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FactoryPMI™ Version 2.1 Released

FactoryPMI™ Designer usability improvements make for better experience on laptops

05/08/2007 - Inductive Automation is proud to announce the release of FactoryPMI™ version 2.1. The highlight of this release is an overhauled FactoryPMI Designer user interface, featuring an intuitive dockable interface framework. In addition, projects in FactoryPMI 2.1 can be launched in any of the three launch modes (Web Start, Web Start Full Screen, and Applet) independently. Lastly, this release includes many minor bug fixes, making it the most stable version of FactoryPMI yet.

New Designer Interface
The FactoryPMI Designer now features a dockable interface, which lets the user pick and choose what design elements are visible. You can even "auto-hide" any of the Designer's panels (project browser, property editor, component palette, etc), to give your project all of the screen real estate, but letting the panels pop-in on demand. Beta testers have responded with overwhelmingly positive feedback, reporting that this makes the Designer much more convenient to use on laptops.

The dockable interface isn't the only new interface feature: there is also a new palette that provides an easier view of the component library, as well as a revamped property editing table. The new property editor categorizes the properties of the selected components, making it easier for the designer to see what is available and find the property they care about quickly.

More Flexible Launch Options
Previous to FactoryPMI 2.1, users were given a choice between launching in Web Start or Applet mode. Users weren't able to choose to launch in Web Start Full Screen or Web Start Windowed mode; that choice was part of the project. Now with FactoryPMI 2.1, each project has a default launch mode, but can display separate launch buttons for each of the 3 launch modes. This lets the user choose the appropriate launch mode for their computer: if they're on a laptop, they can launch in windowed mode, while a touchscreen panel-mounted computer on the plant floor can launch in full screen mode.

FactoryPMI version 2.1 can be downloaded today from http://www.inductiveautomation.com and is completely backwards compatible. Because it is a minor version upgrade, it is free to all existing FactoryPMI 2.0 users.

About Inductive Automation
Inductive Automation, an automation software company, was founded with the idea that industrial control systems and enterprise management systems should not be separate. Leveraging standard IT technologies, Inductive Automation’s products break the mold of proprietary, monolithic control system software.