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These graphic guidelines have been developed to provide standardization in concepts and quality for the computerized color graphics that are part of the Client Comfort Systems.
This document should in no way impede your creative side to generate custom graphics for each project. Its purpose is to provide guidelines as to the minimum requirements of your graphic set and to standardize graphic controlled hot spots and how we move through the graphic set.
The general concepts graphically presented in Section 2 provide the basis of the guidelines. Please forward your perceptions and comments on any aspect of the guideline so that we may consider inclusion in future updates. Please fax all your comments to Director, Energy and Environment 387-1878.
The following overview shows the inter-relationship of mandatory graphics. The guideline is intended to provide conventions for movement and symbolism for graphics. Since the graphic set will be operated in the Windows environment use of left upper corner should be left blank for access to pull down menus. Vendor operating systems also use this area. The right corner should be left blank as several systems use this area to display the time. Avoid putting any information or active icons close to the edge of the screen as this may cause problems when sizing windows and or problems with screen setup with various monitors. Determine where vendors display their alarm lines and avoid conflict. Most alarm lines overwrite existing graphics so display is not a major concern, but active icons are if they appear under the alarm line.
Graphic Title - The graphic title will be located at the top of each screen.
Date - Each graphic will be dated with the last update.
Key Plan - A key plan will be provided in the lower right hand corner with each graphic screen showing the related floor area plus the number of floors or levels. The shaded area will depict the area served by this graphic. Clicking on the level or floor number will present the corresponding location on that floor graphic. Clicking on the non-shaded areas will present the graphic representing that area on the same floor.
Menu Bar - The menu bar will be located at the bottom of each screen, not to interfere with the alarming line. The bar must be placed exactly in the same location on each screen to allow browsing through the system by clicking on the buttons without moving the mouse.
MAIN MENU The return to the Main Menu must always be in the furthest left location of the bar on all graphics. PREVIOUS The Previous graphic button must be second from the left on all graphics. Special Custom button(s) Commands particular to the graphic screen. COMMAND The Command mode button must be third from the right on main menu only. BYE Sign off will always be the second from the far right on main menu and index. - HELP
Help will always be on the far right of the menu bar on all graphics. The above is to standardize movement throughout the graphic set.
The actual point will be located as close as possible to the graphical representation of actual location. If the point has an associated setpoint this point will be located directly below the actual point and be in a different colour.
Status point of equipment will be defined as ON or OFF and located on top of command points.
Command points should be defined as Start/Stop or Enable/Disable, etc, but not as ON/OFF.
Weekly schedules will be symbolized by a clock icon. Access will be from every time controlled system plus the Index. The Index will take you to a screen of all time schedules whereas time controlled points on a particular system graphic will take you only to the controlling schedule.
Trend graphs will be symbolized by a box with a graph line icon. Icon will be placed near the actual analog point that will be trended. On floor graphic, the sensor symbol will become an icon to access trend data for that zone.
Will be symbolized by a box with a horizontal lines icon and will be accessed from every output. This concept will tie in with the Corporation's concept of output oriented code.
Runtime hours will be symbolized by 999 HR in a box. This icon will be placed as close as possible to the actual point being totalized. The actual total hours will replace the 999 HR on the screen. Clicking on the icon will provide more information.
Text size should be large enough to be easily read. If you must reduce text size to get all information in you need a further zoom graphic. Use a pleasing color contrast between lettering and background.
- Avoid using too much color. Without planning you could over use color and actually detract from the visual impact, as well as causing eye strain.
- Attempt to match the visual impact of color with the importance of the information.
Eg:
- bright red or yellow for alarm information;
- next brightest color for dynamic information such as temperature and status;
- next brightest color for action items such as icons;
- darker color for passive, but important information such as schematic lines;
- pastel color for passive, less important information such as backgrounds.
- Attempt to maintain color consistency, ie all air systems similar, all hot water lines the same color, all chilled water lines the same.
The examples in these guidelines show one way of interpreting the use of color following these suggestions.
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