Integrating the filler of a filling line into five different projects for the same customer? Easy! Grouping and filtering production data? No problem. Want to change the color of a valve symbol from green to red across the board before commissioning – even though it’s been used 100 times in the project? All it takes is a click.
- Projects are quick to create and maintain
- Consistency is ensured
- Rapid corrections and changes at a moment’s notice, even if several symbols are involved
- Time savings and faster commissioning – resulting in lower project costs
In zenon, objects are created and maintained centrally. Properties are assigned to objects with just a few clicks. Changes affecting aspects such as color can be made at a central point and are then distributed throughout the project automatically.
Object orientation: a key principle of zenon
Object orientation has been a part of the zenon product philosophy from the very beginning. Objects are created and maintained at a single point – but they can be used in multiple places and even across projects. However, they can also be adapted locally at any time.
Object orientation is applied universally throughout zenon, primarily to prevent duplicate copies of data being stored. This enables objects to be reused consistently, so engineering processes are streamlined and amendments can be made quickly and easily – while also avoiding careless mistakes. As a result, the entire project remains a consistent whole. Even change requests right before go live are no problem – because they can be actioned so quickly.
How object orientation works
Properties of objects such as screens, symbols, and variables are configured only once. The properties are easily distributed throughout the project with just a click or by using Styles. After the one-off process of defining them, objects can then be reused in several different ways – a real advantage. Any changes only have to be made at one central point, and are then automatically transferred to wherever they apply.
Let’s say you want to change the shape or color of a symbol. You simply make the change in a global symbol library – and the change is automatically carried over to the individual project screens. This ensures projects are easy to maintain, and you can rest easy in the knowledge that errors won’t creep in even if you do make a large amount of subsequent changes to a project. The philosophy of object orientation is also applied in the Smart Objects.
Even complex projects are given a clear structure, consistency is ensured, and you save time and money on engineering.