BACnet Schedule Sync¶

3.9.9

NF can discover BACnet schedule objects on the network and manage them alongside locally created schedules. Synchronization keeps the NF representation and the device schedule in agreement.

Discovery and Import¶

When NF scans a BACnet device (via Discover > Scan Objects), schedule objects are automatically imported into the schedule service. The import reads:

• Object name
• Weekly schedule (7 daily timetables)
• Exception schedule (special events)
• Schedule default value
• Effective period
• Out of service flag

Imported schedules appear on the Schedules page with a BACnet source badge showing the originating device ID and object instance.

Sync Modes¶

Each device-sourced schedule has a sync mode that controls how changes flow:

Change the sync mode in the schedule editor. New imports default to Read-only.

Sync Interval¶

For read-only and bidirectional schedules, you can set a sync interval that controls how often NF automatically re-reads the schedule from the device. Set to zero for manual-only sync.

Syncing from a Device¶

Click Sync in the schedule editor (or call SyncSchedule via the API) to re-read the schedule from its BACnet device. The sync:

1. Reads the current weekly schedule, exception schedule, default value, effective period, and out-of-service flag from the device.
2. Updates the NF schedule with the new rule data.
3. Preserves NF-only settings: targets, priority for writing, sync mode, and "expose as BACnet" flag.
4. Logs the change in the sync log.
5. Triggers immediate re-evaluation of the effective value.

If the sync fails (device offline, timeout, etc.), the error is recorded in the schedule's last_sync_error field and displayed in the UI.

Writing Back to a Device¶

For schedules in Bidirectional sync mode, click Write to Device (or call WriteScheduleToSource) to push local changes back to the BACnet device. The write-back sends:

• Weekly schedule
• Exception schedule
• Schedule default value

Write-back errors are recorded in the sync log entry for that operation.

Sync Log¶

Every sync operation -- whether from the device or to the device -- is recorded in the schedule's sync log. View it in the Sync Log tab of the schedule editor.

Each entry shows:

The sync log retains the most recent 500 entries per schedule.

Exposing Local Schedules as BACnet¶

Local schedules (not imported from a device) can be exposed as BACnet schedule objects on the gateway's local device. This allows external BACnet clients (other controllers, BMS front-ends) to read the schedule's present value and timetable data.

Enable this with the Expose as BACnet toggle in the schedule editor. When enabled, NF:

1. Creates a local BACnet schedule object with an auto-assigned instance number.
2. Keeps the object's weekly schedule, exception schedule, default value, and present value synchronized with the NF schedule.
3. Removes the object if the toggle is disabled or the schedule is deleted.