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Changelog​

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Changelog​

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We are excited to announce that HELIO 25.4.0, our fourth and last feature release of 2025, is now officially available to everyone. This release lets you extend HELIO with confidence with the public release of the new HELIO SDK.

Download HELIO​

Highlights​

The HELIO SDK – Extend With Confidence​

This has been our most requested feature for a while, and we are excited about how it turned out. With the HELIO SDK you can now extend the core functionality and create new controls, widgets or entire page types that integrate fully with our easy-to-use editor and responsive renderer.

Use the HELIO Design System for the common ground, and add custom components for what makes your machine unique.

Here's just one example: a Circular Flow element which was built entirely with the SDK. Each section is a custom element you can configure, add click actions to, and mark as completed or active.

Perfect for guiding operators through multi-step processes or maintenance workflows – and it integrated seamlessly with HELIO's existing building blocks such as Actions and Dynamic Properties.

IDE Refresh – Creating Room to Grow​

After extensive conversations with our customers and comprehensive UX testing with real users, we've given the HELIO IDE a major refresh. But this isn't about making things look pretty – it's about removing friction from your daily work.

The IDE works better today and is ready to evolve with your needs for years to come.

A Refreshed Home Page

We've aligned the Home Page of the IDE with the layout of Project Editor giving you a more consistent behavior.

←→

• You can now quickly switch between Projects, Translations, IDE Users.
• Documentation, support, and getting-started resources are no longer buried. They're right there in the Home Page sidebar, with the prominence they deserve.

A Refreshed Project Editor

The Project Editor has been tuned for clarity, efficiency and growth.

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We've introduced a new sidebar to switch between the editor's views. In contrast to the previous tab navigation, it can grow sustainably as we add new capabilities – without cluttering your workspace.

Many quality of life improvements have been made, e.g. we changed the Test-Mode from a Button-Bar to a simple Switch. Toggling the mode is now much easier since it requires no mouse movement at all!

Meet the New HELIO IDE Menu

We love this one because it solves challenges we saw in our usability tests. Especially new customers were having a hard time navigating the IDE. That's why we introduced the HELIO IDE Menu with a clear button design to make the most important navigational features easier to access.

Rulers for Live Trends - Pause and Inspect​

This is another long awaited feature from the HELIO community: the Trend element is now able to be analyzed. Tap any trend line to pause the data and bring up an interactive ruler that reveals exact values at that moment in time.

Visualizing more than one trend? The ruler automatically aligns across all visible trends, letting you compare values and spot correlations instantly.

Sankey Diagrams - Make Every Flow Visible, Every Loss Obvious​

Understanding where energy goes or how production flows through your facility shouldn't require mental gymnastics. Sankey diagrams transform complex flow data into intuitive visual representations where the width of each path shows you exactly how much is moving - and where. The new Sankey Diagram Page and Sankey Diagram let you build powerful flow visualizations directly into your HMI.

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Map energy distribution across your machine or facility, track material flows through production lines, or visualize any process where understanding proportional flow matters. Give operators and engineers the clarity they need to optimize processes and reduce waste.

Personalization v1 – HMIs That Adapt to People​

Industrial environments are as diverse as the people who work in them. Operators bring different experiences, preferences, and needs to their daily work. HMIs are expanding to new contexts too – from small tablets on the factory floor to large TV screens monitoring entire production lines. In the past, everyone got the same interface and experience. Same text sizes. Same contrast. Same colors. One size fits nobody.

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We're changing that with Personalization – a new system that lets HMIs adapt to each operator's needs. This isn't just about convenience. It's about accessibility, efficiency, and creating interfaces that work for everyone.

HELIO 25.4.0 introduces a dedicated Personalization dialog where operators can adjust their settings. And we've made integration simple: a new built-in Personalization Header Cell launches the dialog with a single click. Add it to your HMI header, and operators have instant access to their personalization options – no custom actions or navigation needed.

Starting With Zoom: This first version launches with Zoom to take control of text sizing. Operators can adjust the zoom across the HMI to match their readability preferences – whether they need larger text or want to fit more information on screen. Settings persist across sessions and devices, so configure once and you're done.

What's Next? This is just the foundation – we're planning more accessibility and personalization features that will all be available in the same dialog. These include a high-contrast mode for operators working in bright environments or with visual impairments.

This is a long-term investment in making HMIs work better for everyone. As always, we're listening – if there are specific accessibility or personalization features your operators need, let us know.

Changelog​

Icons​

45 icons have been added to the HELIO Icon Set, bringing the total to a whopping 1186. 🎉

Download HELIO​

Changelog​

Fixed

We are excited to announce that HELIO 25.3.1, our third feature release of 2025, is now officially available to everyone. With HELIO 25.3.1, you can connect faster, run stronger, and build better.

Download HELIO​

Highlights​

Let's dive into the highlights of this release…

OPC UA: Connect Faster. Run Stronger. Build Better.​

HELIO's connection startup just got a major upgrade. Whether you're developing in the IDE, commissioning projects, or running in production, HELIO now connects to OPC UA servers instantly. This improvement comes from listening to our customers and a dedicated team effort across engineering and design.

Your connections will be rock solid now, whether you’re working with controllers with limited resources or with large data trees – even when PLCs disconnect and reconnect. Less waiting. More building. Better results.

IDE: Performance Improvement for Large Translation Sets​

We've reworked our translation engine to improve support for projects with large sets of translations. HELIO is now handling translation sets of 50,000 entries with ease. It still provides instant keyboard feedback and adjusts translations in the blink of an eye.

Last Active Message Metadata – Critical Information at a Glance​

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Industrial operators need instant visibility into system status, especially when messages demand attention. While HELIO has always let you display active message counts, operators often need more context.

The new Last Active Message Metadata dynamic property type delivers exactly this information. Operators can now see the complete details of the most recent message directly in their HMI header or status displays.

This follows a proven pattern in industrial interfaces: giving operators immediate context about the most critical or recent system events without requiring them to navigate away from their current task.

Fixed Size Overlays – Precision Control When You Need It​

Sometimes you need dimensional precision with your overlays. Picture this: an interactive SVG where operators click on a layer and need just a small, focused overlay showing a brief status update or instruction. You don't want a sprawling, responsive overlay that dominates the screen – you want exactly the right size, exactly where you need it. The Open Page as Overlay action now supports fixed sizing, letting you specify exact width and height dimensions for your overlays. Perfect for those compact floating displays that need to stay out of the way while delivering focused information. But here's where it gets even more powerful: since width and height are Dynamic Properties, you can make your "fixed" overlays responsive. Using the Dynamic Property Device Size, you can set different overlay dimensions for tablets versus large industrial displays. Small details, big impact.

Changelog​

Icons​

2 icons have been added to the HELIO Icon Set, bringing the total to a whopping 1140. 🎉

Download HELIO​

Changelog​

Fixed

Changed

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Changelog​

Fixed

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Changelog​

Fixed

We are excited to announce that HELIO 25.2.0, our second feature release of 2025, is now officially available to everyone 🎉!

Download HELIO​

Highlights​

Let's dive into the highlights of this release…

Audit Trail – a Flight Data Recorder for Your HMI​

Transparency and security are of vital importance when automating processes. In many industries it is essential to track changes made to a machine, especially where compliance with regulatory frameworks such as FDA 21 CFR Part 11 is mandatory.

We are excited to take the next step in making life even easier for HMI engineers with the Audit Trail. You can begin integration straight away with the new Audit Trail Page and the Audit Trail Settings or read our detailed guide for more information.

If you are building machines and HMIs that need to comply with FDA 21 CFR Part 11 take a look at our guide on how HELIO can help.

Sneak Peek: The HELIO SDK – Built for Ambitious Projects​

Our standard library already offers many options for common use cases. However, we understand that sometimes you need to add new solutions to meet specific requirements.

We are almost ready to fully take the wraps off one of our most requested features: Starting this fall, you'll be able to use the HELIO SDK to develop extensions containing your own controls or pages and integrate them with the HELIO system!

Building on our highly extensible core architecture, we have carefully designed APIs that allow you to start quickly while also scaling for large teams and long product cycles.

To us, product development is about safely adapting to changing requirements. The SDK embodies this focus with its emphasis on type safety and built-in migration support. Written entirely in TypeScript, you're able to build HELIO extensions that are statically verified by the TypeScript compiler and will behave predictably at runtime. Evolving those extensions over time is also very easy. HELIO can automatically migrate projects to new extension versions using our built-in data migration tools.

We are also integrating support for automatic testing tools that allow you to verify a control's behavior and appearance. By using libraries like Storybook and Vitest, which have become the gold standard in web development, you can create even highly complex UIs and make changes with confidence.

All these tools are essential for enabling sustainable projects that can scale to large teams and organizations and will support you in creating great software for your users.

We are currently beta testing this feature internally and with select customers. We look forward to sharing more about it over the coming months.

If you want to learn more about the HELIO SDK, feel free to reach out to us for a demo presentation.

Multi-Line Trend Element – Compare What Matters​

The Trend Element has been updated to support multiple trend lines in a single graph, allowing you to compare different related values with ease.

This saves screen space and helps operators easily identify relationships between data, such as how temperature changes affect pressure or how to compare multiple production line outputs at a glance.

Less Hunting Through Data – Enhanced States Using Enumerations​

The Collection Page now supports enhanced visualizations through Enumerations. Instead of scanning through endless rows of similar-looking data, you can now use colors, custom icons, and cell highlighting to instantly communicate status and quality.

This means outliers and critical items jump out immediately – whether it's a machine running hot, a batch that needs attention, or equipment due for maintenance. Less hunting through data, more time acting on what matters.

Status

Icon

Status

Icon

Highlight

Status

Value

Highlight

Status

Value

Conditional Highlight

Take Control of the Details​

HELIO 25.2.0 also introduces a new option to the Detail View of your Collection Pages that will give you more control on how the details will be displayed:

Details as Overlay

Details as Side Panel

Enhanced URL Parameter Support – Tailored HMIs Without the Tailoring Headaches​

URL Parameters are a very versatile tool to achieve a lot of flexibility for HMIs. They allow you to pass data from the outside into your HMI, enabling powerful customization scenarios. For example, you can define a parameter that identifies different panel locations at your machine, allowing the same HMI to adapt its behavior based on where it's being used.

With HELIO 25.2.0, we're introducing two new dynamic properties that you can use to create more dynamic HMIs that adapt to their usage context and the people using them:

• Is URL Parameter Set allows you to check whether a specific URL parameter has been provided, enabling conditional logic in your HMI design.
• URL Parameter Value lets you directly access and utilize the values passed through URL parameters in your dynamic property configurations.

Self-Explaining Icons​

We take great care of our steadily growing icon family. However, finding the right icon in such a large collection is quite challenging. That's why, from the beginning, we have added metadata to icons to make them more discoverable.

With that in mind, HELIO 25.2.0 introduces an icon tooltip while scanning through the icon library to provide more context to icons quickly. The tooltip features an icon's name and additional tags that provide more information.

Improved Unit Conversion & Value Scaling – One HMI, Every Market​

Unit conversion & value scaling have been part of HELIO for a while, but we've made it much easier to set up. When you're shipping machines to both Europe and the US, your operators shouldn't have to think in foreign units – whether that's °C to °F or bar to PSI.

We've reorganized the interface to make source and target units clearer and added helpful conversion examples so you can set up localized HMIs without the guesswork. Build once, deploy everywhere.

Unbreakable Workflows​

We've enhanced Page Groups and Tab Groups to allow for nesting, enabling page groups to be placed within tab groups and vice versa. This facilitates effective workflow navigation, assisting users in navigating multistep processes.

HELIO intelligently adapts the UI to various display sizes, allowing your product team to design a single workflow that functions perfectly, regardless of the panel size operators are using.

Project Export With Translations – Simplified Target Device Commissioning​

Getting projects onto your target device has become even easier: We've streamlined project deployment by letting you include all translations directly in your project export.

Plus, we've added a new guide Commissioning to Target Device to walk you through the entire deployment process.

Sneak Peek: Personalization With Zoom​

Industrial environments are as diverse as the people who work in them. Operators bring various experiences and preferences to their daily interactions with machines. Furthermore, HMIs are expanding to new output devices, such as large TV screens. This diversity of people and devices underscores the need for more accessible and adjustable interfaces. This concept is commonly referred to as accessibility, and we have been working diligently to integrate it into HELIO.

In upcoming versions, we will introduce a variety of new Personalization features. The Zoom, by far the most frequently requested personalization feature, will be released first. It allows operators to adapt HMI elements to their particular needs or the device they're using.

When working in challenging conditions – whether it's viewing from a distance, or simply needing larger interactive elements for easier operation – operators can now make buttons, text, and controls bigger. Also, if you need to monitor more data points at the same time, you can now make your HMI smaller so that more information fits on the screen.

The new Zoom feature will ship this fall. If you're interested in trying it out, get in touch with our team.

Changelog​

Icons​

Our design crew has also added 46 new icons to the HELIO Icon Set, bringing the total to a whopping 1,138. 🎉

“Claiming that software is bug-free is simply not realistic. Let's be honest: there will be bugs. What matters is how we deal with them. Do we get frustrated, or do we take the opportunity to improve our product and move forward? We as a team are committed to continuous improvement and put a lot of work into our architecture and infrastructure to be able to do just that: to keep making HELIO better, one step at a time.”

In this spirit, we're releasing HELIO 25.1.1 - our second patch release of the year and the first patch for HELIO 25.1, that we've released a month ago.

Changelog​

Improved

We're thrilled to let you know that we've rolled out HELIO 25.1.0, the first release of 2025, which is now available for everyone to use.

Highlights​

Let's dive into the highlights of this release…

OPC-UA Stability: A Big Step Forward​

We know how frustrating it can be to work with OPC-UA when connections are not stable. Many of our customers have shared such experiences with us, and there are several reasons for these instabilities.

The main reason is that older PLCs were simply not designed to handle complex multi-threaded applications. But modern distributed client-server architectures make them do just that. Now they have to run the OPC-UA server on top of their existing workload. And of course, these servers want to use as few resources as possible on their clients. This can turn into a problem if the PLC program is complex and requires all the resources for proper execution.

That's why we focused on OPC-UA stability in this release. We took those concerns to heart and invested time and effort into improving the stability of our data layer. We analyzed patterns, ran test suites, and focused on communicating with low-end PLCs.

We've been able to address lots of issues and make connections more resource efficient. The result? More reliable and stable connections to OPC-UA PLCs for you with HELIO 25.1.0.

Secure Connections Over OPC-UA​

If you've done it before, you know how tricky it can be to set up a secure connection with OPC-UA. Generating certificates, understanding the lingo and the laborious process of figuring out all those little details and settings can be a real pain. 😤

←→

Again, we've put a lot of thought into this, tested many different server configurations, and explored the depths of the protocol. So we're pleased to report that HELIO 25.1.0 now allows you to easily establish signed connections with OPC-UA servers. 💪😎

Of course we're not done yet, so keep the feedback coming! But we do think this is a major step into the right direction.

Learn More

→ OPC-UA Connection
→ New Guide: Create a Secure Connection to the ctrlX OPC-UA Server

Mixing & Nesting Page and Tab Groups​

The nesting of Page Groups and Tab Groups has been improved in a variety of ways, opening up a world of new possibilities for exploring nested page structures.

Tabs With Page Group

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Page Groups With Tabs

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Tabs With Tabs

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Page Groups With Groups

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Message Type Export & Import​

We are also enhancing our new Message View with the ability to export and import message types as CSV or JSON files. This is especially useful for customers who need to define a large number of message types, as these types are often created automatically. You can now convert these lists into CSV files and import them into HELIO.

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New Checkbox Element​

We've added a new checkbox feature that lets you switch between true and false values with a checkmark instead of a switch button. Also, the Magic Input Element now shows the Control Type property when linked to a boolean variable. This gives you the flexibility to choose the control type that best suits your use case

Streamlined Container Properties​

Hooray for consistency! We've improved the properties for Label, Icon, and Description for controls and inputs.

We've grouped them together across different elements, such as Button, Magic Input and Magic Output, into a unified and consistent property group called Container.

Improved License Transparency​

We've enhanced the HELIO Runtime License feedback. Now, you can access more information about all the activated licenses and their features within your current HELIO instance.

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Translating HMIs Just Got Better​

You can now choose which languages you want to view and compare in the Translation Manager. You can also see which translations have been changed, which is really useful after an import.

And we've improved the translation conflict feedback in the Translation Quick Editor, making it easier to resolve such issues with confidence.

Improved Unsaved Changes Hint​

We've also improved the way HELIO tells you about unsaved changes. Especially when those changes require you to save in order to take effect in the preview.

HELIO Update Notifier – Because the Best Is Yet to Come!​

As we said, we're not done yet. In fact, we've got a lot of great stuff planned for our roadmap. So we want to make sure you're always in the loop. So now, when you open the Project Editor, HELIO will check for updates and let you know about them.

⚡ Faster Trees – IDE Performance Boost​

Finally, the HELIO IDE is now faster than ever. The trees within the IDE that do most of the heavy lifting, e.g., rendering thousands of data variables, got a performance update with this version.

Changelog​

New Features

• Data View
  • Establish Secure Connections Over OPC-UA
• Messages View
  • Message Types can now be exported and imported as JSON or CSV files
• Welcome Page
  • The Add License function has been re-named Licenses and now allows you to display your licenses.
• Added HELIO Update Notifier

New Page Types

• Added Video Page
• Added Trend Page

New Elements

• Added Checkbox

Improved

• Runtime
  • Improved OPC-UA Stability
• IDE
  • Improved Unsaved Changes Hint
  • Optimized IDE Performance
  • Introduced Translation Manager UX optimizations
  • Introduced Translation Quick Editor UX optimizations
  • Content View: Improved HMI Content Treeto show the translated texts instead of the Translation Keys
• Design System
  • Optimized Message Page for medium and small screens

Icons​

Our design crew has also added 75 new icons to the HELIO Icon Set, bringing the total to a whopping 1,092. 🎉

“Claiming that software is bug-free is simply not realistic. Let's be honest: there will be bugs. What matters is how we deal with them. Do we get frustrated, or do we take the opportunity to improve our product and move forward? We as a team are committed to continuous improvement and put a lot of work into our architecture and infrastructure to be able to do just that: to keep making HELIO better, one step at a time.”

With this in mind, we are releasing HELIO 24.2.5, the first patch release of the year.

Changelog​

• Resolved the issue that was causing Data Collections not to be imported during the project import.
• Corrected the Edit Connection and Add Connection dialogs in the Data View.
• Fixed incorrect scrolling behavior of the embedded navigation of Page Groups including their subpages.

Download

Head on over to the Downloads page to grab a version that works with your operating system:

Highlights​

Let's dive into the highlights of this release…

HELIO Is Now Part of the ctrlX World​

We are extremely excited to announce that HELIO 4.2 is now available as a simple to simple-to-install app from the App from the ctrlX OS Store! This is a major milestone for us, and we couldn't be prouder.

We've updated our getting started guide accordingly. Learn how to get HELIO on your ctrlX OS device.

Built-In Recipe Management​

The new Recipes View and the integrated recipe management system make it easier than ever to create recipe types in no time.

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Check out the brand new Recipe Management project template to get started.

Tab Group​

It allows you to group related pages together and switch between them with ease.
→ Learn More

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Advanced and Dynamic Images​

Image Page: A very simple page type that allows you to define an image that can be extended by adding markers.

Image Page With Panels: A more advanced page type that adds an additional layer on top of an image that can be used to place parameter panels above the content.

Dynamic Layers for SVGs: When uploading SVGs, HELIO will now parse the id of all layers of the SVG and look for a "HELIO:" prefix. This prefix indicates that you wish to make this layer dynamic. HELIO will then allow you to react to on click events and set the display condition of this layer.

Check out the brand new 24-2 Showcase project template, showcasing how all components work together in harmony:

Messaging v2​

Message Archive : HELIO now includes a built-in message archive that stores messages in a rock-solid SQLite database managed by HELIO.

Active Messages: HELIO now also takes care of managing the list of active messages, eliminating the need to store this information within the PLC.

Triggers: They offer flexibility when it comes to triggering messages. Use different types of triggers such as the Bitset trigger, makes it easier for users to configure messaging triggers without requiring extensive configuration knowledge.

Message Page: A brand new and simplified Message Page has been introduced with sensible defaults to help HMI Engineers get started quickly.

Messages View​

The new Messages View unifies the configuration of message types and message triggers in a single, centralized location.

Defining Message Types

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Defining Message Trigger

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Messages v2 Project Template​

Check out the brand new Messaging v2 project template to see the feature in action:

Next Level Responsiveness: The Matches Device Size Dynamic Property​

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This handy property is here to help you check the device size the HMI is currently displayed on!
→ Learn More

Floating Towards Improved Overlays​

We've taken one of our favorite features - the Open Page as Overlay action - and turned it up a notch. Now you can open overlays that float above the rest of the page and are anchored to the element that initiated the action. This opens up som possibilities for adding additional functionality, like popup menus or in-place editors for numeric input.

Check out the brand new v24-2 Showcase project template to see floating overlays in action:

Performance & Stability​

In addition to the new features, we have implemented substantial changes to enhance the performance and stability of HELIO 24.2. We are proud to announce that HELIO is now running on Rust, which has significantly improved its efficiency and speed, allowing it to run stably on less powerful target devices. In initial tests, these improvements have reduced the CPU and RAM usage of the HELIO Runtime by up to 90%.

Revamped And Lightning-Fast OPC UA Stack ⚡​

We have chosen the fast open62541 library, written in C, as the foundation of our new OPC UA Connection. This is where Rust really shines since it is a programming language that allows us to make use of high-performance, low-level libraries without sacrificing safety.

Open Source at Heart​

Being consumers of Open Source & Free Software ourselves, we think that this is a great opportunity to give back the community. That's why we've released our Rust crate under an Open License that allows others to use and contribute to it.

Built-in Support For Unit Conversions​

Working with different units of measurement is a common challenge in industrial control systems. There are many reasons why unit conversions are necessary, but a key factor is localization: different countries use different measurement systems.

That's why we've made unit conversions first-class citizens in HELIO 24.2.

←→

Meet the Key Elements that Make It Happen

• The Unit Conversions section within the brand new Project Settings
• The Unit Switch Element

Get Started With HELIO​

Changelog​

New Features

• Added ability to request Exclusive Control for HMIs
• Added ability to hide the page header on all page types
• Video
  • Added streaming support
• Collection Widget
  • Added sorting
• OPC UA Connection
  • Added the ability to specify username and password as the authentication method.

New Pages

• Image Page
• Image Page With Panels
• Messages Page
• Recipe Management Page
• Tab Group

New Elements

• Dropdown Cell
• Dropdown (From List)
• Unit Switch

New Dynamic Properties

• Device Size
• Active Recipe Metadata

Improved

Improved Open Page as Overlay Action with more Placement and floating options​

24.1

←→

24.2

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Video Element: Now with HLS Streaming Support and Upload​

• The Video Element now supports the HLS streaming format out of the box, allowing you to stream camera output to your HMI.
• The HELIO IDE now also supports the upload video files for the element.

Dynamic Property Has Role is now called Restrict Access To​

The Dynamic Property 'Has Role' has been renamed to "Restrict To Access" and gained the ability to also check for anonymous users

24.1

←→

24.2

←→

Parameter Page​

• Inputs and Outputs can now be placed at the top level
• Introduced new ways control the layout

IDE​

• Added a centralized Project Settings to the Content View
• Simplified and hardened the license activation workflow
  • We've introduced additional options for offline activation: You can now auto generate an email, send to our support team, and receive receive a license file in response. This license file can then be uploaded to HELIO to get started.
  • Additionally offline activation can also be done using a bridge device that is able to connect to both your internal network and the public internet.
• Simplified Welcome Page
  • Removed button group to switch between Apps and Projects
  • Tools like the User or License Management can now be accessed directly without any additional click

Breaking Changes​

Updated Minimum System Requirements​

New and improved layout features in HELIO are now built upon CSS features that have been introduced to all major browsers in 2023. So with HELIO 24.2 we are increasing the minium required versions for the following browsers:

• Google Chrome Android:
  v113 → v129
• Google Chrome Desktop:
  v106 → v117
• Microsoft Edge:
  v106 → v117

The following browser versions remain the same:

• Safari (iOS): v16
• Safari (macOS): v16

Check the System Requirements for a complete list of all the required hard- and software requirements.

Icons​

Nearly 400 new icons have been added to the HELIO Design system, giving you more freedom to express different machine states and add visual context to your HMIs.

Since launching our first public version in 2023, we've come a long way. Not only have we continued to follow our roadmap, we've also listened closely to feedback from both existing and new customers. This latest release is the result of persistent, continuous improvements combined with new ideas and concepts.

New Version Scheme​

YY.VERSION.PATCH? that's the way we roll…

The new version's first notable detail is its name: 24.1, a departure from the previous release, 13.0. What's the reason behind this?

We aim for simplicity in every aspect of our product, including version names. However, our previous versioning scheme had some drawbacks. An incrementing version number lacks context, making it hard to remember and distinguish. Look at popular browsers, for instance. A lot of them have a version names like 123.0.6312.29. Can you understand what this version signifies? It's quite challenging, isn't it?

To address this, HELIO releases will now use a versioning system based on the year and an incrementing version number, like 24.1, 24.2, etc. This approach provides immediate context: the release year and how much older the current version is. We're pleased with this change and believe you will appreciate it, too!

Starting this year we are also introducing a new release cadence. As we continue to expand the capabilities of HELIO, we want to ensure that you can benefit from new features and improvements frequently. Therefore, we are moving to a quarterly release cycle. This means you can expect a new version of HELIO every 3 months, packed with new features and improvements.

Download​

Eager to try out the latest version of HELIO? Just head on over to our Downloads page. You'll find a version that works with your operating system there:

Highlights​

But enough of the inside talk, let's dive right into the highlights of this release…

HELIO Docs – A Platform for the Future​

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Developing software is not simply about adding the most features. We believe that it is equally important to provide the right resources to help you get the most out of our product. That's why we are proud to announce the launch of our new documentation platform. We take great care to ensure that HELIO is as user-friendly as possible and this also extends to our documentation.

The new HELIO docs provide a simpler navigation, better design and make it easy to find the information you need. Try it out and let us know what you think!

Take Control of Your Footer – Fully Configurable and Ready for Action​

More Direct Editing – Our Preview Just Got a Context Menu​

Our preview area has learned a new trick. You can now right-click on any element to open a context menu allowing you to quickly edit or delete the element. You can even add new elements directly from the context menu. This makes it easier to work with the preview and speeds up your workflow.

Meet the Value Bar Element – Help Operators to Better Classify Values​

Get ready to meet the new Value Bar element. This element is perfect for showing values in a more visual way. It allows you to display a PLC value as well as its range and current state in one element. This makes it easy for operators to quickly classify values and understand their meaning.

Learn more…

Navigation Got More Powerful​

Provide Compact Overviews for Lists of Values with the New Data List​

Sometimes you need to see a lot of values at a glance. The new Data List is a perfect fit for this. It allows you to show multiple KPIs or sensor values in a compact list complete with the ability to add custom icons and display states. This makes it easy to create really useful overviews for operators.

Learn more…

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Bring Help Dialogs to Life with the New Video Element​

Modern HMIs are more than just buttons and text. They should provide meaningful information to the operators to help them solve their tasks. With the new Video element, you can now add videos to pages. This makes it easier to explain complex processes or provide additional information to the operator.

Learn more…

The Parameter Page Has Found a Few New Sidekicks​

Status Settings Got a Makeover​

Last but not least: we've standardized the status settings. They used to work differently in many elements. For a quick introduction to the topic, we've put together a small guide. Enjoy:

Communicating Status Guide…

Get Started With HELIO​

Changelog​

New Elements​

• Added Video element as Dashboard Widgets and Parameter Page Visualization.
• Better Bars
  • Added Value Bar
    • Show Ranges
    • Show Set Point
  • Updated Progress Bar design and IDE properties.
• Added Data List as replacement for Data Table featuring various improvements.
• Added Dropdown Header Cell

New Actions​

• Added “Write the Active List Element to a Data Directory”
• Added "Show Main Navigation"
• Added "Export List Items as CSV File"
• Added "Import List Items from CSV File"
• Added "Navigate back/forward" in history
• Added "Navigate back to the home page"

New Features​

• HMI > Footer is now fully configurable
  • Footer can be fully configured with elements and spacers
  • Menu Button can be removed entirely
  • If footer is emptied completely, it will free up the space for pages.
• Add context menu to preview
• New Dynamic Properties
  • Check Client to distinguish between local and remote access
• Parameter Page
  • Added more elements as option for visualization slot
    • Add Flow Map
    • DataList
    • Embedded Webview
    • Gauge
    • Radial Bars
    • Pie Chart
    • Trend
• Collection Page
  • Enabled Page Groups as Collection Page Detail
  • Add default sort functionality
• Optimizations for smaller screens
  • On mobile devices the footer is now smaller to give the content more space.
• Allow the use of dynamic paths in Same Host targets of Navigate to URL action, Embedded Webview and Webview Page classes
• Add capability to obscure string inputs when set to subtype password.
• Project Export: Add dialog to select which connections to export
• Add Collapse/Expand all to content tree
• Added toast for Copy and Cut interactions in Content Tree.
• Added Footer to Parameter Group element.
• Added shortcuts to switch between Project Editor views
• Allow setting directory for license files in config
• Allow header cells to be checked
• Data View
  • Introduce drag resizing of explorers
• Components
  • Allow components to reference their own API in other properties

Changes​

• Removed acknowledge button on message dialogs & message details if no On acknowledge function has been specified
• Streamlined Apply Status settings across all elements
• Renamed MQTT Connection and added info message to Add Connection dialog
• Messaging
  • Added mapping setting for WasAcknowledged property

Bugfixes​

• Refactored login and logout flow of IDE in order to be more resilient
  • Sign In process is now handled inside a dialog
• Fixed Dropdown-Bug where elements with value 0 could not be selected
• Changed overlay sizes
• Prevent pasting instances to invalid locations
• Added support for custom B&R string data types
• Fixed issues where IDE would become blank when editing on remote runtimes
• Fixed Copy & Paste of Open Page as Overlay & Navigate to Page actions
• Choose Variable dialog: renamed to "Data" when not using the items blueprint data
• Condition expressions now correctly support write operations
• Improve toast display on small sizes and large number of toasts
• Improved performance when modifying HMI Content Tree
• Fixed list export so no cached data is used
• Fixed disabled border tokens of Button element
• Fixed token lookup of CSS variables
• Fixed text overflow behavior in InstanceTree
• Fixed page title icon gap showing even if no icon was set
• Fixed display of active message overlay
• Fixed wrong variable count after converting a data directory to list
• Prevent IDE from crashing on unknown Elements
• Changed list import from CSV-file to ignore empty lines
• Fixed selection of enum entries with empty string value in Magic Input
• Fixed Magic Input not focusing when clicking on unit or icon
• Fix display of blueprint variable values in message popups
• Fix unwanted line break in Parameter titles
• Improved error messaging for project import
• Fixed keyboard shortcut for the "Add Element" dialog
• Fixed ESC closing wrong dialog.
• Fixed Page Overlays not showing Close-button.
• Fixed display of username in user-details.
• Fixed closing of dialogs not working from second time
• Enabled renaming of Editor Tree items while in Test mode
• Fixed OK-button in Alert being disabled without Confirm Action
• Fixed order of message dialogs
• Removed scroll shadows to improve scroll performance on smaller devices
• Improved performance of Timezone Input
• Fixed On Screen Keyboard hovering over dialogs and overlays
• Added missing translations for Jog Control
• Fixed resizing behavior of the Style View on smaller devices

Icons​

While software is never really done, this still marks a significant milestone that we’ll take just a second to celebrate before we get back to working on all the great ideas we have for the coming months.

Highlights​

Hello, World. This is HELIO. 👋​

These past few years have been quite a whirlwind. We're incredibly proud and thrilled to officially release HELIO to the public! While software is never really done, this still marks a significant milestone that we’ll take just a second to celebrate before we get back to working on all the great ideas we have for the coming months.

New HELIO Theme: Orbit​

Introducing our new default theme Orbit. With sleek outlines and crunchy controls, it really makes an impression.

Everything flows smoother now! Introducing the revamped Flow Map Page​

In the recent versions, we completed the feature set of the Flow Map Page. Now, we've enhanced its visual appeal and improved the readability of connections.

Introducing Project Personalization​

When working on multiple projects, being able to distinguish them at a glance is extremely helpful. We’ve added options to configure the color and icon previews so that you’ll quickly find what you’re looking for. You can even add your own preview images.

Our New Playground HMI – Because Learning's Supposed to be Fun!​

Introducing our new built-in Playground HMI Template. Use it to explore and learn about features, as well as the various HELIO Page Type.

By the way, , a Soft-PLC designed for testing and simulating HELIO HMIs using OPC UA, complements it perfectly.

Change that font!​

A new addition to the Style View has arrived: select from different fonts to transform the look of your HMI

Get Started​

Changelog​

13.0.1​

Changes

• Breaking
  • Messaging & Alarming
    • The necessary steps to integrate messaging with HELIO is currently more complex than we’d like so we're working to enhance our Messaging API in collaboration with our customers.
    • With HELIO 13.0.1, we complete the rework of the specification that we began with 13.0.0 to streamline the creation of such an API:
    • All methods, method parameters, and properties in MessageList have been changed to PascalCase (for example, AcknowledgeMessage) to avoid naming confusion.
    • The process of marking a message as active and unacknowledged has been simplified. It's no longer necessary to set the AcknowledgedOn date to null, which was an issue with some PLCs. The updated specification now instructs implementors to set the AcknowledgedOn value to match the ArrivedOn property. The AcknowledgedOn value should be updated to the current date when a message is acknowledged using the AcknowledgeMessage method.

13.0.0​

New Features

• New Theme: Orbit (Light & Dark)
  • Just in time for the big HELIO release, the HELIO team's got a little surprise for ya. It's a fresh new theme called Orbit, available in both light and dark! It brings a breath of fresh air to the sometimes monotonous world of industrial HMIs.
• Style View
  • Component Overview – See how your changes will affect the design system of your HMI in an overview of common controls.
  • Introducing Custom Fonts 🎉
    What if you could select from different fonts in the theme options under the style view? Sounds exciting, doesn't it? Well, we've made that possible!
• Introducing Project Personalization: As you get more projects going, telling them apart can get a bit tricky. No worries though, you can jazz up your projects with colors, icons, or even your own preview image. This will make your project list much cozier and also easier to browse through.
• Added the ability to start a simulation of your project directly from the Welcome page. By the way you can even start in a new tab using Ctrl + Click.
• Page Group (Page Type)
  • Add a warning to the embedded menu when page groups are nested too deeply.
• Flow Map Page (Page Type)
  • Overhauled Design of Modules
  • Added ability to use icons or images
  • Now with states for outlets and animation.
• Dashboard Page (Page Type)
  • Greatly improved display of Inputs and Outputs.
• Collection Page (Page Type)
  • Introduced option to emphasize properties/columns.
  • Introduced an option to display the unit in the table header.
• HMI Users View
  • Introduced synchronization between initial HMI users of a project and the actual users in the runtime.
• Magic Input
  • The stepper buttons for Magic Input that are linked to Numeric Data Variables can now be toggled off.
• Machine Control
  • Enhanced the design and added the ability to place icons.
  • Removed the limitation of fixed widths.
• Improved HMI and IDE performance
• HELIO Runtime
  • OPC UA Connection
    • Added support for Siemens S7 data types over OPC UA
    • Reduce default batch size when reading from OPC UA server (was 1000, now 250)
  • ?skipAnimations=true
    HELIO now accepts a new URL Parameters for Disabling Animations. This is useful if you’re running HELIO on a Low-End Device…
  • ?enableOSK=true
    HELIO now accepts a new URL parameter for explicitly enabling the on-screen keyboard. This is useful in cases where HELIO’s auto-detect feature does not produce the intended result on your system.
• Data View & Internationalization
  • Added Translation Key datatype. This enables the translation of PLC values in the HMI.
• Improved Keyboard Support
  • Editing HMIs can be repetitive, which is why we consider keyboard support for an engineering tool to be absolutely crucial. As keyboard enthusiasts, we've optimized the keyboard support in HELIO.
  • There's a wonderful new shortcut Ctrl + E that let's you add a bunch of Elements to your HMI in no time!
  • Aligned Keyboard Shortcuts of Data View and Content View.
• Automatic Ex- and Import of Data Source Connections
  • Connections will be automatically exported with your projects.
• Added a new built-in Playground HMI Template in combination with our brand new – a Soft-PLC designed for testing and simulating HELIO HMIs.

Bugfixes

For our public release, we've squashed a whole bunch of bugs. Let's just focus into the big ones:

• Project Editor
  • Improve the responsiveness of the text inputs when entering text in the Property Panel.
    • HMI Preview Panel
      • If you've experienced unexpected logouts while testing authentication using HMI Users inside the Preview Panel you'll be pleased to know that HELIO now prevents this automatic logout while you're editing your Project.
      • Improved handling of disabled input selection in preview mode.
• Collection Page
  • Filters now work with integer enum values as well.
  • Improved render performance.
• Data View
  • Enhance responsiveness during the editing of variable metadata.
• Gauge
  • Made visual adaptations and optimizations.
• Open Dialog (Action)
  • Dialogs containing multiple Markdown elements will now display correctly.
• Trend (Element)
  • Resolved the issue of the trend being cut off when viewed inside an overlay.
• Jog Control Button
  • Improved performance

Icons

Introduced a large new set of new icons

• RadialBargraph
• AbortedState
• AbortingState
• Banana
• Castle
• ClearingState
• CompleteState
• CompletingState
• CubeFragment1
• CubeFragment2
• CubeFragment3
• CubeFragment4
• CubeFragment5
• CubeFragment6
• CubeFragment7
• CubeFragment8
• ExecuteState
• HeldState
• HoldingState
• IdleState
• ResettingState
• StackedCube
• StartingState
• StoppedState
• StoppingState
• SuspendedState
• SuspendingState
• UnholdingState
• UnsuspendingState
• 2DAxesRight
• 2DAxesRightX
• 2DAxesRightY
• 2DAxesRightZ
• 2DAxes
• 2DAxesUp
• 2DAxesUpX
• 2DAxesUpY
• 2DAxesUpZ
• 2DRotationClockwise
• 2DRotationClockwiseX
• 2DRotationClockwiseY
• 2DRotationClockwiseZ
• 2DRotationCounterclockwise
• 2DRotationCounterclockwiseX
• 2DRotationCounterclockwiseY
• 2DRotationCounterclockwiseZ
• 2DRotation
• 3DAxesLeft
• 3DAxesLeftX
• 3DAxesLeftY
• 3DAxesLeftZ
• 3DAxesRight
• 3DAxesRightX
• 3DAxesRightY
• 3DAxesRightZ
• 3DAxes
• 3DAxesUp
• 3DAxesUpX
• 3DAxesUpY
• 3DAxesUpZ
• 3DAxesXYZ
• 3DAxesXZY
• 3DAxesYXZ
• 3DAxesYZX
• 3DAxesZXY
• 3DAxesZYX
• 3DPlaneBottom
• 3DPlaneBottomX
• 3DPlaneBottomY
• 3DPlaneBottomZ
• 3DPlaneLeft
• 3DPlaneLeftX
• 3DPlaneLeftY
• 3DPlaneLeftZ
• 3DPlaneRight
• 3DPlaneRightX
• 3DPlaneRightY
• 3DPlaneRightZ
• 3DPlanes
• 3DRotationBanking
• 3DRotationBankingX
• 3DRotationBankingY
• 3DRotationBankingZ
• 3DRotationHeading
• 3DRotationHeadingX
• 3DRotationHeadingY
• 3DRotationHeadingZ
• 3DRotationPitch
• 3DRotationPitchX
• 3DRotationPitchY
• 3DRotationPitchZ
• 3DRotation