BACnet Object Browser
The BACnet Object Browser has a tri-pane window for easily viewing the BACnet network hierarchy, error messages, and object properties and property values. It operates on the same computer where the management station is installed, and it communicates in parallel with the same BACnet network that the management station belongs to. You can use BACnet Object Browser to do the following:
- Import BACnet objects into the Desigo CC database.
- Verify that the devices you want the management station to discover appear in the BACnet Object Browser's left pane.
- Browse for devices on a BACnet network.
- Modify read/write properties of BACnet objects.
For related procedures or workflows, see the step-by-step section.
The Who-Is feature allows you to browse or search for specific BACnet devices and their BACnet MAC addresses on a BACnet network. If you need to know the BACnet MAC address of one or more BACnet devices, you can send a Who-Is broadcast request over the network specifying a device instance number or a range of device instance numbers. Devices that have the specified instance numbers respond with an I-Am to this request and are then listed in the Listening for I-Ams section of the Who-Is dialog box.
I-Ams also return BACnet MAC addresses for a BACnet device.
All device information is listed by Adapter Name, Instance Number, Device Name, Network Number, and BACnet MAC Address. You can view more detailed information about a device from the list by selecting it and then clicking OK.
The Who-Has feature allows you to search for specific objects by object name on a BACnet network. If you need to know the network locations and Object IDs of one or more objects in other BACnet devices, you can send a Who-Has broadcast request over the network specifying an object name.
Devices that contain an object matching the request respond with an I-Have to this request and are then listed in the Listening for I-Haves section of the Who-Has dialog box. Object information is listed by Adapter Name, Device Instance, Object ID, and Object Name. The object can contain wildcards such as AI*, *A*, or *A.
The Read Property service allows you to view any properties contained in any BACnet object contained in BACnet devices on a BACnet network. In addition, individual BACnet devices can choose to accept or reject Read and Write Property requests on a per-object and per-property basis.
The Write Property service allows you to change or modify setpoints and other values in a BACnet device. However, you may not be able to modify object properties in some BACnet devices.
The BACnet Object Browser allows you to modify or edit most object properties for every type of BACnet object with the exception of properties that are only status information, such as acked-transitions, event time stamps, status-flags. For example, for a Notification Class Object, you can modify the description, object-name, priority, and recipient-list property types, but not the object-identifier.
The Write Property button on the toolbar is enabled for property types that you can edit. The Write Property function on the Services menu is grayed out if editing the object property is not allowed. In addition, the BACnet device may deny the request by the device in which the object resides. If so, the error displays in the bottom pane of the browser. Many other errors are also displayed in message boxes.
If the out-of-service property is F, the present values of input type objects— that is, Analog Input, Binary Input—cannot be commanded by the browser.
View Types | Descriptions |
View Active COV Subscription | Displays all objects in the device that have active COV subscriptions when a device is selected. |
View Action List | Displays all the actions when a Command Object is selected |
View Action List Element | Displays all the Action List elements when an Action List is selected. |
View Action Text | Displays the action text defined for the object when a Command Object is selected. |
View Alarm Summary | Displays all alarm summary information when a device is selected. |
View All Properties | Displays all properties and values of a selected object. |
View Command Priority Array | Displays the priority array when an object is selected that supports priority arrays, for example, AO, BO, MO, AV, BV, and MV objects. |
View Date List | Displays the date list when a Calendar object is selected. |
View Device Log | Displays all devices known to the BACnet Object Browser including Device Name, Model Name, Vendor Name and Status when a network is selected. |
View Device Properties | Displays Property Name and Value information when a device is selected. |
View Enrollment Summary | Displays the event enrollment summary when a device is selected. In the Filter field, you can specify which types of enrollments you want to view. |
View Event Information | Displays the event information in the device when a device is selected. |
View Event Timestamps | Displays the three time stamps of a selected object if that object has an Event Time Stamp |
View Exception Schedule | Displays exception schedule information when a Schedule object is selected. |
View Exception Schedule Elements | Displays the time value pairs when an exception schedule of a Schedule object is selected. |
View Group List | Displays the members of a group when a Group object is selected. |
View Object Log | Displays Object Name, Type, Insurance #, Present Value, and Status information of all objects in a folder when a folder is selected. If the object type does not support a property, N/A is displayed for the value. For example, a File object does not have a present value, so N/A displays. |
View Object References | Displays the device object property reference list when a Schedule object Is selected. |
View Member of List | Displays the Life Safety Zones for which the Life Safety Object or Zone is a member. |
View Recipients List | Displays Process ID, Recipient, Valid Days, Time Range, Transition, and Notification Type information for all recipients in the Notification Class Recipient List when a Notification Class object is selected. |
View State Text | Displays state text information when an object is selected that supports state text. |
View Time Recipients | Displays all devices that have registered for local time synchronization of a selected device. |
View UTC Time Recipients | Displays all devices that have registered for UTC time synchronization of a selected device. |
View Trend Log Buffer | Displays trend data when a Trend Log or Trend Log Multiple object is selected. |
View Event Log Buffer | Displays event data when an Event Log object is selected. When More displays in the Value column, you can double-click the event line to view notification parameters and optional message text in a read-only dialog box. If the event type does not require a property, N/A is displayed for the value. For example, a status record does not have an Event Type, so N/A displays. |
View Weekly Schedule | Displays the weekly schedule when a Schedule object is selected. |
View Zone Members Lists | Displays the Life Safety Points and Zones which are members of this Life Safety Zone. |
When you select an individual object, you have the option of several different views. For example, if you select a Binary Value object, you can display View All Properties or View Command Priority Array for that object. The Standard Object Types and Views table that follows gives a complete list of object types and associated views.
Object Type | Symbol | Available View Types |
|---|---|---|
Accumulator (ACC) |
| View All Properties, View Event Timestamps |
Alert Enrollment |
| View All Properties, View Event Timestamps |
Analog Input (AI) |
| View All Properties, View Event Timestamps |
Analog Output (AO) |
| View All Properties, View Command Priority Array, View Event Timestamps |
Analog Value (AV) |
| View All Properties, View Event Timestamps, View Command Priority Array |
Averaging (AVG) |
| View All Properties |
BACnet Network |
| View Device Log, View Object Log |
BACnet Device |
| View Device Log, View Object Log |
Binary Input (BI) |
| View All Properties, View Event Timestamps |
Binary Output (BO) |
| View All Properties, View Command Priority Array, View Event Timestamps |
Binary Value (BV) |
| View All Properties, View Command Priority Array, View Event Timestamps |
Bit String Value |
| View All Properties, View Command Priority Array, View Event Timestamps |
Calendar (CAL) |
| View All Properties, View Date List |
Character String Value |
| View All Properties, View Command Priority Array, View Event Timestamps |
Command (CMD) |
| View All Properties, View Action List, View Action Text |
Date Pattern Value |
| View All Properties, View Command Priority Array |
Date Value |
| View All Properties, View Command Priority Array |
DateTime Pattern Value |
| View All Properties, View Command Priority Array |
DateTime Value |
| View All Properties, View Command Priority Array |
Event Enrollment (EE) |
| View All Properties, View Event Timestamps |
Event Log (EL) |
| View All Properties, View Event Log Buffer, View Event Timestamps |
File (Fl) |
| View All Properties |
Global Group |
| View All Properties |
Group (GR) |
| View All Properties |
Integer Value |
| View All Properties, View Command Priority Array, View Event Timestamps |
Large Analog Value |
| View All Properties, View Command Priority Array, View Event Timestamps |
Life Safety Point (LSP) |
| View All Properties, View Event Timestamps, View Member of List |
Life Safety Zone (LSZ) |
| View All Properties, View Event Timestamps, View Member of List, View Zone Members List |
Load Control (LC) |
| View All Properties, View Shed Level Descriptions, View Event Timestamps |
Loop (LP) |
| View All Properties, View Event Timestamps |
Multi-state Input (MI) |
| View All Properties, View Event Timestamps, View State Text |
Multi-state Output (MO) |
| View All Properties, View State Text, View Command Priority Array |
Multi-state Value (MV) |
| View All Properties, View Command Priority Array, View Event Timestamps, View State Text |
Network Security |
| View All Properties, View Network Access Security Policies |
Notification Class (NC) |
| View All Properties, View Recipients List |
Notification Forwarder |
| View All Properties |
Octet String Value |
| View All Properties, View Command Priority Array |
Positive Integer Value |
| View All Properties, View Command Priority Array, View Event Timestamps |
Program (PR) |
| View All Properties |
Pulse Converter (PC) |
| View All Properties, View Event Timestamps |
Schedule (SCH) |
| View All Properties, View Weekly Schedule, View Exception Schedule |
Structured View (SV) |
| View All Properties, View Subordinate List, View Subordinate Annotations |
Time Pattern Value |
| View All Properties, View Command Priority Array |
Time Value |
| View All Properties, View Command Priority Array |
Trend Log (TL) |
| View All Properties, View Trend Log Buffer, View Object References, View Event Timestamps |
Trend Log Multiple (TLM) |
| View All Properties, View Trend Log Buffer, View Object References, View Event Timestamps |
The Filter field allows you to specify a filter in the Property Name column. For example, if you only want to view the object name for any of the object types listed, type object-name in the field, and only the object name is listed. The default is a wildcard symbol of * (asterisk), which displays all the property information for an object type.
The Filter field maintains a record of all filters you have previously used. To view previous filters, click the drop-down arrow in the Filter field and select any previously entered filter name.
Expandable lists allow you to view more detailed information about a BACnet object property contained in a list. Once you select an object from the system tree in the left pane—for example, a Calendar object—the right pane displays a list of property names and values for that object. If the object property supports the expandable lists feature, you will see <Double-Click> displayed in the Value column, along with the number of items, in parentheses, that are contained in the list. Double-clicking the property with this designation displays the type of entry and associated information.
The following data lists can be expanded:
- Action List Element of an Action List of Command Objects (a list nested inside of another list)
- Action List of Command Objects
- Action of Command Objects
- Action Text of Command Objects
- Active COV Subscriptions for a Device
- Command Priority Array of Several Point Types
- Date List of Calendar Objects
- Exception Schedule Element of an Exception Schedule of Schedule Objects (a list nested inside of another list)
- Event Time Stamps of Object Types
- Group List of Group Objects
- Members of Life Safety Points and Zones
- Object Reference Lists of Schedule Objects
- Recipient List of Notification Class Objects
- Subordinate Annotations of Structured View Points
- Subordinate Lists of Structured View Points
- Time Recipients for a Device
- Trend Log Data
- State Text of Multi-state Points
- Weekly Schedule of Schedule Objects
- Zone Members of Life Safety Zones
