IoT & Connectivity Tips

This video begins Module 6: Predictive Models & Model Validation of the ThingWorx Analytics Training videos. It gives examples of different types of goal variables. It also discusses data considerations in predictive modeling, It begins describing the machine learning algorithms used by ThingWorx Analytics to build predictive models. 

Push update what is it? It is a mechanism that GetProperties supports so that the Server can push a value to a client mashup. This will allow you to see values update in your mashup real time without needing the refresh widget. Another great way to use the push updates is to propagate events that tie to specific content fetches. Let's say your mashup has three areas: KPIs, Alerts, Live values. Using some logic server side you can set up a 'tracker' Thing with properties that indicate that one of those areas has updated data. Bring these notifications as property values into the mashup using GetProperties and as the Server pushes updates to the mashup runtime, you can map it to a Validator or Expression widget (set to autoevaluate) which in turn can now run the necessary Service to fetch the updated information for the specific area.

    Step 4: Connect Peripherals and Initial Configuration   Connect Peripherals   Now that we have a working microsdhc flash card with the Raspbian OS, we want to insert it into the Pi, as well as connect our other peripherals and power.   Remove the microsdhc card from the adapter.       With the power supply NOT connected, insert the microsdhc card into the Pi. Note that it may help to turn the Pi over.     With the power supply NOT connected to a wall-socket, connect the power, monitor, USB keyboard, and USB mouse.       Plug-in the power-supply to a wall-socket and wait for the Pi to boot.     Pi Initial Configuration   The Raspbian OS needs some initial configuration to set things such as your location and to connect to a WiFi network.   Click Next on the initial Raspbian start pop-up. Set your Country, Language, TimeZone, Use English language (if applicable), and Use US keyboard (if applicable), then click Next.       Enter and Confirm a new password, then click Next. If applicable, check the This screen shows a black border around the desktop checkbox, and click Next.     Select an appropriate WiFi network, and click Next.   Enter the WiFi password, and click Next.     On the Update Software screen, it is recommended to click Skip. If you have a microsdhc card with 16GB or more, then you may click Next to peform an OS update. Note that this process may be time-intensive... 30+ minutes.     If you performed an OS update, and it has completed with a System is up to date pop-up, click OK.     When the Setup is complete, click Restart. After the reboot, you will be automatically re-logged into Raspbian.       Step 5: Install EMS   Now that the Pi is fully setup, you want to download the Edge MicroServer (EMS) onto the Pi. On the Raspberry Pi, open a web browser and navigate to this guide, then download MED-61060-CD-054_SP10_Microserver-Linux-arm-hwfpu-openssl-5-4-10-1509.zip.   Click the download's options drop-down, and select Show in folder.       Right-click on the .zip file and select Extract Here.       Navigate into the newly-extracted /microserver folder.     The primary executables which enable the EMS functionality are the following: File Name Description wsems An executable file that runs the Edge MicroServer. luascriptresource The Lua utility that is used to run Lua scripts, configure remote things, and integrate with the host system.     Create Additional Directories   New folders may be added to the /microserver directory for various purposes. Some of these will be utilized within this guide, while others may be utilized in future guides using the EMS.   In the /microserver folder, create a /logs directory. Create a /other directory. Create a /staging directory. Create a /tw directory. Create a /updates directory.   Create Test Files   It can also be helpful during testing to have some small files in these folders to further demonstrate connectivity.   As these files were custom-created for the guide, seeing them within ThingWorx Foundation ensures that the connection between Foundation and the EMS is real and current.   In the /tw directory, create a text file named tw_test_01.txt. In the /other directory, create a text file named other_test_01.txt.     Click here to view Part 3 of this guide.

Aron Semle, Manufacturing Apps Solution Manager discusses and demonstrates new capabilities in the ThingWorx Manufacturing Apps 8.1 release.

  Setup methods and schemes to secure your data   Guide Concept   Securing data is often something thought of after an application is designed. It should always be the first and more important.   These concepts and steps will allow you to focus on development of your application while still allowing the ability to utilize the power of ThingWorx!   We will teach you how to design a secure environment and application from scratch     You'll learn how to   How to design and implement organizations and organization sections Creating secure User Groups with specific goals Limit access to resources   NOTE:  The estimated time to complete this guide is 30 minutes     Step 1: Examples and Strategy   If you’d like to skip ahead, download and unzip the completed example of the Aerospace and Defense learning path: AerospaceEntitiesGuide1.zip. Import the .twx files included.   In an ever-changing world, you are going to need to protect everything that is considered private. This includes your data, the data people provide you, and the resources you consider important. All of this can be done using the ThingWorx environment. ThingWorx provides a system for security that can be configured endlessly. There is the security being handled at the server level internally and with Apache, in which you have access to. The security being handled in the ThingWorx Composer, which you can customize. Lastly, there is the security you provide at the client side for users accessing your application or system.   Let us start working on securing our system before we add extra users and workers. First, we will create and organization and organization levels within our agency to help designate access. We will create the security access to the ThingWorx Composer, which is where our data will be held for now in this learning path. We will then create access levels for internal employees, including administrators, developers, and workers based on security clearance levels.     Step 2: Setup Organizations and Departments   Creating Our Organizations   If you need a refresher on how to create security groups and permissions, take a look back at our Configure Permissions Guide. If you are ready to get started, follow the instructions below:   1.  In the ThingWorx Composer, click the + New button in the top left.    2. In the dropdown list, click Organizations.      3. In the Name field, give our agency name, such as PTCDefenseDepartment.   4. Set the Project field to an existing Project (ie, PTCDefaultProject) and click Save to save your work. 5. Go to the Organization tab and you will see the beginning of our Organization.     Creating Our Departments    Let us add some departments in our Organizations. We will add a few here but add as many as you like. Just keep in mind, these departments do not need to match every department in the actual Organization. These departments will be used for access to different resources.   1. Click on the first unit and update the Name field to DefenseDepartment. Click the check mark to save your changes.   NOTE: You can add the spaces if it looks better to you. You will be using these departments throughout this learning path. You can also change these later.   2. Under our first unit (DefenseDepartment), click the green + button. Name this unit HumanResources.     3. Repeat the last step to create three more departments under our DefenseDepartment unit. Name these new units Agents, Visitors, and IT.   4. Under the Visitors unit, click the green + button to add a unit and name it Applicants.     5. Repeat the last step to add one more unit under the Visitors unit. Name this group OtherAgencies. Your setup should have the following departments.      You now have a complete start to our agency. What does that mean exactly? An Organization allows us to limit resources to only members of that overall Organization or specific unit within that Organization. You will get firsthand experience as we move further in this guide.    Let us create our Security Groups to those that will absolutely need it. This is a big decision point into how you would like to do this and there is no truly wrong answer. Will each user for this application or utility have their own User account in ThingWorx or share User accounts based on usage? Will you grant access to this application through LDAP, database verification, or a Create An Authentication Extension. The list of questions into what is supported for authentication in ThingWorx is almost endless.     Step 3: Setup Users and User Groups   Creating User Groups and Users   For simplicity and timing, we will create a User Group and User for each department (be mindful of the number of allowed Users in the ThingWorx version you are using). We will also create a super user account that will provide us with full access. Finally, we will need to create an extra User Groups for ThingWorx Composer access.     First, User Groups   1. In the ThingWorx Composer, click the + New at the top left of the screen.     2. Select User Groups in the dropdown.     3. Name the User Group Agency.ComposerAccess.     4. Set the Project field to an existing Project (ie, PTCDefaultProject) and click Save. 5. Repeat steps 1-4 to create a User Group for each department (Agency.HumanResources, Agency.Agents, Agency.Visitors, Agency.Applicants, Agency.OtherAgencies, and Agency.IT).   Now, Users   1. In the ThingWorx Composer, click the + New at the top left of the screen.     2. Select User in the dropdown.     3. Name the User User.AgencySuperUser and add a password.     4. Set the Project field to an existing Project (ie, PTCDefaultProject) and click Save. 5. Repeat steps 1-4 to create a User for each department (User.HumanResources, User.Agents, User.Visitors, User.Applicants, User.OtherAgencies, and User.IT).   Adding Members to User Groups   Assign each user to the corresponding User Group using the below instructions.   1. Open the Agency.HumanResources User Group.  2. Click on the Manager Members tab.     3. Filter and select the User you want to add in the Available Members section. In this case, User.HumanResources. 4. Click the arrow on that User’s row or drag and drop the User to the Members section.      5. Click Save. 6. Repeat steps 1-5 for each department User Group you created earlier with their corresponding User.   We should have an extra User Group (Agency.ComposerAccess) and an extra User (User.AgencySuperUser). We will utilize these Entities below. For now, only our IT department needs access to the ThingWorx Composer.   1. Open the Agency.ComposerAccess User Group.  2. Click on the Manager Members tab.     3. Filter and select the User Group you want to add in the Available Members section. In this case, Agency.IT. 4. Click the arrow on that User’s row or drag the User to the Members section.      5. Click Save.   Our super user will need top level access to everything in ThingWorx. To do this, we will add the User to the Administrators User Group.   1. On the left-hand side of the ThingWorx Composer, click Browse. 2. Click on User Groups on the left panel.     3. At the top of the screen, click the filter button near the search bar. 4. Check the checkbox for Show System Objects and click Apply.     5. Filter and select the Administrators User Group.    6. Click on the Manager Members tab.     7. Filter and select the User you want to add in the Available Members section. In this case, User.AgencySuperUser. 8. Click the arrow on that User’s row or drag the User to the Members section.    9. Click Save.     Step 4: Setup Permissions   Setting Bulk Permissions   1. On the left panel, select Permissions.   2. Click Collections on the menu that appears.     3. Select the checkbox at the top to select all available Entities then click Edit Permissions.     4. On the Visibility tab, click the + button in the Search Organizations filter. 5. Enter PTCDefenseDepartment and click the expand arrows to select the IT department. A more granular Visibility level can be set on the specific Entities when created later in this learning path.     6. Select the Design Time tab. 7. Enter Agency.ComposerAccess in the search bar and select the Agency.ComposerAccess User Group.   8. Select the check marks for Create, Read, Update, and Delete. A more expansive design for a production environment would create more Users and User Groups to have such access.     9. Set the permissions for the other groups we have created to not allow any Create, Read, Update, and Delete permissions for groups outside of Agency.ComposerAccess and Agency.IT. It should look like the below configuration.     10. Set the same permissions in the Run Time tab for the User Groups we have created.     11. Click Save.   Now, if you log into the ThingWorx Composer using any account other than our super user account or the User.IT account, you’ll see that you may be able to see Entities, but you cannot open them. You will see an unauthorized popup. If you have access to a browser with a Private or Incognito mode, use it instead of logging out of your Administrator account.     Click here to view Part 2 of this guide.

  Utilize the Menu Widget to navigate between multiple Mashups.   Guide Concept   Frequently, your application needs to display more information than can comfortably fit on a single page, but manually linking to multiple Mashups can be tedious.   Instead, you can utilize a Menu Entity, Menu Widget, and a Master Mashup to provide consistent navigation between all the pages of your application.      You'll learn how to   Create a Mashup to be used as a "Home" page Create more Mashups as subpages Create a Menu Entity to track Mashups Create a Master Mashup as a Header Utilize a Menu Widget for navigation   NOTE: This guide's content aligns with ThingWorx 9.3. The estimated time to complete this guide is 30 minutes     Step 1: Scenario   In this guide, we'll assume a scenario where you're an application designer for LightCo, a company that designs and sells smart, connected street, interior, and other lighting products.    In particular, LightCo is interested in using ThingWorx Foundation to operate and control lighting for industrial and city applications.    There's a tentative deal in the works with a city park replacing all their path lighting with high-efficiency models. There's also an outdoor amphitheater in the park that could be added to the deal if the functionality to properly control it is present.     LightCo's intention is to use Foundation to provide a level of control for this application that otherwise wouldn't be possible, as a differentiator versus the competition bidding on the same project.   Since control of both the park-lighting and amphitheater lighting needs to be separate, putting both controls on the same Mashup page would not only be counterintuitive but could possibly lead to errors.    So, in this guide, we'll setup our base page layout for this lighting application. We'll create both a homepage (where we could add login or other elements), as well as separate pages for the park vs the amphitheater. We'll then create a Master Mashup with a Menu for easy navigation between these three initial pages.       Step 2: Create Home Page   First, we want to create a Mashup to represent our homepage.    There doesn't have to be much to it, as we could come back later to develop it further. We just need it to be pre-created to later include it in our Menu.    In Foundation, click Browse > Visualization > Mashups.   At the top-left, click +New.   Leave the defaults and click OK.   In the Name field, type MNWM_Homepage_Mashup. If Project is not already set, search for and select PTCDefaultProject.   At the top, click Save.   At the top, click Design.     Homepage Layout   As mentioned, we don't really want to design our final Homepage right now. Instead, we're simply getting it started to leave ourselves a relatively blank canvas that we can utilize later.    Still, we need to add something. If nothing else, we need something that we can see so that we know we're on the correct page when we click through our Menu options.   We know we'll want our company's name, i.e. LightCo, and probably an image, login, or something else below. So let's subdivide the Mashup into a smaller top part for the name and a bigger bottom section for future functionality.   In the top-left, ensure that the Layout tab is active.   Click Add Top.   Scroll down in the Layout tab to reveal Container Size.   With the top-section of the Canvas selected, click Fixed Size.   In the Height field, type 100 and hit your keyboard's Tab key to apply the change.   Click Save.   Add Company Name   In the top section, we'll add a Label Widget for our company's name.   At the top-left, click the Widgets tab.   Drag-and-drop a Label Widget onto the top section of the Canvas.   With the Label Widget selected, in the bottom-left Properties tab, change LabelText to LightCo and hit your keyboard's Tab key to apply it.   With the Label Widget still selected, in the bottom-left, click the Style Properties tab.   Under Style Properties, expand Base > Label.   Change font-size to 48px.   Click Save.     Step 3: Create Subpage One   Now that we have a basic LightCo homepage in-place, we need subpages to separately control the park-lighting vs the amphitheater-lighting.    But, yet again, we're not designing the actual pages yet. We're just creating them so we can reference them in a Menu.    An easy way to create additional Mashups that have similar layouts is with the Duplicate action. We'll do so now.    Return to Browse > Mashups.   To the left of MNWM_Homepage_Mashup, click the checkbox.   At the top, click Duplicate.   In the Name field, type MNWM_ParkLighting_Mashup. If Project is not already set, search for and select PTCDefaultProject.   At the top, click Save. At the top, click Design.   Change Label Title   Since we used Duplicate to clone the homepage, we see the same header/page Layout which we previously designed. That Layout can be useful for separating page-titles from functionality, so let's keep it.   But we also see the LightCo LabelText we previously created. Since this is the Park Lighting Control page, we need to change it.   In the top section of the Canvas, click the Label Widget to select it.   In the bottom-left, return to the Properties tab.   In the LabelText field, replace the current text with Park Lighting Control, and hit your keyboard's Tab key to apply the change.   At the top, click Save.     Step 4: Create Subpage Two   In the same way that we used Duplicate to mirror the homepage into a park-lighting page, we'll now do the same for the amphitheater-lighting page.    Return to Browse > Mashups. To the left of MNWM_Homepage_Mashup, click the checkbox. At the top, click Duplicate. In the Name field, type MNWM_AmphitheaterLighting_Mashup. If Project is not already set, search for and select PTCDefaultProject.   At the top, click Save. At the top, click Design.   Change LabelText   Just as we did with the Park Lighting Control LabelText, we now want to change this duplicate to read Amphitheater Lighting Control.   In the top section of the Canvas, click the Label Widget to select it. In the bottom-left, return to the Properties tab (if you're not already there). In the LabelText field, replace the current text with Amphitheater Lighting Control, and hit your keyboard's Tab key to apply the change.   Click Save.     Step 5: Create Menu   Having created all three of our starting Mashups, we'll now create a Menu Entity which provides links to each of them.   We'll be able to use this Menu Entity later to configure a Menu Widget for navigation.    Navigate to Browse > Visualization > Menus.   Click +New.    In the Name field, type MNWM_Menu. If Project is not already set, search for and select PTCDefaultProject.    At the top, click Save.   Menu Definitions   Now that we have created the Menu Entity, we can add Menu Definitions with links to all the previously-created pages.   At the top, click Menu Definition. Click +Add.   On the right-side slide-out, in the Title field, type Home. In the Link field, search for and select MNWM_Homepage_Mashup.   In the top-right, click the "check with a plus" button for Done and Add.   In the Title field, type Park. In the Link field, search for and select MNWM_ParkLighting_Mashup.   In the top-right, click the "check with a plus" button for Done and Add. In the Title field, type Amphitheater. In the Link field, search for and select MNWM_AmphitheaterLighting_Mashup.   At the top-right, click the "check" button for Done. At the top, click Save.     Click here to view Part 2 of this guide.

Key Points -8.4 installers can be used to install on clean machines and cannot be used for upgrading from previous versions -The current rule for upgrading via installer is that one must start from a clean build using the installer. After our future upgradable installer release, if one wants to upgrade, they must start with a twx installer installed versions. -The Flow only Installer is for Enterprise version customers running 8.4 or previous versions of ThingWorx and want ot add the flow capability. Unified Installer Framework -Common tool set, common UX -Unified product install experience Individual Product Installers -allow one to start using ThingWorx platform and applications faster -installs all components with single button click Improved Download Experience -new portal/wizard/image repository Trial Installers ThingWorx based installers -Navigate installer released in October 2018, installs the base twx (navigate), nav configuration and licensing wizards ThingWorx Flow installer included in pre-release of ThingWorx 8.4 ThingWorx Installer -Full Installers - January-early February rollout SCO/SCP Apps   For more information on installer, please refer to our documentation.  

Beginning with version 8.4.0 ThingWorx Analytics Manager is now able to delete Jobs by filter. Underneath video demonstrates this capability.   

This video is Module 2: Use Case Discussion of the ThingWorx Analytics Training videos. It covers what a use case is, and what a successful use case requires. It details a few examples that have been explored using ThingWorx Analytics. 

Challenge: Complex Deployments -Today deployment of twx apps is challenging due to manual dependency management; little visibility into apps and environments; complexity and slow speed of deployment Feature Solution Central: -Automated dependency management -Centralized app management portal Value: Rapid scalable deployments -Accelerate application deployment -Simple UI-based environment and solution management -Site-wide visibility of apps and environments Steps involved: -Develop projects locally -Package artifacts and dependencies -Publish App to Cloud -Deliver to your ThingWorx environments -> -Update to latest ThingWorx -Connect to Solution Central -Begin Publishing -No additional licensing   Q: Does it also package up prerequisite extensions? A: It doesn’t package or build them, but they are identified as dependencies before publish/deployment. Multiple solutions building modular structure through dependencies Q: Each published project is packaged as an extension? A: That is correct Q: Is it also possible to manage deployment of collection permissions & OOTB entities permission/configuration through Solution Central ? A: Whatever can be member of the project can be packaged and published Q: Can we package locally without publish to cloud A: Yes. Just don't register to Solution Center Q: How to install a solution offline ? A: One can package locally and install them as extensions Q: Is Solution Central a Cloud only application? A: Yes, but the packaging capability is available in ThingWorx Q: Do all customers have access to this solution or do they need to have a cloud contract? A: All customers can access as part of their ThingWorx license Q: Will customers be able to install their own on-prem implementationn of the Solution Central Web? Is using our cloud required? A: The Solution Central portal will only be available in the PTC Cloud, but the ability to package is part of the platform and can be done on prem.

In this video we show a simple use case on how to setup a transformed property to collect statistical values  

Video Author:                     Polina Osipova Original Post Date:            June 10, 2016   Description: This is a video tutorial on configuring properties for a Thing, and using "Manage Bindings" to bind properties to a Thing.      

Unless created and owned by the Administrator user, by default MySQL Database Thing will not connect to the database as it requires certain permissions on the user. In order for a user other than an administrator to create a working database thing, they need three permissions (in addition to the typical subsystem and resource permissions - refer to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HzFqxvgHtpI&index=8&list=PLz1ppcU_kaneagUT9qgQfz3HByf6-9zTF ​ ):: Visibility to the Database Thing Template. Execute service permission on the EncryptPropertyValue service in the Encryption Services resource. Visibility to the DatabaseThing Thing Package. Typically to track down permissions issue, the most convenient and easy way is to use browser developer tools. For example in Chrome, developer tools can be used to view the API calls being sent by Composer, and the errors sent in response.   ThingWorx Composer doesn’t expose Thing Packages, so in order to set visibility to the DatabaseThing Thing Package, one would need to throw a REST API call at it. Hope this information helps in setting up a non-administrator own MSSQL database thing! *In addition refer to The use of System User

MachNation  Podcast Replay: Enterprise-Specific Implementation Testing a podcast, by Mike Jasperson,  VP of the IoT EDC   MachNation, a company   exclusively dedicated to testing and benchmarking Internet of Things (IoT) platforms, end-to-end solutions, and services, has conducted a recent podcast series featuring our very own Mike Jasperson, Vice President of the IoT Enterprise Deployment Center here at PTC. Performance IoT    is a podcast series that brings together experts who make IoT performance testing and high-resiliency IoT part of their IoT journey. Mike Jasperson's podcast is episode 5 in the series, titled:   Enterprise-Specific Implementation Testing .  Enjoy!

This video begins Module 4: Data Transformation & Feature Engineering of the ThingWorx Analytics Training videos. It describes what data transformation is, and how feature engineering can improve machine learning models. You will learn about independent and dependent variables in your data, and how an "analytics ready view" looks for use with ThingWorx Analytics.

Hi all, Here is the recording of the expert session hosted in September 3rd. For full-sized viewing, click on the YouTube link in the player controls Your feedback is very important to us! After watching the recording, please take 2 min to complete this survey  

    Step 2: Creating Machine Templates   Creating machine templates allows us to have specific levels of consistency with all of our machinery, no matter the purpose of the machine. As it goes towards more specific a machine, it will have it's own unique features and properties.   In the ThingWorx Composer, click the + New in the top left of the screen.   Select Data Shape in the dropdown.   In the name field, enter Fizos.MachineInspections.DataShape and set a Project (ie, PTCDefaultProject).   Click Save. All of our machine inspections will be based on this Data Shape. Add the list of fields below: Name Base Type Aspects Description GUID GUID Primary key String used as unique identifier for the inspection FactoryID Integer 0 minimum Factory identifier at time of inspection DateRequest Date N/A Date the inspection was requested DateCompleted Date N/A Date the inspection was completed Report JSON N/A This will hold the inspection report data   The properties for the Fizos.MachineInspections.DataShape Data Shape are as follows:   Create Machine Template In the ThingWorx Composer, click the + New in the top left of the screen.   Select Thing Template in the dropdown.   In the name field, enter Fizos.Machine.ThingTemplate. All of our machines will be based off this template. In the Base Template field, enter GenericThing and set a Project (ie, PTCDefaultProject). In real world examples, you would likely use a RemoteThing. 5. Open the Properties section. Create the following list of properties.   Name Base Type Aspects Description FactoryID Integer 0 minimum, default 0 The factory ID in which this machine is currently located Type String N/A Type of machine SerialNo String N/A Serial number of the machine Model String N/A Machine make and model State String Default: Idle Machine state (Idle, Working, Warning, Failed) Status String Default: Active Machine status (Active, Inactive, etc) Inspections InfoTable DataShape: Fizos.MachineInspections.DataShape List of inspection reports These properties should match the following: 6. Open the Alerts section. Create the following list of alerts.                     Name Property Configuration StateFailedAlert State Equal Failed StateWarningAlert State Equal Warning StatusInactiveAlert Status Equal Inactive These alerts should match the following: Create Machine Template By Product   Here at Fizos, we specialize in brauts and regular sausages. That being said, we will have some machines that are specific to each product. We will also have machines that are generic in nature and shared between the two systems. The template we just created will work for the machines that are common between both product lines. We'll now create two templates that will be specific to brauts and regular sausages. We are doing this to show the levels of granularity that can be done. In some cases, you might not want to create another template level based on your design.   In the ThingWorx Composer, click the + New in the top left of the screen.   Select Thing Template in the dropdown.   In the name field, enter Fizos.BrautsMachine.ThingTemplate. All of our brauts machines will be based off this template. In the Base Template field, enter Fizos.Machine.ThingTemplate and set a Project (ie, PTCDefaultProject).   Open the Properties section. Create the following list of properties.                                       Name Base Type Aspects Description CookTemperature Number default 155, units - minutes The standard the machine cooking temperature CookTime Number default 78.5, units - minutes The standard the machine cooking temperature EggLevel Number 0 minimum, 100 maximum, default 0, % units The percentage of eggs left in the machine CreamLevel Number 0 minimum, 100 maximum, default 0, % units The percentage of cream left in the machine   6. Open the Alerts section. Create the following list of properties. Name Property Configuration EggLevelWarningAlert EggsLevel Below 20 EggLevelDepletedAlert EggsLevel Below 5 CreamLevelWarningAlert CreamLevel Below 20 CreamLevelDepletedAlert CreamLevel Below 5   Now for the more general sausages. In the ThingWorx Composer, click the + New in the top left of the screen.   Select Thing Template in the dropdown.   In the name field, enter Fizos.SausageMachine.ThingTemplate. All of our sausage machines will be based off this template. In the Base Template field, enter Fizos.Machine.ThingTemplate and set a Project (ie, PTCDefaultProject).   Open the Properties section. Create the following list of properties. Name Base Type Aspects Description CookTemperature Number default 150, units - minutes The standard the machine cooking temperature CookTime Number default 72.5, units - minutes The standard the machine cooking temperature   Next, we'll create our services for how these machines will work.         Click here to view Part 3 of this guide.  

This project is a simple custom tab that allows you to search all models and see their assets with basic information.  It is packaged as an Axeda SDK v2 Artisan project. Further Reading Developing with Axeda Artisan (Axeda Platform v6.8 and later) Axeda Sample Application: Populating A Web Page with Data Items Extending the Axeda Platform UI - Custom Tabs and Modules

In this video we introduce the Descriptive Services and property transform services that are found on the platform analytics media  

    Step 3: Important Factors   If the company cannot ship or deliver their products fast enough, that will cause food waste and less revenue. At the same time, having nonstop access to meaningful data about the logistics side of the company provides a new level of decision-making capabilities.   Let’s first see what some of the pitfalls are that causes bad logistics or room for improvement. We can keep these items in mind as we work on our application.   Customer behavior – More attention can be put on how customers are shopping in certain areas. It’s not enough to know what areas are buying the most products and send them more shipments. Deadhead miles and load management will help save unnecessary costs. Shipment tracking and route planning – The traveling salesman problem is one that scientists have been working on for ages. There is no one solution to this problem, but there are many bad ones. Planning methods and routes is almost magic, but the more methodical the process, the more can be saved here. Something as simple and selecting the routes based on the number of right turns to reduce gas can save millions on yearly gas expenses. Method of travel utilization – Sea. Air. Road. Train. Each method has its benefits and down sides. When you pick a method, also incorporate how to utilize all the space provided. This could be using smaller boxes, a different type of packaging material, or playing Tetris in a trailer.   Customer Models   Understanding your customer and their habits is of utmost importance. We'll start by creating some of the base models used for customers in this applications. You will build on top of these models as you progress through this learning path.   In the ThingWorx Composer, click the + New in the top left of the screen.   Select Data Shape in the dropdown.   In the name field, enter Fizos.Customers.DataShape. All of our customers will be based off this Data Shape. Set the Project (ie, PTCDefaultProject) and click Save to store all changes. Click on the Field Definitions tab and click the + Add button to add new Field Definitions.   Add the list of Properties below:  Name       Base Type      Aspects                           Description ID Integer 0 minimum, primary key, default 0 Row identifier UUID String N/A String used as unique identifer across multiple platforms Type String N/A Type of customer (individual or another company) Factors Tags Data Tag This will hold the different type of data points or tags that will help to analyze a customer's characteristics and behavior Name String N/A Customer name Email String N/A Customer email Address String N/A Customer address Phone String N/A Customer phone number   The Properties for the Fizos.Customers.DataShape Data Shape should match the following:   7. In the ThingWorx Composer, click the + New in the top left of the screen.   8. Select Data Table in the dropdown and select Data Table in the prompt.   9. In the name field, enter Fizos.Customers.DataTable. Our differing types of customers will fall under this template.   10. For the Data Shape field, select Fizos.Customers.DataShape. 11. Set the Project (ie, PTCDefaultProject) and click Save to store all changes.   12. This entity will be used to house our data and provide assistance with our analytics. Vehicle Models   To build a plan for your logistics solutions, you first need to have the data necessary for your vehicles and factories. Let's begin housing this data to help us with our planning. In the ThingWorx Composer, click the + New in the top left of the screen.   Select Data Shape in the dropdown.   In the name field, enter Fizos.Vehicles.DataShape. All of our vehicles will be based off this Data Shape. Set the Project (ie, PTCDefaultProject) and click Save to store all changes.   Add the list of properties below: Name          Base Type       Aspects                               Description ID Integer 0 minimum, primary key, default 0 Row identifier FactoryID Integer 0 minimum, default 0 Factory row identifier Location Location N/A String used as unique identifer across multiple platforms Features Tags Data Tag This will hold the different type of data points or tags that will help to plan what this vehicle can and will build Size String N/A Factory size   The properties for the Fizos.Factories.DataShape Data Shape are as follows:   In the ThingWorx Composer, click the + New in the top left of the screen.   Select Data Table in the dropdown and select Data Table in the prompt.   In the name field, enter Fizos.Vehicles.DataTable. Our differing types of vehicles will be inside of this Data Table. For the Data Shape field, select Fizos.Vehicles.DataShape. Set the Project (ie, PTCDefaultProject) and click Save to store all changes.   This entity will be used to house our data and provide assistance with our analytics.   Factory Models   In the ThingWorx Composer, click the + New in the top left of the screen.   Select Data Shape in the dropdown.   In the name field, enter Fizos.Factories.DataShape. All of our factories will be based off this Data Shape. Set the Project (ie, PTCDefaultProject) and click Save to store all changes.   Add the list of properties below: Name        Base Type       Aspects                                  Description ID Integer 0 minimum, primary key, default 0 Row identifier Location Location N/A String used as unique identifer across multiple platforms Features Tags Data Tag This will hold the different type of data points or tags that will help to plan what this factory can and will build Size String N/A Factory size   The properties for the Fizos.Factories.DataShape Data Shape are as follows:     In the ThingWorx Composer, click the + New in the top left of the screen.   Select Data Table in the dropdown.   In the name field, enter Fizos.Factories.DataTable. Our differing types of factories will be inside of this Data Table. For the Data Shape field, select Fizos.Factories.DataShape. Set the Project (ie, PTCDefaultProject) and click Save to store all changes.   This entity will be used to house our data and provide assistance with our analytics.   Centralized Logistics   Our application needs an efficient system of logistics. We already have sensors for our food entities, so see below how we work to move in the right direction. We'll be using a Thing Template to allow our new services to be overriden later if we so choose.   In the ThingWorx Composer, click the + New in the top left of the screen.   Select Thing Template in the dropdown.   In the name field, enter Fizos.Logstics. All of our product line will fit this abstract entity. For the Base Thing Template field, select GenericThing. Set the Project (ie, PTCDefaultProject) and click Save to store all changes.   Add the list of Services below. The level of the complexity in these Service vary based on how you would like to start your daily routine, the number of employees, number of deliveries and facilities, etc. Name                                    Return Type   Override    Async     Description PerformDailyDeliveries Nothing Yes Yes Start process of regular product deliveries.   The list of services should look like the following:     Click here to view Part 3 of this guide.

  Step 3: Create Validation and Status   With our MyFunctionsMashup Mashup open, let's add a Validation. A Validation is similar to an Expression, except you have the added capability of triggering Events based on a True or False outcome of your validation. We will use the Validation to check and confirm the Text Field we created only has the values we added in our Functions. Let's also add two Status Message Functions that will show whether or not a user has added any text outside of what we want.   Open the MyFunctionsMashup Mashup to the Design tab. Click the green + button in the Functions area.    In the New Function modal, select Validator.   Set the Name to isDataClean.   Click Next.  Click Add Parameter. Set the Name to text and ensure the Base Type is STRING.   Add the following code to the Expression are: if(text === "NO") { result = true; } else if(text === "YES") { result = true; } else { let array = text.split("YES").join(""); array = array.split(",").join(""); let count = array.trim().length; if(count) { result = false; } else { result = true; } }   9. Click Done.   We have our Validator in place, now we need our two Status Message Functions. Why two? You can setup one Status Message to perform the task, but for this case, we're keeping things simple.   Click the + button in the Functions area. Select Status Message in the dropdown.    Set the Name to GoodInputProvided.   Click Next. Ensure Message Type is Info. In the Message field, enter Text is all good!.   Click Done. Let's create another Status Message Function. Set the Name to BadnputProvided.   Click Next. Change Message Type to Error. In the Message field, enter Text is BAD!.   Click Done.   We now have two Status Message Functions and a Validator to help with checking our text data. Let's connect everything together. This time, let's use the Bind button.   Expand the Validator section in the Functions tab. Click the Bind (arrows) button on the isDataClean Validator. This window will help us configure connections a bit easier.    Click the down arrow by the True Event. Click Add Trigger Service.   Click Functions. Check the checkbox by GoodInputProvided.   Click Next. Click the down arrow by the False Event. Click Add Trigger Service.   Click Functions. Check the checkbox by BadInputProvided.   Click Next. You should currently have the following setup:    Let's add in our connections to the Text Field and when we'll run this Validation.    Click the down arrow by the text Property.   Click Add Source. With the Widgets tab selected, scroll down and select the Text Property of our Text Field.   Click Next. Click the down arrow by Evaluate Service. Select Add Event Trigger.   With the Widgets tab selected, scroll down and select the Clicked Property of our Button.   Click Next. You should currently have the following setup:   Click Done. Click Save and view your updated Mashup.   Your Validator is complete. You now have a way to tell when a user has inputed their own text into the text box. To try things out, add some crazy characters, hit the button, and see what happens. You might notice that you have your Expressions running at the same time as your Validator. Switch up the bindings to get it to run the way you want it to.     Step 4: Create Confirmation Modal   With our MyFunctionsMashup Mashup open, let's add a Confirmation Function. A Confirmation Function provides a quick modal that will give users a method to confirm actions or events before they take place. If you've ever almost deleted a production database (don't judge me!), then you know how handy a confirmation screen can be. Let's add a button that will trigger a confirmation as to whether we would like to run the Validator we created in the last section.   Open the MyFunctionsMashup Mashup to the Design tab. Click the + button in the Functions panel. Select Confirmation in the dropdown.   Set the Name to confirmDataValidation. Click Next.   Set the Title Text to Confirm Data Validation?. Set the Message Text to Would you like to perform a data validation?.   Set the Cancel Button Label to No Thanks!. Scroll down and set the Action Button Label to Yes Sir!.   Click Done. Click the Widgets tab in the top left. Filter for and select a Button Widget.   Drag and drop a Button Widget onto the Canvas.   With the new Button selected, click the down arrow that appears on the Button. Drag and drop the Clicked Event of the Button to the OpenConfirmation Service of our Confirmation Function.     We now have our Confirmation Function and a Button that will open the Confirmation when clicked. Let's add the final step by connecting the Confirmation to our Validation Function.   Click the Bind (arrows) button for our isDataClean Validator.   Click the down arrow by the Evaluate Service. Select Add Event Trigger.   Click the Functions tab. Select the ActionClick Event of our Confirmation Function.   Click Next. Click Done. Click Save for our Mashup.   We now have a way to independently validate that the text in our text box does not contain random values added by the user. View the Mashup and test things out by clicking on the second button and adding some crazy characters to our text box.       Step 5: Create Navigation   Thus far, we have been sticking to one Mashup. Let's venture out a bit by showing a different Mashup. Inside of our MyFunctionsMashup Mashup, we will add a Navigation Function. This will allow us to go to or just show a different UI based on some kind of user input or event. For our example, when a user clicks No Thanks! in our Confirmation Function, let's send them to a different Mashup.   Follow the steps to create a Navigation Function, a destination Mashup, and tie the two together.    Create Destination Mashup Navigate to Browse > Visualization > Mashups.   Click + New. Keep the defaults and click OK. In the Name field, type MyNavigationDestination.   Click Save. Click the Design tab at the top to open the Mashup canvas. Click the Widgets tab.   Filter and search for the word Label. Drag and drop a Label Widget to the Mashup canvas. If you like, enlarge the Label sizing.    In the Label Widget Properties section, scroll down to the LabelType Property.       Click the dropdown and select Large Header.   In the LabelText Property field, type MY DESTINATION UI SCREEN. Click Save. You have now created a simple UI that we will go to when we click our navigation button. Next, we'll tie together our navigation button and our freshly created Mashup.   Create Navigation Function Reopen the MyFunctionsMashup Mashup to the Design tab. Click the + button in the Functions panel. Select Navigation in the dropdown.   Set the Name to travelToDestination.   Click Next. Set the Target Window Type to ModalPopup. Set the Pop-up Title to New Popup Here.   Set the Pop-up Width to 400. Set the Pop-up Height to 400.   Click the + button at Target Mashup. Type MyNavigationDestination into the search bar. Select the MyNavigationDestination Mashup when it appears.   Click Done. Select the Bind (arrows) button for our new travelToDestination Navigation Function.   Click the down arrow next to Navigate Service. Click Add Event Trigger.   Click the Functions tab. Select the CancelClick Event of our confirmDataValidation Confirmation Function.   Click Done. Click Save for the Mashup.   We now have a modal that will appear after we click the No Thanks! button in our Confirmation Function. View the Mashup and try out what you've done by clicking the bottom button, then clicking No Thanks!     Click here to view Part 3 of this guide.