Files

Available on Designer LPC Family, Designer MSC Family, Designer VLC Family, Designer Atlas Family, Express, Animate, Perform

The Files tab holds project and firmware files in Cloud, so what a device is running can be changed without a site visit. A transfer from Cloud to the device can be started at any time.

All the steps below assume you hold the relevant file permissions — see User permissions.

Uploading a project file

A project file can be uploaded in Cloud itself, or sent to Cloud from Designer or Express.

Cloud

  1. In Designer or Express, use the relevant Export Project to produce a [filename].upload file.
  2. In Cloud, on the Files tab, select Upload files.
  3. Drag the file into the dialog and select Submit.
  4. Once uploaded, select it using the control to its left and select Transfer from the toolbar.
  5. After a short wait, check the device — the new project should be running.

Designer

Assumes you are signed in to Cloud in Designer and have selected a site.

  1. On the Network tab, open the Upload dialog.
  2. Select the devices to upload to on the devices tab.
  3. Tick Transfer to devices after Upload to Cloud if the file should go straight to the device. If left unticked, the file is only added to the device's file list.
  4. Select Upload to Cloud.

The dialog reports one of six states.

StatusMeaning
Not Logged InClose the dialog and sign in using the Cloud icon at the top right of Designer
Uploading to offline devicesAllowed, but the project only reaches Cloud - it is not pushed to the device
Ready for UploadUpload to Cloud is enabled and every device shows a solid blue cloud icon
UploadingUploads are queued; the dialog shows progress
Upload failedCheck your internet connection first, then check you hold upload and transfer permissions on that device
Upload completeVerify in Cloud

Progress is reported per device, and the uploaded file appears on the device's Files tab in Cloud whether or not it was transferred.

Express

Important

Express always prioritises a local connection over Cloud. If the device is reachable locally, that is the route Express uses — so to upload over Cloud you have to remove the device from its local connection first.

  1. Ensure you are logged in and connected to the correct site.
  2. Open the Upload dialog.
  3. Check that the site's name is listed in the upload dialog, which confirms the upload will go via Cloud.
  4. Set whether the file should transfer to the device as soon as it reaches Cloud. Left off, it is only added to the device's file list.
  5. Start the upload.

Progress is reported on the device, and the uploaded file appears on the device's Files tab in Cloud whether or not it was transferred.

Uploading firmware

Firmware can be uploaded here, but the Firmware tab carries a library of compatible firmware for the device already and saves uploading anything by hand. Use this route only when the version you need is not in that library.

First find the firmware files, which ship with Designer and Express rather than being downloaded separately.

ApplicationPlatformWhere the firmware lives
DesignerWindowsC:\Program Files\Pharos Controls\Designer 2\firmware, or your install directory
DesignermacOSFind the Pharos Designer app, right-click, Show Package Contents, then Contents/MacOS/firmware
ExpressWindowsC:\Program Files\Pharos Controls\Express\firmware, or your install directory
ExpressmacOSFind the Pharos Express app, right-click, Show Package Contents, then Contents/MacOS/firmware

Then, with the file to hand:

  1. On the Files tab, select Upload files.
  2. Drag the file in and select Submit.
  3. Select it and choose Transfer.
  4. The device restarts and applies the firmware.

Managing files

Remove

To delete a file from the Files tab:

  1. Select the file using the button to the left of its row in the table.
  2. Select Remove in the toolbar.
  3. Confirm the deletion by typing the project file name into the validation box.

Deleted files cannot be recovered.

Download

To download a file to your computer:

  1. Select the file using the button to the left of its row in the table.
  2. Select Download in the toolbar.
  3. The file is downloaded.

What you get is the file as it was uploaded, which is not necessarily the file the device is running now. For that, see Request file.

Transfer

To transfer a file to the device:

  1. Select the file using the button to the left of its row in the table.
  2. Select Transfer in the toolbar.
  3. Confirm the transfer.

The file is then transferred to the device. Transfers cope with poor internet connections by sending the file in small sections. Check the device's log for more about the transfer.

For portal owners:

To transfer one file to devices across several sites at once, see My Files.

Schedule Transfer

To schedule a file transfer to the device:

  1. Select the file using the button to the left of its row in the table.
  2. Select Schedule transfer in the toolbar.
  3. Choose a date and time for the transfer, given in the site's local time.
  4. Save the changes.
  5. The file's row then shows when the transfer is scheduled.

To edit or delete a scheduled transfer, select the file again and choose Schedule transfer in the toolbar.

Request file

A project file can be requested from the device, so the version you work on is the one actually running.

  1. In the Project file section, choose Request download.
  2. The device processes the request and uploads the file to Cloud.
  3. The transfer may take some time.
  4. Once it is complete, choose to download or delete the file.
  5. The file is cleared after 24 hours.

Once you have made changes to the file, upload it back to the device the same way as outlined above.