# Read Blocking Function with Special Characters in the Alarm Name **URL:** \ **Category:** Ignition\ **Tags:** perspective, ignition81\ **Created:** [June 18, 2026, 6:25pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/read-blocking-function-with-special-characters-in-the-alarm-name/116061 "2026-06-18T18:25:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![raees.khan](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/raees.khan/32/76218_2.png) [@raees.khan](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/raees.khan)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2026, 6:25pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/read-blocking-function-with-special-characters-in-the-alarm-name/116061/1 "2026-06-18T18:25:48Z")
Hello, I am trying to read a property of ana alarm however the alarm name has a special character in it. Like, if an alarm is called Speed \> 10 and I want to read the enabled property of this alarm using the readBlocking() function, I get an error stating Illegal character '\>'. How do I tackle this? Thanks ---
**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:** [June 18, 2026, 6:31pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/read-blocking-function-with-special-characters-in-the-alarm-name/116061/2 "2026-06-18T18:31:10Z")
Don't use special characters in names. While you can argue that the designer doesn't **stop** you from using such names, so it **should** Just Work™, there are so many corner cases that you are just asking for trouble. Make tag and object names compliant with java/jython method/attribute names for uniformly reliable results throughout Ignition. ---
**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:** [June 18, 2026, 6:43pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/read-blocking-function-with-special-characters-in-the-alarm-name/116061/3 "2026-06-18T18:43:27Z")
AFAIK the only solution in this case is to read the entire configuration of the tag and then index into the alarm you want. Which is another way of saying 'do what Phil suggests'. ---
**Author:** ![tyler.bennett](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f04885/32.png) [@tyler.bennett](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/tyler.bennett)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2026, 8:44pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/read-blocking-function-with-special-characters-in-the-alarm-name/116061/4 "2026-06-22T20:44:49Z")
`system.alarm.queryStatus()` will handle alarm names with special characters and can retrieve the runtime value of alarm properties. **Example code:** ```python def get_alarm_property_value(alarm_path): provider_name, tag_path = alarm_path.split("]",1) provider_name = provider_name[1:] tag_path, alarm_name = tag_path.split("/Alarms/") alarm_name, property_name = alarm_name.split(".") source = "prov:{}:/tag:{}:/alm:{}".format(provider_name, tag_path, alarm_name) response = system.alarm.queryStatus(source=source) alarm_event = response[0] property_value = alarm_event.get(property_name) return property_value path = "[default]_TEST_/Boolean/Alarms/PV > 80%.Enabled" value = get_alarm_property_value(path) print "path: ", path print "value:", value ``` > [@pturmel](#): > > Don't use special characters in names Solid advice considering built-in functions, like `system.tag.readBlocking()`, will outright fail when special characters are encountered... as identified by the OP above. However, I fall into the school of thought that the software should either prevent, actively warn against, or universally handle special characters without error. As the software does not prevent the use of special characters in alarm names, someone will use special characters. So we should gracefully handle them if possible. > [@Murphy](#): > > Anything that can go wrong will go wrong. > [@paul-griffith](#): > > read the entire configuration of the tag and then index into the alarm you want. Unfortunately, reading tag configuration does not provide access to alarm runtime values, including resolved values for any properties with bindings. For that I think `system.tag.read*` and `system.alarm.queryStatus` are the only options. And the first will fail with special characters. **NOTE:** As word of caution with retrieval of the runtime value for alarm properties with bindings. It is my observation that Ignition uses the "lazy" approach to resolving alarm property bindings. Bindings on properties not critical to determination of whether the alarm is active or not (e.g. label) only get resolved/updated when they are needed (e.g. on active, clear, ack events). . ---
**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:** [June 22, 2026, 8:48pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/read-blocking-function-with-special-characters-in-the-alarm-name/116061/5 "2026-06-22T20:48:58Z")
> [@tyler.bennett](#): > > So we should gracefully handle them if possible. I don't precisely disagree, in principle, but do you have magic wand to loan to IA? In practice? 🤷‍♂️ ---
**Author:** ![tyler.bennett](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f04885/32.png) [@tyler.bennett](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/tyler.bennett)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2026, 8:58pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/read-blocking-function-with-special-characters-in-the-alarm-name/116061/6 "2026-06-22T20:58:55Z")
I suggest the built-in functions that fail with special characters could/should be fixed by IA to gracefully handle special characters. Which seems entirely possible as an outside observer. IA seems oddly content to just let it be. Other than that, we (integrators) are left to discover work-arounds by trial and error... like using `system.alarm.queryStatus` instead of `system.tag.read*` to read alarm property runtime values. On a general note... Ignition best practices, and practices to avoid, are not always obvious to new users or even long-time users. I appreciate the the software is not too restrictive (allows enough rope to hang yourself with) but have thought from time to time that some sort of tunable analyzer that would detect and warn of discouraged practices (like special characters in alarm names), while advising of best/better practice would be handy. Leaving compliance optional.