# Alerts question

**URL:** <https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/alerts-question/1933>\
**Category:** Ignition\
**Created:** [June 15, 2010, 4:53pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/alerts-question/1933 "2010-06-15T16:53:46Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![alex.ferrell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/958977/32.png) [@alex.ferrell](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/alex.ferrell)\
**Post date:** [June 15, 2010, 4:53pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/alerts-question/1933/1 "2010-06-15T16:53:46Z")

</div>

I am considering using Ignition for applications where we have traditionally used a PanelView or other stand-alone HMI. One question I have is in regard to alerts. From what I understand, alerts are configured individually for each SQLTag. I have used HMIs like this before and it is always cumbersome creating / defining alerts. Typically I have an array or table of INTs or DINTs in my PLC. On a PanelView I can quickly create a chart of alarms where each alarm is activated by a particular bit in the array or table. Is there any way to do this with Ignition?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Travis.Cox](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Travis.Cox](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/Travis.Cox)\
**Post date:** [June 16, 2010, 6:22pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/alerts-question/1933/2 "2010-06-16T18:22:48Z")

</div>

Unfortunately, the answer is no. Alerts are configured per tag as either a digital alert or analog alert. In order to alert of a bit in an array you have to separate the bit out.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![alex.ferrell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/958977/32.png) [@alex.ferrell](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/alex.ferrell)\
**Post date:** [June 16, 2010, 8:49pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/alerts-question/1933/3 "2010-06-16T20:49:01Z")

</div>

If I am not using a tag, and there is not an alert defined for that tag, will Ignition still actively update that tag? Since I typically keep all my faults in an array, I could use Excel to quickly edit and create all possible alarm tags and them import back to Ignition. I would then enable the alert and enter the proper alarm text for each fault. A lot of them may not be used however so I don’t want Ignition reading all the fault tags unnecessarily.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Travis.Cox](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Travis.Cox](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/Travis.Cox)\
**Post date:** [June 16, 2010, 8:57pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/alerts-question/1933/4 "2010-06-16T20:57:13Z")

</div>

If you have a tag defined in SQLTags it does get scanned even though you may or may not be using it.

All SQLTags (tags) have a scan class. The scan class dictates when the values are updated. The default is direct which means it always scans the tag at a certain rate. We do have two other modes leased and driven but they have to do with scanning them on certain conditions, not when you are not using a tag.

The nice thing is you can break up the array into multiple tags and delete the ones you are not using.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Carl.Gould](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/carl.gould/32/7262_2.png) [@Carl.Gould](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/Carl.Gould)\
**Post date:** [June 18, 2010, 5:04pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/alerts-question/1933/5 "2010-06-18T17:04:44Z")

</div>

All tags also have an “enabled” flag that you could toggle to make sure they didn’t get updated if they weren’t being used.