPServer_ePro OPC software and required drivers from the same CD-ROM. If you have already installed Kepware KEPServerEx software on your computer you must still install the KEPServer_ePro software. The KEPServer_ePro software will co-exist and remain completely independent of any other Kepware OPC software installed on the development computer and by default will install in a different directory from the KEPServerEx software.

If you are a PanelMate ePro PS user, you can use the Canvas Professional software Send to File feature to manage the transfer of the OPC files to the ePro PS hardware from your computer or you can install the KEPServer_ePro software directly on the ePro PS hardware.

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Help File

All Canvas Professional user information is available via an online Help File.  The Help File will be automatically installed on your computer.

The Help File information is also available in .pdf format so that it can be easily printed. This .pdf file can be found in the document directory of the Canvas Software CD-ROM and is called Canvas Printed Help.pdf.

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Software Registration/Activation

There are several different software packages that require registration and activation. Registered users will receive important product information and notices via email so it is recommended that you register your software.  The Canvas Professional software will be fully functional for 30 days before it requires a registration code.  The only difference you will notice during this period is that a reminder dialog box will appear whenever the software is started to let you know how long you have before the 30 days is up.  If the 30 day grace period expires prior to your receiving an activation key code you can still register and activate the software using the License ePro utility, however you will not be able to use the software until an activation key code is entered.

To obtain an activation key code you will need a registration code and a software serial number. Send the registration code, software serial number and other pertinent information to the Operator Interface Business Unit. You can FAX the registration information using the form found on the Canvas Software CD-ROM or you can register online by selecting Support at www.eaton.com/electrical. In return, you will receive an activation key code via email within 24 hours that is used to designate that the software has been registered.

Registration Code

You can obtain a registration code using either method described below.  If a temporary license has expired or if you are licensing software on your PS unit you will need to use method 2.

Start the Canvas Professional software on your PC, select Help>Registration and then select the software you want to license. A registration code will be listed.

Run Start>Programs>Canvas Software>License ePro and then select the software you want to license.  A registration code will be listed.

Serial Number

Serial Numbers for Canvas Professional (CANVASPRO, CANVASPROSL) are located on the CD-ROM envelopes.

Serial Numbers for Recipe Management (76RM) and for Data Archiving (76DA) are located on the IL however with the new RoHS compliant ePro hardware platform the Data Archiving and Recipe Management options are pre-licensed so these former runtime options no longer need to be purchased.  In addition with V3.31 Canvas Runtime the software no longer checks for licenses on any ePro PS hardware platform so they no longer need to be purchased.

See below for a brief description of the licensing and registration required for each software package.

ePro PS Data Archiving (DA) and ePro PS Recipe Management (REC)

In Canvas V3.31 the Data Archiving and Recipe Management software no longer needs be activated on your PanelMate ePro PS unit before use. These features are configured using Canvas and it can be fully tested on an ePro PS unit running V3.31 or it may be tested for up to 60 minutes on your PC.

Canvas Runtime (PS)

The Canvas Runtime software does not need to be registered. The state information is provided for reference purpose only. The Canvas Runtime is designed to run for 60 minutes in demo mode on your PC.  If you require a full license for Canvas Runtime that is not time limited you may purchase Canvas PC (CAT# CANVASPC).

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PanelMate ePro PS – Runtime Software and Driver Files

All PanelMate ePro PS units require the installation of the Canvas Runtime software and Driver files. While there are many different installation methodologies, the most popular and straightforward methods are to use the Canvas Professional Send to File feature to transfer the files over an Ethernet connection or to link the ePro PS to a computer that has access to a CD-ROM drive and then run the Canvas and KEPServer_ePro Setup.exe programs found on the Canvas Software CD-ROM. Refer to the Canvas Project Editor Help for additional information on the Send to File feature.

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Release Notes

V3.31

Added Features

Conditional Log Off – A new option has been added for the automatic log off feature of the Canvas Security function.  A property has been added to the Secure User entry called Logoff Timeout Type with two selections, Unconditional and Conditional.  If the Logoff After (minutes) property is non-zero and the timeout type is Unconditional, then the user will automatically be logged off after the number of minutes passes.  If the minutes is non-zero and the timeout type is Conditional, then the user will be logged off only after there has been no touchscreen, mouse, or keyboard activity for the number of minutes selected.

 

Fixed in V3.31

Runtime Memory Leaks – Version 3.30 runtime memory leaks which caused eventual application lockups have all been addressed in this version.

EMF Files not re-created on UCF File import – When user’s imported Canvas configurations (.UCF files) into the Canvas editor, any EMF files contained in the Media Library were not re-generated on the development PC (although .BMP, JPG, WMF, and GIF files were correctly rebuilt).  The issue has been addressed in this version.

PanelMate Power Pro Import – Previous versions of the editor would not create the system tag CurrentPageID when Power Pro .PPS files were imported into Canvas even though the tag was referenced in all page change functions on the import.  In this version the tag is automatically added to the system tag library.

Slider Control System Errors – When using slider controls attached to Trend Templates and Object in Version 3.30, the runtime system would report multiple system errors to the Event Log.  This could potentially fill up the event log and push out process events and legitimate system events from the log’s FIFO queue.  Use of the slider control will no longer report errors to the system event log.

 

Upgrade Notes

The following notes are for users upgrading from V3.20 to V3.31. Refer to the Release Notes for additional information regarding upgrading from earlier versions.

Slider Control

The Slider control in V3.31 now includes a Value marker which provides a more accurate representation of the value with respect to a scale in both the Slider Template and Slider control.  Because of this any Slider Templates or Slider Controls created in previous versions of Canvas must be re-created in V3.31.

Trend Controls

All Trend controls in V3.31 now include a Visibility property for each pen which allows control of the drawing and hiding of the individual pens.  Because of this new property all Trend Control created in previous versions of Canvas must be modified to initialize the conditional visibility properties of each pen in the Entries tab to 1 or another valid expression.  If left blank the pens will not draw at runtime.

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Release Notes for V3.30 - Note that V3.31 is fundamentally a bug fix release and is based on V3.30 functionality.  As such the release notes for V3.30 are included in this document.

V3.30 Canvas Editor

Installation

The Canvas editor installation has changed to allow for automatic upgrades of future version without needing to uninstall the earlier version. However, any version prior to 3.20.1 will still need to be uninstalled prior to installing the latest version.

Added Features

Symbol Factory 2.0 – Symbol Factory V2.0 is now installed with Canvas and integrated into the image controls in the Page Editor and Media Library.  Symbol Factory contains over 3800 industrial graphic images which can be dragged and dropped or copied and pasted onto a page or into the Media Library.  All images used will be added to the media library and become part of the configuration file (.ucf) stored on an ePro PS unit.  A Symbol Factory icon appear on the toolbar of the Canvas Page Editor and Project Explorer for launching this program.

Microsoft Vista Compatibility The Canvas Professional development editor is now compatible with the Microsoft Vista operating system.  This has necessitated a number of changes to the default directory paths to which configurations and imported components such as images and sounds are stored.  Canvas options are now stored on the user’s PC in an XML file instead of the Windows registry.  After an upgrade to V3.30 the user should verify that all options are set according to their preferences.  As with Windows XP, Administrative rights are required in Vista to install Canvas and KEPServer_ePro software and to license Canvas software.

Image Properties – The Image control’s display property has an new selection of “Center” added to the existing Stretch and Tile selections.  The Center selection has also been added to images assigned as a Watermark in page properties.  Also a Transparent Color property has been added to the Image control which allows the user to select any color within the image which will not draw.  This is especially helpful with bit oriented images (.bmp, .jpg, etc.) so that they can overlap other objects or blend into the page background.

Images in Indicator or Lite Indicator devices — If images are used in the Media property of states the BG Color and FG Color properties are now used at runtime.  The BG Color will be applied as a background to object oriented images (.wmf and .emf files) and the FG Color will be used as the transparent color (color not drawn) for all image types.  As with Image controls this is helpful for overlapping objects and blending bit oriented images into the page background.

Drag and Drop Support — One or more images files may now be dragged and dropped or copied and pasted onto a page or into a Media Library.  Text strings may also be dragged and dropped or copied and pasted onto a page or into a Media Library.  One or more sound files may also be dragged and dropped or copied and pasted into a Media Library.

Home Page Indication – A new icon indicates to the user in the Project/Model view as to which page is the Home page of the configuration.  The icon may be dragged and dropped onto another page to change the Home page selection.

Data Archiving – Additional properties have been added to Archive Library Entries which allow the user to constrain archive files by a maximum amount of time.  The user can choose to automatically delete older files or move older files to a secondary directory (or network share drive).

E-Mail Actions – Added the ability to configure archived files (data or alarm/event files) as attachments to e-mail.

OPC Client Observer — A new client connection called an OPC Client Observer Adapter is available in this release.  This allows the user to create a configuration where OPC client references (Eg. PLC tags) can be directed to different devices where the OPC Client Device/PLC can change dynamically.  This is helpful in applications that have multiple PLC’s with the same program controlling multiple unit operations such as a group of stamping presses.  The user can create a pages that can be switched on the fly to monitor and control each individual press.  This can simplify and speed up the development process and simplify the operator’s job.

Trend Template and Trend Control — These controls have been substantially enhanced from previous Canvas releases.  Many features have been added to easily allow the user to show/hide specific pens, stop and start the trend, use a slider to display values within the trend, and to configure the trend to be real time or assign it to a data archive action to view historical trend data.  Note: Any Trend Controls created in previous versions of Canvas must be modified to initialize the conditional visibility properties of each pen in the Entries tab to 1 or another valid expression.  If left blank the pens will not draw at runtime.

Historical Trend and Alarm/Event Viewer Controls — New page controls have been created which enable the user to view archived data in a trend and archived alarms and events in a list.  A new Data Entry type called “Date Time Entry” has been added to allow the user to select the start and end time/date for the data set which is to be retrieved and displayed in the control.

Slider Control – The Slider control now includes a Value marker which provides a more accurate representation of the value with respect to a scale in both the Slider Template and Slider control.  Note: Any Slider Templates or Slider Controls created in previous versions of Canvas must be re-created in V3.30.

Print Action - Support for vector-based printing has been added.  Prior to this release, the Print Action supported printing the text expressions to a line printer device. In other words it simply sent the line printer the stream of characters in the text expression with each text expression getting an appended CR-LF (carriage return and line feed). No other formatting like font size, margins or line spacing was supported in that mode. This Send To “Printer” mode is now called “Character Based Printer” and behaves the same as it did in V3.20. An additional value for the Send To property is “Vector Based Printer” which allows the user to specify a font, margins and line spacing. Additionally an end of line sequence property named “EOL Sequence” has been added which supports the following values. “New Line”, “Carriage Return”, “Carriage Return then New Line”, “New Line then Carriage Return” and “None”

Import Canvas Configuration (.ucf) – The user now has the option of selecting whether they want to import a Canvas Configuration (UCF) into the current project, a pre-populated new project or a blank, folders only, new project (default). If the user selects one of the new projects, the user is then prompted to confirm that the current project will be terminated. From then on the Canvas Configuration Import continues as it had in the past. .

PanelMate Navigation Control — A new control has been added to emulate the default page components from a PanelMate Power Pro application.  This control is automatically added to each page when a Power Pro (.pps) configuration is imported into Canvas and its properties are set to match the properties of each imported page.

Assignment Action – Added the ability to use Indexed Lists in the assignments tab. This does not function when using Conditional/Pass Thru (trigger/condition) assignment types.

New System Client tags – Dynamic data and time text variables have been added as system tags.

Lost Connection Indication — A new configuration property allows the user to choose to display a “Lost Connection” indication on all objects that reference an OPC client who’s connection has been lost and whose data quality is reported as “bad”.

Indicator Test State Property — A test state property has been added to all indicator controls that lets the user select which state to display in the page editor unless over-ridden by the Test State control in the toolbar.

Page Editor Options – A new option check box has been added to the Canvas Options menu which allows the user to choose to click through transparent objects such as a rectangle with no background color.  Otherwise the top most object will be selected regardless of whether it has transparent properties.

Send to File Enhancements – The Unit Destinations Tab now has two additional properties to specify an FTP Account Name and FTP Password. If these fields are empty, then the FTP account and password pre-configured on the ePro PS are used. A third property is used to indicate whether or not the account name and password are saved in the unit configuration file (.ucf).  This feature allows Canvas PC users to employ the Send to File function to download PC’s over an Ethernet connection.  In addition the user can specify a machine name or IP address in the IP Address property.  Finally, after a Send to File operation the Launch button will be grayed out and disabled if Canvas Runtime is already running on the development PC.

Page Resolution for 8” and 10” ePro Models — Since the new ePro PS hardware platform has increased resolution on both the 8” and 10” models the user can now select either the older 640x480 VGA resolution or the new 800x600 SVGA resolution.

New Resolution for ePro PS Blind Node and Canvas PC configurations — Since the new ePro PS blind node now supports higher resolutions a new selection of 2048x1536 has been added for both Blind Node and Canvas PC models.

Imported Tags/Tag Library Conflict – The user is now prompted when trying to associate a tag file with an OPC client which has already imported tags from an OPC Server.  This warning is intended prevent the user from defining tags in both the OPC server and in a separate tag file which could cause confusion and result in mistakes during the development process.

 

 

Fixed in V3.30

Page Names in Security Groups – If a page is listed in a security group and the user changes the page name the security group property is automatically updated with the new name.

Home Page not configured in Default Security Group – If security is enabled, the Check for Errors and Send to File functions will generate an error if the configuration’s Home page is not configured to be accessed in the default security group.  Also the default home page name will automatically be updated in the default security group if the name is changed by the user.

Page Thumbnails – If a large number of pages existed in a configuration and the thumbnails of the pages were displayed in the Pages Folder, some thumbnails at the end would not display and upon entering the Page Editor, a page would not display because the thumbnail bitmaps were consuming memory.  This issue has been fixed.

PanelMate Power Pro and PanelMate 1000 Import – The Power Pro media library is now added to each page’s Reference Library property so that the images display after import.

Goto in Page Name – Corrected an error in “Send to Unit” and “Check for errors” where “Goto Page Actions” were created with a name containing the action list keyword “Goto”.  It was incorrectly flagged as an error preventing the configuration file from being built.

Meter Template and Meter Controls – The decimal place property was ignored by Canvas Runtime for display of scale values and has been fixed in this release.

Quote Marks in Text Strings In Media Library text entries if you tried placing a pair quote marks (i.e.”) within the text string you would see both the beginning and embedded quote marks at runtime.  This has been fixed in V3.30.

Missing Properties in Group Controls – Many of a control’s properties would be hidden when that control was grouped with other controls making it difficult to modify without ungrouping, making a change, and regrouping.  Now all page control properties are available regardless of whether or not the control is part of a group.

Duplicating Pages – When a page was duplicated and the new page’s name was modified the new page name wasn’t available in the property drop list for use in Page Change buttons.  This has been fixed in V3.30.

Canvas Import – If a Canvas unit configuration file (.ucf) was imported which had multiple components with the same name (Eg. Page named Data Values and Indexed List library named Data Values) the configuration wouldn’t import properly and one of the components would be missing.  This has been fixed in V3.30.

Recipe Menu Control – In some cases the button controls for the Recipe Menu control would not display the labels for Home, Load, Compare, or Save at runtime.  This has been fixed in V3.30.

Bar Control – In a Bar Control is the Operator Input Type was selected to be Lite Button, the buttons would appear at runtime when selected but the button labels would not.  This has been fixed in V3.30.

Slider Template Control – The readout in the Slider template now allows for a setting of decimal places.

PanelMate 1000 Import – Messages in the message display template would not completely display and only 2 of 3 lines would display in a table template.  Pushbuttons on the PanelMate 1000 Navigation control would only engage for a short period of time making it difficult to use momentary pushbuttons on some PLC’s.  These have all been fixed in V3.30.

 

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Eaton Corporation
Industrial Control Division
4201 N. 27th Street

Milwaukee, WI 53216
tel: 414-449-6000
fax: 414-449-7319

www.eaton.com/electrical

August, 2008