Lintouch is an open-source real-time visual control center application. It has been designed with easy extensibility in mind. The main features of Lintouch are the server-client architecture and the extensibility: using Server Plugins on the server side, and using Templates on the client side.

Figure 2. Lintouch Architecture

Lintouch consists of two principal parts (see Figure 2, “Lintouch Architecture” for details):

The behavior of Lintouch Server is controlled by Lintouch Project (a .zip file with .ltp extension containing configuration for the Runtime and the Server). Lintouch Server sets up the connections that read/write actual data from/to the monitored system. Every such connection is handled by an appropriate Server Plugin (SNMP Plugin, ModBUS/TCP Plugin or another).

Lintouch Runtime connects to a specific Lintouch Server. It downloads the project from the server and visualizes the data handled by the Lintouch Server. The data are visualized by displaying one or more Panels. Every panel displays one or more Templates (Lamps, Buttons, Input fields) reflecting the real state of the system.

Templates are integrated into Template Libraries and can perform various tasks. Lamp Template typically visualizes the state of a monitored variable from your system. A Button Template, on the other hand, can change the value of amonitored variable of your system when activated by a mouse button or touch screen. This way you can alter the state of your system.

On the global scale, you work with Lintouch Projects in the editor. A project is represented by a project window.

Figure 3. Lintouch Editor Project Window

You can have multiple projects open at once. So it is, you can have several project windows in the lintouch editor. Every project window updates its caption to the name of the project it holds.

From the persistency point of view, a project is represented by a file. When satisfied with the look of the project, you will upload this file to the reach of the lintouch server and let the lintouch server start with this project. Finally, you will connect to the server using the lintouch runtime(s).

Every project consists of Views. A view is nothing more than a collection of panels. In addition, every view has a name and a resolution. To skip ahead a little, all the panels within a view have that resolution.

To switch among the views of the project, use the dropdown list at the bottom right hand corner of the project window.

Figure 4. Changing the current view

Initially, an empty project contains one view.

Each view consists of Panels. A panel is a surface that can contains Templates - LEDs, lamps, images, switches, buttons, and all other controls.

You can switch among panels of a view by clicking on the panels tab within the project window.

Figure 5. Changing the current panel

Initially, an empty view contains one panel.

Template is the basic organizational unit within Lintouch. It represents a real world control switch, button, LED, lamp, sensor, etc. Templates are contained within template libraries.

The template to use are located in the template palette, a visual filling most of the main window. In addition, the templates within the palette are grouped by the template libraries - the dropdown list just above the palette.

Figure 6. Template Palette

Lintouch comes with a few pre-defined templates. You can design and implement templates of your own. The details of this process are beyond scope of this document and may be found at the lintouch homepage at http://lintouch.org.

To connect the real device to Lintouch, you have to create a connection. Connection is an abstraction that refers to a device, a PLC, a set of devices, or anything that another entity, called the server plugin, defines.

For example, the plugin ModBusTCP, shipped with Lintouch, implements the protocol ModBus over TCP and lets you access the remote device from Lintouch. Or, the plugin Generator simulates a device that regularly changes its output. In fact, there is no limit as to what a server plugin can handle.

Figure 7. Connections and plugins

This way, the server plugin tells Lintouch what to send or receive with the particular connection and thus acts as the type of that connection. To put it another way, a connection is an instance of a server plugin.

Lintouch contains only a couple of plugins meant for testing or demo purposes. Usually, you will write your own plugins for your specific devices or let someone do the task for you. The interface to those are open and can be found at the lintouch homepage at http://lintouch.org Be aware of the fact, the real world plugins may be as complex as the real world itself is and sometimes it may take weeks to complete them!

Once you have written a complex plugin, it is more than likely you would like it to work for other instances as well. You decide it is only some addresses, or other parameters that you need to feed to your plugin to make it work again. This is the time when the user should set the properties for the corresponding connection. In fact, almost every plugin comes with a set of properties that are different from one instance of plugin (i.e. connection) to another:

Figure 8. Connections properties (filled in properties of ModBusTCP plugin)

Lintouch variable represents the measured or monitored quantity within connection, such as voltage, wind speed, limit check, or the status of a server. Some people refer to variable as tag. The meaning of variable is defined by the plugin that handles the corresponding connection. This plugin also defines, expects, and sends the variable values as of one of the three types:

For example, the weather plugin may be grabbing the temperature from one of the connected thermometers. So, the variables of this connection are temperatures and are of the type number.

Figure 9. Variable

Of course, the variables have to be distinguished one from another, so each variable has a name. In addition, some scenarios require variables to have additional information associated with them, such as bus address, credentials, or IP address. This additional information is called the variable properties.

Figure 10. Variable properties (filled in properties of ModBusTCP plugin?)

A template connects to a variable by one of its IOPins to receive and process the data coming in from the real devices, or to send some data out to the world (for example, when a user presses a button).

When connected (the state also referred to as the IOPin bound to a variable), Lintouch receives the data from the real device by a server plugin; this sets the variable of the corresponding connection and the value is delivered to the connected IOPins. Then, it is up to the template to decide how to react to the received value.

Figure 11. Receiving data by IOPins

The other way around, when a template decides to send out a signal (or a number, etc.), it does so by setting its IOPins. It may be so that it reacts to the user's press of a button, text input, timer event, etc. Then, the signal propagates through the bound variables to the plugin via a connection. Last, the plugin decides to send the signal out and finally translates the event to the protocol of the connected device.

Figure 12. Sending data by IOPins

If you thought about templates as LEDs, simple displays, buttons, etc., IOPins would be the interface between the template and the outside world.

For example, there is a LED monitoring a status of a device. This LED is sitting on a bus, that meaning two wires are going to the LED's pins. If you thought about the two wires as a variable, the LED's pins as an IOPin of the LED, the LED as a template, and the bus as a connection, you would get what the Lintouch is about.

One of the nice features of the editor that makes it stand out is the context aware way of operation.

Every tool window is modeless. That means you can work with the rest of the editor while this window stays open. In addition, when the selection, panel, or view changes, this tool window is updated to reflect the current situation changed - when applies.

For example, you have opened the Template Properties dialog to edit the properties of the selected template. When you shift the focus to another panel, view, or even a project, the Template Properties dialog repaints itself to the properties of the new selection.

Figure 13. Editing properties of a template

Figure 14. The selection has changed

Choose Quit from the File menu to quit the lintouch editor. You will be asked to confirm the exit when there are unsaved projects.

In addition to starting the lintouch editor by clicking the corresponding icon or from the command line, you can tell the editor to open project(s) after starting up. Pass the file name(s) of the project(s) as the parameters to the editor.

A new project will set its properties, view sizes, etc. as specified by the menu item Editor Preferences... of the File.

You stop working with a project by closing the project window or by choosing Close from the File context menu of the project window.

Before the attempt to close the project is carried out, the editor checks whether the project has been modified and asks to continue if so.

Besides the control and view information, every project contains optional information, structured into

These fields can contain almost any information and are optional. They are referred to as the Project Properties collectively and server no other than informative purpose. They show at the runtime.

Figure 16. Changind the project properties

To revert a change you did while editing a project, such as moving a template, removing a template, adding a panel, or renaming a view, you can use the unlimited undo feature. To revert a change, choose Undo from the Edit context menu of the project window.

Note: you will more likely be using the shortcut to this action, Ctrl+Z. Beware of the fact, the same as for other shortcuts within the lintouch editor, the corresponding project window must be active (have focus) in order to carry out the action.

To revert a reverted change, choose Redo from the Edit context menu of the project window.

To revert all the changes that have been made since the last save or since editing started, choose Revert to Saved from the File context menu.

When this happens, the editor pops up a message stating briefly what went wrong. To see details about the error, you are to consult the logger. To bring up the logger, choose Logger from the File menu of the main window.

Figure 17. Analyzing a file open error

The logger is a window that keeps track of all the events that happened within the editor (or of last a thousand events, to be accurate). You can filter out some less important events by clicking on the appropriate button: Debug, Info, Warning, Error, and Fatal Error. The right button of a button means only more severe messages remains in the logger.

To place a template on a panel:

And that is all there is to it. You have added a template to a panel.

To remove a template or templates from a panel, you have to select them first. To select a template, just simple single click on it. Read on to find out more on the selections. Then, just press Delete to remove the template.

You can of course use the undo if you have accidentally placed template on a panel.

You can freely drag a template across a panel to change its position within the panel.

In addition, you can use the arrow keys to move the selected template one pixel in that direction (or one grid unit when the snap to grid option is on).

Alternatively, you can modify the X and Y values in the Template Properties dialog to pin point the upper left hand corner of the template (later in this section). This lets you move the template that has become inaccessible by other means, for example.

To change the size of a template, first select it by clicking on it. A frame with small red rectangles appears around the template. Then, drag one of the red rectangles to change the size of the template in the respective direction.

Figure 21. Resizing templates

Also, you can modify the Width and Height values in the Template Properties dialog to specify the exact size of the template (later in this section). This lets you move the templates that have become too large to handle by the method above, for example.

Every template has a set of properties akin to all templates. They are:

To change any of these, double click on the template to bring up the Template Properties dialog. Then, look for the first tab General.

Figure 22. General Template Properties

The same as for the other properties, the changes in this dialog occur immediately and are context sensitive. Read the next section to find out more.

To change properties of a template, double click on it. The Template Properties dialog will appear.

Figure 23. Changing Template Properties

As you change a property of a template, the change will immediately take effect. There is no need to confirm that change.

To edit properties of several templates at the time, keep the Template Properties dialog open. Then, just single click on the template that you want to edit. The dialog will update its content to that of the selected template. Edit its properties and click on another one.

Figure 24. Keep the Template Properties dialog open and select another template

Many operations of the lintouch editor work on selections. Read on to learn and master selecting templates within the lintouch editor.

The templates in the current selection have a frame with eight small rectangles outside the template corners and the middle of each edge. The small rectangles of one template within the selection are red, the rectangles of the other templates are green.

Figure 25. Template selection

All the operations in this section of the manual work on selections. To learn how to work with selections, review the previous section.

Every template remembers its z-order position. To simplify, it keeps track behind which templates and in front of which templates it is situated. So it is, every template is in a layer. When you manipulate with the overlaying, you are actually manipulating with the template's layer.

Bringing templates to front

To bring up a template (or a selection of templates) in front of others, choose One Layer Up from the Selection context menu of the project window.

Note however, this only changes the layer position of the selection; it brings the templates one layer to the front. This may not be enough for the templates to be visible, if the other templates are high on the layer stack. You may have to repeat this command to achieve what you wanted. Read on.

Figure 32. Before the Layer-Up command

Figure 33. After the Layer-Up command

To bring the selection of templates to the most front position, choose Bring to Front from the Selection context menu of the project window.

The grid allows you for better aligning and positioning templates within the panel. Every project window has its own grid and grid properties. Panels within a project window share the grid and its properties.

Aligning with the grid, or snapping to grid

When snapping to grid is turned on, moving a template does not place it directly where you left it but shift it to the nearest grid edge.

To turn the the snapping to grid off or on, choose Grid Settings... from the View context menu of the project window. There, un/check the option Snap to grid to turn the snapping off or on.

Alternatively, you can click into the Snap to grid checkbox, located at the bottom of the project window.

Figure 34. Snap to grid option

Beware of the fact that the snapping is entirely free of the grid's visibility. You can have the grid invisible and still be able to snap to it; even though you cannot see it. Or, you can have the snapping turned off while the grid is visible.

To always start a new project with the snapping turned on or off, choose Editor Properties... of the File of the main window. Click on the Project Defaults tab and un/check the corresponding checkbox.

Zooming in and out lets you view and edit the project just like under a magnifying glass. The panel dimensions will not change but everything will get big so you can command the detail or it will get small so you can overview the whole panel.

Zooming in, or magnifying a the panel

To zoom in, choose Zoom In from the View context menu of the project window.

You can zoom a specific portion of the panel so that you can see the part you want by using the zoom mode. Click on the Zoom in the toolbar of the main window. Then, click onto the part of the panel that you want to enlarge.

Figure 35. Zooming tool

Alternatively, you can specify the zooming factor directly by picking up the ratio or entering it directly in in the bottom of the project window.

Figure 36. Zooming factor

Or you can pick the factor from the Zoom of the View context menu of the project window.

Moving about in a panel can be a pain, especially when you have zoomed in by a great factor. To ease the task for you, we have developed a tool called the panning. To activate panning, push the Pan button on the toolbar of the main window. The cursor changes to reflect the mode.

Figure 37. Panning tool

In the panning mode, you can scroll freely along the panel. Hold down the mouse button and move the mouse in the project window. You will see the panel scrolls in the direction the mouse is moving.

Of course, you can use the scrollbars of the project window as usual to scroll the panel in the desired direction.

Some templates can respond to keyboard events. In order to access the templates by keyboard, i.e. to focus them, one can use the template shortcut, or the Tab key to shift focus to that template.

Every template can have a key shortcut to it. When a real project is run, one can switch among templates on the panel using keys.

Trying out template shortcuts

To check if and how the template shortcuts work, switch to the Preview mode in the editor. To turn this mode on, click on the Preview button on the toolbar of the main window.

Figure 39. Preview mode

You will not be able to edit templates in the preview mode.

Some templates can respond to keyboard events. In order to access the templates by keyboard, i.e. to focus them, one can use the template shortcut, or the Tab key to shift focus to from one template to another.

In Lintouch, every template has its name. This name is unique within a panel and servers as an identification of the template instance. It is used in various ways, one of them being the linking to another panel feature.

Renaming a template

To change a template name:

Double click on the template to bring up the Template Properties dialog.

Figure 40. Changing a template name

Switch to the tab General if not selected, and edit the field Name.

A template library is a collection of templates. It is represented as a dynamic loading library (DLL) aka a shared library (SO).

Library locations

The editor tries to find and load all the template libraries on the startup. The template libraries to use must be installed into standard locations (using the provided installers, for example). The editor then enumerates all the files in those locations and tries to load and treat them as template libraries.

Figure 42. Template Libraries

Some templates refer to filenames. For example, the Image template from Common Templates displays an image file that is part of the project. When a file is part of the project's resources, you can refer to it by its filename only - or by the name you have assigned it.

The lintouch editor takes the burden of the resources management off your shoulders. It lets you add, rename, and remove resource files from the project.

Renaming a resource

To rename a resource, bring up the Resources dialog by choosing Resources from the Dialogs context menu of the project window. Then, select the resource name by clicking on it. Next, click on the name once again to switch to the in-place editing mode. Change the name and confirm by the Enter key.

Figure 43. Renaming a resource

You can view how the project will look like in the runtime, i.e. how the controls will look like and how they will respond to the mouse and keyboard in the preview mode.

Turning the preview mode on and off

To turn the preview mode on, click on the Preview button on the toolbar of the main window. To turn in off, click on another button in the toolbar or select a template to add to a panel.

Figure 44. Preview mode

Clicking the Preview toolbutton again will not turn off the preview mode. Instead, it will show the Preview dialog. More on the dialog later.

Checking how templates respond to input

To check how a template respond to the events within Lintouch, turn on the preview mode and be sure the Preview dialog is visible. If that is not so, click on the Preview button on the toolbar of the main window.

Then, select the tab Templates/IOPins and find the template you want to test by name in the dialog. Next, decide which input (aka IOPin) you want to simulate to change. Then, depending on what type the IOPin is of,

• click on the 0 or 1 to set the bit of the input off or on, or

• enter a number in the column Number to set the IOPin to that number, or

• enter a string into the column String to set the IOPin to the string.

Last, the template will act as if its IOPin were changed in runtime. For example, a lamp might change its color when its bit input changed its value.

Figure 45. Simulating a real connection

To add a panel to the current view, open up the Panels dialog by choosing Panels from the Dialogs context menu of the project window.

Figure 46. Adding a panel

Now, you can add an empty panel, or duplicate an existing one.

To remove a panel from the current view, open up the Panels dialog by choosing Panels from the Dialogs context menu of the project window. Then, select the panel to remove and press the Delete button.

To rename a panel, open up the Panels dialog by choosing Panels from the Dialogs context menu of the project window. Then, click the line with the panel name. Next, click it again to enter the in-place edit mode which lets you change the name. Last, confirm the name with the key Enter.

To change the order of the panel tabs within the current view, open up the Panels dialog by choosing Panels from the Dialogs context menu of the project window. Then, click the panel you want to move in the panel tabs left or right. Next, push the button Up or Down to move the panel tab left or right, respectively.

To add a view to the project, bring up the Views dialog by choosing Views from the Dialogs context menu of the project window.

Figure 47. Adding a view

Now, as with the panels, you have two options:

To work with the panels of another view, select the view in the dropdown Views at the bottom right hand corner of the project window.

Figure 48. Changing the current view

To remove a view from the current project, open up the Views dialog by choosing Views from the Dialogs context menu of the project window. Then click the line with the view you want to remove and press the Delete button.

To change a resolution of a view, first open up the Views dialog by choosing Views from the Dialogs context menu of the project window. Next, click the line with the view you want to remove and press the Resize button. In the dialog appearing next, specify the new values for the all the panels of the view.

Figure 49. Resizing a view

With the checkbox Keep aspect ratio on, specify one of the coordinates - the other will be computed to maintain the same portion of the horizontal and vertical size as the current size.

When done, confirm the changes by clicking the button Apply or Ok. All the panels of the view will change its size, removing each the template that is positioned beyond the new dimensions.

To rename a view, open up the Views dialog by choosing Views from the Dialogs context menu of the project window. Click the view name you want to change and click it again to enter the in-place editing mode that lets you edit the view name. When done, pres the key Enter.

To change the order of views as appeared in every list in Lintouch, open up the Views dialog by choosing Views from the Dialogs context menu of the project window. Then, select the view you want to raise or lower within the list of views. Then, press the button Up or Down to move the selected view up or down, respectively.

If you are coming from the industry world of PLCs and such, you may have been wondering how tagnames fit into Lintouch. It is easy as

In addition to ordinary tags, variables in Lintouch may have properties associated with them. This allows for an easy configuration of the connection parameters and leaves the interpreting tag name lists in the realm of crossword puzzles. Anyhow, you are not lost even with tag name lists with Lintouch.

This situation implies you have your templates ready and want to seem them respond to the events that come from the outer devices. Then you need to

If you are starting from this point, you may be just looking at the empty project with the idea of the device to connect to. This is okay too, as it is easy to enter into Lintouch what is already on your mind:

To bind the template's inputs and/or outputs (IOPins) to variables, double-click on the template. The template properties dialog appears. Alternatively, you may choose Properties from the Selection context menu of the project window.

Figure 50. Binding IOPins

Find the IOPin group containing the IOPin to bind in the left part of the dialog and click it. Now find your IOPin among the IOPins and select the connection and the variable to bind to.

The instant you bind the IOPin, you can try out how the template responds to the changing variable in the Preview mode.

To turn the preview mode on, click on the Preview button on the toolbar of the main window. To turn in off, click on another button in the toolbar or select a template to add to a panel.

In the Preview dialog, click on the Used Variables tab and find the variable that you want to test. You can see how the template responds to or affects the connected variables. Note the dialog contains only the variables that have been bound.

Figure 51. Previewing Variables

There is no testing the project like running it for real. By invoking the online mode, you create the instance of Lintouch Server and Lintouch Runtime that operate on the current project.

Of course, the environment is the same so you have to have the real devices connected and up for the online mode to work. If you cannot fulfill this requirement, you can always test the project in the Preview mode.

To go to the online mode, click on the toolbar button Go Online in the main window.

Figure 52. Online mode

To create a connection, bring up the Connections dialog by choosing Connections from Dialogs context menu of the project window. Or, just click the button Edit in the Variables dialog if the dialog is up.

Figure 53. Creating a connection

Press the button New to bring up the Connection Properties dialog.

Figure 54. New connection properties

Now, specify the type of the connection. Note that you will not be able to change the type of the connection after you close the dialog.

Fill in the properties of the connection and press Ok. You can modify these connection properties later if you wish.

To rename a connection, open up the Connections dialog box by choosing Connections from the Dialogs context menu of the project window. Click the connection name you want to change and click it again to enter the in-place editing mode that lets you edit the connection. Press Enter when done. You can also enter the in-place editing mode by pressing the key F2.

Figure 55. Renaming a connection

Most connections have properties associated with them. You can edit the properties when creating the connection or you can change them later: first, bring up the Connections dialog box by choosing Connections from the Dialogs context menu of the project window. Double-click on the desired connection or select it and press the button Properties. This will open the Connection Properties dialog box.

Figure 56. Connection properties

When done, press the button Ok. Note the connection type has been disabled and you cannot change it. To change the type of the connection, you have to delete it and create it again.

To remove a connection from the project, open up the Connections dialog box by choosing Connections from the Dialogs context menu of the project window. Then, select the connection to remove and press the Delete button. When you remove the connection from the project, all the corresponding variables and bindings will be removed too of course.

To create a variable, bring up the Variables dialog by choosing Variables from Dialogs context menu of the project window.

Figure 57. Creating a variable

From the dropdown list, select the connection for which you want to create the variable. If no connections are defined, or you want to create a variable for yet an inexisting connection, press the button Edit to open the Connections dialog and define the connection there.

Then, Push the button New to bring up the Variable Properties dialog.

Figure 58. New variable properties

Select the type of the variable from the dropdown list. Note you will not be able to change the type of the variable after you exit this dialog. Fill in the properties of the variable and press Ok. Unlike the type, you will be able to modify these variable properties later.

To rename a variable, open up the Variables dialog box by choosing Variables from the Dialogs context menu of the project window.

Select the connection that contains the variable from the dropdown list. Then, click the variable to select it and then click it again to enter the in-place editing mode that lets you modify the variable name. When done, pres Enter. You can also press the key F2 to enter the in-place editing mode.

Figure 59. Renaming a variable

To change the properties of a variable, bring up the Variables dialog by choosing Variables from Dialogs context menu of the project window.

Find the connection with the variable in the Connection dropdown box. Then, select the variable and press the button Properties to open the Variable Properties dialog.

Figure 60. Variable properties

Edit the variable properties and confirm with the button Ok. Note that you cannot change the type of the variable. You can do this only when creating a variable. To change the type of the variable, you have to delete it and create it again.

To remove a variable from a connection, choose Connections from the Dialogs context menu of the project window. Then, find the connection in the Connection dropdown list. Now select the variable and press the Delete button. Of course, all the corresponding bindings will be removed after you remove the variable.