Echelon LNS - Manual (Page 21)

LNS Programmer's Guide 7
• Enhanced LonMark Interoperability
• Improved Device Commissioning Performance
• System Management Mode Enhancements
• Enhanced Configuration Property Management
• Online Database Validation and Backup
Enhanced Data Formatting
LNS 3.0 featured the introduction of the DataPoint object, which you can use to read
and write to the values of monitor points. Formatting of DataPoint objects is handled
locally, in the client process. As a result, formatting changes made to the value of a
monitor point through a data point by a given application do not affect other applications
that are reading the value of the same monitor point. This eliminates any confusion
caused when separate client applications need to format data independently.
In LNS Turbo Edition, you can create DataPoint objects to read and write the values of
network variables and configuration properties, as well as to the values of monitor
points. LNS Turbo Edition also features several modifications and enhancements to the
DataPoint object that will allow each client application to better format and display the
data it accesses through DataPoint objects. This section describes these changes.
GetDataPoint Method
The ConfigProperty and NetworkVariable objects now include an additional
method, the GetDataPoint() method. This method returns a DataPoint object you
can use to read and write to the value of the configuration property or network variable.
Most of the properties and methods you can use with each DataPoint you access
through a configuration property or a network variable are the same as those you could
use with the DataPoint objects accessed through monitor points in LNS 3.0. For more
information on using DataPoint objects to access network variables, see Directly
Reading and Writing Network Variables on page 231. For more information on using
DataPoint objects to access configuration properties, see Using Configuration Properties
In a Monitor and Control Application on page 233.
In addition, several properties have been added to the DataPoint object in this release:
the SourceOptions, SourceIndex, MinValue and MaxValue properties. You can
use the SourceOptions and SourceIndex properties to identify the type of source
object used to create a data point. You can use the MinValue and MaxValue properties
to identify or set the minimum and maximum values that should be assigned to a scalar
data field. For more information on these properties, see the LNS Object Server Reference
help file.
FormatLocales Collection
The new FormatLocales collection is another feature that you can take advantage of
when using DataPoint objects. Each FormatLocale object contains a series of
properties that reflect a particular geographical area’s conventions for data display.
These conventions affect how data should be displayed in that area, including factors