Stored Tag Description

Is there anywhere that tag descriptions are stored? I am seeing that tagpaths are stored but it would be nice to have a description that parses the tag path, like an alarm label. We are using the audit log but the tag paths can be confusing for the operators.

When you say tag description what do you mean?

The same function as an alarm label. A string that tells the user what the tag means/does.

You can use the displayPath property, or potentially the notes property if you are already using the display path.

is that property stored in a table in the database?

What database? It’s a property in the tag.

For tags, there is a property called "Documentation" that you can use to store a tag description:

I don't think there's any way to automatically access it on the audit log or anything, but you could access it through scripting or an expression:


It would be nice if it could be a column stored in the audit table.

I guess I’m a little lost on exactly what you’re asking because a tags alarm label isn’t kept in the audit log either.

Can you show what exactly you’re trying to accomplish and where you want this to be displayed?

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Depending on how you're trying to display it, you can whip up a transform on an audit log query that adds an extra column with the tag description and then display that in a table (or do the whole thing in a script instead of using a transform).

What I think I would do, for efficiency, is to create a sql table which will hold a row for each tag in your system along with its description. Populate the table automatically and periodically via a script, or call it from the root of a project script library and it will run every time you save the project. Then when presenting the audit log, join onto this table so you can show tag descriptions as well. You could use this for other useful things as well like a custom historic tag browser.

Note that alarm properties like display path only update values after the alarm has gone active.

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