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Hello and welcome to today’s webinar.
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In this webinar, we will look at what you need to know about the WebMI 2.0 transition.
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The original WebMI is undergoing a transition from its current version, which we call WebMI 1.0, to the new version, which we call WebMI 2.0.
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As with any transition, there are benefits, advantages, and some pitfalls, and today we are going to be going over everything you need to know to prepare for the transition.
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Let’s begin.
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Here is the agenda for today.
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First, we will start with a quick review of WebMI 2.0, then we will discuss the upcoming transition to WebMI 2.0, followed by a look at how WebMI 2.0 interacts with OCS 360.
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Finally, we will go through some frequently asked questions about the transition and provide some answers.
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If you have any further questions that aren’t answered, don’t worry as there will be a Q &A session at the end.
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What is WebMI?
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WebMI is the capability for Horner controllers to serve up webpages over Ethernet from local memory.
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These webpages are typically used for remote monitoring or, in some cases, remote control.
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These webpages are created within Cscape and are often duplicates of existing OCS screens.
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They are built using HTML5, making them compatible with nearly all modern web browsers.
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regardless of what device you choose to use.
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What is WebMI 1.0 and how does it work?
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WebMI 1.0 is what we call the original version of WebMI.
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It works by taking screens created by the user and translating them into HTML5 compatible webpages.
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Cscape’s traditional graphics objects predate WebMI and so they have to be converted to web-compatible objects in that process.
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The resulting webpages are packaged and loaded onto the microSD drive on your controller.
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OCS firmware, if enabled by a valid WebMI license, will then serve up those webpages when queried by a HTML5 compatible web browser.
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The serving up of these webpages is done one by one as requested, meaning there is a pause on every page change.
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WebMI 2.0 is the new and improved version of that process.
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One of the key factors that initiated the development of WebMI 2.0 was the introduction of Canvas Controllers and Canvas Graphics.
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Canvas Graphics are based on a completely different set of modern objects, meaning Canvas Graphics objects were created with HTML5 optimizations included.
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The browser now does more work at the start of runtime, executing faster page transitions, but with a longer one-time initial load.
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Although Canvas executes WebMI differently, the user process is virtually identical.
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How will the WebMI transition work?
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All new installations of WebMI will use WebMI 2.0.
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This effects series beyond just the Canvas series, including the Micro and Prime series.
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Existing applications which are updated to the latest firmware versions will transition to WebMI 2.0 automatically.
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There is no new licensing required, and as long as you are using Cscape 10, Service Pack 1, or later, the transition should be handled automatically.
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From that point forward, all future screens created using traditional graphics objects will be transformed into HTML5 pages with updated graphics objects.
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New installations of WebMI for RCC and Legacy XL series controllers will not be possible.
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But don’t worry, existing applications will continue to function using WebMI 1.0.
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One of the biggest benefits of the transition is the future functionality between WebMI 2.0 and OCS 360.
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Later in 2026, Horner’s cloud service OCS 360 will support serving up WebMI 2.0 pages from the cloud.
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This will result in WebMI pages being accessible anywhere without special security hardware or firewall tweaking and with more scalability as multiple users will be able to connect simultaneously.
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Here we have a list of all firmware versions required for each controller series.
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We won’t go through each one specifically, but one thing to be aware of is that regardless of which series you are using, CScape 10.2 Service Pack 2 or later will be required and of course the Canvas series have always supported WebMI 2.0.
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Now we’re going to answer some frequently asked questions about the WebMI 2.0 transition.
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How does WebMI 2.0 affect existing screens?
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For the most part the changes to existing screens will be very subtle.
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The biggest changes will come with the recipe object and but the look has been upgraded.
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You may need to do some slight tweaking to the text or images used, but your program’s functionality will remain the same.
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Generally speaking, for all objects, font sizes and font wrapping might also need some tweaking after the conversion.
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What is required to upgrade controllers to WebMI 2.0?
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First, update your controller’s firmware to a suitable version for this series that supports WebMI 2.0.
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We’ve shown suitable versions in a slide. Then ensure you are using Cscape 10.2 Service Pack 2.
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After that, simply republish the WebMI pages and they will automatically be updated to WebMI 2.0.
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There is no relicensing required and no redownloading of your program required either. Can you continue to use WebMI 1.0?
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Existing WebMI 1.0 installations will continue to work until you update your controller to a version that supports WebMI 2.0.
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Controllers that lack WebMI 2.0 support, for instance the RSTC and Legacy XL series, will continue to work uninterrupted.
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And that concludes our webinar for today.
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Thank you so much for listening, and the Q &A session will begin shortly.
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Okay so if you do have any questions on that coming in the meantime just get in touch with tech support and we will help you out on that.
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The registration links are up for you upcoming webinars as well so you can get in for those if they are of interest to you.
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I don’t see anything in on today’s one so I think we can leave it there. Thank you all and we’ll see you next time.
