Before ibaPDA V8 the layouts were saved individually as a .layout file. Since ibaPDA V8 all layout information is stored in one file, the .LAYOUTS.
The question to manually adjust the ibaPDA V8 layouts came from Laurent Garnier from Nidec ASI in freshdesk ticket #8785. This can be practical in case one layout has to be copied x amount of times and the layout content should be the same but the the module ID's where the displayed signals are referring to should be different.
Depending on the location where layouts are being saved:
ibaPDA Server: C:\ProgramData\iba\ibaPDA\Layouts
Local: C:\Users\thomas.IBA-BELGIUM\AppData\Local\iba\ibaPDA
There is a .LAYOUTS file that is used by ibaPDA to store all layout information. The .LAYOUTS file can be unzipped by 7zip and stores the following files:
1. Layout1 is the main layout, configured as the client wants it.
2. The layout should be duplicated in the ibaPDA Layout manager for x amount of times.
--> This way for each layout a GUID will be made.
3. Save the current ibaPDA project to store the layout configuration or click the 'save layouts' in the Layout Manager. Close the ibaPDA Client.
4. Go to the save location (and optionally copy the current .LAYOUTS file and rename to .LAYOUTSOLD) and unzip the .LAYOUTS file, the .layout file can be opened in a text editor.
4.1 Optionally it's possible to export the layout in the Layout Manager.
5. it is sufficiënt to adjust the channel ID. <Channel Id="[0:0]" Version="2"> in each duplicated layout. With the find and replace "[0: be replaced by an other module ID.
5.1 In case an existing layout should be adjusted with the main layout configuration the whole layout (trend graphs and signals) can be copied by copy pasting the whole "<LayoutContent>" section and afterwards adjusting the channel ID.
6. Save if necessary in the text editor, the changes should be adjusted in the (unzipped) .LAYOUTS file.
To rename layouts in the text editor outside of ibaPDA:
1. The layout name in the layout (.layout) must be changed
2. The Name in the <LayoutStructure> must be changed aswell.
<LayoutStructure>
<Nodes>
<Node Type="1" Guid="553ea66e-68b2-45ea-a7a7-4071ea8a9c80" Name="Layout 1" />
<Node Type="1" Guid="e896efb1-0956-44ac-9190-bfe23438fea8" Name="Layout 2 " />
<Node Type="1" Guid="52a20a66-df13-4c56-acf4-4b80c63edfde" Name="Layout 3" />
<Node Type="1" Guid="12e5e699-ca80-4af8-865a-f7f683c8c148" Name="Layout 4" />
</Nodes>
</LayoutStructure>
To manually remove a layout:
1. delete the layout in the .LAYOUTS file
2. delete the rule that describes the 'Node Type'
In case a singular layout has to be exported for use on another system it's also possible to import the individual layout which was part of the .LAYOUTS file.
More information to be found in the manual 'ibaPDA_P6_Visualization_v8.3_en.pdf' chapter 23