One symbol turns any PI Vision display into a historical replay console
Here is a live demonstration of PIForge Playback Pro running in AVEVA PI Vision:
Every capability is demonstrated live in AVEVA PI Vision.
One symbol turns any PI Vision display into a historical replay console
Drop PIForge Playback Pro onto a PI Vision display and every symbol on the screen gains time-travel controls. Press play and the entire display rewinds or fast-forwards through historical data — trend charts scroll, gauges swing, KPI tiles update, and status indicators reflect what was really happening at each moment.
- Forward and reverse playback — scroll back to any point in history
- Speed control: 0.5x · 1x · 2x · 5x · 10x
- All PI Vision symbols on the display update together in sync
- LIVE button snaps back to real-time immediately
- Works with any PI Vision display — no reconfiguration of other symbols
Click anywhere on the timeline to jump — gauges, trends, and KPIs update in real time
The interactive scrubber lets you jump to any moment in the configured time range with a single click. Drag slowly to watch the trend chart scroll, the gauge needle sweep, and status indicators flip from OK to CRITICAL — then drag back to confirm the return to normal. Incident investigation in seconds.
- Click anywhere on the timeline for an instant time jump
- Trend chart window follows the current playback position
- Gauge needle moves continuously as you scrub
- Status table rows update color and text with each new time position
- Colored event markers on the scrubber mark exactly where to look
Critical (red) · Major (orange) · Info (blue) — click ⏮⏭ to step through events
PIForge Playback Pro fetches Event Frames from the PI AF database and plots them as color-coded markers on the scrubber. The ⏮ and ⏭ buttons step backward and forward through events chronologically. At each event, the entire display reflects the actual process state at that moment — gauge in the red zone, status table showing CRITICAL, trend chart revealing the run-up to the alarm.
- Fetches PI AF Event Frames automatically once AF database is configured
- Color-coded by severity: Critical · Major · Minor · Warning · Info
- Prev/Next buttons step through events in time order
- Jump lands exactly at event start — see the plant state at alarm trigger
- Up to 200 events displayed per query window
Set A at normal · play to the peak · set B · watch it repeat
Mark point A before an incident begins and point B at the peak. PIForge Playback Pro loops continuously between the two markers, replaying exactly what happened on every symbol — from normal green readings to CRITICAL alarms and back. The A-B range is highlighted on the scrubber so the incident window is always visible.
- Mark any two points as A and B with dedicated buttons
- A-B range highlighted in teal on the scrubber for clear visual context
- Loops automatically: B → A → B, repeating until cleared
- Perfect for training new operators on how an incident developed
- Clear A-B removes the loop; playback continues normally
★ Mark saves the timestamp · diamond on timeline · 🔗 Share copies a URL
Found the moment that matters? Click ★ Mark to drop a bookmark diamond on the scrubber. Continue reviewing and click the diamond at any time to jump back instantly. When you need to share the finding, click 🔗 Share to copy a deep-link URL that encodes the exact playback position, bookmarks, and A-B loop — paste into Slack or email and your team lands at the same moment.
- ★ Mark saves the current playback time as a diamond on the scrubber
- Click any bookmark diamond to return to that exact moment
- Multiple bookmarks per display — persistent across sessions
- 🔗 Share encodes time, bookmarks, and A-B loop into a URL
- Recipient opens the link and lands at the same moment automatically
Configure AFDB path once · event list populates · click any event to jump
Enter the PI AF database path in the configuration panel. PIForge Playback Pro queries the Event Frame database and shows a scrollable list of all events with their name, severity color, and timestamp. Click any row — Pump Cavitation, High Temp Alarm, Shift Changeover — and the display jumps immediately to that event, showing the exact plant state at that time.
- Configure AF database path once — event list auto-populates
- Events shown with severity color, name, and timestamp
- One click on any event row jumps the display to that exact moment
- All widgets (gauge, trend, KPIs, table) update together on each click
- Filter by event name or limit to a single element path for focused analysis
Playback, Time Range, Event Frames, Appearance — all in the standard PI Vision panel
Every PIForge Playback Pro setting is exposed in the standard PI Vision Format Symbol panel. Configure step size, default speed, time range mode, AF database for event frames, and accent color — all without leaving PI Vision. Changes take effect immediately; the accent color ripples through the entire control bar in real time.
- PLAYBACK: Step Seconds, Default Speed, Auto Start
- TIME RANGE: Duration (rolling), Custom dates, or PI Vision TimeBar sync
- EVENT FRAMES: AF database path, name filter, lookback days
- APPEARANCE: Accent color, background — updates live while you type
- LICENSE: Key entry and status — ✓ Licensed confirms activation
Setting up PIForge Playback Pro is quick and straightforward. Follow these steps:
Extract the downloaded ZIP package. You will find HTML, JS, CSS/SVG, and image files. Copy these files to your PI Vision server's extension folder:
%PIHOME%\Scripts\app\editor\symbols\extTypically, this path translates to:
C:\Program Files\PIPC\PIVision\Scripts\app\editor\symbols\extWindows blocks downloaded files by default. If you skip this step, the symbol will silently fail to load in PI Vision.
- Right-click the
.jsand.htmlfiles you copied on the server. - Select Properties from the context menu.
- On the General tab, look for the security warning at the bottom: This file came from another computer and might be blocked to help protect this computer.
- Check the Unblock box, then click Apply and OK.
- Repeat this for all files in the package.
- Log in to your PIForge Dashboard and go to My Licenses to copy your License Key (format:
XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX). - Open PI Vision, add the symbol to a display.
- Click the Format Symbol (⚙) configuration panel.
- Paste your key into the License Key field and click Activate.
In PI Vision, go to Help → About to verify your version number.
| PI Vision Version | Playback Pro Support | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2022+ | Full Support | Recommended |
| 2021 | Full Support | |
| 2020 | Full Support | |
| 2019 | Partial Support | Some features may be limited |
| 2018 or older | Not Supported |
- Verify the files are copied to the correct
extdirectory on the PI Vision server (not your local machine). - Perform a hard browser refresh:
Ctrl + Shift + R. - Ensure all files are unblocked (see step 2 of the Installation Guide).
- Open Browser DevTools (
F12) and check the Console tab for red errors. - Verify the license key has no extra spaces.
- Try restarting IIS on the PI Vision server. Run this command in an Administrator command prompt:
iisreset
- If you run into issues, copy your license key and contact us at contact.piforge@gmail.com for assistance.
👉 Purchase and Download the Pro Version at piforge.app
PIForge is not affiliated with AVEVA Group plc or OSIsoft LLC.