Traits

Traits define the type and capabilities of your Custom Elements. They tell HELIO where and how your element can be used.

Common Traits Include:

• traits.Control can be added to a Dashboard Page, a Dashboard Widget, or a Parameter Page.
• traits.Widget can be placed on a Dashboard Page.
• traits.Page let you create pages that take up the whole viewport of your HMI and will be made available in the main navigation.
• traits.BufferedChanges adds the option for buffering changes locally.

In general elements can have multiple traits, allowing them to be used in different contexts. A good example is traits.Page combined with traits.BufferedChanges to create a page that caches changes until manual saving.

But not all traits can be combined, e.g. traits.Widget and traits.Control cannot be used together, since an element cannot possess both characteristics; it is either a widget or a control.

Furthermore, some trait combinations require them to be listed in a specific order.

So please check the docs of each trait for further requirements.

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Learn more with the following resources:

• Learn how to apply traits using the Create a Control Element guide.
• Check out Extend HELIO Using the SDK to learn how you can build custom elements using the HELIO SDK.