SendAlarmsUsingGroups_TwoAreas is a project designed to demonstrate how to send alarm/event information to certain users based on the alarm/event groups defined in the project. The alarm/event information can be sent via E-mail or SMS (text messages) as the alarms/events occur, end, get acknowledged.

In the Project Options dialog box, 5 alarm/event groups are defined (Project > Alarms/Events > Groups). The groups are defined based on two criteria: alarm severity (the TrivialAlarms, SeriousAlarms, CriticalAlarms groups) and alarm area (Area1, Area2).

The Area1 and Area2 folders are defined through the Device Manager to represent the areas where particular devices (PLCs, telemetry systems, etc.) are located. In each folder, one device is defined. In each device, alarms named TrivialAlarm1, SeriousAlarm1, and CriticalAlarm1 are defined to be simulated through the buttons in the visualization window. Each alarm has an enumeration of the groups it belongs to (the Advanced page, the Alarm/event groups property) based on alarm severity and the area where the respective device is located.

Users are defined within the Area1 and Area2 folders via the User Manager. Each user has an enumeration of the groups of alarms/events (the Notification page, the Alarm/event groups property) that he/she should be notified of. The group enumeration depends on alarm severity and the area that the user belongs to. The alarms that belong to the TrivialAlarms group are not sent to any users. The method of sending the information is specified by the Notify via E-mail and Notify via SMS options (the Notification page). Some users (technicians) are notified via E-mail and SMS, others (the directors and technical managers) are only notified via E-mail. For the users to be notified via E-mail, it is necessary to enter a valid E-mail address (the Basic page, the E-mail property). For the users to be notified via SMS, it is necessary to enter a valid phone number (the Basic page, the Phone number property).

A computer named PC1 is defined via the Project Structure Manager. On the Notification page, the Notify via E-mail, Notify via SMS, On start, and On end options are active. The Message text property contains the necessary information and doesn't have to be altered.

To send information via E-mail, it is necessary to configure the options on the E-mail page, especially the SMTP server address.

To send information via SMS, it is necessary to activate the Start SMS driver option on the SMS page and configure the other properties.