Glossary · Sensors and measurement
Message window
Also known as: Alarm window, Message display
German: Meldefenster
In human-machine interfaces (HMI), a message window is a screen area or pop-up that shows current alarms, warnings and operating messages with time, status and text, and lets the operator acknowledge them.
- Sensors
- Technical documentation
In one sentence
A message window is the HMI area that shows current alarms, warnings and operating messages and lets operators acknowledge them.
Example
When a sensor break is detected, the message window shows the alarm text, the affected tag and the time of occurrence, and the operator acknowledges it.
How it applies
- Engineering: Message classes (alarm, warning, information), priorities, acknowledgment rules and filters are defined in the HMI configuration. Too many messages hide the important ones.
- Operation: Operators rely on message texts to act. Each message should say what happened, where, and what to do, or refer to the right section of the manual.
- Safety: Messages inform; they do not replace protective measures. A message window is not a substitute for a safety function or a required warning on the machine.
- Documentation: The message list is a documentation deliverable. Technical writers should review message texts for clarity and consistency and link each message to its troubleshooting instruction, for example in a DITA troubleshooting topic.
Message window vs. warning message
The message window is the display element. A Warning message is one kind of content that can appear in it, with specific wording rules for hazards.