National Instruments NI-FBUS - Manual (Page 45)

Chapter 2 Using the NI-FBUS Configurator
NI-FBUS Configurator User Manual 2-22 ni.com
Using Menus and Methods
The NI-FBUS Configurator supports user methods, which are a sub-set of
the Foundation Fieldbus Menus and Methods specification.
User methods are the methods you explicitly invoke from the NI-FBUS
Configurator. Typically this would be a method that is called “Set up
device” or “Calibrate valve”—something that represents a specific task you
want to perform.
If you double-click a function block in the configuration tree and the block
has menus and methods associated with it, a menu bar appears above the
block configuration window toolbar and the Methods tab appears in the
block configuration window.
The first menu item in the block configuration window is normally Apply
values, which shows up for all blocks. Any additional menus defined by the
device description will appear to the right of this menu. These menus can
contain parameter names or the names of methods, which can be invoked
by selecting them. If there are any methods detected in the device
description that are not already on a menu, a menu titled
Methods will be
shown, with an entry for each method.
If you select a parameter name from the menu, an edit window for that
parameter will appear. To invoke a method, select it from the menu bar.
The block configuration window will switch to the Methods tab, which
displays all output from the method. In addition, when the method requires
you to enter input, you will be prompted to type it in a box in the Methods
tab. Methods will run until they encounter an error or complete. Error
information is also displayed in the Methods tab. You cannot close the
block configuration window while a method is still running.
Configuring Alarms
You can configure a device, such as an interface in a PC, to receive alarms
generated by function blocks.
1. Drag the configuration tree icon for the device or interface to which
you want to send the alarm to the Function Block Application Editor,
if you have not done so already.
2. Either wire the Alarms output of the block that you want to generate
an alarm to the device you want to receive the alarm, or check the
Receive All Alarms box, if the device has one. The following figure
shows an example of a configured alarm.