The Web Edition of the GLG
Toolkit enables process control and mission-critical
applications to be deployed on the
Web and mobile devices
via
pure HTML5 and JavaScript. An application can
deploy dynamic HMI screens on the web, allowing the
operator to
monitor and
control the process in a web browser, with no
local installation required.
With the Toolkit, dynamic HMI screens are created in an
interactive Graphics Builder and deployed on the web
using a
client-side JavaScript library. The
client-side deployment provides the same high update rate
and elaborate user interaction as a conventional desktop
application.
The GLG Graphics Server for either ASP.NET or JSP is also
available for an
alternative server-side web
deployment that can reuse existing C# or Java
application code. With the Graphics Server, the graphics
is generated on the web server and displayed in a browser
as an image that is periodically updated.
For conventional desktop applications, both the
C/C++, C# and Java editions
of the Toolkit are also provided.
Point and Click HMI Editor
The Web Edition of the GLG Toolkit includes the GLG Graphics
Builder - a graphical editor with point and click
interface for creating dynamic
HMI and SCADA screens and diagrams. With the
Graphics Builder, developers can create elaborate
process control and system monitoring drawings, define
dynamic behavior and attach real-time data sources. A number
of pre-built components
and palettes are available
for use as building blocks in the Builder. An optional GIS Map component
is also available.
The HMI screens use vector graphics and are resolution-independent,
which makes it possible to deploy them on a wide range
of displays - from
large monitors to mobile devices. Drawings
created with the Builder can be reused between all
deployment platforms - C/C++, C#, Java, JavaScript, for
both desktop, Web and Mobile deployment.
Web / Mobile Deployment with Client-Side JavaScript
The
GLG JavaScript
Library is used to
deploy the HMI displays on
a web page in a browser, on any desktop or
mobile device. The library provides an API to load and
display drawings created with the Graphics Builder,
animate them with real-time data and handle user
interaction.
The GLG JavaScript Library implements full GLG run-time
functionality present in the GLG C/C++, C# and Java
libraries, allowing the same graphical page and
programming logic to be shared between the desktop, web
and mobile versions of an application.
The library uses HTML5 canvas to render
graphics and supports all major browsers:
Chrome, Firefox, Edge and Safari, as well as mobile
browsers. Since the rendering is performed by the
browser on the client side, the server load is reduced,
making it possible to use low-end embedded web servers
for hosting a web application.
Web / Mobile Deployment with AJAX and
Server-Side Graphics Server
The
GLG Graphics Server
is used to
deploy the HMI displays on
an application server. The Graphics Server
takes care of generating dynamic images of the HMI
displays and updating them with the real-time data. The
Graphics Server uses the same C# or Java API as the
corresponding desktop applications, making it possible to
reuse the existing application code and quickly deploy the
application on the web with
ASP.NET or
JSP
with minimal changes.
If desired, the Graphics Server can load the HMI displays
for a monitored process and keep them in memory, updating
the HMI displays with the latest data. This allows the
Graphics Server to generate dynamic images of the current
state of the process by taking "snap shots" with very
little overhead.
More Information
HMI Configurator for OEM Use
The GLG HMI
Configurator, a simplified
version of the HMI editor for the end-users, is
also available. It may be used for OEM distribution by
system integrators and can be extensively customized
with custom actions, icons, dialogs, data browser and
other custom features.
The HMI Configurator may also be used for developing cloud-based SCADA and
monitoring systems, where a customer creates a
drawing, specifies real-time data sources and uploads
the drawing to a server for a web or mobile deployment.