A schematic is a saved operator display that brings measurements and controls together. This is a walkthrough of the editor and shared node-and-edge workflow, not an exhaustive guide to every node or its options.

Open or Create a Schematic

Open Schematics in the left sidebar and select a saved display, or right-click its resource list and choose Create Resource to name a new one. It opens as a canvas in its own tab.

Editor

Use the toolbar above the canvas to change editing, commanding, and navigation settings. Hover an icon to see its name.

Schematic Editing

The pencil enables editing so you can arrange nodes and edges. Use Undo / Redo or Ctrl+Z / Ctrl+Y to reverse or restore changes. Use Ctrl + C or Ctrl + V to copy and paste nodes.

Commanding

Commanding enables or disables operator actions. Leave edit mode before operating the display; editing disables commanding. Check device feedback after a command. For disabled or rejected controls, inspect channel authority.

Two-Click Commands

Enable Two-click commands to arm an action with the first click and confirm it with the second. The affect this has on nodes depends on the node type. This setting is recommended to be turned on, it is to prevent accidental commands being sent by clicking on a node once, i.e., opening a valve with only one click.

Other Controls

Use Fit view to frame the layout and the lock to switch between automatic fitting and manual pan/zoom. Snap to grid helps alignment, and Background changes the canvas pattern and color.

Background node interactivity toggles editing of background nodes. Check save/synchronization status when finished.

Nodes

A node is an item placed on the canvas. Available types and settings depend on DARTWIC and your installed plugins; this guide covers their shared workflow rather than every node’s options.

Quick Add

With editing enabled, drag a channel from Channels onto empty canvas and choose a node from the drop menu. Channel displays/cards, labels, controls, valves, sliders, and switches are initialized from the dropped channel.

Drop onto a supported existing node to configure it instead. Displays use the channel as their source, graphs add a series, tanks use it for fill level, and controls update their channel bindings.

Controls, valves, sliders, and switches also look for a matching _state channel. For example, drop inlet_valve to command it and automatically use inlet_valve_state as feedback if that channel exists.

Quick Inspect

To quickly inspect a nodes channels and info, you can right click a node to see its channels graphed. The channels can then be opened in Channel Searcher by clicking the search button.

Add and Configure Nodes

Enable editing, open Context → Nodes, and search or browse the palette. Drag a node onto the canvas, then select it to show its settings under Configuration in Context.

Configure its channel bindings and available appearance or behavior options, then position and resize it. Compare bound values with Channels to check the configuration.

Commanded and Actual Values

With separate Command channel and State channel bindings, supported nodes show feedback alongside a blue commanded indicator when the values differ. The blue difference closes as feedback catches up. For example, a valve can show the requested position while its measured position is still changing.

In the example below, I have taken manual override of the the _state channel that produces this valves actual state. The valve command valves_valve_1 is set to 1, and the blue indicator on the valve is showing 1, OPEN, but the valve itself is not opening.

The valve is also yellow because it is tied to an ARGUS warning that was reported by the loop trying to write the _state channel could not.

If I release manual override on the _state channel, the valve then turns.

Channel States

Nodes that support commands have a Control Bar around the outside of the node. The bar reflects the nodes command channel’s authority. Free allows permitted writes, Automatic means automation owns control, and Observe only reserves writes for its publisher. Automatic override gives another automation action priority; Manual override gives the operator control.

Supported controls use orange authority accents for manual override and red for automatic override. Stale and Not Found also change a node’s appearance when its data is old or unavailable. See Channel States and Control Policies for details.

ARGUS Events

A node shows an ARGUS event when a channel it uses also appears in the event’s Channels. For example, a display using tank_pressure can show a high-pressure event that includes tank_pressure. Bound channels are matched automatically; add other channels under General → Events → Extra channels in Configuration.

Ordinary events appear only while New and firing; acknowledging them or ending their firing removes the node alert. Holds and prompts remain visible while awaiting release or a response, even after acknowledgement or firing ends. Resolved, Silenced, Deleted, and Stale events do not appear. Ordinary events also disappear when their firing state becomes unknown.

The node flashes red for errors or aborts, yellow for warnings or holds, and blue for prompts. If several events match, the highest-priority color is used. Hover the node to see its matching alerts, then click one to open it in the board. See Events and Logs for event states and actions.

Node Gallery

The Node Gallery shows all the current nodes in there different states for reference. Open Context → Nodes and click Node Visual Gallery in the node browser toolbar.

It shows side-by-side examples of node appearances, control policies, events, and stale or missing data. Use the command button to enable simulated controls, then try the two-click toggle and example commands. The Disabled example stays disabled.

Control Nodes are nodes that control a specific thing, like a Channel or Task.

Parameter Nodes are nodes that display something that is read-only, like a value or parameter.

Media Imports

You can add an image or SVG in two ways.

Use a Media node: add a Media node to the schematic, then double-click it or choose Edit media in its Configuration. Choose your media, adjust its crop and size, and click Apply. This configures that node directly; its configuration is saved with the schematic.

Import a reusable schematic node: choose Import media node → Choose media in the Nodes palette. Select your media, give it a name and category, and choose Add to node browser. You can then drag the named entry onto schematics in that project.

In both cases, the connected Engine saves the artwork in <workspace>/assets/media/. Imported reusable definitions are saved separately in <workspace>/<project>/schematic_nodes/<category>/<name>.json. Keep the whole workspace when sharing or backing it up so the artwork travels with the nodes. See Workspace Sharing.

3D Equipment Models

For custom 3D artwork, use Open 3D editor in the node’s configuration to import a GLB or glTF model. Set its view and choose Apply view and settings. These are special media-import workflows; other nodes provide their own configuration options.

You can select different parts of the model and change its color based on a channel value, to show the model reacting to data in real time.

Edges

An edge draws a connection between nodes, helping show how the equipment or parts of your display relate.

Quick Configure

With editing enabled, drop a channel onto an existing edge to drive its color from the channel’s value. Select the edge and review the automatic value range and colors under Configuration in Context.

Draw and Configure Edges

With editing enabled, drag from a node’s connection handle to another node to create an edge. Drag its route handles to adjust the path.

Select the edge to adjust its Width and Color under Configuration in Context.

Extending Schematics

An Interface plugin can add custom nodes with their own appearance, configuration, and command behavior. Start with Interface Plugin → Schematic nodes, then use the Schematic Node Reference for the available APIs.

Shared and Bundled Assets covers reusable files. Follow Plugins to install and manage the extension.