doc/svghmi/intro.rst
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+Introduction to SVGHMI
+======================
+
++-----------------------------+-------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
+|                             | SVGHMI is a SVG based HMI toolkit. With it, PLC programmers and HMI designers |
+| .. image:: svhgmi_pitch.svg | can efficiently produce Scalable Web Based HMIs. <br />  <br /> HMI design    |
+|                             | happens in `Inkscape  <https://inkscape.org>`_.                               |
+|                             | Designer freely draws HMI pages and widgets following WYSIWYG principle.      |
++-----------------------------+-------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
+
+WYSIWYG HMI design with Inkscape
+--------------------------------
+
+    "**What You See Is What You Get**, is a system in which editing software
+    allows content to be edited in a form that resembles its appearance when
+    printed or displayed as a finished product."
+    
+    -- Oxford English Dictionary
+
+Widgets can be selected from customizable widget library and drag'n'dropped
+directly in Inkscape.
+
+.. image:: svghmi_dnd.svg
+
+SVGHMI's Page and Widget roles are assigned to SVG elements by changing objects
+name and description in Inkscape.
+
+.. image:: svhgmi_inkscape.svg
+
+HMI tree scale together with PLC instance tree
+----------------------------------------------
+
+In SVGHMI, **scalability** applies to both graphics and data. Once HMI and PLC
+are associated in a first version of a machine, it is easy to extend both of
+them simultaneously. In most cases DRY principle applies. PLC code or SVG
+elements can be re-used and extended.
+
+PLC data exposed to HMI is represented in an "HMI Tree" deduced from PLC
+program. More precisely, HMI Tree is a simplified subset of POU instances tree.
+PLC  programmer selects variables to be exposed by assigning them a derived
+HMI_* type. For example HMI_REAL is used instead of REAL to expose a floating
+point variable.
+
+.. image:: svghmi_trees.svg
+
+In order to reduce HMI Tree complexity, structure of POU instance tree is not
+preserved by default. Only POUs having a single HMI_NODE variable defined
+appear in HMI Tree. This allows to expose variables that are spread in a
+complex hierarchy of POUs in a single HMI Tree node.
+
+.. image:: svghmi_types.svg
+
+Re-usable widgets and pages
+---------------------------
+
+HMI elements are SVG elements whose labels start with ``HMI:``.  They can be
+widgets or pages, and can point to locations in HMI tree with a path starting
+with a ``/``, and with ``/``-separated hierarchical levels.
+For example, ``/THIS/IS/A/VALID/HMI_TREE/PATH``.
+
+``HMI:Switch@/GREENLIGHT``
+    "Switch" type widget bound to a variable named GREENLIGHT at root of HMI tree
+
+Each ``HMI:Page`` has a unique name. ``HMI:Jump`` and ``HMI:Back`` widgets are
+used to switch to other pages. PLC can also trigger page change autonomously.
+HMI must have at least one SVG element labelled ``HMI:Page:Home``. ``Home`` is
+a special page name: it will make this page the landing page when HMI is loaded.
+
+.. image:: svhgmi_pages.svg
+
+``HMI:Page:Home``
+    Mandatory "Home" page declaration
+
+``HMI:Jump:Home``
+    Change current page to "Home" page when clicked
+
+``HMI:Back``
+    Change current page back to previous page when clicked
+
+Pages and groups of widgets can be dynamically re-based to another compatible
+HMI Tree location. They can then be be re-used as HMI components, paired with
+corresponding POU instances on PLC side.
+
+Simple yet powerful widgets
+---------------------------
+
+Widgets are meant to be as simple as possible. Still, they can become complex
+when implementing interactions that cannot be broken down into multiple
+independent widgets.
+
++------------------------------------+---------------------------------+
+| Meter Widget Template (`HMI:Meter`)|      Voltmeter (`HMI:Meter`)    | 
++====================================+=================================+
+| .. image:: svghmi_meter.svg        | .. image:: svghmi_voltmeter.svg |
++------------------------------------+---------------------------------+
+
+HMI and pages have their own local variables allowing interaction in between
+widgets bypassing HMI Tree. For example, position of `HMI:Scrollbar` can be
+directly connected to a position in `HMI:JSONTable` with a page local
+variable.
+
+How does it work ?
+------------------
+
+HMI's client and server code is generated during SVGHMI build, based on PLC 
+code and HMI design.
+
+.. image:: svghmi_overview.svg
+
+SVGHMI build is part of Beremiz build, available in IDE and command line.