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Creating and Editing Tags

This section elucidates the concepts and functionality of the provides guidance on managing tags, covering essential topics such as creating and editing tags, organized into the following topics:

• Importing Tag Definitions
• Tag Configuration Properties
• Toolbar commands to Create and Edit Tags

In FactoryStudio, tags can be created and edited using various methods, such as:

Using the Create Tag Icon on the main toolbar or the Unified Namespace. See Toolbar commands to Create and Edit Tags.

Using the Tag Objects DataGrid to create and edit tags using a table format.  See Tags Object Data Grid.

Importing Tag Definitions

To import tag definitions into a project, you can use several methods, such as:

a. Copy-pasting from other projects or Excel.  See Import from Excel. 
b. Importing from CSV files (individual or extended). See Import from CSV Files.
c. Using the Import Tag Wizards. See Import Tag Wizards.
d. Utilizing external programming APIs.  See Eng Wrapper API Introduction.

After importing the tags, you can organize them using the Asset Modeling feature, which enables you to create a hierarchical structure for your project's tags.

Tag Configuration Properties

Main configuration properties are essential for defining a tag's characteristics. The key properties include:

• TagName: A unique identifier for the tag.
• Type: The data type of the tag (e.g., Integer, Digital).

Optional configuration properties offer additional customization for tags. These properties can be edited after importing the tags into the project. Examples of optional properties include:

• Alarm configurations: Settings related to alarms triggered by tag values.
• Historian settings: Configurations for data logging and archiving.
• Device Address: The address or location of the tag in the PLC or data source

Tag value formatting allows you to display the tag values in a more readable and meaningful format. This includes setting:

b. Units: Appropriate units for the tag values, such as temperature or pressure.
c. Precision: The number of decimal places to display for the tag value.
c. Other project-specific attributes: Custom properties specific to the project requirements

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Toolbar commands to Create and Edit Tags

Click on New Tag Icon to create new Tags, or the Tag Properties to edit the Tag.

The following dialog will be presented. <<IMAGE>>

The only 2 essential fields to field in are the NAME and the TYPE of the Tag, 

Editing Tags at the Unified Namespace

When using the toolbar from the Unified Namespace page you select in which folder the Tag will be created.

To create or edit tags on the Unified Namespace view, navigate to the Project Designer tools and select the "Tags - Unified Namespace" section. From there, you can create new tags or edit existing ones, assigning them to specific data types or templates. When creating a tag, ensure you define the relevant attributes, such as data source, initial values, and any required metadata. Existing tags can be edited to update their attributes or modify their relationships with other tags or assets as needed.

Main Configuration Properties

To import tags, ensure that these properties are correctly defined in the source file (Excel or CSV).

Tag Types

All tags have a specific type for its value, such an integer, text or DateTime. The many pre-defined Tag Types are the Built-in tag types. In addition, the tag type can be an UDT (User Defined Type) or Tag Template .

Tags have also pre-defined properties, such as Description and Array size. Different tag types may have specific properties, but most properties are available to all Tags.

When creating the Tag, some of those properties are defined in the configuration — such as the Description —, some of the properties are only accessible when the application is running — like Value, Quality and Timestamp. The complete set of Tag properties when running the project is referred as the Runtime Tag Properties. 

Built-in Tag Types

The built-in tag types are based directly as extensions of the .NET datatypes. The tag types are summarized in the following table:

Built-in Tag Types

Tag Type

.Net Type

Description and Value Range

Digital

System.Int32

Binary value, 0 or 1. 

Integer

System.Int32

Integer values, range  -2,147,483,648 through 2,147,483,647

Long

System.Int64

Long integer values, range  -2,147,483,648 through 2,147,483,647

Double

System.Double

Floating point value. ranging -1.79769313486231570E+308 through -4.94065645841246544E-324 for negative values; 4.94065645841246544E-324 through 1.79769313486231570E+308 for positive values

Decimal

System.Decimal

Extended precision floating point., ranging 0 through +/-79,228,162,514,264,337,593,543,950,335 with no decimal point; 0 through +/-7.9228162514264337593543950335 with 28 places to the right of the decimal; smallest nonzero number is +/-0.000

The Decimal type allows calculation with higher precision than the Double type. However, math operations using Decimal can be 40 times slower than using Double. So the Decimal type should only be used when Double precision is not enough.

Text

System.String

Text strings composed of Unicode character. Maximum length of the sting is the integer range. 

Timer

System.Int32

Timer is a built-in integer type that can be used to generate precise timing signals and wave pattenrs. Timers have the following models: 

• SquareWave:  The value toggles between 0 and 1. Image Removed

• Pulse: The tag changes to 0. Then immediately changes to 1. Image Removed

• DelayOff: The tag behaves as a PLC Timer Off. If you set the tag with a value other than the StartValue during runtime, the tag will hold that value for the period specified in the Interval. The tag goes back to its StartValue after the period of time (Interval). 

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• Comparer: The tag is set to 1 after the specified comparer Interval, and then goes back to zero at midnight. Image Removed

For SquareWave, Pulse, and Comparer, the tag toggles between 0 and the StartValue (instead of 0 and 1) if you set the tag StartValue.

DateTime

System.DateTimeOffset

From 12:00:00 midnight, January 1, 0001 to 11:59:59 P.M., December 31, 9999

TimeSpan

TimeSpan

Data Interval in Days, Hours, Minutes, Seconds and Milliseconds, where each of those properties can hold a Double value

Guid

Guid

Standard Microsoft Globally Unique Identifier (GUID)

DataTable

System.Data.DataTable

Holds an in-memory DataTable

Image

System.Byte[]

Can hold an Image file or any binary content. The Long value is the maximum size of the content. 

Reference Type

Reference tags allow dynamic addressing of variables. 

The way you use Reference tags in the project is similar to how you use references in .NET programming, as they both have a defined type. The target type for the Reference is defined in the Parameters columns.

Typed references bring advantages in both the engineering stage and in runtime. In the engineering stage, it allows IntelliSense to directly browse the template members if a reference is pointing to a template. In runtime, it allows string data validation. 

All Reference tags have an additional runtime attribute: the Link property, which specifies which tag that the reference will be linked to during execution.

Essentially, the Link property is a string property that needs to receive the target tag name before using the reference tag. You can assign a string directly or by using a string expression. The best way to set the link property is to use the method GetName(), which will create the string based on the current tag name. This way, you can rename the tag without having to search the strings. This also shows the tag names linked on the cross-reference utility. 

Examples:

@Tag.Reference1.Link = @Tag.TagName.GetName();

@Tag.Reference1.Link = @Tag.TagName.GetName();

@Tag.Reference1.Link = "Tag.TagName";

@Tag.Reference1.Link = "Tag.TagNa" + "me";

The reason for using the GetName() method instead of using strings directly is that with GetName() you retain the benefits of Cross-Reference and Refactoring. 

Tags Object DataGrid

To create new local tags using the Object DataGrid:

• Go to Edit → Tags → Objects and insert a new row with the tag properties defined in the columns.
• or, in any configuration windows, just  click the  <<< IMAGE >>>. New Tag button on the Top Toolbar
• or, when at the Edit → Tags → Assets, use the NewTag toolbar button <<IMAGE >> to create a tag at the selected asset level
• or, by copy-paste the data form Excel or another project;
• or, using the other Importing tags tools.

To edit the properties of existing local tags:

• Go to Edit → Tags → Objects and edit the row with the tag definition you want to modify. Multiple rows selection is allowed. << Link editing data grids >>.
• Select a Tag Name at the top toolbar << IMAGE >> and click the Tag Properties button at the toolbar << IMAGE >>

Either creating a new tag, or editing tags, in the datagrid view or the properties dialogs, the tag has the following configuration fields: 

Tag main configuration properties 

Field

Description

Parent

Specify the Parent Level where the Tag is located in Asset tree.

Name

Enter a name for the tag. The system lets you know if the name is not valid.

• If you edit the name of an existing tag, the system automatically updates the name throughout the project.

Type

Select the tag type, which may be a built-in type or a user-defined Tag Template.

Parameters

Configure any parameters. The parameters vary based on the tag type. Once the type is entered, you can double-click the parameters field to see a dropdown menu with any applicable parameters.

• DeadBand — It is used as a limitation to save new values to the tag. It defines the difference necessary between the old value and the new value. It is also possible to set the DeadBand as an percentage and with decimal numbers such as: 10.5; 10%; 300%; 17.8%.

      Example 1: If the DeadBand is Set to 5 and initial value of the tag is 0, the next input possible to be saved, need to be >=5 or <=-5.

      Example 2: If the current value of the tag is 100 and the deadband is set to 10%, the next input possible to be saved, need to be >=110 or <=90.

• EnumerationSet: You can also use dictionaries to "translate" tag values into text. These dictionaries are called Enumeration Sets.

For example, a device may have a value of 0  or 1 . Rather than display "0" or "1", you can display the strings "on" or "off."

The definition for the Enumeration Set dictionary is on Tags → Enumeration Sets

When configuring a display component to use these tags, set the TextOutput to one of the following:

• Tagname or Tagname.Value: show the numeric value of the tag.
• Tagname.ValueAsString or Tagname.DisplayValue: show the enumeration string.

Array

When this field is blank, the tag is not an array.

When the field contains an integer value of N, an Array is created from position 0 to N.

For example, if the field contains the value 5, the Array is created from Tag[0] to Tag[5]. This means that 6 elements are created.

Two programming styles are accommodated by this method; one that counts elements from 0 to less than 5, and one that counts from 1 to 5.

Description

String message with additional information about the Tag, maximum string length is 1024

String with the Engineering units of measure, simplifying the visualization of the value on Displays, and allowing the dynamic change of metric systems.

Select this option to save the value of the tag and its internal properties to the database every time the value changes. This retains the value when the application shuts down and makes the value available when the next next application starts.

• None — Does not retain the value or properties.
• ValueOnly — Retains only the value.
• Properties — Retains all properties, including the value.
• PropertiesOnly — Retains all properties, except the value.

The values for Retentive Tags are stores at the database defined at Datasets → DBs → Retentive, and it can be customize to use any database. 

Retentive can be applied to Tags of Domain Server, in this case, you can easily allow the cold-start from the Project, without losing Operator-Inputed values or other Tags that shall keep the last value in between a shutdown and a startup.

Retentive can be applied to Tags of Domain Client, in this case, you can falsity create concepts as User Configuration settings, that are stored and located according the client or user connection. 

Defines if the tag value has Server (global) or Client (instance) scope.

Server (Default): the value of tag is unique, synchronize across all operator stations accessing the project. All tags used by Devices Communications and Historian must be or Type Server.

Client: The value of tag is local at each Client Displays Instance accessing the project. Common use for client tags are to manage the user interface.

Select the value visibility of your tag to external connection and the built-in OPC server.

Private: Tag is visible only to the local project and redundant pair.
Protected: Tag is visible on the external connections for read-only operations. 
Public: Tag is visible on the external connections, for both reading or writing. 

If not defined, the visibility is Public by default. 

Allows to define metadata labels to the tag. Categories are useful for project organization during the engineering phase.

Categories are also useful when copy pasting tags directly the draw area, automatically creating symbols. 

Tag Value formatting 

The format property defines the display format of tag values. For example, N1 defines a number with one decimal place, like 2.1

Proper formatting ensures that the tag values are displayed accurately and are easily understood by users.

These formats follow the specifications provided in Microsoft .NET.

Numerical values formatting

Specifier

Description

N0

Number with no decimal places

Nn

Number with n decimal places (replace n by any integer number)

X

Hexadecimal (supported only for integral types)

C

Currency

R

A string that can round-trip to an identical number

P

Number multiplied by 100 and displayed with a percent symbol

G

The more compact of either fixed-point or scientific notation

F

Integral and decimal digits with optional negative sign

E

Exponential notation

D

Integer digits with optional negative sign

Date/time formats 

Specifier

Description

T (only)

Long time pattern (equivalent to HH:mm:ss).

d (only)

Short date pattern (equivalent to M/d/yyyy (month/day/year) for en-us).

dd

Show the day of the month as a number from 01 through 31.

ddd

Show the abbreviated name of the day of the week.

dddd

Show the full name of the day of the week.

MM

Show the month as a number from 01 through 12.

MMM

Show the abbreviated name of the month.

yy

Show the year as a two-digit number.

yyyy

Show the year as a four-digit number.

hh

Show the hour as a number from 01 through 12.

HH

Show the hour as a number from 00 through 23.

mm

Show the minute as a number from 00 through 59.

ss

Show the second as a number from 00 through 59.

fff

Show the millisecond as a number from 000 through 999.

tt

Show the A.M./P.M. designator.

Import Tag Definitions 

There are many ways to import Tag definition to the project:

• Just Copy from other Projects and in this Project.
• Using the Import from Excel.
• Using the import from CSV Files.
• Using the Import Tag Wizards.
• Using the EngWrapper API.

Import from Excel

Importing Tag and PLC Addresses

You can copy and paste the contents of an Excel table. As long you include the title of the columns when you copy and paste the contents of the table, the tables in your project can have different columns or can be ordered differently. The system will put the data in the expected columns, even if the order is different in the source.

To create and import Tags:

• In Excel, make a table with the columns that are shown below. 

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To successfully import the tags, you need the TagName, Type, and Address columns. 

• After you chose the device protocol and create a new node, click the Import button. Then, choose the .CSV file that contains the tag's information and click the Ok button. 

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• The Tags and Points will be created automatically in  Tags.

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• Device → Points 

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After you use the Import tool for the first time, the system will save whatever settings you used. The import button turns into the "Sync" button. This make the button execute a synchronization that verifies the previously imported addresses and the new ones.

Import from CSV Files

Individual CSV File

In this scenario, we are importing items for each individual table that is available throughout the Engineering Environment.

In your Engineering Environment, you should find a toolbar located on the top of the display with green arrow in it.

In Tabs that do not contain a table, the import icon is unfocused and is unable to be selected.

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For Tabs that do contain grids, the import button is available when the grid is on focus (selected). When the import button is clicked, a dialog window will open.

Browse for the csv file and click Open.

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Examples

To better understand how to use this feature, we are going to add Alarm Items into our sample project.

Assuming we have two Tags, Tag1 and Tag2, in our project. Each tag must have an alarm configured to it.

1. Tag1 - Belongs to ’Critical’ Alarm Group and triggers an alarm when its value is lower than 20.

2. Tag2 - Belongs to ’Warning’ Alarm Group and triggers an alarm when its value is higher than 80.

The import steps are:

• Go to  Alarms → Items, create a dummy row, and copy it (Ctrl + C).
• On your external Table Editor (e.g. Excel, Google Docs, Notepad, etc), paste the copied content.

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3. Fill your table with the required information.

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4. Save the file as a ‘.csv’.

5. Go back to the  Alarms → Items page and click the Import CSV File Button.

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Extended CSV Files

In this scenario, we are using a single .csv table to import information on Tags, Devices, Alarms and historian items.

In your Engineering Environment, navigate to Run → Extensions → Import. You should see many supported files that can be imported into a project.

Select the CSV file and browse for your Table File.

Image Removed

The table must obey a certain format. The required columns can be obtained by following the same method as in the previous section; copy from project and paste on Sheet Editor.

The difference in this method is that the final table is a concatenation of the various grids from the project.

Examples

To illustrate the usage of this feature, we will add a couple of items to our sample project. The following items will be added:

Tags:

• MyTag1: Integer DataType and StartValue = 0.
• MyTag2: Digital DataType.

Alarm Items:

• MyTag1:

1. HiHi alarm limit (configured for ‘Critical’ alarm group) set to 95
2. Lo alarm limit (configured for ‘Warning’ alarm group) set to 10

• MyTag2:

1. Hi alarm limit (configured for ‘Critical’ alarm group) set to 1 and Message ’Tag Alarm is Hi’.
2. LoLo alarm limit (configured for ‘Warning’ alarm group) set to 0, Priority set to 1 and Message ’Tag Alarm is LoLo’.

Historian:

• MyTag1: Added to default Historian Table ‘Table1’.
• MyTag2: Added to default Historian Table ‘Table1’.

The table that contains all the columns and rows required to import the items described above can be found in the pictures below (with additional columns):

Following the importation procedure in Run → Extensions → Import, select the CSV option, browse for the filled csv file, and click Import.

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Troubleshooting and Best Practices

configuring tag properties, formatting tag values, and importing tag definitions

Creating 

You can create tags in two different places.

1. In Unified Namespace / Asset Tree

• In Unified Namespace / Tags, click the icon to create new tags. Image Added

• In Unified Namespace / Asset Tree, right-click the desired folder or use the ‘New Tag’ icon, or user the right-click context menu.

2. In Unified Namespace / Tags

• Paste from an external table with a column named "Name."

• Manually insert a new entry in the data grid, filling only the "Name" column with a unique tag name.

• Click the New item Image Addedon the data grid controls to open the Create New Tag dialog.

3. Using the top toolbar, with New Tag icon Image Added. 

The Create New Tag dialog allows creating a new Tag and configure additional aspects related to Devices, Alarm and Historian definitions.

Editing

To edit the properties of existing local tags:

• At the top toolbar, select the Tag Properties button. Image Added

• Go to Unified Namespace / Tags, select the tag you wish to modify and click the Edit icon.Image Added

The following dialog will be presented.

Image Added

The only two mandatory fields in this dialog are the 'NAME' and the 'TYPE' of the Tag.

Tag Types

All tags have a specific type for their value, such as Integer, Text, or DateTime. The predefined tag types are known as Built-in Tag Types. Additionally, tags can be UDTs (User Defined Types) or Tag Templates.

Tags have predefined properties, such as Description and Array Size. While different tag types may have specific properties, most properties are common to all tags.

When creating a tag, some properties are set in the configuration (e.g., Description), while others are only accessible at runtime (e.g., Value, Quality, Timestamp). The complete set of tag properties at runtime is referred to as Runtime Tag Properties.

Built-in Types

The built-in tag types extend .NET data types and provide key functionality for handling different data formats in the software platform.

Reference Type

Reference tags allow dynamic addressing of variables.

The way you use Reference tags in the project is similar to how you use references in .NET programming, as they both have a defined type. The target type for the reference is defined in the Parameters column.

Typed references offer advantages in both the engineering stage and runtime. During the engineering stage, they allow IntelliSense to directly browse template members if a reference points to a template. At runtime, they enable string data validation.

All Reference tags have an additional runtime attribute: the Link property, which specifies the tag that the reference will be linked to during execution.

Essentially, the Link property is a string property that needs to receive the target tag name before using the reference tag. You can assign a string directly or by using a string expression. The best way to set the Link property is to use the method GetName(), which will create the string based on the current tag name. This approach allows you to rename the tag without needing to search through strings. It also shows the tag names linked in the cross-reference utility.

Examples:

@Tag.Reference1.Link = @Tag.TagName.GetName();

@Tag.Reference1.Link = "Tag.TagName";

@Tag.Reference1.Link = "Tag.TagNa" + "me"; 

The reason for using the GetName() method instead of using strings directly is that with GetName(), you retain the benefits of Cross-Reference and Refactoring.

Importing Tag Definitions

There are many ways to import Tag definition to the Solution:

• Just copy from another Solution and paste it in the Unified Namespace / Tags DataGrid.

• Using the Import from CSV Files.

• Using the Solution Import Tags. We offer a wide range of tools, including .NET Classes, CSV files, OPC Server, OSIsoft PI Historian and PI AF, Prediktor Historian, Rockwell ControlLogix, Siemens, SNMP, SQL DataTable, Tundra, TwinCAT, UnityPro, WirelessHart, and XML files.

• Using the EngWrapper API.

After importing the tags, you can organize them using the Asset Modeling feature, which enables you to create a hierarchical structure for your Solution's tags.

Importing Tags and PLC Addresses from Excel

The "Import from Excel" enables easy importation of tags and PLC addresses. The process is as simple as copying and pasting the content of an Excel table, ensuring that you include the titles of the columns. The feature allows for flexibility in having tables with different columns or arranged differently in your Solution. 

Importing from CSV Files

The importation of CSV files encompasses two main approaches: Individual CSV Files and Extended CSV Files.

Individual CSV Files

In this scenario, you can import items for each individual table available throughout the Engineering Environment. This feature is especially useful for adding items, such as alarms, to your Solution. When a grid is in focus, the import button on the top bar becomes available. Upon clicking it, a import dialog window will open, allowing you to select the CSV file to be imported. For a more detailed understanding of this process, refer to our detailed guide in Individual CSV File.

Extended CSV Files

Here, the idea is to use a single .CSV table to import information on Tags, Devices, Alarms, and historian items. In this case, the final table is a concatenation of the various grids from the Solution. This feature can be particularly useful for importing a large amount of correlated information at once. For more information on how to utilize this feature, refer to our comprehensive guide in the Extended CSV Files section.

Tag Properties

Either creating a new tag, or editing tags, in the DataGrid view or the properties dialogs, the tag has the following configuration fields.

The table lists all properties available for the Tags. However, not all properties described in the documentation are displayed in the data grids by default. Right-click column headers to see which property columns are currently displaying. The displayed properties appear with a check mark.  

Additional Tag Configuration

Optional configuration properties offer additional customization for tags. These properties can be edited after importing the tags into the Solution and include:

Devices

Device Address: The address or location of the tag in the PLC or data source.

Image Added

Key Features: 

• Node: Determine the node of the channel source where the tag data resides.
• Address: Defines a address for the  and PLC/data source.
• AcessType: If the tag will be only Read, Write or ReadWrite.

Alarm

Alarm Configurations: Settings related to alarms triggered by tag values.

Image Added

Key Features:

• Condition: Defines a a condition for a alarm to trigger.
• Groups: Its possible group the alarms items in a group with its own configuration properties.
• Limit: Defines the value of alarm trigger based on the condition defined.

Historian

Historian Settings: Configurations for data logging and archiving.

Image Added

Key Features: 

• Deadband: The Deadband is a range within which value changes are considered insignificant and, therefore, aren't recorded. This helps in reducing unnecessary logging of data when the value changes are minimal or within an acceptable range.

• Table: Defines the specific table where the historical data for this tag will be stored.

• Dev/DeadbandType: This is an extension of the Deadband concept. It allows you to define the type of Deadband to be applied. This could be based on an absolute value, percentage, or other criteria, depending on your requirements.

• Dev/Deadband Limit: Here, you define the specific threshold for the Deadband. Any changes in the tag value below this threshold won't be recorded. For example, if set at 0.5, only changes greater than this value will be logged.

Runtime Attributes

Access Tags Namespace to see the properties of the alarm server. 

This section describes only some commonly used properties.

For general information and concepts on objects namespaces and attributes, go to the section Objects and Namespaces.

In this section:

Table of Contents
maxLevel 4 minLevel 3 include #

Troubleshooting and Common #Issues

Some common issues that may arise while working with importing Tag definitions include:

#Inconsistency or missing data after importing:

Ensure that the import files (Excel, CSV, or any other supported format) are properly formatted and follow the guidelines mentioned in the documentation. Check if the required columns are present, and verify that the data types and values are compatible with the destination tables.

#Performance issues during import:

If you experience slow import times or performance issues during the import process, consider optimizing the organization of tags, assets, and templates to reduce unnecessary data overhead and improve system performance. Refer to the respective sections in the documentation for more information on optimization and best practices.

Best Practices and #Recommendations To get the most out of importing Tag definitions, follow these best practices:

Best Practices and #Recommendations

#Proper formatting of import files:

Ensure that the import files adhere to the required formats and structures, as mentioned in the documentation. Use the appropriate column names, data types, and values to avoid inconsistencies or missing data.

#Regular maintenance and organization of tags and assets:

Organize tags and assets in a clear and hierarchical manner, making it easier for users to navigate and understand the data. Use templates to create reusable data structures, reducing redundancy and streamlining data management. Regularly review and update tags and assets to ensure their accuracy and relevance.

#Efficient use of import tools and methods:

Choose the most suitable import method based on your project requirements and available resources. Utilize available import tools and wizards, such as the Import from Excel or Import from CSV Files tools, to simplify and automate the import process.

#Monitoring and validation:

After importing Tag definitions, verify the accuracy and completeness of the imported data by checking the Tag values and their associations with other elements, such as alarms or historian configurations. Implement monitoring systems and scripts to regularly report system performance and connection status with external data sources, and set up alarm conditions for critical situations.