# Template using UDT param: Can you access UDT tag metadata?

**URL:** <https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/template-using-udt-param-can-you-access-udt-tag-metadata/10179>\
**Category:** Ignition\
**Created:** [June 28, 2015, 2:43pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/template-using-udt-param-can-you-access-udt-tag-metadata/10179 "2015-06-28T14:43:11Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
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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:** [April 16, 2020, 3:14am UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/template-using-udt-param-can-you-access-udt-tag-metadata/10179/16 "2020-04-16T03:14:59Z")

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I'm not entirely sure what your question is.

You can have a UDT or number of UDTs that can be represented by a Template.  
I add DeviceParentPath and DeviceName string template parameters, and DeviceTagPath as a string internal parameter.  
If you use a single UDTType parameter and link that to a single UDT, you will have a number of limitations:

> [@To UDT or not to UDT. That is the question](http://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/to-udt-or-not-to-udt-that-is-the-question/32703/15):
>
> at a glance, it’s not possible to see by looking at a component’s properties which UDT instance has been bound to a UDT type property. E.g. in the screenshot below, I have no idea which Tower UDT is bound, I have to click on the binding to find out. It’s also far slower to populate template parameters than simply modifying a parameter string value. I tend to use 2 parameters: DeviceParentPath and DeviceName, then combine these together in an internal parameter DeviceTagPath, which also aids in…

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