Import Bitmaps and Assign Them to Objects
Technical Note 1082
Applicable Model(s)
HMI500 Series
Title
Import Bitmaps and Assign Them to Objects
Date
07/22/2005
Rev
01
P/N
0907-1082
Summary
Importing bitmaps is easy on the HMI500 Silver Series! This allows you to use a wide selection of graphics that can be permanently added to your bitmap libraries. Note that bitmap graphics need to have 256- color or less resolution and be no larger in pixel size than the HMI’s window size.
Solution
Add a New Bitmap to a Library
1.
In Easy Builder, go to Library/Bitmap/Call Up Library. The Bitmap Library dialog box
will be displayed.
2.
Click the Bitmap Library: pull-down box and select one of the bitmap libraries. If these
libraries are full, click on Add New Lib. button and create a new library with a new name.
Then repeat step 2.
3.
Click on the box location where you would like to enter the new bitmap.
4.
Click Add Bitmap… The Import Bitmap dialog box displays.
5.
The Bitmap No. is the location of the bitmap in the bitmap file. This should reflect the box
location that you selected in step 4.
6.
Enter a title for the new bitmap in the Bitmap name box.
7.
Enter the total number of states (max. 32) for the bitmap in the Total states box.
8.
Click Next. The Get Bitmap Graphics dialog box appears.
9.
Click Browse to search for the bitmap. The Open dialog box appears. Select the bitmap file
and click Open.
10.
The Get Bitmap Graphics dialog box reappears with the bitmap displayed, along with
information about the bitmap.
11.
The Transparent checkbox is used to make any color selected on the bitmap ‘transparent’. If the color is configured as transparent, then when the bitmap is placed on a window, all areas of the bitmap with the transparent color will not be shown. This is very useful when you want to overlap several bitmaps, (for example, when configuring a bar graph). To use the transparent feature, click on the bitmap picture in the Get Bitmap Graphics dialog box on the color that is to be transparent. The three boxes to the right of the Transparent checkbox will show the red, green, and blue mixture of the color and the fourth box actually shows the color. Then check the Transparent checkbox.
12.
If you are creating a multi-state bitmap, then click Next to select the next bitmap picture for
the other states. When the last state is completed, then click Finished. The Bitmap Library
dialog box reappears with the bitmap listed.
13.
Click OK to return to Create Bitmap Object. Click OK again to return to the main screen of EasyBuilder. Place the bitmap object somewhere in the work area. From the File menu, click Save to permanently save the bitmap to the library.
NOTE: When adding new bitmaps to existing libraries that come with the EZware-500 software, remember that any future upgrade that you receive from Maple Systems may overwrite existing libraries during installation. This will delete any new bitmaps that you have entered! Therefore, we recommend that you create new libraries to store these bitmaps or make backup files of the libraries before installing new upgrades.
If you find that some of the bitmaps included in the libraries are not useful, you have the option of deleting them so that they may be replaced by another bitmap.
Assign Your Bitmap to an Object
1.
Create your object (i.e., bit lamp, set word, bar graph, etc.)
2.
On the Shape tab check the box marked Use Bitmap.
3.
Click on the Bitmap Library button.
4.
Select the library and bitmap that you imported.
5.
Click Close to go back to the main screen of EasyBuilder.
Place a Bitmap (As a picture)
1.
From the Draw menu, click Bitmap, or click the Bitmap icon in the Draw toolbar. The Create Bitmap Object dialog box appears.
2.
Click the Bitmap library… button. The Bitmap Library dialog box appears.
3.
Click the pull-down box of Bitmap library: and choose from one of the open libraries of bitmaps.
4.
Click on the bitmap that you want and click OK . The Create Bitmap Object dialog box reappears. The bitmap that you selected should be displayed in this dialog box.
5.
Click OK. The main screen of EasyBuilder reappears with an outline of the bitmap object in the upper left corner of the work area.
6.
Move the bitmap to the location desired and click. The bitmap appears with small square boxes around the perimeter of the bitmap.
7.
The bitmap can be resized or you can edit the bitmap’s parameters by double-clicking to enter the Bitmap Object’s Attribute dialog box.
More Information
There is an option of selecting Compressed format for any of the bitmaps in a library. The compressed option decreases the size of the bitmap thereby reducing the memory requirements of the HMI to store that bitmap. However, because it is compressed, the HMI will require slightly more processing time to display the bitmap. Speed is sacrificed for memory. We recommend that you do not use the compression option except in cases where you are reaching the maximum limits of storage capability of the HMI.
Users also have the ability to export bitmaps so that they may be modified in another program.
Any type of drawing software packages such as Paint Shop, Photo Shop, or Microsoft Paint can be used to manipulate bitmap files. To convert jpg format files to bmp format, open Microsoft Paint. From the File menu, select Open. Open the desired file you wish to convert. Click on “Save As”. Under “Save as Type”, select 256 Color Bitmap and give it a file name. Note that bitmaps need to have 256-color, or less, resolution. Also, a bitmap can not be larger than the screen of the HMI. For the HMI520 models; 320×240, and for the HMI530/550 models; 640×480. To find out the size of your bitmap; in Microsoft Paint under the Image menu, select Attributes. The size should be represented as Width and Height (in pixels).
For more information regarding exporting, importing, and using bitmaps, please refer to Chapter 6, Creating Graphic Objects, in the HMI500 Series Installation and Operation Manual.