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Webserver Touchscreens and GUI

Every Cognio Smart Device, such as the C20, has a built-in web server that serves the Web App: a browser-based interface for operating the Control Panel Groups synced to the device and for checking the device's status. Any computer, tablet, phone, or touchscreen with a web browser on the same network can use it, with no software to install.

Open the Web App

  1. Make sure the device you are using is on the same network as the Smart Device's control network.
  2. In a web browser, go to https:// followed by the Smart Device's control IP address, for example https://192.168.1.50.

You can also open the Web App from Cognio DesignOps: select the Smart Device in Site View and click Open Web App in its Smart Device Properties.

Web App Pages

Use the navigation bar at the top of the Web App to move between pages. On a narrow screen, such as a phone, open the menu button to show the pages.

  • Status — Information about the Smart Device, grouped into Properties, Hardware Identity (network names, IP address, MAC addresses, and firmware version), Update State, Network Traffic, and Connected Site Info (the name of the synced site and when it was last pushed).
  • Control Panel Groups — The Control Panel Groups synced to the device, with a thumbnail of each Control Panel. Click a thumbnail to open that Control Panel in the same browser tab. The panel you opened stays open if you reload the page.

Using Control Panels

A Control Panel in the Web App works the way it does in Operation mode in Cognio DesignOps. You can operate its controls, but you cannot change its layout or add or remove panels.

  • Controls work even when the module they control is in a different Space from the Control Panel Group.
  • Static Labels cannot be edited. Labels whose text comes from a mapped parameter or a script update as usual.
  • Controls set to a Navigation command move between panels, open a panel in another Control Panel Group, or return to the Control Panel Groups page. See Navigation.
  • The thumbnails on the Control Panel Groups page are updated each time you sync the site after editing a Control Panel Group.

Managed Device Control Panel Groups

The Control Panel Groups of Managed Devices are not listed in the Web App. They are intended for setting up the device in Cognio DesignOps rather than for everyday use. To operate a Managed Device from the Web App, add its controls to a regular Control Panel Group.

Fitting Control Panels to the Screen

You may view the Web App on screens of many different sizes. Two Control Panel Group properties control how a Control Panel fits the browser window:

  • Fit Width to View — Scales the Control Panel so its width fills the window. Control sizes and positions are preserved, and the height scales with the width.
  • Vertical Scrolling — Lets the Control Panel scroll vertically when it is taller than the window.

Because Fit Width to View keeps the panel's proportions, a wide, short window can make the panel taller than the window. Turn on both options so the panel can scroll in that case.

Both options are on by default for new Control Panel Groups. Control Panel Groups created in an earlier version keep their existing setting.

In most cases, turn both options off for a Control Panel Group shown on a T-Series touchscreen. Design the Control Panel to fit the touchscreen's screen, so it does not need to scale or scroll. Use Panel Size to set the panel to the touchscreen's resolution. See Panel Size.

Set these options in the Web App section of the Control Panel Group's properties in Cognio DesignOps. See CPG Properties.