## Main toolbar

### File menu

Select File on the main toolbar to access the following menu items:

New: Creates a new, blank map file.

Open: Opens an existing map file.

Save: Saves the current map file template and the corresponding ION tree file template.

Save As: Lets you save the current map template to a different location.

Exit: Closes the program.

The File menu also lists the most recently opened device templates.

### Edit menu

You can add new objects by either right-clicking in the ION Map Information pane or selecting the appropriate option from the Edit menu.

Objects are placed either as children or siblings. For example, you may add a new manager to the device (sibling of an existing manager) or a new module to an existing manager (child of a manager). The same relationship applies to modules and registers.

New Manager: Adds a new manager.

##### Adding a New Manager

Click Edit > New Manager to open the Add New Manager dialog.

Type a name for the manager.

Select a manager type from the drop-down list: External Boolean Manager, External Numeric Manager, or External Pulse Manager.

Note

The manager type you choose determines parameters in the modules and registers under it.

Click OK.

New Module: Adds a new module.

##### Adding a New Module

Click Edit > New Module to open the Add New Module dialog.

Type a name for the module.

The default is the next available number of that module type within the current manager (for example, Ext Num 3). The name of the module determines the default names of the registers under it. Note that the module name can be changed later, if required.

Click OK.

Note

Duplicate names are permitted but not recommended.

New Register: Adds a new register. See "Editing a Register" on page 1 for more information on using this dialog.

New Register (Quick): Adds a new register, using all default settings. No dialog is associated with this command unless no registers currently exist in the target module (in that case, it is treated as creating a new register with a dialog).

The Modbus address is automatically incremented as appropriate based on the register type and size.

##### Copying and pasting objects

You can copy and paste modules and registers. After you copy an object, you can paste it into a different location in the tree. You cannot paste registers or modules from one class type to another (i.e., you cannot copy a Boolean register and paste it into a numeric module).

Copy: Copies your selection(s) to the clipboard.

There are three different paste options: Paste, Paste Clone and Paste Multiple.

Paste: Pasting registers will normally automatically increments the Modbus address based on the register data type. In the case of MaskedBool, it increments the bit mask by one until it reaches 0x8000, when the Modbus address increments by one and the mask resets to 0x0001.

The new register label is reset to a default label such as “Power Meter Module.0004”.

Paste Clone: Pasting a Clone is the same as pasting normally with the exception that the Modbus address of the register is not increased. This is a useful feature for pasting multiple registers with the same Modbus address but applying different masks.

The new register label is reset to a default label such as “Power Meter Module.0004”.

Paste Multiple: Pasting multiple copies simply performs a normal paste a determined number of times, each copy incrementing the address the appropriate number of addresses.

##### Moving objects

You can move both modules and registers. This is done by selecting the desired object(s) in either the ION Map Information pane or Modbus Register Information pane and then holding down the ALT key. You can move the module or register to any other holding object, but it must be moved to the same data type.

##### Editing objects

To edit objects in the , right-click them and select Advanced Properties. See "Editing a Register" on page 1 for more information.

##### Deleting selected <type of object>

To delete objects in the , right-click them and select Delete selected <type of object>. If you delete an object, all children (objects beneath it) are also deleted. To delete multiple registers at once, select them in the Modbus Register Information pane and then click “Delete selected Registers”.

##### Advanced properties

Select this menu item to open the Device Properties dialog. You can also open this dialog using View > Device Properties. For more information regarding device properties, see "View Menu". below.

### View menu

The following menu items are accessed by clicking View on the main toolbar.

Refresh: Refreshes the main console screen.

Collapse All: Collapses the tree view.

Device Properties: Click View > Device Properties (or right-click the tree-view root and select Properties) to open the Device Properties dialog:

Device Properties tab

Device Type: Type the name of the Device Type.

Default Diagram Template Label field: This is used if the device has a default diagram. The string entered in this field is an internal identifier and is only used if the “Add Generate Network Diagram Support” feature is used; see “Tools Menu” on page 11 for more information.

Note

Changes made here are not be reflected in the product until you add or update the device type.

Factory Information tab

These fields are used to identify the device type. By default, all values are constant values, but you can map them to Modbus registers if required.

Advanced tab

Maximum number of registers for a single request setting: The maximum number of registers requested for the device can be set anywhere from 1 to 125. It is recommended that you do not change this setting unless the specific device has special requirements.

Multiple Preset Write check box: Be sure that you match this check box with the device type. Select the check box if the device type supports Multiple Preset Write for registers and coils; clear the check box if the device type only supports Single Preset Write.

Disable “-1” check box: This is a special feature for meters. meters return a “-1” if a specified register is not available and the system interprets that value as a control signal. Most devices use the value of –1 as a valid data value, so it is recommended that this feature is turned off for all non meters.

Requested update period for any calculated registers setting: Enter a number (in seconds) to specify how often the physical Modbus device is polled to update the registers used for calculations.

### Tools menu

Select the Tools menu on the main toolbar to access the following menu items:

Add Device Type: After you correctly configure and save a device, you can add it to the database.

By adding a device to the database, you can now create new devices of the device type in . Before you can add the device type, you must go to the Device Properties and configure the device (See "View Menu" on page 1).

To add the device type click Tools > Add Device Type. After the device type is added, a new screen appears that shows the device types currently in the database (See “View Current Device Types”). Ensure that the device type you added is present and the configuration is correct.

Update Device Type: If you add a device type to the database but changes were made to the template, then you can update the database to reflect these changes.

You are notified if the update is successful or not. If it is not successful, you must remove any devices of the specified device type from and then update to the database again.

Note

The database update may not be successful if the device type you are updating is currently being used in . If this occurs you must remove all devices of the specified type before the update will be successful, or contact for possible workarounds.

Add “Generate Network Diagram” Support: If a diagram has been created for a device type, then you can set it up as the default network diagram in .

This enables all devices which are of the new device type to have default diagrams in when the “Generate Network Diagram” feature is utilized. It is recommended that the default diagram is created before running this feature.

You must configure the following factory registers in order for this feature to work correctly:

FAC1 Device Type register

This register must have a constant value. This is set in the Device Properties window as the Device Type. Use a descriptive name that easily identifies the device.

FAC1 Template register

This register must have a constant value. Use something specific to the current register. For example, a device called “Test_Device” could be “Test_Device_Rev1.0.3”. The template should reflect the device type, as well as the current version, to avoid future confusion if similar devices are added.

Note

Both of these registers must have constant values. does not support the “Add Generate Network Diagram support” feature for devices that get either of these register values dynamically (i.e., mapped to a Modbus register).

After you enter the correct register values, you can find the “Add Generate Network Diagram support” feature under the Tools menu. This feature is very useful if you have multiple versions of a specific device type.

This feature creates the necessary registry keys and sets up the required directory structure for generating a network diagram.

Note

By default, the diagram is a blank diagram. You must modify this diagram to actually correspond to the specified device.

Save ION Handle List: This command saves a list of the registers along with their corresponding ION handles. You can use this list to create a diagram without an active device connected.

The list is saved as a text file in the current installation folder. The name of the text file is in the format <currentDeviceName>.csv.

Validate Template: This command lets you validate the current configuration.

Doing this performs various validation and integrity tests on the current configuration of the ION and Modbus objects. It lists potential errors such as registers that share the same Modbus register address or registers that have conflicting masks. The error checks that are performed can be toggled on or off, using the check boxes in the dialog: general issues, address conflicts, handle conflicts, label conflicts, and name conflicts.

Note

You must manually fix any errors identified during validation before you can add or update the device type.

View current Device Types: This command allows you to view the device types currently in the database.

From here you can delete old device types that are not being used.

Note that you may see multiple entries for the same physical device in the device type listings (for example, 6200 RTU and 6200 ModTCP). The classifies each different protocol as a separate device type.

Note

You cannot delete a device type that is currently being used by .

Calculator: This loads the default Windows calculator.

### Settings menu

Select Settings on the main toolbar to access the following menu items:

Change Default Template Path: The default template path is used for loading a new template. Use this command to change the path if required.

Enable Auto-Validation: This is selected by default.

Start Application Maximized: This sets the window to open in a maximized state.

Show Properties Window on Double-Click: Allows an object’s property window to open if the object is double-clicked in the ION Map Information pane.

Auto Select Text on Edit in Register Information: Allows a field that is clicked on in the Modbus Register Information pane be fully selected when the edit screen opens. This is useful if you need to change the entire field.

Advanced: You can access two features from this sub-menu:

Show Factory Objects: Makes the factory objects visible in the ION Map Information pane. With this feature enabled, you can edit the properties of the Factory objects.

Show Modbus Addresses Offset in Hex: With this feature enabled, all Modbus addresses in the Modbus Register Information pane are displayed in hexadecimal format.

Note

If this setting is enabled, registers cannot be edited in the Modbus Register Information pane.

### Help menu

Select Help on the main toolbar to access the following menu items:

About: Provides version information for the program.

Help: Opens the Help file for the program.

### Configure Logging and Calculation button

Click this button to enter the Configure Logging and Calculation utility. This screen allows you to configure advanced functions for Modbus devices, such as enabling logging, and should only be used by advanced users. See the "Configuring Logging and Calculation" on page 1 for more information.