# Error "Bad\_Failure" when writing empty string to tag in Ignition

**URL:** <https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/error-bad-failure-when-writing-empty-string-to-tag-in-ignition/108154>\
**Category:** Ignition\
**Tags:** scripting\
**Created:** [July 5, 2025, 9:53am UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/error-bad-failure-when-writing-empty-string-to-tag-in-ignition/108154 "2025-07-05T09:53:04Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![WRM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f475e1/32.png) [@WRM](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/WRM)\
**Post date:** [July 5, 2025, 9:53am UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/error-bad-failure-when-writing-empty-string-to-tag-in-ignition/108154/1 "2025-07-05T09:53:04Z")

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Hi everyone,

I'm encountering an issue in Ignition SCADA when writing an empty string ("") to a tag. After running my script, the tag value updates to an empty string as expected, but I still get a "Bad\_Failure" error popup. Here are the details:

Error writing "" to tag [Default]TestCompany/ML/A3/ObjID\_Des Bad\_Failure

- Tag Path: [Default]TestCompany/ML/A3/ObjID\_Des
- Error Message: Error writing "" to tag [Default]TestCompany/ML/A3/ObjID\_Des Bad\_Failure
- Script Behavior: My script sets ObjID\_Des to "". The tag value updates correctly, but the error persists.
- Tag Configuration:  
-- Access Rights: Read\_Write  
-- Tag Quality: Good  
-- Data Type: String  
-- OPC PLC Settings: Confirmed that the PLC allows writing empty string values  
-- Security: Configured to allow Read\_Write for anyone  
What I've Tried:

Verified that the tag is writable and has no security restrictions.  
Checked the OPC server connection, which is stable.  
Confirmed the PLC accepts empty strings for this tag.

Questions:

- Why does writing an empty string trigger a Bad\_Failure error even though the tag updates correctly?
- Is there a specific configuration in Ignition or the OPC server I should check to allow empty string writes without errors?
- Could this be related to the tag's OPC item settings or a bug in Ignition?

Thanks in advance!

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<div class="post-metadata">

**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:** [July 5, 2025, 12:39pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/error-bad-failure-when-writing-empty-string-to-tag-in-ignition/108154/2 "2025-07-05T12:39:59Z")

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Is this a third party OPC server or Ignition OPC UA + driver? If Ignition, which driver? What’s the OPC Item Path of the tag?

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![robertm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ea5d25/32.png) [@robertm](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/robertm)\
**Post date:** [July 5, 2025, 2:14pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/error-bad-failure-when-writing-empty-string-to-tag-in-ignition/108154/3 "2025-07-05T14:14:47Z")

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What if you write an ASCII 0x00, does it error?

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![WRM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f475e1/32.png) [@WRM](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/WRM)\
**Post date:** [July 7, 2025, 6:23am UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/error-bad-failure-when-writing-empty-string-to-tag-in-ignition/108154/4 "2025-07-07T06:23:07Z")

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Sorry for getting back to you late! Here’s the image with the tag properties. I’m still figuring this out, so if you have any questions, just let me know!

 ![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/original/3X/f/2/f2810db8a0a6dd6ff224d5046203d2acd59973f4.png)  
 ![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/original/3X/e/9/e9d4237257901faf5cdb6264ba844d055f7f2df2.png)

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<div class="post-metadata">

**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:** [July 7, 2025, 12:15pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/error-bad-failure-when-writing-empty-string-to-tag-in-ignition/108154/5 "2025-07-07T12:15:23Z")

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Set the logging level for the `com.inductiveautomation.ignition.gateway.opcua.client.connection.OpcUaConnection` logger(s) to DEBUG and then try the write again. Afterwards see if there is an error in the gateway logs.