# Read tag address and descriptions from Siemens PLC

**URL:** <https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/read-tag-address-and-descriptions-from-siemens-plc/44246>\
**Category:** General Discussion\
**Created:** [March 8, 2021, 11:27pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/read-tag-address-and-descriptions-from-siemens-plc/44246 "2021-03-08T23:27:10Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![nicholas.robinson](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/nicholas.robinson/32/22188_2.png) [@nicholas.robinson](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/nicholas.robinson)\
**Post date:** [March 8, 2021, 11:27pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/read-tag-address-and-descriptions-from-siemens-plc/44246/1 "2021-03-08T23:27:10Z")

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With non browsable PLCs like Siemens normally you have to have a listing of tag addresses.

I heard an idea today that it’s possible to read the tag address and descriptions from a script in ignition and then create the OPCUA tags from that data.

Has anyone ever heard of such a thing?

It would mean essentially all you need is an IP address and a DB number.

Thanks,

Nick

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**Author:** ![nideyijuyidong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7cd45c/32.png) [@nideyijuyidong](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/nideyijuyidong)\
**Post date:** [March 9, 2021, 5:29am UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/read-tag-address-and-descriptions-from-siemens-plc/44246/2 "2021-03-09T05:29:40Z")

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In python,it’s OK.But you need a package like python-snap7.  
ignition script is python, so I think it’s possible,but unnecessary.

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**Author:** ![nminchin](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/nminchin/32/6911_2.png) [@nminchin](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/nminchin)\
**Post date:** [March 9, 2021, 10:14am UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/read-tag-address-and-descriptions-from-siemens-plc/44246/3 "2021-03-09T10:14:49Z")

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> [@nicholas.robinson](#):
>
> read the tag address and descriptions from a script in ignition

You could certainly write a script that would read a tag export (or maybe even the programme file itself, I'm not that familiar with Siemens) from a Siemens programme and create the tags from that. I daresay you'd still have to rename them in Ignition though.  
Is that what you mean?

I would create a little interface to select a tag export file, read it in and then process it and spit out tags. Either create the tags directly with system.tag.configure, or have a 2-step (or 7-step 🤣) process by first listing the tags in a table copied to the clipboard, processing that table in Excel, then another script to convert that to json to import (or again use configure)