You can use the Connect command for any type of connection. You must use the Connect command in the following situations:
• The network variables or message tags to be connected are in different LonMaker subsystems
• You wish to connect the network variables or message tags by reference (a connection created using the Connector Shape method can be changed to a reference connection after it is created).
• You wish to modify the connection properties as the connection is being made (a connection created using the Connector Shape method can have its properties modified after it is created or a connection master shape can be created with the desired properties).
To make a connection using the Connect command, follow these steps:
1. Select one or more of the functional blocks or supernodes that you want to be connected by Shift-clicking each one, then right-click one of the selected shapes, and then click Connect on the shortcut menu. You can select functional blocks and supernodes from any number of subsystems or Visio pages. Alternatively, you can also right-click an empty area in any subsystem, then then click Connect on the shortcut menu. The Connection dialog appears:
This dialog contains the following functions: Tabs
Hub Displays hub network variables and message tags. Contains functional blocks or supernodes selected prior to opening this dialog and any added using Add FB/SNs.
Target Displays target network variables and message tags compatible with the selected hub.
Connections Displays connections made with Add or Add All. Connection Attributes
New Connections Allows you to select a connection description to be associated with new connections made in this dialog. Select <Default Connection
Description> to use the connection description associated with the hub network variable.
Assign Assigns the currently selected connection description to the connection selected in the Connections dialog.
Properties Displays the attributes of the selected connection description. Also allows creating new connection descriptions.
Display
NV Displays network variables on the selected shapes if selected.
MT Displays message tags on the selected shapes if selected. You can only use this option on virtual functional blocks.
Add Adds the connection to the Connections pane.
Add All Adds all complementary targets (see description for Add FB/Sns). Add FB/SNs Adds additional functional blocks or supernodes to the Hub and Target
panes. When clicked, the Select Object dialog appears. Select the
supernodes or functional blocks you wish to add. Right-click any object to expand, select, and deselect supernodes or functional blocks. Click OK when finished.
Graphics If you selected Connect from a connector shape shortcut menu, the connections in the Connection dialog may pertain to several connection shapes. In this case, the graphics mode selection does not affect the existing connections; it affects only new connections you add.
Manual Displays the connection with connector shapes. Default if one subsystem is selected.
Use References Displays the connection with reference shapes. Selected automatically if two or more subsystems are selected (see Using Reference Connections for more information).
Show Connections Specifies which connections are displayed in the Connections pane. The options below find and display increasingly more connections.
Selected
Connections Displays only the selected connections. Selected
Between Selected
FB/SNs Displays connections between any of the selected functional blocks and supernodes and displays connection between any pairs. …. To Selected
FB/SNs
Displays all connections from or to all selected functional blocks and supernodes.
Select a single hub on the Hub tab and one or more targets on the Target tab as described in the next two steps. If you wish to connect message tags on these shapes, select MT.
2. Click the Hub tab and browse the Hub pane until you find the desired hub network variable or message tag. Click the name or icon of the desired hub. The name is highlighted. If a functional block or supernode containing a network variable or message tag to be connected is not listed in the Hub pane, click Add FB/Sns to add it.
3. Click the Target tab. Browse the Target pane until you find the desired target network variable or message tag. Click the name or icon of the target. The name is highlighted. If a functional block or supernode containing a network variable or message tag to be connected is not listed in the Target pane, click Add FB/Sns to add it.
4. Click Add. This action adds the connection to the connection pane list. Repeat steps 3 and 4 as many times as you wish to create additional targets.
Or, click Add All to add all complementary targets (a network variable or message tag with the same name and same type as the target network variable or message tag in each
FB/supernode currently displayed in the Target list) to the connection list. This capability is useful for creating large fan-in or fan-out connections.
If you wish to add additional functional blocks or supernodes within the Hub or Target panes, click Add FB/SNs.
Specify the desired connection attributes for new connections by selecting a connection description in New Connections. You may view the properties of the connection description by clicking Properties. See Using Connection Descriptions.
5. Click OK to create the connection or connections in the LNS network database and drawing. If the network is attached and OnNet and the devices participating in the connection have been commissioned (see Commissioning Devices and Routers), the connection information in the physical devices is also updated. Otherwise the physical devices are updated when these conditions are satisfied.