# How to test tag behavior without affecting running Ignition program

**URL:** <https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/how-to-test-tag-behavior-without-affecting-running-ignition-program/79087>\
**Category:** Ignition\
**Tags:** vision, scripting\
**Created:** [September 13, 2023, 3:12pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/how-to-test-tag-behavior-without-affecting-running-ignition-program/79087 "2023-09-13T15:12:53Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Brittany\_Villasenor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e68b1a/32.png) [@Brittany\_Villasenor](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/Brittany_Villasenor)\
**Post date:** [September 13, 2023, 3:12pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/how-to-test-tag-behavior-without-affecting-running-ignition-program/79087/1 "2023-09-13T15:12:53Z")

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I have a script that writes to a SQL database and then needs to trigger a tag at the end of the script.

This is what I have at the end of my script to trigger the Boolean tag:

```auto
system.tag.write("Laguna Projects/" + selected_saw + "/Reset_Blade_Counts", 1)
                        
import time
time.sleep(1)
                        
system.tag.write("Laguna Projects/" + selected_saw + "/Reset_Blade_Counts", 0)

```

I am wanting a way to test that this is in fact resetting the blade counts. I read online that if I made a copy of the tag, it would not affect the original but when I wrote to the test tag, it wrote to both so I don't believe that to be true.

My question is... how can I test that this is working without affecting the current tags that are being used in the program? I don't want to actually reset their blade counts but want to make sure this is working as expected. Any suggestions?

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**Author:** ![pascal.fragnoud](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/pascal.fragnoud/32/24728_2.png) [@pascal.fragnoud](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/pascal.fragnoud)\
**Post date:** [September 13, 2023, 4:57pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/how-to-test-tag-behavior-without-affecting-running-ignition-program/79087/2 "2023-09-13T16:57:57Z")

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> [@Brittany\_Villasenor](#):
>
> when I wrote to the test tag, it wrote to both so I don't believe that to be true.

Can you give more details about this ?  
How did you copy the tag, what kind of tag is it, etc.

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**Author:** ![Brittany\_Villasenor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e68b1a/32.png) [@Brittany\_Villasenor](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/Brittany_Villasenor)\
**Post date:** [September 13, 2023, 5:26pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/how-to-test-tag-behavior-without-affecting-running-ignition-program/79087/3 "2023-09-13T17:26:06Z")

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I hit "copy" and then "paste" and renamed the new tag. It was an int4 tag.

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**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:** [September 13, 2023, 5:30pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/how-to-test-tag-behavior-without-affecting-running-ignition-program/79087/4 "2023-09-13T17:30:06Z")

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> [@Brittany\_Villasenor](#):
>
> I hit "copy" and then "paste" and renamed the new tag

If this was an OPC tag or reference tag or derived tag, copying makes a new tag that **is still connected to the same underlying target**. So when you write to the copy, the original gets updated too.

Make a new memory tag, not a copy.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Brittany\_Villasenor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e68b1a/32.png) [@Brittany\_Villasenor](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/Brittany_Villasenor)\
**Post date:** [September 13, 2023, 5:31pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/how-to-test-tag-behavior-without-affecting-running-ignition-program/79087/5 "2023-09-13T17:31:31Z")

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It was an OPC tag. I'll do the memory tag instead of hitting copy and paste on the original tag. Thanks!