C-more Micro HMI Function Keys F6-F10 from AutomationDirect

In most of the Object Videos we have done, we only used function keys F1-F5 in our examples, but you can clearly see in all of these objects there is the option to use 10 different function keys. How do you get access to F6-F10? The secret is you have to use a Function Key Object and assign a shift key. Let’s delete this one and start from the beginning. Down here at the bottom of our object list, is something called the function object. For each function key you can specify an action. Let’s make all of these guys screen changes – EXCEPT for number 5. We’re going to make him a shift key operator, and we are even going to label him SHF to remind us he is a Shift Key. Let’s say OK, and simulate it to see what happens. These keys aren’t assigned to do anything with the exception of F5. When you click on F5, either here or here, it brings up keys F6 through F10 because we labeled him as a shift key. Once you click on F6 through F10 – which these are now F6 through F10 so these work also – so this would be F8 right here … it implements whatever F8 was supposed to do and then drops back to the original 5 keys. What if you don’t want this bar on the screen? Can we get rid of that? Sure … Go back to the dialog, and on the first TAB turn off Show Keys. So every time I hit F5 to get F6 it toggles that push button. F1, however, doesn’t toggle the push button. So now you have access to function keys F6 through F10 when you bring an object onto the screen like a push button for example and you can use those extended shift keys. For an excellent example of an alternative method for using shift keys, check out the How To Demo of the Bottling Plant. It shows you another way to do this without using that function object. That’s all there is to using F6-F10 – be sure to check out the other videos in this series. And as always, please send us any topics you would like to see covered – or - any other comments for that matter – we appreciate the feedback!