# Scripting question with custom property **URL:** \ **Category:** Ignition\ **Tags:** vision\ **Created:** [August 6, 2020, 11:09pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/scripting-question-with-custom-property/37484 "2020-08-06T23:09:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![trishadx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eb9ed0/32.png) [@trishadx](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/trishadx)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2020, 11:09pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/scripting-question-with-custom-property/37484/1 "2020-08-06T23:09:00Z")
Hi guys, could someone please point out where I’m going wrong. my scripting skills are far from intermediate… I’m trying to make a component change its visibility depending on if an alarm is active for that tag or not, on vision’s designer. But as this pop up window/screen has a custom property that would show the same properties but of different “motors” (i.e. motor 1, motor 2, depending on a previous selection), ive written the following where the ID should take the tag name, pop it in a string for the tag path. however im getting a synthax error for line 1, char 4…the equals sign? ```auto ID = {Root Container.Motor_Reference::Belt_ID} tag = '[default]Motor_ID/*/%s' % (ID) if (isAlarmActive(tag) = 1,visible=1) ``` I’m super stomped. sorry guys but thank you for the help! ---
**Author:** ![witman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d2c977/32.png) [@witman](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/witman)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2020, 12:25am UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/scripting-question-with-custom-property/37484/2 "2020-08-07T00:25:21Z")
It looks like you’re mixing [Ignition’s Jython scripting](https://docs.inductiveautomation.com/display/DOC80/Scripting) with [Ignition’s expression language](https://docs.inductiveautomation.com/display/DOC80/Expression+Overview+and+Syntax) in an expression binding that can only use the expression language. The equivalent expression would be something like: ```auto isAlarmActive(tag('[default]Motor_ID/*/' + {Root Container.Motor_Reference::Belt_ID})) ``` However, there are some other issues. 1. Don’t use the `tag` expression function here. Instead, use an [indirect tag binding](https://docs.inductiveautomation.com/display/DOC80/Indirect+Tag+Bindings+in+Vision) to include your Belt\_ID in the tag path. See #3 below. 2. I’m not sure what your intent is with the asterisk in the path, but I expect that won’t work here. 3. `isAlarmActive` seems to always return false and bad quality when (tested it in Ignition 8.0.15). I may be missing something, but you could probably just bind to your tag path + `/Alarms.HasActive` in your indirect tag binding directly on the visible property, something like: ![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/original/3X/1/b/1b947f5a020c0befed333390887874696f72106f.png) ---
**Author:** ![trishadx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eb9ed0/32.png) [@trishadx](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/trishadx)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2020, 11:33am UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/scripting-question-with-custom-property/37484/3 "2020-08-07T11:33:01Z")
Oh i see. The asterisks was using a wildcard as my tags list has 3 tiers to it. and the final level of that would be a UDT tag, which has multiple alarms on it so i was using the \* as a way to say if any had an in-alarm state. I was suggested doing it this way for the script editor, so i though id use it this way for the expression Thank you @witman, i used the indirect binding and its definitely on its way. However, what do you suggest…as below, im only seeing if the em\_stop alarm is active, when in fact, this UDT has more than 1 alarms on it. what would the expression be if i wanteed it to show all the alarms on this 1 UDT? thank you for the help! ![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/original/3X/0/c/0c3512e202927fd020fb06fcd891a0057b947daa.png) ---
**Author:** ![trishadx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eb9ed0/32.png) [@trishadx](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/trishadx)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2020, 2:07pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/scripting-question-with-custom-property/37484/4 "2020-08-07T14:07:22Z")
Just for future reference… After many trial and error I was able to get the animation I wanted with the visibility of a component binded to a UDT tag’s is alarm active… with the expression `isAlarmActive({Root Container.Motor_Reference::Meta.TagPath}+"/*")` Thank you!