# Tag Name-based PLC driver **URL:** \ **Category:** Ignition\ **Tags:** ignition80\ **Created:** [May 10, 2022, 8:45pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/tag-name-based-plc-driver/59433 "2022-05-10T20:45:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![drojas](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/drojas/32/3403_2.png) [@drojas](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/drojas)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2022, 8:45pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/tag-name-based-plc-driver/59433/1 "2022-05-10T20:45:06Z")
Is the Allen-Bradley Drivers the only ones that have name-based tag browsing? From what I have read, Modbus requires you to know the tag type and address ahead of time, Omron requires you to load or declare the tags on some pages in the gateway, Siemens requires you to know some cryptic addressing scheme. I tried a RedLion device that claims it works with OPC-UA…but while the tags are named in the software, they are referenced via an ID number…ain’t nobody got time for dat. So, is there any other PLC out there that works as seamlessly as the A-B drivers allow? ---
**Author:** ![Kevin.Herron](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/kevin.herron/32/7259_2.png) [@Kevin.Herron](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/Kevin.Herron)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2022, 8:51pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/tag-name-based-plc-driver/59433/2 "2022-05-10T20:51:59Z")
> [@drojas](#): > > I tried a RedLion device that claims it works with OPC-UA…but while the tags are named in the software, they are referenced via an ID number…ain’t nobody got time for dat. What's this mean? PLCs that support OPC UA _should_ provide a comparable experience to the tag-based Logix driver with browse support. ---
**Author:** ![drojas](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/drojas/32/3403_2.png) [@drojas](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/drojas)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2022, 9:04pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/tag-name-based-plc-driver/59433/3 "2022-05-10T21:04:58Z")
Ok, so, while browsing for the tag provides a nice folder navigation with tag names, once you click on the tag, the resulting path reverts to that tag’s index number…for example ns=1;s=[RedLionDeviceName]25. The last time I checked this was more than a few years ago, but I don’t think there has been any improvement on this. ---
**Author:** ![Kevin.Herron](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/kevin.herron/32/7259_2.png) [@Kevin.Herron](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/Kevin.Herron)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2022, 9:21pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/tag-name-based-plc-driver/59433/4 "2022-05-10T21:21:41Z")
Sounds like poor implementation choice by Red Lion. Other servers, e.g. the OPC UA server in a Siemens S7-1500, use a predictable NodeId once you understand the syntax choices they’ve made. ---
**Author:** ![drojas](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/drojas/32/3403_2.png) [@drojas](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/drojas)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2022, 9:30pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/tag-name-based-plc-driver/59433/5 "2022-05-10T21:30:32Z")
right, but even then, there’s nothing simpler than the [DeviceName]Folder/Path/To/Tag format that A-B offers. No prefixes to remember. ---
**Author:** ![Kevin.Herron](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/kevin.herron/32/7259_2.png) [@Kevin.Herron](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/Kevin.Herron)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2022, 9:40pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/tag-name-based-plc-driver/59433/6 "2022-05-10T21:40:27Z")
It’s a little nicer, but even as simple as it is you got it wrong from memory. The full OPC Item Path from a Logix tag from _our_ OPC UA server/driver looks something like this: `[Ignition OPC UA Server]ns=1;s=[logix57]M1.AMPS` ---
**Author:** ![drojas](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/drojas/32/3403_2.png) [@drojas](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/drojas)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2022, 9:53pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/tag-name-based-plc-driver/59433/7 "2022-05-10T21:53:31Z")
But magically, it works by simply specifying [logix57]PlantPAxObject.Tagname (no [OPC Server]ns=1;s= part). So back to the original question, Siemens may come close…but from the examples in the manual, it is based on tag type and offsets, not tag name. Has anyone tested Productivity3000 from AutomationDirect? ---
**Author:** ![Kevin.Herron](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/kevin.herron/32/7259_2.png) [@Kevin.Herron](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/Kevin.Herron)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2022, 9:56pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/tag-name-based-plc-driver/59433/8 "2022-05-10T21:56:18Z")
> [@drojas](#): > > But magically, it works by simply specifying [logix57]PlantPAxObject.Tagname (no [OPC Server]ns=1;s= part). Yes, it is magic, it's a bunch of magic hacks to preserve backwards compatibility from older versions of Ignition, where we assume that you're talking to our server and that if you don't specify otherwise it's `ns=1` and a String-based identifier. > [@drojas](#): > > So back to the original question, Siemens may come close…but from the examples in the manual, it is based on tag type and offsets, not tag name The examples in the manual are for Ignition's Siemens driver, not for an OPC UA connection to the Siemens S7-1500 built-in server. > [@drojas](#): > > Productivity3000 from AutomationDirect? These are just Modbus when connecting from Ignition AFAIK. ---
**Author:** ![drojas](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/drojas/32/3403_2.png) [@drojas](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/drojas)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2022, 10:05pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/tag-name-based-plc-driver/59433/9 "2022-05-10T22:05:46Z")
> [@Kevin.Herron](#): > > The examples in the manual are for Ignition’s Siemens driver, not for an OPC UA connection to the Siemens S7-1500 built-in server. Ahh, yes. Ok, so as long as the PLC manufacturer does a decent job on their implementation of OPC UA, then it _should_ work similarly to the A-B format. ---
**Author:** ![Kevin.Herron](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/kevin.herron/32/7259_2.png) [@Kevin.Herron](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/Kevin.Herron)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2022, 10:07pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/tag-name-based-plc-driver/59433/10 "2022-05-10T22:07:09Z")
Right, that’s all I was getting at. Bad luck with Red Lion as your first experience I guess. But overall, when it comes to the drivers we happen to have support for, you’re right that AB Logix is the best user experience (as long as you’re not hitting some firmware bug).