Quick Start your edge gateway

Quick Start Your Edge Gateway

1. Connecting the Gateway

Overzicht

This chapter mainly introduces connecting the device through various ways to enter the programming interface.

Method 1:  Connect the network port of the computer to the LAN port of the gateway. The default IP of the LAN port of the gateway is 192.168.88.1. Set the IP of the computer to the same network segment, otherwise the computer cannot communicate with the gateway. As shown in the figure below:

Method 2: The computer connects to the hotspot of the gateway through WiFi, WiFi name.(gateway model – SN tail number last 4 digits), password: EG12345678. After the connectionis successful, the gateway will assign an IP address to the computer in the 192.168.88.Xnetwork segment, as shown in the figure:

Note: Only some gateways can be accessed locally via WiFi connection (supported models: EG8200Mini/EG8200/EG8200Pro)

2. Understanding the Programming Page

Overzicht

This section describes the components of the programming interface, the functions of each panel.(If you already have some understanding of this, you can skip this section.)

Menu Bar: the top menu bar, including deployment buttons and the main menu (process import and export in the menu bar).

Node Library: provide a variety of encapsulated nodes for users to call.

Workspace: nodes will be dragged into the workspace, connecting the line on behalf of the data interaction, you can realize the freedom of programming.

Debugging Area: divided into five pages, respectively: information window/help file/log window/configuration node/global variables

Next, we will explain the main functions of these areas.

Menubalk

1. Deployment

After a process is developed, it exists only in the workspace and is not deployed to the gateway and therefore is not executed. To execute the process, you must click the Deploy button to save the process in the gateway after the process is completed.

2. Menu

The common function of the menu bar is Import Export. The actual storage carrier of the process is a json file, and after the process is completed, you can backup the process by using the export function. Similarly, if you need to deploy a completed process on a new gateway, you can use the import function.

Node Library

The node library contains all installed nodes that can be used directly.
The nodes are categorized according to their function: Common nodes, Hardware nodes, Function nodes, Network nodes, Sequence nodes, Storage nodes, Advanced nodes, PLC nodes. Subsequent chapters will introduce the specific functions and usage of each node in turn.

The nodes are connected to form the process, so the nodes are the basic elements of the process is also the core element. Whether to master the function of each node determines the efficiency of the development process. The same demand, different people use different nodes can be realized, there is no fixed program. Our mission is to continue to develop new nodes, and constantly improve your work efficiency!

WorkSpace

1.Process

Process that is to achieve your needs for the program, because the process of nodes connected to the line is the process of data transfer, the process is like water so called process. Process is a combination of nodes and lines. There is no specific point of the process, you can realize a small function point of the program called the process, you can also call the entire project works as a process. In order to facilitate management, the workspace can create multiple tabs (process page), you can rename individual tabs to facilitate the memory management.

1)How to add a process tab？

2)How do I enable/disable/delete a process?

Double-click the Processes tab and in the lower left corner of the dialog box there is an Effective button that controls enabling or disabling the process. If you select Disable, the process will not be valid at deployment time. In the upper left corner of the dialog box, there is a Delete button that allows you to delete the process.

2.Nodes

Nodes are connected together by connecting wires. A node can have multiple input ports and multiple output ports (except for individual nodes, the number of input and output ports are pre-defined and cannot be modified). When hovering over a port, the port displays a label. You can also define your own label for the port to make it easier to remember, as shown in the figure:

Some nodes display a status bar at the bottom to indicate the operational status of the node, for example, the status bar of an MQTT node indicates the connection status of MQTT:

If the node has any undeployed modifications, a blue dot will be displayed at its top right, and if there is an error in the configuration, a red triangle will be displayed:

A configuration node is a special type of node that can be shared by other regular nodes to use its configuration. For example, both MQTT publish nodes and MQTT subscribe nodes can use the same MQTT configuration node to indicate that the same MQTT connection is being used.

The gateway’s current known configuration nodes are: Serial Configuration Node, MQTT Configuration Node, and PLC Configuration Node. Configuration nodes are not visible in the workspace, but can be viewed in the debug area to see the current process.

3.Connections

If a node with both input and output ports is dragged through the center of a connection, the existing connection will become a dotted line, and when the node is released, the changed node will be automatically inserted into the original process. Select the line and press Delete to delete the line.

4. Creating Groups

It allows you to form groups of connected nodes and then move or copy them as individual objects in the workspace.

5. Subflow

A collection of some nodes can be collapsed into a single node for use in the workspace; this collapsed node is called a subflow.

Subflows can be used to reduce the visual complexity of a process, or to form reusable flows from commonly used nodes.

6. Import and Export

All processes support import and export in JSON format, which is convenient to share the good processes with others.

Import: support the following methods to import processes

1）Directly copy the JSON data

2）Upload a JSON file

3）Browse the processes that have been pre-installed in the gateway

Export: Support the following methods to export processes

1) Generate a JSON format data stream

2）Save it as a JSON file

3）Save it in the gateway (not recommended)

Debug Area

1. Information Window

The Information Window displays information about the process or node, including an outline view of all processes and nodes, as well as details about the currently selected content

2. Help Documentation

The Help Documentation window provides instructions for using the currently selected node, so please read it carefully!

3. Log Window

The log window displays all the information received by the debug node, which is convenient for debugging and locating problems.

4. Configuration Nodes

The Configuration Nodes window shows all the configuration nodes that exist for the current process, unused configuration nodes are shown as dotted lines, and can be deleted by pressing Delete after being selected.

5. Global Variables

The Global Variables window allows you to view the currently used global variables and manually click on them to refresh the latest values.