FAQ - Windows Vista & Windows 7

SpecView will install and run on Windows Vista and Windows 7, 32 bit versions without any problems. We have also tested under Windows 7 64 bit and it works well there too. Vista 64 bit has some instabilities and we recommend not using that.  XP 32 bit and 64 bit also seem to be OK.

For the answers to the following questions please see the FAQ section of SpecView’s Help or the Manual:

FAQ - Installation/Upgrade
- Does SpecView work with Win95/98/NT/2000/Me/XP/2003/Vista/Win7?
- Do I need to send the dongle back in order to get it upgraded  to add further options?
- Will upgrading affect my existing configurations?
- Can I copy SpecView to another PC & how can this be done?
- During installation I get an error about DCOM.

FAQ - Instrument
- Why am I getting XXX's on the screen where the instrument's values should be?
- On my generic Modbus instrument how do I access higher registers?
- Why are the instrument values shown 10 or 100 times too big (or too small)?
- Why are the wrong values being returned from the instrument?
- How do I use a Barcode Scanner with SpecView?
- How can I avoid affecting communications throughput if some instrument(s) need to be turned off or disconnected for a reason?

FAQ - SpecView Runtime
- Can I monitor SpecView remotely?
- How do I view previous Event Logs?
- How can I restore the Historical Replay Control Panel window to its original size?
- Why am I getting steps or gaps on my Trend Chart rather than a smooth curve?
- I am getting empty logfiles, what could be the reason for this?
- How can performance be improved - so that the rate that instrument variables are updated is increased?
- How can I make the color of things on a GDW change according to a value?

- How can I modify one of SpecView's Demo Configurations so it will work with my instruments?
- Running a program using "SpecView: Run External Program" the program's window is minimized.
- How can I improve the speed that SpecView starts up?
- Can I run SpecView from the Windows Startup Group?

- Why am I not seeing all the Instrument Parameters I expect to see in the Parameter List?

- The Trend Chart doesn't appear to be updating, why might this be?

FAQ - SpecView Configuration
- Can I develop complex screen(s) for one instrument (e.g: Furnace1) then copy it/them for another instrument of the same type (e.g: Furnace2)?
- Double-clicking on an item on the GDW seems to have no effect, when usually it would display the relevant attributes box for that item.
- I can't seem to add a variable on a GDW into Recipe.
- I can't seem to edit a value's Dynamic Attributes.

- Changing the color of text on the screen (using Object->Text Font...) doesn't appear to have any effect.
- How do I configure SpecView Networking (Remote/Local)?
- What can I do if Auto detect doesn't work for my instrument?
- How do I do a Strategy Controller event every second?
- How do I do a Strategy Controller event every minute?
- My variables list box doesn't appear, why not?
- How do I animate a graphic using the Strategy Controller?
- How do I make clicking somewhere on a GDW do a button-type action?

- I've set the Fill Color of a shape but it isn't being filled, why?
- Why is it that using the Edit->Paste of an object doesn't appear to work?
- What can I do if comparing an instrument value (with decimal places) with an integer in the Strategy Controller doesn't work?
- Can I get SpecView to send a text message to the operator's mobile when something happens?
- Can I get SpecView to play a tune when something happens?
- How can I send email from within SpecView?

- If copying objects doesn't preserve their Dynamic Attributes, how do I copy them?
- Can I copy a whole Configuration?
- Adding a bitmap to a GDW makes the GDW much larger, why?
- How do I archive logfiles?
- How do I delete logfiles?
- I am confused about the difference between Log Files and Log File Reports created by Log File Conversion.
- How can I setup a Log File Conversion to occur, on a regular basis, for example, every day at Midnight?
- Can Log Files be written into another separate folder?

- How to I make a copy of SpecView's Log Files to, for example, a Network Server?
- How can I make the Strategy Controller run another program?
- How do I run a DOS .BAT file from the action: SpecView: Run External Program ?
- How do I setup the Strategy Controller to do a delay (for example, 5 seconds) ?
- How can I make a button on a GDW do more than one action ?
- How can I make a button toggle a Boolean so that successive clicks turn it On/Off/On/...?
- What is the maximum value for an Integer or Number variable?

- How can a value be displayed on a GDW using scientific notation (showing mantissa & exponent)?
- Opening a screen in Runtime mode with a Trend Chart; the chart is always initially blank with no pen lines. What can be done about this?
- How can a screen (GDW) be printed to an Adobe PDF (Portable Document Format) file?
- How can I make a Strategy Event which will keep 'firing' all the time that something is 'true'?
- How can I make something blink/flash on screen?
- How can I position items on a screen & align them to within a pixel & stop them 'jumping' to the grid?

- How can I make some text appear on the screen using the Strategy Controller when something happens?
- How can I run a Help (HLP) file from a button on the screen?
- How can I use COM ports 10 and above?

- Why am I not seeing all the Instrument Parameters I expect to see in the Variables List?