How to Set SCADA User Authorization Access to HMI Buttons
Most of the time, we would need to include major operation control in our HMI page. Easiest example will be start and stop process. However, these kind of operation normally are so critical that you wouldn’t want simply anyone to mess around with it. Thus it’s the time to make use of user authorized access for HMI interactions.
User authenticated/authorized access can be set in control buttons, so that when anyone click (or touch) it randomly, it will prompt for authorized credential request before proceed. Supposedly, such critical control authority should be assigned to certain personnel(s) only, whom have been trained or familiarized with the SOP. Such credentials shall be given only to the authorized personnel(s) and should be kept confidential.
Let’s use a straightforward example in this training. We shall configure a STOP button where only users with engineer level (or above) are allowed to access and perform the function. First, create a user with such role and level in IGX Project Editor. From the left menu, find and click to open “Role” table, add a new role for this training. For example, create a role called “Engineer” with level 1000 value, as shown in screenshot below. Save the project.
After that, proceed to create a user and tie it to the “Engineer” role. Navigate to “User” on the left menu, add a new user called “Engineer_ST1”, and set the password you desired. Then, assign security control to the user with the created “Engineer” role. Refer screenshot below for example.
Read more on SCADA security configuration.
Next, ensure the action is linked to a SCADA tag, so that when the button is triggered, it can be affected and send the correct signal to the system. In this training, we shall just use virtual memory tags. In IGX Project Editor, click on “Virtual” under the Tag branch. Then, create a Virtual tag in the tag table. (You may also create 2 tags each for start and stop process, as shown below.)
Now we have the valid user role and the relevant SCADA tags, it’s time to create the action button for interaction. Open an existing or create a new SVG file, create a button and label it as “START” (you are also advised to group them together for easier configuration). Then, right click on the button and select “Object Properties”. From the tabs, click on “Script” tab, and a text area will be shown. On the left pane “Event”, select “mouseup”. In the text area, key in the following script, as shown in screenshot below.
if("Engineer_ST1"==parent.sec_module.current_user())
{
var r=confirm('Confirm to START?');
if(r==true)
{ setTag('start_button', true);
alert("Process started and running.");
}
}
else
{
alert("ENGINEER authorization required!");
}
Note that parent.sec_module.current_user() here is the system function used to define and check who is the current logged in user.
Run the project when you’re done. Then, from the HMI screen launched in web browser, attempt to click on the “START” button without logging in. An alert box stated “ENGINEER authorization required!” should pop up, as shown below.
Now login as the created user role of Engineer, and click on the “START” button again. It should now allow you to pass through, and prompt the last confirmation box. Click on OK and then Start operation will proceed, as shown in the following.
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