Explorer Release 4.9.0

P2_RGB Explorer Icon

P2 Explorer version 4.9 is a minor release that redefines the Trending Tool technology and adds frequently requested enhancements to the trend.

Explorer 4.9 also improves the performance of the Data Table and supports further enhancements to Shift Log. This version also addresses issues found in previous releases.

Improved Trend

Usability Enhancements

In this release, the Trend has received a facelift with a fresh new look and usability enhancements, along with an upgrade to its underlying technology.

You will notice several cosmetic changes and slight re-arrangements to the locations of controls.

Notably, the ribbon has been replaced with a toolbar, reflecting a deliberate design change that will also be implemented in the rest of P2 Explorer in upcoming versions. Removing the ribbon means we can now provide more room for the content to shine.

With the number of controls available in the trend, we have reconsidered their locations with respect to how the trend will be used. Axis controls are now placed along the axis to which they belong. You will now find controls such as Sample Method and Interval, Start Time and End Time, along the x-axis at the bottom of the graph.

 

Trend Ribbon

In the following images, you can see the differences between the old ribbon and the new toolbar:

In particular:

  • The saving functions have been merged into a single ‘Save’ button with a drop-down list that includes ‘Save As’.
  • ‘Save Min/Max’ has been changed to ‘Save Metadata’ and now also includes the ability to save additional metadata, described in Saving Tag Metadata below.
  • The ‘Refresh’ and ‘Reload’ functions have merged into a single ‘Refresh’ button with a drop-down list that includes the reloading function. The text has also been updated to make it clearer what the actions do: ‘Refresh Data’ updates the data points in the trend, whereas ‘Reset Trend’ reloads the entire trend and resets the data back to its original state.
  • The ‘Snapshot’, ‘Share Link’, and ‘Print’ functions have been merged into one button labelled as ‘Share’.
  • The Hierarchy and Tag Navigators have been removed.
  • The Range Selector, Controls, and Trace Table toggle buttons have been ungrouped into the main toolbar. The Range Selector is now toggled off by default.
  • The icons for Y Scale, Y Axis, Plot Mode, and Hairline will change to reflect the selected option.

 

Trend Controls

In the following image, you can see that the trend sampling controls have moved from above the graph to below the graph. As these controls affect the way the time appears along the x-axis, they are now placed where it makes more sense to have them, along the x-axis.

The Sample Method and Sample Interval are in the middle of the axis, the start time/duration are on the left, and the end time/now controls are on the right.

For the timebase controls on the left and right, only one start time option and one end time option can be selected – the selected option is highlighted light blue. The end time can either be now, or a fixed time; and the start time can either be a fixed time, or a duration from the end time.

 

 

Trace Table

In the following images, you can see some slight changes to the layout of the trace table:

Aside from minor cosmetic changes:

  • The Delete row button has been moved to the far right of the row, to avoid accidental deletions.
  • A new fx button has been added to the trace row, to allow users to apply quick functions to the trace series, as described in Quick Functions below.
  • The colour and style menus have also changed from the radial to a box layout, in keeping with the rest of Explorer menus.

 

 

Vertically Stacked Trends

The new ‘Stacked’ Y Axis mode allows you to have traces that are vertically separated along the y-axis, so they are easier to read.

Hairlines will traverse all the charts simultaneously, and you can add comments and time windows as you normally would.

To access this mode, click the Y Axis button in the toolbar and select ‘Stacked’.

You can also move the traces within the stacks by selecting the stack number in the Trace Table. The stacks are numbered from top to bottom, with 1 being the top stack.

 

 

Trend Centering Around Hairline

When you have a hairline on the trend, and change the time base, the graph will update around the hairline, and the hairline will be in the middle of the graph.

 

Saving Tag Metadata

In P2 Explorer 4.9, you can save additional tag metadata values directly from the trend itself, without having to open P2 Server Management.

A new Save Metadata button has been added to the Trend ribbon, replacing the ‘Save Min/Max’ button. This will appear if you have edit privileges on one or more tags in the trend.

Clicking this button will save the tag metadata values for all tags and attribute values that are displayed in the trace table, for which you have privileges to save. This includes Min, Max, Units, and Description.

 

Quick Functions

The Cumulative functions for Sample Interval, Hour, and Day that were in Explorer 2.6, have now been added to this version of Explorer. To access these functions, click the fx icon in the Trace Table, next to the trace for which you want to apply the function.

The function is added as a new ad hoc calculation trace.

 

 

Edit Tag Pill

In the Trace Table, you are now able to directly edit the name of a trace, without having to first delete it.

Simply double-click the “pill”, and then start typing. Matching valid names will appear in the autocomplete list, and you can one of these to replace the previous trace.

 

Statistics in Trend Analysis

After training a model analysis, various statistics are now available for assessment. You can use these statistics to refine and re-train your model so that it meets your optimal requirements.

 


Data Table Performance

The performance of the Data Table has been improved to deal with large volumes of data. We have also improved the grouping mechanism, and the default styling has been updated.

In Explorer: In Explorer Studio:

To use the improved table, ensure the ‘New Table’ option is selected in Explorer Studio.

Note: The following items are not available in the new table, but will be included in a future release:

  • Add Link Column and Hyperlink Column type
  • Scroll on overflow
  • Server Side Options
  • Column formats for Sum and Average aggregations.

 


Microsoft Edge Support

This release of P2 Explorer now fully supports Microsoft Edge version 83 and later. This is the version of Edge based on the Chromium rendering technology, which has improved support for HTML5 standards based web applications.

 

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