We are excited to announce that HELIO 24.2, the second release of 2024, is now officially available to everyone 🎉!
Download
Head on over to the Downloads page to grab a version that works with your operating system:
Highlights
Let's dive into the highlights of this release…
HELIO Is Now Part of the ctrlX World
We are extremely excited to announce that HELIO 4.2 is now available as a simple to simple-to-install app from the App from the ctrlX Store! This is a major milestone for us, and we couldn't be prouder.
We've updated our getting started guide accordingly. Learn how to get HELIO on your ctrlX Device.
Built-In Recipe Management
Recipes are an essential concept of industrial HMIs since they allow you to save and load the values of many parameters simultaneously. HELIO 24.2 introduces an integrated recipe management system that significantly streamlines the creation and integration of recipes into your HMIs.
The new Recipes View and the integrated recipe
management system make it easier than ever to create recipe types in no
time.
Check out the brand new Recipe Management project template to get started.
Tab Group
It allows you to group related pages together and switch between them with ease.
→ Learn More
Advanced and Dynamic Images
HELIO 24.-2 includes several features that allow you to add complex and highly dynamic images to your HMI:
Image Page: A very simple page type that allows you to define an image that can be extended by adding markers.
Image Page With Panels: A more advanced page type that adds an additional layer on top of an image that can be used to place parameter panels above the content.
Dynamic Layers for SVGs: When uploading SVGs, HELIO will now parse the id of
all layers of the SVG and look for a "HELIO:" prefix. This prefix indicates that
you wish to make this layer dynamic. HELIO will then allow you to react to on click events and set the display condition of this layer.
Check out the brand new 24-2 Showcase project template, showcasing how all
components work together in harmony:
Messaging v2
HELIO 24.2 takes the simplicity and flexibility of messaging and alarming to the next level by combining several new features into a unified solution:
Message Archive : HELIO now includes a built-in message archive that stores messages in a rock-solid SQLite database managed by HELIO.
Active Messages: HELIO now also takes care of managing the list of active messages, eliminating the need to store this information within the PLC.
Triggers: They offer flexibility when it comes to triggering messages. Use different types of triggers such as the Bitset trigger, makes it easier for users to configure messaging triggers without requiring extensive configuration knowledge.
Message Page: A brand new and simplified Message Page has been introduced
with sensible defaults to help HMI Engineers get started quickly.
Messages View
The new Messages View unifies the configuration of message
types and message triggers in a single, centralized location.
Messages v2 Project Template
Check out the brand new Messaging v2 project template to see the feature in
action:
Next Level Responsiveness: The Matches Device Size Dynamic Property
This handy property is here to help you check the device size the HMI is currently displayed on!
→ Learn More
Floating Towards Improved Overlays
We've taken one of our favorite features - the Open Page as Overlay
action - and turned it up a notch. Now you can open overlays that float above
the rest of the page and are anchored to the element that initiated the action.
This opens up som possibilities for adding additional functionality, like popup
menus or in-place editors for numeric input.
Check out the brand new v24-2 Showcase project template to see floating
overlays in action:
Performance & Stability
In addition to the new features, we have implemented substantial changes to enhance the performance and stability of HELIO 24.2. We are proud to announce that HELIO is now running on Rust, which has significantly improved its efficiency and speed, allowing it to run stably on less powerful target devices. In initial tests, these improvements have reduced the CPU and RAM usage of the HELIO Runtime by up to 90%.
Revamped And Lightning-Fast OPC UA Stack ⚡
We have chosen the fast open62541 library, written in C, as the foundation of our new OPC UA Connection. This is where Rust really shines since it is a programming language that allows us to make use of high-performance, low-level libraries without sacrificing safety.
Open Source at Heart
Being consumers of Open Source & Free Software ourselves, we think that this is a great opportunity to give back the community. That's why we've released our Rust crate under an Open License that allows others to use and contribute to it.
Built-in Support For Unit Conversions
Working with different units of measurement is a common challenge in industrial control systems. There are many reasons why unit conversions are necessary, but a key factor is localization: different countries use different measurement systems.
That's why we've made unit conversions first-class citizens in HELIO 24.2.
Meet the Key Elements that Make It Happen
- The
Unit Conversionssection within the brand new Project Settings - The Unit Switch Element
Get Started With HELIO
- Get to know HELIO by taking the HELIO Quick Tour
- Download HELIO
- Start HELIO
- Build your first HMI
Changelog
New Features
- Added ability to request Exclusive Control for HMIs
- Added ability to hide the page header on all page types
-
Video
- Added streaming support
-
Collection Widget
- Added sorting
- OPC UA Connection
- Added the ability to specify username and password as the authentication method.
New Pages
- Image Page
- Image Page With Panels
- Messages Page
- Recipe Management Page
- Tab Group
New Elements
New Dynamic Properties
- Matches Device Size
- Active Recipe Metadata
Improved
Improved Open Page as Overlay Action with more Placement and floating options
Video Element: Now with HLS Streaming Support and Upload
- The Video Element now supports the HLS streaming format out of the box, allowing you to stream camera output to your HMI.
- The HELIO IDE now also supports the upload video files for the element.
Dynamic Property Has Role is now called Restrict Access To
The Dynamic Property 'Has Role' has been renamed to "Restrict To Access" and gained the ability to also check for anonymous users
Parameter Page
- Inputs and Outputs can now be placed at the top level
- Introduced new ways control the layout
IDE
- Added a centralized Project Settings
to the
Content View - Simplified and hardened the license activation workflow
- We've introduced additional options for offline activation: You can now auto generate an email, send to our support team, and receive receive a license file in response. This license file can then be uploaded to HELIO to get started.
- Additionally offline activation can also be done using a bridge device that is able to connect to both your internal network and the public internet.
- Simplified Welcome Page
- Removed button group to switch between
AppsandProjects - Tools like the User or License Management can now be accessed directly without any additional click
- Removed button group to switch between
Breaking Changes
Updated Minimum System Requirements
New and improved layout features in HELIO are now built upon CSS features that have been introduced to all major browsers in 2023. So with HELIO 24.2 we are increasing the minium required versions for the following browsers:
- Google Chrome Android:
v113→v129 - Google Chrome Desktop:
v106→v117 - Microsoft Edge:
v106→v117
The following browser versions remain the same:
- Safari (iOS): v16
- Safari (macOS): v16
Check the System Requirements for a complete list of all the required hard- and software requirements.
Icons
Nearly 400 new icons have been added to the HELIO Design system, giving you more freedom to express different machine states and add visual context to your HMIs.