Library Templating

Helinks STS provide library templating features that give a boost to engineering efficiency and harmonization. E.g. with a well defined library the the process of going from specification to implementation is clearly reduced.

Much of the specification done in the Single Line and Function Specification Diagrams, as well as Applications can be reused via the library mechanism: Functions, Equipment, Bays, Busbar, Virtual IEDs, and Process elements.

Functions and Equipments are basic library elements. They can be stored in the library and retrieved via the palette entries corresponding to their key.

Bays, Virtual IEDs, and Process elements are composite library elements - they make use of other, basic library elements ( usually Functions ).

Applications templates are an advanced library elements. Their structure is not simply a copy of the basic application that is used to create the template, but are more encompassing set of rules and conditions that allows easy or automatic recreation of the original basic application. In order to do this, they make use of other, basic library elements ( usually Functions ) and annotate them with application specific information (application roles).

Templated Element

To template an element to the library you should :

• Define the element in the SLD or functional diagram

• Give it a structured self-descriptive template name in the properties view.

Then on the element, with a right click you have access to several menu items interacting with the library: ‘Add to the library’ and ‘Update from the library’. The exact use and result of this action will vary slightly for different element type, but the general outcome is the same:

• When you add an element to the library all its contents are stored in the library, and can be reused in other places. For example, when you add a function to the library, not only the function is added to the library but also:

• The Subfunctions (and Subequipments in case of a conducting equipment related function)

• The LNodes contained in the function and included subfunctions, as well as the properties related to these LNodes

• The signals and inputs selected for included LNodes

Take into account that if you change something on a template instantiated element and you will make this change available on the template you should update the library element, by redoing the “Add to library” step.

Currently there is no Template versioning concept and automatic template changes propagation concept. If you update a template and you would like to propagate this change to all instances element of this template, you can do so in the Library Manager. You should apply again this template to the already created element or simply recreate said element.

It is recommended to use a separate project to create, upgrade and maintain a library, to avoid bleeding implementation details of specific substations into the templates used for other substations.

The library is part of your user folder. You need to import and export said library to use it over several computers. For this you have access to the menu Libraries Export/Import feature.