Imagine this: you want to use Ignition's scripting engine to expose data to a third party service you can access using a URL. If you have the WebDev Module installed, then this is a solved problem. Say you want to send alarms to Ignition—then also send a message to Slack to alert your team that something has gone awry. This is another case perfectly suited to the WebDev Module.

Inductive Automation’s Ignition as a Web Server

The WebDev module allows interaction with Ignition's web server as if it were a component on a screen. You can use the scripting engine to respond when the user interacts with the component. Let that sink in for a second… by using the WebDev Module you can interact with an Ignition system using anything that can access a URL—as if it were a component on a screen. Same scripting engine, same capabilities with historical data, reports, images, you name it. The WebDev module takes things to the next level with Ignition.

Let's say you have a report. On a window, you could allow an operator to view the report by pressing a button. But with the WebDev module, instead of pressing a button they could view it by visiting:

Then, your browser would display the report with the time period of fromHere to toThere. Want to do this on your phone? Done. Just set up an endpoint in the WebDev module. Add your scripting, and you are good to go.

Dream Bigger with the WebDev Module

The possibilities with the WebDev Module are nearly endless. Anything you can do in the Ignition Scripting Environment can be done in this module. A fun use case we have implemented is to take a number of PDF files and merge them all together into a single report, which is now viewable on any device simply by passing in a desired lot number into the WebDev module.

• Want to send an email to someone from Ignition, or a Slack message? Easy.

• What if you’re working at a facility in Asia and want to send a WeChat message from Ignition? Done. (Check our API post for more info there)

Put simply, the WebDev module turns Ignition into an API. Anything you can do in scripting you can do in WebDev. We use it for the backbone of CorsoCare. We use it to expose reports to internal software management systems—and as a way to populate data for remote monitoring systems.

Want to compare this functionality with Siemens Web server? Check out Corso System's take on Siemens Web Server!