Creating UDT Instances

Creating instances of UDTs is virtually identical to creating other types of tags using the New Tag menu. Unlike standard tags, it is likely that you'll have to modify attribute values or override certain member properties in order to make the instance unique.

To Create a UDT Instance

Once a UDT Definition is created, you can create an instance of the UDT as an actual tag in Ignition. Using the Motor UDT Definition from the previous section, lets create a UDT Instance.

  1. In the Tag Browser, right-click on Tags and select New Tag > Data Type Instance > Motor to create a new instance.

    images/download/attachments/6034200/Creating_UDT_Instance1.png

  2. Assign the new instance a name, Motor 1 and enter a value for each parameter that is used in the configuration of the UDT Motor.

    Assign the DeviceName parameter a value of CLX for ControlLogixs.
    Assign the MotorNumber parameter a value of 1 for Motor 1.
    Click OK and the Motor 1 instance is created in Ignition.

    images/download/attachments/6034200/Creating_UDT_Instance2.png

  3. From the Tag Browser, expand Motor 1 to verify that the tags are working correctly.

    images/download/attachments/6034200/Creating_UDT_Instance5.png

  4. To see how Ignition translated the path for each parameter and verify that they are correct and of good quality, check the OPC Item Path in the Tag Browser.
    From the Tag Browser, select Motor 1, click Column Selector and check OPC Item Path from the dropdown.

    images/download/attachments/6034200/Tags_in_Ignition_-_Creating_UDT_Instance3.png

    You can see that Ignition displays both the DeviceName (CLX) and MotorNumber (M1) correctly.

    images/download/attachments/6034200/Tags_in_Ignition_-_Creating_UDT_Instance4.png

  5. To create another instance of Motor 1, copy and paste Motor 1 in the Tag folder to create Motor 2.
    Open the Tag Editor and modify the MotorNumber value from 1 to 2 to point to a different Motor, in this case, Motor 2.
    Click OK.

    images/download/attachments/6034200/Tags_in_Ignition_-_Creating_UDT_Instance6.png

  6. To confirm Motor 2 is working correctly, open the Tag Browser and expand Motor 2.

    images/download/attachments/6034200/Tags_in_Ignition_-_Creating_UDT_Instance7.png

Creating UDT Instances is really simple once you have a UDT Definition in place.