How to Program Software Points in CBAS

The easiest way to program Software Points is by going to Hardware View, finding the controller then going to Points. In Editor Mode or in Live Edit you will see a line at the bottom of the points that says Add A Software Point. Click that to add a point.

Note that all the standard Software Point types are there but there are also a few select System Point types. For example, Controller Run Minutes is a Point that counts the minutes that a controller has been running without a reboot. This can be helpful in determining if a controller’s power is being interrupted

In addition to the System Point types that can be added to controllers, there are many more that can only be added to the DPU. Some of the more popular System Points in the DPU are the Web Weather Points that provide weather information from NOAA.  For assistance with this feature, please consult the CBAS Manual or contact Technical Support.  There are also System Points that are involved with the sunrise\sunset feature, covered in the CBAS Manual on page 105. More information about points can also be found in Section 4 of the manual, and Web Weather in Chapter 7, page 163.

To access the full list of possible System Points,  go to Database on the Main Menu of CBAS. Click Add a Point and the wizard starts.

Give the System Point a name and click Next.

Choose a Point Type from the list, then click Next.

Choose Software then click Next and you will see a list of points.

If you choose System you will see another list of points.

Once you choose a point, click Next and you will see a list of controller names. Choose the controller you want the Point to reside on. For System Points that can only reside on the DPU and not a controller, choose the very first line of this list, which is the name of the database. That will put it on the “DPU”. 

One example of useful System Points are those associated with sunrise\sunset. To add the Daytime point, name the point, then choose Binary, Software, then System and scroll down. You will see Daytime with Offset and Daytime – these can be useful in the control of outside lighting.

On that list you will also see Web Outside is Valid which indicates a successful connection to the Weather Server. Other Weather Points can be found by choosing Analog, Software, System and you will see the 3 Current Weather Points. You will also see more Sunrise Points. Additional info on these points can be found in the CBAS Manual.

Under Float Point types you will find several “resource points” and all of the Future Weather Points.