You define output values in process data requests and calculation formulas. You must define output values if you not only want to display input values and formula results in the PI sheet but also information that is usually processed in the background, for example, planned values for input values or variable values from calculation formulas.
You cannot change output values in the PI sheet. A symbol is displayed as a placeholder of the output value until the output value is available in the PI sheet.
You can define characteristics and variables as output values.
The sections below tell you:
What you must bear in mind when displaying characteristics and variables
Which characteristics you can use to define output values
Defining Characteristics as Output Values
You can display the following characteristic values in a PI sheet:
Values of message characteristics that have been assigned in the process instruction
The date and time that is assigned automatically as the characteristic value of PPPI-EVENT_DATE and PPPI_EVENT_TIME in the PI sheet
Planned values for input values, provided that the planned values have been defined as default values in the process instruction
Values of message characteristics that are assigned in the PI sheet using variables
Defining Variables as Output Values
You can display the value of a variable in the PI sheet, if the variable has been defined in a preceding process instruction and is valid for the PI sheet or the entire process order.
For more information, see Use of Variables in Process Instructions .
Texts for Output Values
In addition to the output value (characteristic or variable), you also specify a text in the PI sheet. In the PI sheet, this text is processed as follows:
In simple data request, the text is displayed before the output value. If you only define one text for several consecutive output values, the values are displayed in the same line.
In repeated data requests, you must define a text for every output value. The text is displayed above the relevant table column.
Characteristics for Defining Output Values
In the process instruction, you define an output value after the input value or formula result after which you want to display it in the PI sheet. To do so, you assign the following characteristics:
Characteristic |
Meaning |
Allowed values |
PPPI_OUTPUT_TEXT |
Text displayed before the subsequent output values |
Any short text |
PPPI_OUTPUT_CHARACTERISTIC |
Characteristic whose value is displayed in the PI sheet |
Message characteristic (see above) |
PPPI_OUTPUT_VARIABLE |
Variable whose value is displayed |
Variable name (see above) |
Note
In the case of text characteristics (for example, PPPI_TEXT_FOR_INVALID_INPUT), you can insert the value of another characteristic into this text using a text symbol; see Text Symbols Within Characteristic Texts .
See also: