How does NI Configurator handle device description MENU definitions?

[CPK]

I'm working with a device description that has menus defined, but the NI configurator doesn't display the menus. What do I need to do to the DD menus in order to have them displayed by the NI configurator?

[fieldbus]

Which version Configurator are you using? According to our test, Configurator does support device DD menus. But you need to double-click the block then find the menus displayed in block dialog.

On the other hand, you can send e-mail to "fieldbus.support@ni.com" with your DD files and CFF file, they can do more help.

[CPK]

I am using 2.3.6, which I thought was the latest version. When I double click a block, for instance the transducer block, I get a dialog that has tabs on it, but the labels on the tabs don't match the menu structure I defined for that block in my DD. The tabs I see are Process, Diagnostics, Trends, Others, and Methods. Under Methods, no methods are displayed, even though I do have methods defined in the DD. When I hook up a different device with different menus in the DD for transducer block, I see the same tabs, Process, Diagnostics, Trends, and Others (no Methods tab). This leads me to believe that NI Configurator doesn't support menus but has some default menuing scheme that is not based upon the DD menus.

What device have you seen menus for? Are you doi
ng anything special to configure the NI Configurator to get these menus? Are you sure they're DD menus and not default ones from the Configurator?

Thanks.

[fieldbus]

The lateset version is 3.0 currently. But the DD menu features should be the same as 2.3.6 version.

Please refer to the attached screen shot for DD menu operations, the device is Rosemount 3051 (Rev 3), and you can find the DD Menus on the top of transducer block dialog as well as DD method result.

Hope it helps.

[fieldbus]

The lateset version is 3.0 currently. But the DD menu features should be the same as 2.3.6 version.

Please refer to the attached screen shot for DD menu operations, the device is Rosemount 3051 (Rev 3), and you can find the DD Menus on the top of transducer block dialog as well as DD method result.

Hope it helps.

[CPK]

Thanks for the reply, especially the jpg image. I can see now that we are talking about 2 different things. In a DD, one can define menus that organize parameters for display to a user. That is what I am looking for information on. Your example of the 3051 indicates to me that the NI configurator is not using DD menus in this case, as I know that the 3051 DD has no DD menus defined for it. It appears the NI Configurator is creating the menus on its own, not really using DD menus.

Thanks.

CPK

[fieldbus]

OK, I get the piont. You are right, the block menu of 3051 is not the true DD menu (it is not defined by vendor).

But Configurator does support DD menu, please refer to the attached image for another device "Metso ND800FF", which has "Resource block menu" and "Transducer block menu".

In fact, Configurator handles the method just the same as DD menu, it will create the block menu automatically for each method, that's why you find the menu for 3051.

Hope it is clear.