# Any detriment to using verbose tag names/paths? **URL:** \ **Category:** Ignition\ **Tags:** ignition83, vision, perspective\ **Created:** [February 18, 2026, 10:32pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/any-detriment-to-using-verbose-tag-names-paths/114047 "2026-02-18T22:32:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Greyship](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/898d66/32.png) [@Greyship](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/Greyship)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2026, 10:32pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/any-detriment-to-using-verbose-tag-names-paths/114047/1 "2026-02-18T22:32:51Z")
I’m trying to determine if there is any detrimental effects of using verbose tag names and paths verses more succinct ones, for example imagine I have a number of data acquisition units with diagnostics, and my tag paths end up being: `Diagnostics\Data Acquisition Unit\X\Environment\High Temperature` Versus something like `Diag\DAU\X\Env\HiTemp` - If there are a lot of tags like this on a page, is one preferred over the other? - Is there an effect on page start-up time (Vision or Perspective)? - Does this dramatically increase the size of logs (I don’t think so, but just to check)? - Is there a higher network load on the OPC-UA server? ---
**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:** [February 18, 2026, 10:40pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/any-detriment-to-using-verbose-tag-names-paths/114047/2 "2026-02-18T22:40:57Z")
I recommend using full words, or nearly so, with no spaces or punctuation. (Basically, names that work as programming variable names.) I recommend avoiding repeating words towards the leaf that are in folder names. But most important, **be consistent**. This is crucial for constructing user interfaces with re-usable windows/templates/views/popups. ---
**Author:** ![Greyship](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/898d66/32.png) [@Greyship](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/Greyship)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2026, 10:44pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/any-detriment-to-using-verbose-tag-names-paths/114047/3 "2026-02-18T22:44:13Z")
Always appreciated for your insight Phil, but do you have any information on the performance aspect of this, aside from the “best practices for maintainability”? I agree with your recommendation 100%, just want to know if, for example, I have 500 tags on a page (Vision primarily, in some form or another, driving indicators, hidden, etc. as a worst-case), if one is better than the other? ---
**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:** [February 18, 2026, 10:49pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/any-detriment-to-using-verbose-tag-names-paths/114047/4 "2026-02-18T22:49:41Z")
Not that I know of. Certainly not for tag bindings (subscriptions). Possibly a slight impact of `system.tag.read*()`, but I wouldn't expect that to be an issue short of tens of thousands of tags in a single read. ---
**Author:** ![paul-griffith](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/paul-griffith/32/37249_2.png) [@paul-griffith](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/paul-griffith)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2026, 10:54pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/any-detriment-to-using-verbose-tag-names-paths/114047/5 "2026-02-18T22:54:02Z")
What Phil said, but don't go overboard. Windows (sigh) has issues with file paths longer than 255 characters. This starts to become relevant in Ignition 8.3, where tag configuration is stored in a series of flat files on disk that reflect the same hierarchy as your tag organization. `C:/Program Files/Inductive Automation/Ignition/data/config/resources/core/ignition/tag-definition/default/Diagnostics/Data Acquisition Unit/X/Environment/High Temperature` is 170 characters. As far as I remember, Java/Ignition handles these long paths okay, but the rest of the OS, including literally `explorer.exe`, starts to behave _very_ strangely. ---
**Author:** ![Greyship](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/898d66/32.png) [@Greyship](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/Greyship)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2026, 11:07pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/any-detriment-to-using-verbose-tag-names-paths/114047/6 "2026-02-18T23:07:32Z")
Thanks Paul, luckily in our case all of this will be on RHEL, but it’s good to know of the quirks. You’d think by Windows 11 they would have fixed the 255 character issue better than they have... ---
**Author:** ![nminchin](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/nminchin/32/6911_2.png) [@nminchin](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/nminchin)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2026, 11:12pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/any-detriment-to-using-verbose-tag-names-paths/114047/7 "2026-02-18T23:12:09Z")
> [@Greyship](#): > > High Temperature I prefer object then descriptor ie Temperature High. It's far better for sorting, similar to date formats in file names (yyyy-mm-dd) > [@paul-griffith](#): > > Windows (sigh) has issues with file paths longer than 255 characters. This doesn’t surprise me unfortunately… just like Microsoft's failure to programme competent search algorithms in its products ---
**Author:** ![Nol](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Nol](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/Nol)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2026, 11:17pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/any-detriment-to-using-verbose-tag-names-paths/114047/8 "2026-02-18T23:17:17Z")
> [@nminchin](#): > > I prefer object then descriptor ie Temperature High. It's far better for sorting, similar to date formats in file names (yyyy-mm-dd) Yeah, this helps with the alphabetical organizing especially with some devices like our flowmeters ```python Flow_Alarm_Hi Flow_Alarm_Lo Flow_PV Temp_Alarm_Hi Temp_Alarm_Lo Temp_PV Pres_ DiffPres_ ....and so on ``` ---
**Author:** ![JordanCClark](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/jordancclark/32/83362_2.png) [@JordanCClark](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/JordanCClark)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2026, 3:14pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/any-detriment-to-using-verbose-tag-names-paths/114047/9 "2026-02-20T15:14:16Z")
> [@paul-griffith](#): > > Windows (sigh) has issues with file paths longer than 255 characters. > [@Greyship](#): > > You’d think by Windows 11 they would have fixed the 255 character issue better than they have... They did... sorta... but not by default. Mostly because there are still al lot of old server architecture out there. Heck, I was finally able to retire a Server 2003 box in 2024. ![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/original/3X/2/2/22cfa63699617301086084f4c26423788f41f136.png) ---
**Author:** ![Kevin.Herron](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/kevin.herron/32/7259_2.png) [@Kevin.Herron](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/Kevin.Herron)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2026, 3:17pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/any-detriment-to-using-verbose-tag-names-paths/114047/10 "2026-02-20T15:17:37Z")
I'm _pretty sure_ we set this registry key when you use the 8.3 installer on Windows... but having it set doesn't fix the broken behavior in some applications, including Explorer from what I am told. ---
**Author:** ![JordanCClark](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/jordancclark/32/83362_2.png) [@JordanCClark](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/JordanCClark)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2026, 3:19pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/any-detriment-to-using-verbose-tag-names-paths/114047/11 "2026-02-20T15:19:21Z")
> [@Kevin.Herron](#): > > doesn't fix the broken behavior in some applications It's why 'sorta' made it into my post. ---
**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:** [February 20, 2026, 3:20pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/any-detriment-to-using-verbose-tag-names-paths/114047/12 "2026-02-20T15:20:09Z")
So **many** reasons to kick Windows to the curb. ---
**Author:** ![bkarabinchak.psi](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/bkarabinchak.psi/32/83567_2.png) [@bkarabinchak.psi](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/bkarabinchak.psi)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2026, 4:26pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/any-detriment-to-using-verbose-tag-names-paths/114047/13 "2026-02-20T16:26:02Z")
Nobody will ever need more than 255 chars of path string. ---
**Author:** ![David\_Stone](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/david_stone/32/79749_2.png) [@David\_Stone](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/David_Stone)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2026, 2:22am UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/any-detriment-to-using-verbose-tag-names-paths/114047/14 "2026-02-21T02:22:22Z")
Probably pop up on a subscription plan soon from M$