Why Does WinCC @1001.pdl Not Fill a 1920x1080 Screen?

The runtime leaves an empty band even though the operating-system project was changed to 1920x1080. This happens when the display resolution, WinCC picture geometry, project layout, and Graphics Runtime window mode do not describe the same usable rectangle. Changing only the OS Project Editor resolution does not enlarge the underlying @1001.pdl picture.

Display resolution confirmation

The term display resolution here means the active pixel dimensions reported by the operating system, not the monitor's advertised maximum resolution. Confirm that value before editing WinCC. A 1920x1200 display configured as 1920x1080, or the reverse, creates a vertical difference that can look like a wrongly sized overview or button area.

1. Right-click the desktop and open Screen Resolution.
2. Read the active width and height rather than selecting dimensions from the monitor label.
3. Set the intended resolution to 1920x1080 when that is the actual target mode.

Check 1: Expect the desktop resolution to read exactly 1920x1080. If it reads 1920x1200, stop and decide whether WinCC must use the full 1200-pixel height or only a 1080-pixel project area.

Runtime-window and picture geometry

WinCC uses two separate rectangles. Graphics Runtime controls the outer application window; the PDL file controls the drawable picture inside that window. Maximizing the runtime cannot stretch a picture whose geometry remains at the old 1600x1200 dimensions. Conversely, enlarging the PDL file does not make a non-maximized application occupy the desktop.

Open @1001.pdl in Graphics Designer and inspect Object Properties > Geometry. The relevant fields are Picture Width and Picture Height. For a project intended to occupy a full 1920x1080 runtime surface, set the picture geometry to the project surface allocated to that file.

Do not calculate Overview, Work Area, and Buttons dimensions from the display resolution alone. Those regions are a layout partition: their widths, heights, and positions depend on whether they are stacked, adjacent, or overlapping. The only universal constraint is that each region must remain inside the parent picture.

Check 2: Expect @1001.pdl to report the intended parent-picture width and height, and expect every child region's right and bottom edges to remain within those limits.

Overview, Work Area, and Buttons allocation

Treat the three areas as explicit rectangles rather than percentages inferred from the old 1600x1200 layout. First identify which regions retain a fixed height or width and which region absorbs the resolution change. In a vertically stacked layout, the Work Area normally receives the remaining height after subtracting the Overview and Buttons heights. In a side-by-side layout, calculate remaining width instead.

For vertically stacked regions, use:

Work Area Height = Parent Height - Overview Height - Buttons Height

This formula assumes that the three areas exactly cover the parent, have no gaps, and do not overlap. If the project contains intentional margins, subtract those margins as well. No exact Overview or Buttons dimension can be derived from 1920x1080 because their design sizes are not specified.

1. Record the current X, Y, width, and height of each area.
2. Choose which fixed regions must preserve their designed dimensions.
3. Assign the remaining dimension to the Work Area.
4. Reposition each region so its starting coordinate follows the preceding region.
5. Inspect navigation objects and process graphics near every changed boundary.

Check 3: Expect the final region edge to equal the parent edge when the design has no margin. A smaller value produces unused space; a larger value places content outside the visible picture.

OS Project Editor alignment

The OS Project Editor setting defines the project layout, but it does not replace the geometry stored in an existing PDL file. Configure the project for 1920x1080, then compare the generated or assigned Overview, Work Area, and Buttons rectangles with the actual geometry of @1001.pdl.

An adaptation option can adjust how a picture is presented, but it does not correct contradictory base dimensions. Using adaptation as the first fix can also hide whether the application window, parent picture, or child layout is undersized. Establish matching geometry first, then use adaptation only if the project design calls for scaling.

1. Confirm the OS Project Editor target is 1920x1080.
2. Open the affected base picture after applying the project setting.
3. Compare its Picture Width and Picture Height with the configured runtime surface.
4. Correct any remaining old 1600x1200 geometry.

Check 4: Expect no disagreement between the OS Project Editor layout and the PDL parent rectangle. If the project is 1920x1080 while @1001.pdl remains 1600x1200, the geometry change is incomplete.

Graphics Runtime full-screen configuration

Open the target computer's properties and select Graphics Runtime. Set Full Screen. Where the runtime configuration also presents a Maximize option, activate it so the runtime window opens at the available display extent. These settings address the outer window; they must be combined with the corrected PDL geometry.

A common wrong practice is to alternate between picture scaling and runtime-window settings without measuring the two rectangles. Diagnose them independently: an operating-system border or visible desktop indicates a window-mode problem, while an empty area inside an otherwise full-screen runtime indicates a picture or region-geometry problem.

Check 5: Expect Graphics Runtime to cover the target display and the PDL boundary to coincide with the runtime client area.

End-to-end commissioning checks

1. Check 6: Start Runtime and expect its outer boundary to occupy the complete 1920x1080 display.
2. Check 7: Inspect all four edges and expect no desktop, unused runtime background, or clipped process picture.
3. Check 8: Navigate through the Overview, Work Area, and Buttons regions and expect each selection to update the intended area without shifting the surrounding layout.
4. Check 9: Inspect objects that were near the old 1600x1200 boundaries and expect them to remain visible and selectable.
5. Check 10: Restart Runtime and expect the same full-screen geometry, proving that the saved computer and picture properties—not a temporary window adjustment—control the result.

FAQ