Configuring Ignition Multi-Instance Valve Pop-Ups Guide

Ignition treats a pop-up window as a named navigation object. The number that matters is the count of live window instances: five valve symbols may all target Control/Valve, but ordinary window navigation resolves that path to one reusable window. To display valve 1 and valve 2 simultaneously, create a separate instance for each request with system.nav.openWindowInstance and pass the selected valve's TagPath into that instance.

Window Reuse Versus Multiple Instances

The two navigation calls support different operator workflows. system.nav.openWindow opens or reuses the named window. That behavior suits a single-detail display: selecting another valve updates or reuses the one available pop-up rather than creating another visible copy.

system.nav.openWindowInstance creates an additional instance of the same window definition. Each instance receives its own parameter dictionary, allowing multiple copies of Control/Valve to display different valve paths at the same time.

For a requirement that every selected valve open another pop-up, use system.nav.openWindowInstance for the valve click action. Use the combined design only when operators have a defined need for both a reusable window and additional instances.

Instance Identity and Parameter Binding

The window path identifies the reusable design, while the parameter dictionary supplies installation-specific context. In the shown design, the valve component's parent exposes TagPath. The click script reads that value into param1 and passes it to the pop-up under the parameter name TagPath.

Each pop-up must bind its display and command components through the received TagPath. If any component still uses a fixed valve path, every instance may show or command the same valve even though the navigation call created separate windows. Instance creation isolates the window copies; correct parameter binding isolates their data contexts.

Recommended Multi-Instance Script

Place the following logic in the valve symbol's mouseClicked event when every click must produce another pop-up:

param1 = event.source.parent.TagPath
windowInstance = system.nav.openWindowInstance(
    'Control/Valve',
    {'TagPath': param1}
)
system.nav.centerWindow(windowInstance)

The return value from system.nav.openWindowInstance identifies the new instance. Pass that value to system.nav.centerWindow; otherwise, centering code may target the wrong window or lack the instance reference needed to position the new copy.

1. Add a TagPath property to the valve symbol's parent container if that property is not already part of the reusable object.
2. Assign the appropriate valve path to each symbol instance.
3. Open the valve window with system.nav.openWindowInstance.
4. Pass a dictionary whose TagPath key matches the parameter consumed by the pop-up.
5. Capture the returned window instance and pass it to system.nav.centerWindow.
6. Bind the pop-up's indicators, status fields, and commands relative to its received TagPath.

Optional Left-Click and Right-Click Behavior

A mixed interaction can reserve the left mouse button for the reusable pop-up and the right mouse button for an additional instance:

param1 = event.source.parent.TagPath

if event.button == event.BUTTON1:
    window = system.nav.openWindow(
        'Control/Valve',
        {'TagPath': param1}
    )

if event.button == event.BUTTON3:
    windowInstance = system.nav.openWindowInstance(
        'Control/Valve',
        {'TagPath': param1}
    )
    system.nav.centerWindow(windowInstance)

This design makes the instance policy part of the operator gesture. It also creates a discoverability requirement: operators must know that left and right clicks have different effects. If the operating procedure simply says that every valve selection opens another window, the single-action multi-instance script is clearer and produces fewer ambiguous outcomes.

Verification and Recurring Failure Modes

1. Click valve 1 and confirm that one Control/Valve pop-up opens with valve 1 data.
2. Leave that pop-up open, then click valve 2. Confirm that a second pop-up appears and the first remains visible.
3. Operate a harmless test control or observe a changing status on each pop-up. Confirm that each instance reads and writes only through its own TagPath.
4. Open additional valves up to the five-valve use case. Confirm that the client remains usable and that operators can distinguish and close each instance.
5. Close one pop-up and verify that the remaining instances retain their original valve bindings.

Frequently Asked Questions