Editing Tag Objects

Working with Creating and Editing Tags

This section elucidates the concepts and functionality of the 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

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

2. In Unified Namespace and Tags > Tags, click on the 'New Item' icon to create new tags, or the Tag Properties to edit an existing tag.

The following dialog will be presented. 

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 in the Unified Namespace > Asset Tree page, you select in which folder the Tag will be created. You can also right-click on the desired folder and select the 'New Tag' option.

To create or edit tags in the Unified Namespace view, navigate to the "Unified Namespace > Tags" section. From there, you can create new tags or edit existing ones, assigning them to specific data types or templates. When creating a tag, make sure to define the relevant attributes, such as data source, initial values, and any necessary metadata. Existing tags can be edited to update their attributes or modify their relations with other tags or assets as needed.

Main Configuration Properties (review name)

To import tags, ensure these properties are set correctly 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:

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: 

The fields above are visible by default on the datagrid view. To add or remove columns, right-click the column heading area and check or uncheck the columns that should be visible.

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.

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.

Data manipulation and integration are fundamental elements in setting up any project. Within these processes, the "Import from Excel" and "Import from CSV Files" are notably useful and versatile features to facilitate information importation.

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 project. Upon clicking the "Import" button, you choose the .CSV file that contains the tag's information, creating them automatically in your project. Additionally, the system saves your import settings for future use. For a detailed step-by-step of this process, consult the comprehensive guide in the Importing Tags and PLC Addresses section.

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 project. 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 project. 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.

Therefore, if you're looking for an efficient way to import tags, PLC addresses, alarms, and more into your project, the Excel and CSV import functionality is an indispensable tool.

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