Chapter 4 · Testing, Tools and the App
Simulation and LiveView
A program that looks right on the screen is not always right in the building. LOXONE Config gives you two ways to check your work. Simulation tests the logic on your PC, with no hardware. LiveView shows the real program running on the Miniserver, with real values from the building.
Both show you how the function blocks in your program work together. Used together, they let you find mistakes at your desk, and confirm on site that the building does what you planned.
By the end of this lesson you will be able to:
- Test a program in simulation, with no Miniserver connected
- Read and follow live values from a running Miniserver with LiveView
- Use manual value adjustment safely in a building where people live
The situation
At your desk, you program the landing light so a button turns it on for a few minutes. There is no Miniserver and no button near you, but you want to know the logic works before you drive to site.
On site, the program is on the Miniserver. Now you need to know how dark the landing really is, so you can set the brightness threshold to a real number, not a guess.
Two ways to watch a program
Both tools show your program working and how its function blocks interact, but they show different things. Simulation answers the question: does my logic do what I want? LiveView answers the question: what is really happening in the building right now?
Both can be started from the Testing tab in the ribbon, with Start Simulation and Start LiveView.
| Simulation | LiveView | |
|---|---|---|
| Runs on | Your PC | The Miniserver |
| Needs a Miniserver | No | Yes |
| Values come from | You | The building |
| Change values | Directly | Only with manual value adjustment |
| Use it to | Check the logic | Check and tune on site |
Test a program in simulation
In simulation, you play the role of the building. You change the inputs yourself and watch how the outputs respond. No extra option is needed to change values.
- Select each digital input and, in its properties, choose how it behaves in simulation: push button, switch or frequency.
- Click Start Simulation on the ribbon.
- Change each input in turn, and check that the outputs respond the way you planned.
- Pause the simulation when you want to look closely at the current values.
LiveView shows the real building
LiveView shows the program running on the Miniserver, with live values on every input and output. You can follow how the values change over time, and see how your functions affect each other in the real building.
Its everyday use is reading real values. To set a brightness threshold for lighting, you use LiveView to see the brightness the sensor really reports in the room. Then you set the parameter against a real number.
Start LiveView
LiveView shows the program that is running on the Miniserver. Save your program to the Miniserver first, so LiveView shows the program you are working on.
- Open your project, or create a new one.
- Connect to the Miniserver.
- Click Save in Miniserver.
- Click Start LiveView on the ribbon. The live values appear on the inputs, outputs and function blocks.
Manual value adjustment
Manual value adjustment lets you change the value a device or source is sending at the moment. You can force a state such as on or off, or override what a sensor reports. It only works while LiveView is active.
It is very useful for testing. You can make the program believe something has happened, and watch how it responds. If no physical button is wired yet, you can set the input yourself.
A routine that works
Build and test the logic in simulation at your desk. Then save the program, and use LiveView on site to check real values and tune the settings.
This way, most mistakes are found before you reach the building, and the time on site goes into fine tuning.