# Easily create derived tags

**URL:** <https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/easily-create-derived-tags/109694>\
**Category:** Ignition\
**Created:** [August 13, 2025, 1:19pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/easily-create-derived-tags/109694 "2025-08-13T13:19:37Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![dick.willis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7ea924/32.png) [@dick.willis](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/dick.willis)\
**Post date:** [August 13, 2025, 1:19pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/easily-create-derived-tags/109694/1 "2025-08-13T13:19:37Z")

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We are working through a tag-naming and tag-folder-organizing problem. i think this is a common goal, but haven’t seen an easy way to do it.

Goal:

Have a tag tree that allows us to view machines in a number of different paths. Let’s say there are 50 tags related to one of our stamping presses … commonly known as StampingPress Baker10. It was made by ACME Corporation, Model DEF, and has SN 12345

- Location: the path to the tags would be State\City\Plant\Area\…\CommonName
  - Coyote\PlantA\AreaB\SectionC\StampingPress\Baker10

- AssetTracking: the path to the tag would be based on function, manufacturer, model, serial number
  - StampingPress\Acme\DEF\12345

- MaintenanceTeam: the path would be just a list of tags by CommonName
  - Maintenance\Baker10

We are familiar with derived tags … but … was wondering if there’s a way to more easily create a folder of derived tags (i.e. select a folder … click on COPY … have an option for PASTE … PASTE AS DERIVED

Notes:

- We do understand that we could just create our own database of tag paths and then mix/match as needed. But we think (?) that there will be value in having these alternate views of the machine embedded in a tag tree instead of a database.
- We have a UDT that is supposed to be instantiated with each asset, that tracks Mfr, Model, SerialNumber, GlobalTrackingNumber, Category, CommonName … so we CAN devise a method of re-arranging the “view” based on the contents of that UDT.

What do folks do about this?

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<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:** [August 13, 2025, 3:22pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/easily-create-derived-tags/109694/2 "2025-08-13T15:22:24Z")

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I would make one UDT instance using a unified namespace, like your "Location". I would include the other metadata as custom properties on the UDT instances, and maintain an in-memory cache of metadata strings versus UNS tag paths. (I've helped clients do similar with my `globalVarMap()` function from my Integration Toolkit.)

Make your UI components accept UNS tag paths. Make navigation views per hierarchy, traversing the desired tree.

FWIW, I also recommend that plants in an organization be given short unique codes to use in place of State/City/Plant, and use them as tag provider names. Maintain a separate static index of tag provider names versus State/City/Plant. It is then easily extensible to include Country, and if you make your remote tag providers use them too, everything 'Just Works'.