Function Block ALARM

The Function Block ALARM processes an alarm signal.

See for further information the Plugin Alarm Management and Alarm History.

The duration for maximum retention can be set in the context menu under Project ▸ Settings ▸ Automation ▸ Retention Policies.

Database

The database not only defines the memory of the Function Block. It also defines the name of the alarm database. Note that you cannot simply rename it, as otherwise a new database will be created. It is recommended to use a prefix such as alarm.Window.

Note: The existing records are removed if all elements have expired according to the policies. Deleting individual events is not currently supported.

Input ACTIVE

The input generates a new alarm. When creating, the output ALARM is true and holds the time at the output ALARM_DT. The output ALARM is only true if this has not been muted.

Input ACK_REMOTE

This input acknowledges the alarm and sets the output ACK to true and writes the current time to the output ACK_DT. The acknowledgment can be set only once when the alarm is active.

Input TITLE

The input defines the title as a string of the alarm. This can be changed at any time in real-time.

Input DESCRIPTION

The input defines the description as a string of the alarm. The description may contain multiple lines but should not exceed two lines. This can be changed at any time in real-time.

Input LOCATION

The input defines the location as a string of the alarm. This can be changed at any time in real-time.

Input STATUS

The input outputs the status text on the list. This is passed as a string. The status should be defined uniformly.

Input ICON

The input outputs the icon on the list. This is passed as a string. The icon is the same as for the page.

Input COLOR

With this input, the text color of the list can be changed. No color is an empty string. The color is passed here by name. All color names can be found under Icon Colors.

Input PRIORITY

The input sorts the list. The highest priority is 0. There is no limit to the number here.

Input LINK_SITE

The input defines the webpage that can be linked to. The input is of type string. Only page IDs can be stored. The page can easily be dragged and dropped onto the input.

Input SILENT

With the input, a silent alarm can be defined. If the input is true, the report icon disappears. However, this has no effect on the mute function. It is therefore recommended to set REQ_SHELVE to false if the input SILENT is true.

Input REQ_ACK

If this input is true, the user of the alarm list is allowed to acknowledge the alarm.

Input REQ_SHELVE

If this input is TRUE, the user of the alarm list is allowed to shelve the alarm indefinitely. If the input is a time (T#) followed by ";ALL", a maximum shelving time can be stored.

If the permission for acknowledging or shelving is to be extended, a string can be appended to the input REQ_ACK or REQ_SHELVE. It is important that as soon as the input is no longer set to TRUE, the string must begin with ALL. Here are some examples:

String	Description
"300000;ALL"	REQ_SHELVE maximum for 5 minutes and for all groups
"ALL"	All groups, same as TRUE
"gid1;gid2"	Groups gid1 and gid2 allowed
"gid1;gid2;ALL"	All groups, same as TRUE, gid1 and gid2 are ignored

Tip: Use CONCAT to form the string.

Input DO_ACK

A positive edge at the input acknowledges the alarm via PLC. The output ACK is set to true. The inputs are then overwritten according to ACK_NOTE and ACK_USER. The output ACK_DT is described with the current time. If the alarm is acknowledged again, the output ACK_DT will no longer be set.

Input DO_ACK_NOTE

The input defines a note as a string. The note is written to the output ACK_NOTE upon a positive edge on DO_ACK.

Input DO_ACK_USER

Here, a user ID can be defined as a string. The ID is written to the output ACK_USER upon a positive edge on DO_ACK.

Input DO_SHELVE

A positive edge at the input shelves the alarm via PLC. The output SHELVE is set to true. The inputs are then overwritten according to SHELVE_NOTE and SHELVE_USER. The output SHELVE_DT is described with the current time. If the alarm is acknowledged again, the output SHELVE_DT will no longer be set.

Input DO_SHELVE_TO_DT

Defines the absolute time DT# for shelving the alarm. When this time is exceeded, the alarm is reactivated. The output SHELVE is false again. Upon a positive edge on DO_SHELVE, this value is transferred to the output SHELVE_TO_DT. If no time is passed, the alarm is shelved indefinitely.

Tip: Use the Function Block STR2DT to use a relative time, such as after 5 minutes. Or add the time T# with the timestamp of DT#, which can lead to deviations.

Input DO_SHELVE_NOTE

The input defines a note as a string. The note is written to the output SHELVE_NOTE upon a positive edge on DO_SHELVE.

Input DO_SHELVE_USER

Here, a user ID can be defined as a string. The ID is written to the output SHELVE_USER upon a positive edge on DO_SHELVE.

Input DO_SHELVE_RESTORE

A positive edge at the input restores a delayed alarm. In doing so, DO_SHELVE_USER and DO_SHELVE_NOTE are copied to the corresponding outputs as in the procedure above.

Input RECORD

The input activates recording to the archive. The input only needs to be held true for this purpose. Any change of an input ACTIVE, TITLE, DESCRIPTION, LOCATION, STATUS, PRIORITY or SILENT leads to a record.

Note: An additional license is required for outputting the recording. Further information can be found in the chapter Alarm History.

Output ALARM

The output is true as long as the input ACTIVE is true and the alarm has not been shelved with SHELVE.

Output ALARM_DT

Contains the timestamp in format DT# from the time of the alarm (positive edge at input ACTIVE).

Output ACK

The output is true when the alarm has been acknowledged. This can be done via the visualization and PLC.

Output ACK_DT

Contains the timestamp in format DT# from the time of acknowledging the alarm (positive edge at input ACK or the visualization).

Output ACK_NOTE

The last note when acknowledging the alarm as a string.

Output ACK_USER

The last user ID when acknowledging the alarm as a string.

Output SHELVE

The output is true when the alarm has been shelved. This can be done via the visualization and PLC.

Output SHELVE_DT

Contains the timestamp in format DT# from the time of shelving the alarm (positive edge at input SHELVE or the visualization).

Output SHELVE_TO_DT

End time DT# until automatic reset of shelving.

Output SHELVE_NOTE

The last note when shelving the alarm as a string.

Output SHELVE_USER

The last user ID when shelving the alarm as a string.

Visualization

Note: For processing on the visualization, all timestamps are rounded to full seconds.

Tip: With the string {name}, the name of the document and with {dir} the path can be passed to the inputs TITLE, DESCRIPTION, and LOCATION. However, it will then no longer be sorted by name. With {dir:2}, the length of the path can be reduced to 2. With {dir:-1}, the path is reduced from below. It is also possible to define the separator using {dir::\}.

Recommended Icons and Colors

Name	Icon	Color
OK	material/check_circle
Information	material/info	blue
Warning	material/error	orange
Alarm	material/warning	red