I wrote a comment here last week, but it seems it may have been lost in that old thread.
I am wondering what options there are available to have different tag definitions on each deployment mode.
Basically we would have the tags configured as memory tags in the dev environment and as OPC tags in the production environment, seeing as we don’t have the field equipment connected for dev.
Is there a way to import tag definitions for each deployment mode through the tag importer on the designer or does this have to be manually overridden using the json files? It seems whenever I do an import there it always imports to core regardless of the mode that the gateway is started in.
Typically, when developing I will just edit the JSON before importing as it’s the easiest way I have found. Someone maybe able to fill you in with a proper way to do it, but a fair bit of mass tag work I just use Notepad++ (or similar) and do mass edits to the file. It’s the quickest and cleanest way in my experience.
I usually find it easier to use simulators (like my Modbus and EtherNet/IP drivers) configured to match the network setup of the production system. This is easiest if you use DNS names everywhere, so you can repoint things with /etc/hosts outside of a gateway backup.
The simulators can include code to response to Ignition actions, for more realistic testing than is possible with memory tags.
This is how we would typically have our staging setup, so that deployment mode would have the OPC tags configured and hooked up to either a PLC simulator or a Modbus simulator for carrying out actual testing of the system. This represents as close to the real world as we can get.
The reason I am looking to do this is more from a development workflow. So only in dev deployment mode those tags would be memory tags. This is more for a development sanity check so they can do some quick tests that the tag mappings work as expected before it gets to staging.
Are you referring to the Ignition Programmable Device Simulator?
Yeah I get that, but I guess the whole flexibility of having deployment modes is that it should be possible to have slight differences, if required.
Anyway, back to the original question - is it possible via the UI for us to import different tag definitions using deployment modes or will these always import to core?
No, I never use that. It doesn't expose anything externally, so cannot be used (effectively) from another gateway. I use my own drivers (EtherNet/IP Host Device and Advanced Modbus Server), typically in trial mode. They implement the actual protocols so an IA driver in your dev gateway can point at it across your dev network.
Concur. Emphasis on slight.
I'm pretty the answer elsewhere was that, for now, you need to move the imported files to the desired deployment folder yourself.
As far as I know, no. Nothing in the tag browser accounts for deployment modes.
Adding that to the designer sounds like a daunting process that will be sure to confuse end users even more than the deployment mode UI on the gateway.
