<< Click to Display Table of Contents >> Navigation:  Advanced Features > ControlView

•ControlView is a fully customizable graphical user interfaces programmed by the user.

•Design and build your own graphical user interface. No programming skills needed.

•ControlViews can run in fullscreen mode on any VERTEX System

•VERTEX' Web View feature makes a ControlView accessible in any web browser connected to your local network.

Basics

•VERTEX is shipped with extensive library of various control elements - find them at Library > Controls and drag them into the Control View Editor window.

•Detailled layout parameters allow you to build a ControlView fitting e.g. a client's cooperate design

•Control Views can be run in either the ControlView Editor as part of VERTEX' UI or in fullscreen mode. The fullscreen display is called Control Viewer.

•Fullscreen touch interfaces can also be used as transparent overlay on a desktop or even on top of a Fullscreen Renderer.

•Every control element can be accessed by a script command or API.

ControlView Workflow

•When you create a New Project, Vertex automatically adds a first ControlView by default.

•You can create further ControlViews from the Main Menu > Create or context menu by right clicking on Control View Manager in the Project Explorer.

•ControlView Editor has got two different modes: Edit (interface design) or Run (interface use).

Open ControlView Editor

1.Either go to Main Menu > Windows > ControlView Editor

2.or open the ControlView Editor from the context menu (right-click) of the particular ControlView in the ProjectExplorer.

Edit Mode

 

 

1.Add controls such as buttons or sliders by dragging them from the library and dropping the onto the desired location. In edit mode Controls can be moved around by click and drag.

2.Selection ControlViews and Pages for your current edit from the drop-downs. Add more with the + Button, because your VERTEX project may contain multiple ControlViews which may contain multiple Pages.

3.Use this drop-down to switch between Edit and Run mode - alternatively you can run ControlViewer in fullscreen.  

4.Options for zooming in and out or to individual controls.

5.Show/ hide the ruler grid. Snapping is enabled by default and other layout helpers can be accessed from the context menu.

6.Buttons for enabling WebView and opening it in a browser.

7.Add ControlViews or Pages from the editor's context menu.

8.Adjust style and settings for ControlView or individual Controls in the inspector - select to inspect.

Editor Settings

•Open the context menu with a right click in edit mode and go to Editor to set the ControlView Editor's layout helpers, snapping or the startup behavior.

Pages

•The use of multiple ControlView Pages allow a creative design with submenus thematically sorted in order to keep your ControlView neat and clean.

Run Mode

 

•all objects are locked

•all rulers and context menus are deactivated

•Controls cannot be selected to inspect

ControlViewer

•Each VERTEX System can display ControlViews in fullscreen - this fullscreen window is called Control Viewer.

•Depending on your VERTEX license, it is possible to run both on the same system: a Control Viewer and a video rendering fullscreen window for your System Output.

•It is also possible to have a transparent ControlView layer on top of your fullscreen video rendering window or on your Windows desktop.

Settings

Go to System > Settings > Control Viewer

 

Open Control Viewer In Fullscreen With These Options:

 

• Project Explorer > System > context menu
Right-click on any system and select "Enter Fullscreen ControlView"
If working with multiple Systems in a session, you can remotely set another System's Control Viewer to fullscreen mode.
Also, there is a menu entry in the same location for leaving fullscreen mode.

 

•The shortcut CTRL + F5 opens the Control Viewer on your local System.
Press the same shortcut on your local System to close.

 

•Control Viewer Button in Status Bar
opens the Control Viewer on your local System in Full Screen.
Use the shortcut CTRL+ F5 to close.

 

• Script Commands to open and close the Control Viewer on any system in your session:

System1.ControlViewer.Open
System1.ControlViewer.Close

 
or just for your local system:

ControlViewer.Open
ControlViewer.Close

 

 

 
 
 

 

Access a ControlView with a Script

Like most things into VERTEX also ControlViews are accessible with a Script Command.
 

 
Please note the difference between:
-  a ControlView that contains pages with controls (buttons, sliders, labels etc.) and is accessed via the ControlView Editor window
-  and the ControlViewer, that is the full screen window hosting the current ControlView.
It is crucial to keep this detail in mind when using VERTEX script commands with ControlView.

Difference between ControlView and ControlViewer

To access a ControlView's layout elements and settings, start your Script with the VERTEX Object ControlView ( i.e. "ControlView1")

ControlView1.Pages.Page1.Label1.Delete

 

Change the current page that is being displayed in the full screen ControlViewer with the GoToPage script command.
In this case you will need to start your Script with the ControlViewer object like so:

ControlViewer.GotoPage Page2

 

Some controls like a ClickButton have a GoToPage property in their Inspector's Settings tab, which can be used in addition to the control's main function.
Using a script to set the GoToPage-target requires to call the page's name by its full path - as in this example of a ClickButton:  

ControlView1.Controls.ClickButton1.GotoPage.Value = ControlView1.Pages.Page2

Script examples

Change the label text of Label 1 in ControlView1

ControlView1.Controls.Label1.Settings.Caption.Text.Value = "this is a new label text"

 

Perform a Click on Button 1 of ControlView1

ControlView1.Controls.ClickButton1.Click

 

Return the current Page that is displayed by ControlViewer1

ControlViewer.GetPage

 

Set ControlViewer to display Page 2 of the ControlView currently in use. This also works as a script for controls like a ClickButton.

ControlViewer.GotoPage Page2

 

Delete Label 1 on Page 1 of ControlView1

ControlView1.Pages.Page1.Label1.Delete