# Wildcards in the middle of Tag Change paths: Intentional in 8.3.4?

**URL:** <https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/wildcards-in-the-middle-of-tag-change-paths-intentional-in-8-3-4/115907>\
**Category:** Ignition\
**Tags:** scripting, ignition83\
**Created:** [June 9, 2026, 2:32pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/wildcards-in-the-middle-of-tag-change-paths-intentional-in-8-3-4/115907 "2026-06-09T14:32:45Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Gustavo\_Cardoso](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/gustavo_cardoso/32/85783_2.png) [@Gustavo\_Cardoso](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/Gustavo_Cardoso)\
**Post date:** [June 9, 2026, 2:32pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/wildcards-in-the-middle-of-tag-change-paths-intentional-in-8-3-4/115907/1 "2026-06-09T14:32:45Z")

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Hello everyone!

I'm developing a custom device driver module and trying to make a tag change script scalable to watch the same tag across multiple devices using a path like this:

`[MyDevicesProvider]*/ConfirmHandshake/Req`

In my researches, the `*` wildcard should only work at the end of the path (see topic below).

> [@WildCards in Tag Paths, Gateway Events Tag Change](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/wildcards-in-tag-paths-gateway-events-tag-change/48193):
>
> Hey all, I’m attempting to use Tag Change Gateway events with the MQTT Engine Module. Essentially we have several devices that communicate their data via MQTT and we want a log of how many signals we receive per hour. I’ve written a script to gather these and count them up. The Ignition Manual says the Tag Paths can have wildcards [MQTT Engine]application/4/device/xxxxxxxxxx/rx/\* works fine, and can pull in a tag. But I want a wild card in the directory itself as we may add many instruments…

I tested this on **8.3.3** and it indeed didn't work. However, testing the exact same path on **8.3.4** , it works perfectly!

**My main question is:** Is this change in 8.3.4 an intended feature that I can rely on for future releases, or is it an accidental side effect that might get patched?

**Context & Alternatives:** If this wildcard behavior isn't reliable, I'll need a different approach for my module to notify projects of device events. I'm considering:

1. **Gateway Messaging:** Broadcasting a message that projects can listen to.

2. **Centralized Triggers Folder:** Creating a specific folder to use the wildcard: `[MyDevicesProvider]Triggers/*`

3. **Module Event Scripts:** Exposing a custom Event Script (like Sepasoft). I find this the most elegant approach, but I'm afraid it will add too much complexity to the module development process.

Any insights on the wildcard reliability or advice on the module architecture will be highly appreciated!

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**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:** [June 9, 2026, 3:45pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/wildcards-in-the-middle-of-tag-change-paths-intentional-in-8-3-4/115907/2 "2026-06-09T15:45:18Z")

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This is intentional, there's an open ticket for the docs team to update the docs and examples.

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**Author:** ![Gustavo\_Cardoso](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/gustavo_cardoso/32/85783_2.png) [@Gustavo\_Cardoso](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/Gustavo_Cardoso)\
**Post date:** [June 9, 2026, 4:40pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/wildcards-in-the-middle-of-tag-change-paths-intentional-in-8-3-4/115907/3 "2026-06-09T16:40:45Z")

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Thanks for the fast confirmation, Kevin!