A general signal is a user-defined signal which is not characterized by any existing process function and which does not carry any information from an instrument. You link a general signal with tag signals and other general signals. You can use a general signal to treat several tag signals as a group that share common wires. You can use general signals for the following purposes:
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Combine signals into a wire group for transmitting multiple signals that are multiplexed or de-multiplexed through it.
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Represent the common connection for single or multiple loop power supply.
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In the Connection window, select Actions > Local Signal
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On the Terminal Connection dialog, select Signal.
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On the Local Signal dialog, under General signal, select New in the group box.
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On the New General Signal dialog, under Signal name, type a unique name.
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To associate the new general signal with all the tag signals in the current terminal strip, select Apply to all tag signals of the current strip.
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Select OK to create and propagate the new general signal.
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The new general signal name appears in the Signal column with no tag next to it. This indicates that this is a general signal that originated in the current terminal strip.
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You can change the general signal name at any time by selecting Edit after selecting the required general signal.
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If this general signal is used in a loop drawing, make sure that the general signal name is changed in the loop macro definitions too.
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Macros in a CAD application, that you want to solve with a general signal in Smart Instrumentation, must have the general signal name (as defined in the Smart Instrumentation Local Signal dialog box) added as a prefix to the CAD application macro. For example, for the CAD macro PNL_NAME.1.4, to be recognized by Smart Instrumentation and solved with the general signal called GENERALIST1, you add the general signal name to the CAD macro as a prefix in the CAD application: GENERALIST1.PNL_NAME.1.4.