# Alarm Label relative reference to a containing UDT property

**URL:** <https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/alarm-label-relative-reference-to-a-containing-udt-property/93113>\
**Category:** Ignition\
**Created:** [July 11, 2024, 8:34pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/alarm-label-relative-reference-to-a-containing-udt-property/93113 "2024-07-11T20:34:15Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![FX3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b782af/32.png) [@FX3](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/FX3)\
**Post date:** [July 11, 2024, 8:34pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/alarm-label-relative-reference-to-a-containing-udt-property/93113/1 "2024-07-11T20:34:15Z")

</div>

This might be easy and I'm a moron or impossible but I can't find an answer.

I have two UDTs.

UDT1 definition:  
int alarmTag1  
int alarmTag2  
int alarmTag3

UDT2 definition:  
UDT1 instance1  
UDT1 instance2  
UDT1 instance3

In my tag browser I have an instance of UDT2 myTag1. I set the helpful Documentation property in my tag instance:

myTag1/instance1.Documentation = "some text A"  
myTag1/instance2.Documentation = "some text B"  
myTag1/instance3.Documentation = "some text C"

(note I could have used a custom property here but I still can't get that to work)

I want to get this text above into my alarm labels by setting the 'Label' property of each alarmTag#'s alarm within the UDT1 definition. I am expecting to do something like

{[.]../.Documentation)} or {[.]../(.Documentation)}

Is my syntax wrong? This not possible for some reason?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![pturmel](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/pturmel/32/3295_2.png) [@pturmel](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/pturmel)\
**Post date:** [July 11, 2024, 8:49pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/alarm-label-relative-reference-to-a-containing-udt-property/93113/2 "2024-07-11T20:49:22Z")

</div>

Try `{[.]instance1.documentation}`.

There's no equivalent of `{this}` in tag bindings.

Be aware that bindings in alarm properties are only evaluated when the alarm becomes active (or the tag restarts completely, IIRC). They are **not** live subscriptions.

In UDTs, all tag properties can have bindings, too, but the same applies--only parameter changes will cause the tag restart that re-evaluates them.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![FX3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b782af/32.png) [@FX3](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/FX3)\
**Post date:** [July 11, 2024, 9:10pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/alarm-label-relative-reference-to-a-containing-udt-property/93113/3 "2024-07-11T21:10:37Z")

</div>

> Try `{[.]instance1.documentation}`

My alarm tags are in the UDT1 definition as:

- int alarmTag1
- int alarmTag2
- int alarmTag3

From there it wouldn't make sense it would refer to an instance of itself, right?

> There's no equivalent of `{this}` in tag bindings

That's right? I guess I thought [.] was basically doing that.

In other cases I do things like {[.]../tagInContainingUDT} with success. i just want to get to a property.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![pturmel](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/pturmel/32/3295_2.png) [@pturmel](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/pturmel)\
**Post date:** [July 11, 2024, 9:34pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/alarm-label-relative-reference-to-a-containing-udt-property/93113/4 "2024-07-11T21:34:15Z")

</div>

> [@FX3](#):
>
> I though [.] was basically doing that.

No, `[.]` points to the **folder** containing the subject tag.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![FX3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b782af/32.png) [@FX3](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/FX3)\
**Post date:** [July 11, 2024, 10:13pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/alarm-label-relative-reference-to-a-containing-udt-property/93113/5 "2024-07-11T22:13:23Z")

</div>

So using the folder structure its not possible to reach a property of a UDT instance? I do notice that I don't see those in the tag browser. I do, however, see properties (like .Documentation) for the primitives there.

And I can definitely reach mine with `system.tag.readBlocking("[default]myTag1/instance1.Documentation")`

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![FX3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b782af/32.png) [@FX3](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/FX3)\
**Post date:** [July 11, 2024, 10:27pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/alarm-label-relative-reference-to-a-containing-udt-property/93113/6 "2024-07-11T22:27:45Z")

</div>

Ok so I think I _was_ just being a moron and this

> [@pturmel](#):
>
> No, `[.]` points to the **folder** containing the subject tag.

did help me. What I needed was `{[.].Documentation)}`. Thank you.