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Quick Start Guide

Are you new to Ignition? Here are a few simple steps to get going right away! In very little time, you can get a sample project up and running. 

When getting started with Ignition, it helps to have a general idea about the major steps involved in designing your SCADA/HMI projects. Although there are many creative and innovative ways of using Ignition to do almost anything you want, we outlined some simple steps that can guide you in setting up a project.


1. Download and Install Ignition

Installation is simple and can be done in under 3 minutes! Let's get started and install now.
 

Before you install Ignition, make sure you meet the minimum system requirements:
  • Dual-Core Processor (64 bit)
  • 4GB RAM
  • 10GB free HD space

Also, ensure you have Administrator privileges to run the Ignition installer.

To Download and Install Ignition on Windows

  1. Go to the Inductive Automation website at
    www.inductiveautomation.com

  2. Select Download Ignition in the upper right corner of the page. The browser will determine what operating system you're running and will bring up Download for Windows. 

  3. Click Download for Windows. If you want to see what other operating systems are supported, click on the Other operating systems and versions link. 




  4. Run the downloaded file Ignition-X.X.X-windows-x64-installer.exe (found on the lower-left of the window if using Chrome), or go to your downloads folder and double-click the file to start installation.

  5. The Ignition Installer window welcomes you to the Installer Wizard. To being the installation, click Next.




  6. The Installation Location window will be displayed. By default, Ignition is installed under your Program Files folder: Program Files\Inductive Automation\Ignition. This is usually a good choice. You also have the option to choose another location. Simply click on the folder on the right side of this field to browser for another folder location. You can accept the default Gateway Service Name or enter another name. Click Next.




  7. The Installation Options window will be displayed. Select either the Typical or Custom mode. The Typical installation includes Ignition with most of the most commonly used modules. The Custom installation lets you control and individually select the modules that you want installed. (Both options are shown in this step).  If you selected a Typical installation, click Next.

    Typical Installation



    If you select Custom mode, check the box for the modules you want to install and uncheck those modules you don't want installed as part of your Custom Ignition installation. To see a brief description of the module, click on the module name. 

    Custom Installation



    Select the modules to install, and then click Next. 


    If you want to install additional modules, select the Additional Modules tab and the plus  icon.  This will open your browser. Navigate to the location of your modules, select the modules you want to install, and click Open. This will bring you back to the installer wizard, then click Next.



  8. The wizard shows Ignition is now Ready to Install. If you decide to change your selections, click Back to go back and make your changes. Click Install to continue.


  9. A splash screen appears indicating the installation of the selected modules is in progress. There is a progress bar at the bottom of the window showing the status of the installation.


  10. Once the Installer window shows that the Ignition installation is successfully installed, make sure that the checkbox for Start Ignition Now is selected, then click Finish.


  11. Once Ignition is installed, your default web browser will open and you will be greeted with a Welcome to Ignition.  You will be presented with a message to select a version to install.  Select Ignition.




  12. The End User License Agreement (EULA) window will be displayed. Click the button acknowledging you read and agree with the terms and conditions, then press Next.




  13. An Account Setup window will open for you to enter your first user. This first user will be the main / administrator account with full privileges in Ignition. Enter a username and password, and click Next.



     
  14. The HTTP Configuration window will open for you to configure the HTTP and HTTPS Ports. The default HTTP Port is 8088, and the default HTTPS Port is 8043. Click Finish Setup.




  15. The Setup Completed window will be displayed, and now you can Start the Gateway.




    A splash screen informs you that Ignition is starting. This may take a few minutes to finish



  16. That’s it! Ignition installation is complete and the Gateway is launched. Your web browser opens the Gateway Homepage at http://localhost:8088.  Sign in using the credentials for the administrator or user with full privileges for the Gateway as shown in Step 13 above.



    Ignition installs itself as a Window Service (Start > Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Services > Ignition Gateway), so it starts automatically when your computer starts up.

To learn more, go to Windows - Install!

Find more information on our Installing and Upgrading Ignition page. 



2. Launch the Gateway Webpage

The Ignition Gateway is a web server. When it is running, you access it through a web browser in just two steps.

If you're not already logged into Ignition, enter the credentials for the administrator or user with full privileges for the Gateway. 
 

  1. Figure out the IP address of the computer you installed Ignition on. If this computer is the one Ignition is installed on, then you can use localhost instead of the IP.
     
  2. Open up a web browser and go to this address: http://ipaddress:8088 and it will bring up the Gateway webpage. If you are using localhost, it will look like this: http://localhost:8088.




    The first time you go to the Gateway webpage, it shows you the Designer, Perspective Projects, and Vision Client Launchers.

  3. To navigate back to the Gateway Homepage, click the Home button.


3. Connect to a Device

With the Ignition OPC UA module and device drivers installed, connecting to a device is simple. 


With the Ignition OPC UA module and device drivers installed, connecting to a device is simple. The Programmable Device Simulator, as described below, includes Generic, Dairy and SLC simulator devices. It provides functionality that allows you to create your own simulator program with outputs you define. For more in depth information, refer to Programmable Device Simulator.

Using the Simulator in Ignition version 8.0.7 or before

If you are using the Simulator in Ignition version 8.0.7 or before, click here for the documentation. If you delete your existing simulator (prior to Ignition 8.0.8), adding the new Programmable Device Simulator and loading the same program, will allow addresses within the device to map existing addresses. 


  1. If you are not already logged into Ignition, go to the Gateway webpage. Enter the credentials for the administrator or user with full privileges for the Gateway, and click Login, and click the Config tab.



  2. Scroll down to the OPC UA section on the left and click the Device Connections link.
  3. To add a new Device Connection, click the Create new Device... link.



  4. Select the Programmable Device Simulator and click Next.



  5. Give the new connection a name and click Create New Device.



  6. The window will refresh and you'll see your device was successfully created with a status of "Running". Now you can select the program for the simulator by clicking More > edit program.



  7. From the Load Program dropdown, select a program (i.e., Generic Simulator Program) and click the Load Simulator Program button.



  8. You will see a number of instructions which expand multiple pages. This is how the simulator creates Tags and sets their values. Click the Save Program button.



  9. You have the option to modify the program before or after saving if you want to change some of the functionality. If you want to add an instruction, click the Add Instruction link under the last instruction on the screen. You can also Remove the instruction if necessary. 

Ignition can connect to many different devices natively with the built-in OPC UA Server.

To learn more, go to the OPC UA and Devices pages!



4. Connect to a Database

After you install your database, you can connect it to Ignition. 

  1. If you are already logged into Ignition, then go to the Config section of the Gateway Webpage, otherwise login as the user with full / administrative privileges.

  2. From the Config section, navigate to the Databases > Connections page. 

  3. Click the Create new Database Connection... link.



  4.  Select the MariaDB Connector/J option and click the Next > button. The MariaDB connector will work for many types of MySQL installations. It is recommended to get the official driver, see the JDBC Drivers and Translators page for more information.



  5. Enter a Name, Connect URL, username, and password.
    If you just installed MySQL on the same machine as Ignition and it has a schema called test you will be able to use the following Connect URL:
    Connect URL: jdbc:mysql://localhost:3306/test
    The username and password should have been set when MySQL was installed, but root is often the username for test systems.

    Scroll to the bottom and click the Create new Database Connection button.



    A "success" message will appear when the database connection is created.



To get detailed descriptions for a number of different database connections, see Connecting to Databases. You can also go to Database Connections to learn how databases are used in Ignition and how to get started.

5. Open the Designer

Now that you set up a device (Step 3) and database (Step 4) connections, let's open the Designer and create a project.

  1. If you are already logged into Ignition, then go to the Homepage of the Gateway Webpage, otherwise login as the user with full / administrative privileges.

  2. From the Gateway webpage, click the Download button for the Designer. 


  3. Select the Download button for the platform you are running on: Windows, Mac OS, or Lunix. In this example, we are running on Windows.



  4. Run the downloaded file (DesignerLauncherSetup.exe) found on the lower-left of the window, or go to your downloads folder and double-click the file to run it.

  5. The Select Additional Tasks window will open. Here, you can select additional tasks that you would like to setup to perform while installing the DesignerLauncher. It's a good idea to Create a desktop shortcut so it's easily accessible when you want to open the Designer Launcher. Click Next.



  6. Now, you're Ready to Install the Designer Launcher on your computer. Click Install to continue. 



  7. Once the Designer Launcher is installed, complete the setup by checking the box to Launch Designer Launcher and click Finish.



  8. The Ignition Designer Launcher window will open. Here you can select any Designers you have permission to launch. If you are running this for the first time, by default, you will only see one Designer. Click Launch.



    1. You also have the option to Create Shortcut, or Launch + Create a Shortcut on your desktop by clicking the dropdown.




      If you Create a Shortcut, it will look like the image below with the name of your Designer (i.e., Controller) on it like the icon below. Click on the shortcut icon to launch your Designer.



      Since a Designer Launcher icon was created in Step 7, it is aready on your desktop. By clicking the Designer Launcher icon, it will open the Ignition Designer Launcher window and display all your Designers. To learn more, refer to Designer Launcher.

  9. The Designer starts up and the login window is displayed. Enter the credentials for the administrator or user with full privileges for the Designer, and click Login. It should be the same as the login for the Gateway Config section.

    Login credentials are set in the Config section of the Gateway Webpage, under Security > Users, Roles.





  10. The Open/Create Project window is displayed giving you two options, to create a new project or open an existing one. Let's create a new project by clicking + New Project.



  11. This opens the New Project Setup window.




  12. Enter the Project Name (required) and any other configuration settings you need for your project. Most settings are optional. Refer to the New Project Setup Properties Table below for a description of each property.


    It is not advisable to change the Project Name after it's been created, instead, change the Title property in Config > Projects if you want to change how the project appears later.


    New Project Setup Properties

    PropertyDescription
    Project NameThe Project Name can only consist of alphanumeric characters and the '_' (underscore) character. Spaces and other special characters are not supported. 
    Note: It is not advisable to change the Project Name after it's been created, instead, change the Title property in Config > Projects if you want to change how the project appears later.
    Project TitleThis is the name that will be displayed on the launch page of the Gateway and in the runtime Client or Session, (optional) There are no restrictions on using special characters or spaces. If you do not specify a title, the project name will be displayed on the Gateway launch page and in the runtime.
    User SourceControls access to the project. If this field is left blank, the 'default' user source is set. For more information or to add users, see Security.
    Default DatabaseSelect a Default Database (optional). Any queries to the database will use this default database connection unless explicitly specified otherwise.
    Default Tag ProviderSelect a default Tag Provider (optional). Most installations will likely only have one provider, but in situations where there are more than one, this is the provider that will be used unless explicitly specified otherwise.
    Parent ProjectEach project may have a parent project, and will inherit all of the resources of that parent project, (optional). Click the dropdown list to see all the available options.
    Project TemplateSelect a Project Template (optional). There are several pre-built project templates focused on navigation that support either Perspective or Vision: Perspective Menu Nav, Perspective Web Nav, Vision 2-Tier Tab Nav, Vision Tab Nav, and Vision Tree Nav. Click the dropdown to see all the available options.
    Description

    Enter a description of the project (optional). Note that once a project is created, this description can be viewed on the Open/Create Project screen when you hover over the Information icon.


  13. Click on Create New Project. 

  14. When you open the Designer interface for the first time, the Perspective Page Configuration opens if you have the Perspective Module installed. If you don't have the Perspective Module installed, the Vision Designer window will open. 

    You can begin designing in either Perspective or Vision from the Designer interface, as shown below. Expand the Perspective and Vision folders and you'll notice that the folder contents are dfferent. In Perspective, you add components to Views. In Vision, you add components to Windows. To learn how to add components and bring them to life, go to Quick Start - Perspective Session and Quick Start - Vision Client.

Learn more about the Designer, Perspective Designer Interface, and Vision Designer Interface.

6. Create Tags

With the Designer open, a great first step is to create some Tags. You'll use these Tags for realtime status and control and to store history with the Tag Historian. You can use Drag and Drop to bring Tags into Ignition with the Designer. Once there, Tags are all configured in the Tag Browser panel.
 

If you are connected to a device in Step 3, the easiest way to create some Tags is by dragging the Tags from the OPC Browser.

On the left side of the Designer you will see 3 panels, the Project Browser, the Tag Browser, and the Property Editor.

  1. In the Tag Browser, select the Tags folder then click the Browse OPC Servers icon. The OPC Browser will be displayed and you can browse all of your OPC connections.




  2. By default, you have a connection to the internal Ignition OPC-UA Server. Expand the Devices folder to find your list of devices, and expand your device folder to see some Tags inside. From the OPC Browser, highlight the Tags you want (for example, as in the image below, the entire Sine folder is selected) and drag it to the Tags folder in the Tag Browser. You can drag individual Tags or whole folders. When you drag folders, Ignition keeps the same hierarchy as the PLC.




  3. That's it! You now have some Tags. Expand the Tags folder and the new Sine folder to see what was added. You can see their values come in and start updating automatically. By default, they update at a 1 second rate.

Learn more about Tags!



7. Add History to Tags

Storing history for your Tags is simple, and once that's done we can display it on screen in a variety of ways. If you are connected to a database in Step 4, you are ready to add history to some of our Sine Tags.
 

  1. In the Designer, go to the Tag Browser and select one or more Tags.
    For example, select all the Sine Tags in the Sine folder by holding the Ctrl key and clicking on several Tags.

  2. Right-click on the selected Tags, and then select Edit tag(s).
    The Tag Editor window is displayed. Here, you can edit the Tag and change the name, data type, scaling options, metadata, permissions, history, and alarming.



  3. Scroll down to History on the left side of Tag Editor, and set History Enabled to 'true'.



  4. Choose a database from the Storage Provider dropdown, like the one we set up earlier.

  5. To set the rate that data is logged:
    1. Change the Sample Mode to Periodic.
    2. Set the Sample Rate to 1. (Data will be logged every 1 second).
    3. Verify that the Sample Rate Units is set to Seconds (which is the default).

  6. Click OK.



  7. Now look in the Tag Browser, to the right of each Sine Tag that is storing history, an icon () appears letting you know it is setup.



    If you were to look in your database, you can see all the tables and data Ignition created for you.

Learn more about Tag Historian!





8. Adding Components

Building your industrial application starts by adding components. Whether you're using the Perspective Module or the Vision Module, adding components is easy, but they each have their own visualization system. It's for this reason, the Quick Start Guide dedicated separate Perspective and Vision pages for how to add components and configure live values. Click the link below to navigate to the respective module's page. 

When you open the Designer interface for the first time, the Perspective Page Configuration opens assuming you have the Perspective Module installed, as shown in the Perspective Session image below. If you don't have the Perspective Module installed, the Vision Designer window will open. 

Creating a Perspective Session


Creating a Vision Client





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