How to Use Message Popup Rule (Applications)
- The Message Popup Rule is a T:ANE Session Rule that creates onscreen messages for users in Driver Mode.
- The Close Message Popup Rule is a T:ANE Session Rule that closes onscreen messages for users in Driver Mode.
This page gives practical examples of how these rules can be used in a session to create messages that appear after an event, such as a trigger and are automatically closed by another event, such as a set time interval.
Timed Message Example
In this example, a Message Popup is activated by a track trigger event and the message is automatically closed by a timed event.
Rules Used:
- Trigger Check Rule to trigger the message event.
- Simultaneous List Rule to force all child rules to be executed at the same time.
- Message Popup Rule to open a message window on the screen.
- Wait Rule to wait a set time interval.
- Close Message Popup Rule to close the message window.
- Line 1: Trigger Check The event is triggered when a consist passes over a track trigger but any event could be used, such as a Navigation Point, a TimeCheck, a Wait On ... or Wait For ..., etc. As long as the following rules are child rules of the trigger event.
- Line 2: Simultaneous List This forces all the following child rules to be executed at the same time. Events such as the Trigger Check that execute their child rules in order would not work in this example because everything else would be forced to wait until the Message Popup has been closed. Using the Simultaneous List Rule avoids this problem. Events that execute their child rules simultaneously would not need the Simultaneous List Rule.
- Line 3: Message Popup This places the message window in the screen and waits for it to be closed either manually (by the user) or by another rule.
- Line 4: Wait This forces a wait for a set time period, in this case 20 seconds but any time interval can be set. At the end of that period the rule will then execute its own set of child rules. The Wait Rule executes its child rules in order but as there is only one child rule this does not matter.
- Line 5: Close Message Popup The message window is closed.
In this example, a Message Popup is activated by a navigation event and the message is automatically closed by a train stopped event.
Rules Used:
- Wait on Navigation Point Rule to trigger the message event.
- Message Popup Rule to open a message window on the screen.
- Wait on Train Stop/Start Rule to trigger an event when the consist stops moving.
- Close Message Popup Rule to close the message window.
- Line 1: Wait on Navigation Point The event is triggered when a consist reaches set navigation point. This rule executes all its child rules simultaneously so no Simultaneous List Rule is required in this example.
- Line 2: Message Popup This places the message window in the screen and waits for it to be closed either manually (by the user) or by another rule.
- Line 3: Wait on Train Stop/Start When the consist comes to a stop then it will execute its own set of child rules.
- Line 4: Close Message Popup The message window is closed.
In this example, the Close Message Popups Rule could be replaced by lines 2, 3, 4 and 5 from the Timed Message example shown above to produce a new message when the train stops moving and that message would be closed after a set time interval.