Alarms Overview
This section provides an overview of event handling in the Flex Client application.
How Operators Are Alerted to Events
The Flex Client application displays all the detected alarms and events in the Events workspace, with each one on a separate row. This is your main starting point for dealing with events.
In addition:
- Below the horizontal navigation bar, the Summary bar provides an overview of the events in the system grouped by category. A blinking indicator signals the presence of unprocessed events.
- An audible alert is sounded by the Flex Client when there are unprocessed events.
Methods of Handling an Event
- Fast treatment. You can view a list of events. By selecting an event in the list, you can check any details, and send event-handling commands directly from the event details area or from the list.
This is the most straightforward method of handling an event. For instructions, see Handling Events with Fast Treatment. - Investigative treatment. You can investigate the source of the event, check its details, and send event-handling commands from the from the event details area.
For instructions, see Handling an Event with Investigative Treatment. - Assisted treatment. If an operating procedure was configured for a specific event, the icon indicates that you must complete a step-by-step checklist of actions for handling that situation.
For example, these might include printing out a report, completing a form, reading a document, and so on. At the same time, you can send event-handling commands.
For instructions, see Handling an Event with Assisted Treatment. - You can also:
- Handle recurring events that occur when the same event source repeatedly generates the same condition. For instructions, see Handling Recurrences of an Event.
- Handle alarm suppression. For instructions, see Enabling and Disabling Alarm Suppression.
On small screens devices, depending on the screen size and orientation, the Flex web app layout switches to mobile view (see Mobile Flex), and:
- In Event List, the multiple selection of events is not allowed.
- Only fast treatment is available. The buttons to start investigative or assisted treatment may not be available to you. Or if available, and you try to start investigative or assisted treatment, you exit event treatment.
Simultaneous Handling of Events
A Flex Client installation can have one or multiple installed or web clients from which operators monitor and respond to events. Even if an event is being handled by another operator/station, you can still also handle the same event from your own Flex Client, using any of the available methods. However:
- If another operator/station is handling an event using assisted treatment, you cannot also initiate assisted treatment for that event.
If assisted treatment is already in progress by another operator/station and you select the assisted treatment button, a dialog box displays and you can only choose to switch to investigative treatment or cancel the operation. - Simultaneous handling of an event with assisted treatment by the same operator who is simultaneously logged on multiple Flex web clients is not managed.
Consequently, to prevent any unexpected system behavior, it is recommended to handle an event with assisted treatment from one web client only at a time.
Auto-Event Handling
Flex Client can be configured to automatically start the handling of certain events when specified conditions occur on the site. In this case, certain actions such as displaying Event List, selecting the event, or starting investigative or assisted treatment might happen automatically, so you will not need to do them manually.
Visibility of Events and Related Commands in the Flex Client Application
- Your user visibility rights affect the specific events that the Summary bar and Event List display.
If an event is generated by a point not visible to you in System Browser, it does not display on your Flex Client application. - You cannot handle events generated by field points for which you do not have proper user privileges.
Even though such events are visible to you, the related commands will not be available in Event List. - To carry out the event-handling commands, (acknowledge, reset, or silence/unsilence), you must have proper user privileges.
Furthermore, your ability to acknowledge, reset and/or silence/unsilence an individual field point/panel depends on configuration.
Security Rights on Event Category Commands
The specific commands available to you for handling events that belong to different categories depend on the rights at user-group level.
This means that, for events that belong to the different event categories, Event List only displays the commands that you are allowed to send.
For a specific event category, if you do not have rights to send one or more commands, these commands do not display in Event List for your Flex Client application.
Validation for Event Handling
Validation might be required for commanding events. This means when an event occurs, to be able to send any event-handling commands, the operator will be asked to provide a comment (Validation Profile = Enabled) or a comment and a password (Validation Profile = Supervised). The event-handling comment that explains the reason for the action is recorded and available in the History section, in the right panel; by selecting Open in log view it can also be open in the Log view tab.
Users with OIDC or software accounts are not allowed to validate event handling.
Activity Log and Event Log
During event treatment, audit trail records are stored in the History Database for the following:
- Operator’s activities relating to event handling.
For example, initiating/suspending event handling, acknowledging/resetting an event, commanding events validation, and so on. - Evolution of the events in the system.
For example, a new event occurs in the system, an event is acknowledged/reset, progression through the operating procedure steps in assisted treatment (such as, an operating procedure is initiated or closed and so on).
You can access log data, by setting log reports from a Desigo CC installed client:
- To get a log of the operator’s activities, set an Activities log report.
- To get a log of the events evolution, set an Event log report.
You can then handle these log reports in Flex Client using the Reports application.