Creating Categories

This page describes how to create and configure event categories in SIWENOID v2, and how to set their display priority.

A category in SIWENOID v2 is a classification label assigned to every event and treatment (status) in the system. Categories are the primary way SIWENOID v2 organises, colours, and prioritises events across the entire operator interface. Every signal log entry, every datapoint status, every map icon highlight, and every count in the category bar on the main screen is governed by categories.

Each category has its own:

• Name — the label shown in the category bar, signal log, and event log.
• Colour — used consistently across the signal log, event log, map icon highlights, and the category bar to give operators instant visual recognition.
• Icon — the image used to represent events of this category on maps and in the signal log.
• Sound — an audio alert played when a new event of this category arrives and no operator has yet acknowledged it.
• Visibility and behaviour settings — controlling whether this category appears in the category bar, whether its events can be hidden from the signal log, and whether the client window is brought to the foreground when an event of this category is received.

Categories are assigned to treatments — see the Treatment Editing page. When a datapoint enters a status whose treatment belongs to a given category, all the visual, audio, and behavioural settings of that category are applied to that event.

SIWENOID v2 ships with default categories (such as Alarm, Fault, Excluded). These defaults can be modified and new categories can be added to meet the requirements of the specific installation.

Prev ← Treatment Editing Next → Creating Module

To access category configuration, navigate to File → Settings → Categories.

The Categories screen lists all currently defined categories. Select any category to edit its settings, or click the Add button (plus icon) to create a new category.

When creating a new category or editing an existing one, the following settings are available:

Name The display name of the category. This name appears in the category bar at the top of the main screen, in the signal log column headers, in the event log, and in any reports or exports. Choose a name that clearly identifies the type of events this category represents. Examples: “Fire Alarm”, “Intrusion Alarm”, “Technical Fault”, “Exclusion”, “Status Information”.

Colour The colour assigned to this category. This colour is used to highlight events of this category throughout the SIWENOID v2 interface — in the signal log rows, in the event log rows, and as the highlight colour for datapoint icons on maps. Choose colours that provide clear visual distinction between categories, with higher-urgency categories using more prominent colours (for example, red for fire alarms, orange for intrusion alarms, yellow for faults).

Icon (image) The icon image used to represent events of this category on maps and in certain list views. A custom image file can be assigned. The icon is displayed on the map wherever a datapoint with a status belonging to this category is active.

Sound An audio file that plays on client workstations when a new unacknowledged event of this category arrives. The sound continues or repeats until the event is acknowledged by an operator. Assigning distinctive sounds to different categories allows operators to recognise the type of incoming event by audio alone, without looking at the screen. If no sound is assigned, the category is silent.

Hide option (Hideable in signal log) When this option is enabled, operators can choose to hide events of this category from the signal log view. This is useful for low-priority informational categories (such as open zone status from an intrusion panel) that would otherwise clutter the signal log during normal operations. When this option is disabled, events of this category are always visible in the signal log and cannot be hidden by the operator.

Note: Alarm-level categories should always have the hide option disabled to ensure alarms are never hidden from the operator view.

Show on category panel When this checkbox is ticked, this category appears as a visible column in the category bar at the top of the main screen, showing the count of unacknowledged events in this category. When unticked, the category is not shown in the category bar and its events do not appear in the main signal log. This setting is useful for purely informational status categories that should be logged in the event log for audit purposes but do not require active operator attention — for example, a category used solely to record when zones are opened in normal operation. This option cannot be disabled for alarm-level categories.

Bring Client Window to Front When this checkbox is ticked, the SIWENOID v2 client window is automatically brought to the foreground on the operator's workstation whenever a new event of this category is received — even if the client is minimised or another application is in the foreground. This ensures that high-priority events immediately capture operator attention. Enable this option for alarm categories. It is not recommended for high-frequency informational categories, as it would continuously interrupt operators.

After configuring all settings, click Save to add the category to the category list. The new category is immediately available for assignment to treatments.

When multiple categories have active events simultaneously on the same datapoint or in the same area of the interface, the category priority determines which category's colour and icon takes visual precedence. Higher-priority categories override lower-priority categories in the display.

The priority order is configured by drag-and-drop in the category priority list. Categories at the top of the list have the highest priority and their colour and icon will be displayed when competing with lower-priority categories. Categories at the bottom have the lowest priority.

Example: If both a “Fault” event and an “Exclusion” event are active on the same datapoint simultaneously, and “Exclusion” is positioned higher in the priority list than “Fault”, the datapoint will be displayed with the Exclusion category colour and icon. Moving “Fault” above “Exclusion” in the priority list reverses this — the datapoint would then show the Fault colour and icon.

To change the priority order, click and drag a category row to its new position in the list. The change takes effect immediately after saving.

Priority ordering is particularly important for installations where multiple status conditions can be simultaneously active on the same datapoints, such as intrusion systems where zones can be simultaneously armed, excluded, and in a fault state.

Before creating categories for a new installation, consider the following:

• Define one category per distinct event type that requires a different operator response or visual treatment. Do not create categories that will be treated identically by operators — merge those into a single category instead.
• Assign colours systematically. A common convention is: red for fire alarms, orange or red for intrusion alarms, yellow for faults, grey or blue for exclusions, and green or white for informational statuses.
• Plan the priority order before creating categories so that the most operationally critical category always wins visual precedence in conflict situations.
• Categories, once assigned to treatments and used in tasks and forced actions, are referenced throughout the configuration. Renaming or deleting a category after it has been used in production requires a review of all tasks, forced actions, and treatment assignments that reference it.

—

Prev ← Treatment Editing Next → Creating Module