Import tag considerations

Keep these considerations in mind when importing tags as part of a component or when alarm conditions are associated with the tags.
Tags as part of a component
When importing tags as part of a component, such as a program or routine, keep the following considerations in mind.
  • When importing online, if existing tags are overwritten by the imported tags, the tag values are not written to the running system. Tag values are only written to an offline project file. The online tag values maintain their current values.
  • Motion tags (Axis, Coordinate System, and Motion Group) cannot be created during an online import, but you can reference existing motion tags. Motion tags can be created during an offline import.
  • When an import moves data type members, the values and descriptions are maintained, provided that the member names and data types still match. If the member names match, the members are the same, even if the types differ, and the data is moved and converted, as necessary (based on the types). If the data is not convertible, it is overwritten with the default value. When array dimensions are changed, existing array members retain their values and descriptions, and new members have the default values and description (usually 0 and no description). If a member of the old and new data type definition are at the same member index, with the same data type, and neither name is found in the other definition, they are considered to be the same member, which has presumably been renamed, and the data is preserved.
  • When you are exporting tags to an .L5X file, comments for tags that are not referenced by logic are not exported.
  • The import will prevent the creation of a safety tag of type AXIS_CONSUMED, AXIS_GENERIC, AXIS_GENERIC_DRIVE, AXIS_SERVO, AXIS_SERVO_DRIVE, AXIS_VIRTUAL, MOTION_GROUP, MESSAGE, COORDINATE_SYSTEM, LINT, ALARM_ANALOG, and ALARM_DIGITAL for all safety controllers.
Tags with alarm conditions
When importing tags that have alarm conditions associated with them, keep the following considerations in mind when using the
Create
,
Use Existing
, and
Overwrite
 settings on the
Import Configuration
 dialog box.
  • Alarms for tags of scalar data types (that is, data types that are not structures or arrays) are imported using the following behavior:
    • When you select
      Create
      for the tag, alarms associated with the tag are also imported.
    • When you select
      Use Existing
      for the tag, none of the alarms associated with the tag are created or overwritten during the import. All existing alarms associated with the tag in the project remain unchanged.
    • When you select
      Overwrite
      for the tag, all alarms associated with the tag are imported. Existing alarms associated with the tag in the project are deleted or overwritten during the import.
  • Alarms for tags of structured data types are imported using the following behavior:
    • When you select
      Create
       for the user-defined data type or Add-On Instruction, or
      Create
       for the alarm definition for a system predefined data type, all alarm conditions are automatically generated based on the alarm definitions for the tag’s data type. Then the alarms associated with the imported tag are used to overwrite the automatically generated alarms.
    • When you select
      Use Existing
       for the user-defined data type or Add-On Instruction, or
      Use Existing
       for the alarm definition for a system predefined data type, none of the alarms associated with the tag are created or overwritten during the import. All existing alarms associated with the tag in the project remain unchanged.
    • When you select
      Overwrite
       for the user-defined data type or Add-On Instruction, or
      Overwrite
       for the alarm definition for a system predefined data type, all alarms are automatically generated based on the alarm definitions for the tag’s data type. Then the alarms associated with the imported tag are used to overwrite the automatically generated alarms.
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