Main sections of the configuration
Use areas to represent the main sections or sub-processes in your configuration. To provide a quick overview and easy access to all areas, it is recommended to define an overview area. See the example below.
Access to areas
When designing operator access to areas, you have two options:
By making an overview diagram, you gain the additional advantage of getting alarm indications at area level. The field or button representing the area where an object is affected by an alarm will blink.
Independent of PLC structure
The area structure only relates to the visual presentation of the individual objects in the configuration. It is completely independent of the PLC structure.
Data from any PLC can be fed into any area, that is, the objects within an area can easily read data from different PLC networks or from different PLCs within the same network.
An example
Assume that we have a configuration with 2000 objects. The configuration is divided into five areas. One area might function as an overview area consisting of, for example, 50 components which are central to the overall supervision of the process. Each of the same 50 components are also represented in their appropriate areas. This way of using symbols means that the same objects are represented in different areas. The second time you place an object on a diagram you merely place a reference, but you are free to change the descriptor representing the object.