Posted on

Leverage Portable Class Libraries to Develop Cross-platform HMI Apps

PCL-NETWhat is a Portable Class Library?

A Portable Class Library (PCL) allows .NET developers to build true cross-platform HMI apps from within the one project file.

In IDEs like Visual Studio and Xamarin Studio, a Portable Class Library (PCL) is a special project type. The resulting .NET assemblies can be used across CLI platforms such as Xamarin.iOS and Xamarin.Android, as well as Silverlight, WPF and Windows Phone.

What’s the advantage of using the PCL project type?

Before PCLs there was no quick and easy way to create cross-platform apps from within a single project. Instead, you had to create and maintain a separate project file for each platform you wanted to target. Using a PCL, you create a single project within your development environment and select those platforms you want to target.

Are apps developed using a PCL fully native?

Apps developed using a PCL project type are fully native. Using an IDE like Xamarin Studio or the Xamarin plugin for Visual Studio you can develop HMI apps for iOS, Android and Windows Phone apps all from the one project.

Are apps developed using a PCL full featured?

Because a PCL uses a subset of the complete .NET framework, the capabilities of this subset depend on the choice of mobile platforms targeted. Even with this limitation, the resulting HMI apps remain robust and can access the full set of OAS controls and components.

Ready to build cross platform HMI apps?

OAS offers full support for Portable Class Libraries. To begin experiencing the capabilities of OAS download a fully functional trial version today. Or if you prefer book a live demonstration with one of our sales team.

To learn more about our products, contact your OAS Sales Representative toll free in the US on 1-800-533-4994 or for international enquiries call 1-303-679-0898.

Posted on

OAS now supports data logging to SQL Azure databases

With Open Automation Software you can now easily log your critical data and alarms to a SQL Azure database.

SQL-AZURE

What is Microsoft Azure?

Microsoft Azure is Microsoft’s cloud computing platform. Cloud platforms like Microsoft Azure and Amazon Web Services provide scalable data storage and processing power without the costs and administrative hassles of maintaining hosted infrastructure.   Cloud computing offers many technical advantages and cost savings over traditional hosted solutions.

What is Microsoft SQL Azure?

Microsoft SQL Azure is Microsoft’s Cloud Database service.  As with any cloud service the main advantage of SQL Azure is the ability to scale the database quickly and efficiently in response to business requirements.

Apps built on non-Microsoft technologies such as PHP, Python or Node.js will work just as well on the Azure platform as apps developed in a Microsoft .NET environment.

Why log your process data and alarms to a SQL  Azure database?

Logging your process data and alarms to a SQL Azure database offers a number of advantages over self-hosted databases. Here are just some:

  •  Grows with your needs- only pay for what you need Microsoft Azure is an elastic platform which provides the means to instantly scale your database requirements in line with your data needs. Pay only for the capacity you use. In the age of ‘big data’ this is a key consideration.
  • Availability and reliability Azure’s cloud based architecture means your database is always available. Microsoft SQL Azure is built on a service oriented architecture so it is responsive to all the data that comes its way. An added feature of the Azure platform  is its ability to analyse your data and adapt your database performance to suit your data requirements.
  • No Physical DB Administration Required With SQL Azure you benefit from a “Database as a  Service” (DaaS) model.  There’s no setting up and many of the DB admin tasks are handled by the platform. An informative management interface means you can easily monitor SQL Azure databases and other services.
  • Security SQL Azure comes with built-in data protection and security features all without having to write custom code. SQL Azure offers all the SQL connection, authentication, authorisation and encryption features you will need to keep your data secure.

What data sources can I log to a SQL Azure database?

With OAS support for the Microsoft Azure platform you can log data and alarms from the following sources:

  • MQTT
  • OPC UA
  • Modbus
  • jQuery
  • JSON
  • .NET
  • Siemens S7
  • Rockwell
  • Allen Bradley
  • ControlLogix
  • MicrosoftExcel
  • REST API
  • OPC Servers
  • OPC Clients
  • Wonderware
  • WinCC
  • Cimplicity
  • RSView

Like to learn more about OAS and Microsoft SQL Azure?

To learn more about how to log data and alarms to a SQL Azure database, contact your OAS Sales Representative toll free in the US on 1-800-533-4994 or for international enquiries call 1-303-679-0898.