Deploy Movicon NExT Project for HTML/Web Client

The Platform.NExT Web Client technology is the most modern and innovative solution to use for managing remote access to the supervision system from any remote device or mobile by means of using local and public networks, VPN or internet with the maximum of simplicity and security. The Platform.NExT technology enables you to use the Platform's Web Server features to deploy the supervision project on the Web and therefore to be accessed by remote Client devices using the HTML5 technology.  Thanks to this new standard, Clients can access the server adopting the "Cross Platform" concept whereby the client can access the server using any browser and device with any operating system without having to install extra locally to enable this.

The use of the Platform.NExT Web Client is optional and must be enabled only on the Server's runtime license in order to allow access to the desired number of concurrent HTML5 (Browser) or WPF (Apps) users.

 

Deploying Projects for HTML5/Web clients

After having created your project in the Movicon.NExT workspace as well as the Tags and screens as needed, you can choose whether to deploy your application on the Web according to the HTML5 Web Client architecture described previously.

To deploy your project you can use the 'Create Web Client (HTML)' command from the project's contextual ribbon in the Platform.NExT workspace in development mode or use the same command by right clicking on the root of the project's tree structure.  

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* If you are using custom WPF UserControls in screens, in order to use these controls on the WebClient side you will need to copy the relating ".dll" files within this path:

"C:\Program Files\Progea\Movicon.NExT 3.1\UFWebClient.HTML5\bin\Toolbox"

before executing the 'Create Web Client (HTML5) command:

 

Deploy Application window

The use of the command to deploy projects on the Web, determines the creation of HTML5 pages and the configuration of the connections relating to the platform's Web Server module. As a consequence, a data settings window will display, as shown below, to allow you to select, modify or configure the deploy parameters.

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The Deploy window permits you to define the following deploy parameters:

Url address for IIS

The Deploy Web address of the server to which the client must point to.  Specifies the URL address which must be digited in the Client browser to display the application's "Main Web Page".

 

Application Name

Name of the virtual directory to create for the Web Server. It also allows you to replace the name of the deploy URL folder if need be.

 

Deployment path

The deploy physical path.  Indicates the folder in which the deploy web files are available from.

 

Application Pool

Name of pool with which the web application will be started up.  The pool defines the user context within which the Web application is executed and which is necessary, for example, for any eventual access to the SQL Server database managed by the Server project.

 

Identity

User identity used for the pool. User identity is needed when wishing to access those services outside the project on the server and that request it, such as obtaining access to data on a SQL Server Database.  Therefore, if the Web application requests access to a database, it will need to be executed in a pool context with a user idenity which is known to the database within which it has been defined.  

Generally, Identity names created for default are proposed  and therefore already exist in the Database as Access Authorization Identity.  Otherwise, in order to access the contents of a database over the web, you will need to specify an Identity that has been defined in that database on the Server.  To verify and/or enter user identities in a SQL Server database, you will need to run the SQL Server Management Studio.

Proposed users are those which are normally standard and default users:  

"LocalSystem","LocalService","ApplicationPoolIdentity","NetworkService".

Otherwise you can indicate a  "SpecificUser" (user set as pleased and already defined as one of the users granted access to the DB).   

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Data Grid Sources

This permits you to set the connection string to the DB which the indicated object will use, in this case the Data Grid, extracting data.

Data Analysis Sources

This permits you to set the connection string to the DB which use the indicated object will use, in this case the Data Analysis, for extracting data.

 

Dashboard Sources

This permits you to set the connection string to the DB which the object will use, in this case the DashBoard, for extracting data.

 

Disable Create New Dashboard

 

Disables the possibility to create new Dashboards.

Disable Dashboard Designer

 

Disables the Dashboard editor.

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Show Project Title

 

Shows the application name in the web page (see point 1 in screenshot above)

Logo File Path

This property allows you to specify the path of an image to use as a logo in the startup page in Tile Page mode instead of the default Movicon logo.

The Logo path must be a path relating to the application.  For IIS security reasons no other folder can be accessed unless explicitly configured to do so.  Therefore, to simplify things, the image file must be copied manually to the application folder or one of its sub folders.  For example, when deploying the 'TestProject', it will be downloaded in the “wwwroot” with the following path:

 

C:\inetpub\wwwroot\TestProject

 

At this point, if we insert the “CustomLogo.png” image in the application's 'Images' sub folder:

 

C:\inetpub\wwwroot\TestProject\Images\CustomLogo.png

 

The relative path will be inserted in the Logo File Path property:

 

Images\CustomLogo.png

 

Shows the screen navigator side panel in the web pages (see point 2 in above screenshot)

Show Header

 

Shows the toolbar in the web pages (see point 3 in above screenshot)

Show user register link

 

Shows the "Log In|Register" link in the web pages (see point 4 in above screenshot)

Disable Pop-up Screen

 

Disables screens opened as pop-ups.

Use Background image for static objects

Activating this option will set all static objects, that are not dynamic,  as background image.  All the other objects that are dynamic will be handled as usual.  In case where you wish to extract a static object from the background image, you will need to activate the 'Force as Dynamic on WebClient' property.

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Session Timeout

Inactitivity time in seconds after which client session will be considered as expired freeing a WebClient license.

 

Refresh Polling Time

 

Refresh time of dynamic objects on screen in milliseconds.

When the "Use background image for static objects" property is activated, only the dynamic objects will be refreshed.  Otherwise the whole screen will be refreshed.

Refresh Polling Time Count

This represents the number of dynamic objects to be controlled when the time set in the 'Refresh Polling Time' property expires.

At each 'Refresh Polling Time Count', the web server application will control and notify connected web clients whether each dynamic object has changed position or image or not.

Delay Broadcaster

 

This is used to manage broadcasts from the server to the client.

Objects that change status are listed and notified to clients after this delay time expires.

 

Concurrent rendering pipeline

 

Represents the maximum number of concurrent graphics updates admitted in the web server application for dynamic objects on screens.  

This value represents a maximum value independently from the number of web clients connects.

 

Software Rendering  

 

Disables the hardware acceleration to render graphics.

Low Resolution

Uses low resolution images.

 

 

The window also has the following command buttons:

 

Publish

This button is used to publish the HTLM5 web applications.

 

Update project

This button is used to update the published web application when changes are made to the project files.

 

Open Browser

Test Button that excutes the opening of the published HTML5 web project using the browser predefined in the operating system.  The test may require that the data server be started up in runtime.

 

Close

Exit button.

 

* Attention! In order to allow the app to connect to the I/O Data Server, at least one of the following conditions must be met:

  • The I/O Data Server is installed and started up as Windows Service.
  • The I/O Data Server is started up as Administrator (if project is launched from editor, open the editor as administrator).
  • Only the net.tcp transport is defined in the I/O Data Server.
  • Add the net.tcp transport in addition to the net.pipe in the I/O Data Server and edit the App Name setting with the EndpointRenamed parameter equal to net.tcp://localhost:62846/<app_name_di_progetto>

 

 

More details can be found here: http://www.movicon.info/HelpNExT3.4/en-US/PlatformNext.htm#t=mergedProjects%2FWebServer%2FWebServer%2FWeb_Server_Mode.htm

 

Server Configuration

In order to use the Platform.NExT Web Server technology the following configurations are required: 

  1. NExT I/O Data Server with Web Server module enabled
  2. Windows Server 2008 or 2012 operating system. Windows 8 or Window 7 Desktop version (Workstation) but is limited to 10 connections.
  3. The Windows IIS features in the 7.5 version or later (8.0 version is preferable available in Windows Server 2012 or Windows 8)
  4. Network connection 

In order for the Platform.NExT Web Server module to use the Windows system features you will need to make sure that these features are present and enabled as described below and refer to the -> Control Panel -> Progams and Features > Turn Windows features on or off.

 

The image below shows the Windows features that must be installed in Windows 7 (IIS 7.5):
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The image below shows the Windows features that must be installed in Windows 10 (IIS 10.0):


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The image below shows the Windows features that must be installed in Windows 8 (IIS 8.0):

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Other required features:

In addition to these options you will also need to explicitly select those options relating to the WCF services (not available in win7).

 

Client Limitations

The visualization of graphical pages on the HTML5 Web Client side is limited in how it functions due to its intrinsic Web and Cross Platform features and which must be taking into consideration by the user when designing their project.

Based on the project's needs on the Client side the user should assess whether to use the Web Client or Desktop Client technology or even the Terminal Server technology  (Remote Desktop).

Some architectures have both advantages and disadvantages that  must be assessed in function with project needs.  

 

* Attention! It is important that the project designer, who is responsible for making the project completely usable by Web Clients, take into full consideration existing web architecture restrictions in order to provide the user with the right functionalities they need.

* To resolve eventual references to the Movicon ToolBox assembly in project scripts correctly, you will need to copy the entire ToolBox folder, contained in the Movicon installation folder (c:\Program Files\Progea\Movicon 3.x), to the  C:\Windows\System32\inetsrv" folder.

 

 

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