Using SuperTags in InTouch 7.

Tech Note 206

Using SuperTags in InTouch 7.x

All Tech Notes and KBCD documents and software are provided "as is" without warranty of any kind. See the Terms of
Use for more information.

Topic#: 000924
Created: January 8, 2001

Supertags are a powerful feature introduced with Factory Suite 2000. This Tech Note provides a
brief description and examples on how to use SuperTags in InTouch 7.x.

Note For more information on SuperTags, see the InTouch User's Guide, Chapter 4.

What is a SuperTag?

A SuperTag allows you to group tags to resemble the physical world in a control system. For
example, a reactor has many process variables (such as level and temperature) and elements
(such as control valves and pumps). These variables and elements can be defined as tags in an
InTouch application.

A logical way to create these tags is to group them around a construct, or template, called
"Reactor." If the plant has a number of reactors of the same type, multiple SuperTags of the type
Reactor can be created (such as "Reactor1," "Reactor2," …).

Figure 1 shows an example of the Reactor Demo Application that comes with InTouch. Instead of
the regular tags, a SuperTag called "Reactor1" has been created using Reactor as its type.

http://www.wonderware.com/support/mmi/comprehensive/kbcd/html/T000924.htm (1 of 7)3/9/2004 3:48:36 PM

Using SuperTags in InTouch 7.x

Figure 1. Reactor Demo with Reactor1 SuperTag

Figure 2 shows the template structure for the Reactor SuperTag.

http://www.wonderware.com/support/mmi/comprehensive/kbcd/html/T000924.htm (2 of 7)3/9/2004 3:48:36 PM

Using SuperTags in InTouch 7.x

Figure 2. Template Maker with Reactor Template

With a predefined template, you can configure multiple tags of the same type in your application.

A SuperTag can contain memory tags, I/O tags, or even other SuperTags (see the example in the
SuperTag Syntax section).

Considerations When Using SuperTags

● SuperTags require careful planning before they are implemented.

Make sure you know what members are required for a template before you create
it. If you modify an existing template, the instances of that member will not be
affected. However, new instances of the modified template will use the new
structure, unless they are replicated from an existing SuperTag member that was
created with the old template.

● Member tagnames of an instance of a SuperTag template can't be deleted.

For example, if Reactor1 is a tag of the Reactor template type, Reactor1\Mixer

cannot be deleted, even if Mixer is removed from the Reactor template. The only
way to remove a member tagname is to DBDump the tagname dictionary for the
application, remove it from there, and then rebuild the application as described in
Tech Note 112, titled "Recovering a Corrupted InTouch Application."

http://www.wonderware.com/support/mmi/comprehensive/kbcd/html/T000924.htm (3 of 7)3/9/2004 3:48:36 PM

Using SuperTags in InTouch 7.x

● SuperTags do not reduce the tag count; they just provide a logical way to group related
tags ("child" members) together under a single type (a "parent" SuperTag template).

● Templates are not specific to a particular application; they are stored in a file called
SuperTag.dat in the InTouch installation directory.

Methods for Creating SuperTags

There are two ways to create SuperTags:

● The best way is to define a template in advance and then create instances of that template
in the tagname dictionary. In our example, the Reactor template was created and then the
members Reactor1, Reactor2, and so on, were added to the tagname dictionary.

● SuperTags can also be created by a direct reference in a script or link. For example, you
may define the fill color link for a reactor and use the expression "MyReactor
\WaterValve1." If the template "MyReactor" is not present, you will be prompted to create
a SuperTag-type tag called "MyReactor" and "WaterValve1" will be its first member.

When SuperTags are created using the second method above, the Template Maker will not be
updated with the new SuperTag type. Similarly, if a new member is added to an instance of a
SuperTag, its template will remain unchanged. This feature is useful when instances of a
SuperTag require a common "base template" with minor differences for instances of that
template. For example, you can create a SuperTag template "Reactor" as shown in Figure 2 and
then add an extra member "WaterValve2" to Reactor1 and Reactor3 without having to add it to
Reactor2.

SuperTag Syntax

The SuperTag template defines the members in a SuperTag member tagname (or in an instance
of the SuperTag type). In the above example, it is possible to create tags of "Reactor" type. For
example, if a tag "Reactor1" is created as a "Reactor" type, it will have members of the Reactor
template such as Reactor1\ConcPump, Reactor1\ConcValve, and so on.

A SuperTag can have SuperTag members. For example, The Reactor Demo Application with a
Reactor template can be part of a larger entity defined as a Plant template. "Plant" can have
members such as ProdLevel (for Product Storage Tank) and OutValve (for Output Valve). An
instance of Plant, such as Plant31, could have members like Plant31\Reactor1\ConcPump or
Plant31\Reactor2\ReactLevel.

The 32-character limit for regular tags also applies for SuperTags; therefore, each SuperTag
ParentInstance\ChildMember\Submember is limited to 32 characters.

Indirect SuperTags

Introduced in InTouch 7.1, Indirect SuperTags provide a fast way to display information about
SuperTags using a single window. When a SuperTag template has been previously defined,

http://www.wonderware.com/support/mmi/comprehensive/kbcd/html/T000924.htm (4 of 7)3/9/2004 3:48:36 PM

Using SuperTags in InTouch 7.x

InTouch automatically creates a corresponding Indirect SuperTag with the same name as the
template (see figure 3). Indirect SuperTag tagname types have indirect members according to
the original template.

Figure 3. Indirect SuperTag for Reactor

In the above example, an Indirect Reactor tag type is available. A member tagname of Indirect
Reactor type can be created and used in a window.

Indirect SuperTags behave like other indirect tags, such as indirect discrete, analog, or message
tag types. Assume that Reactor 1 is filling (the water valve is open and all other valves are closed
and the pumps are off) and Reactor2 is mixing (the Steam valve is open and the Mixer is on). If
IndReactor is an Indirect SuperTag for the Reactor template, you can assign Reactor1 or Reactor2
to IndReactor using one of the following:

● The .name field: IndReactor.Name=Reactor1.Name

In this case, all indirect members for IndReactor will have the same values as the
members of Reactor1 (i.e. IndReactor\WaterValve is open, all other valves are
closed, and the pumps are off).

● The tag in quotes: IndReactor.Name="Reactor2"

In this case, all indirect members for IndReactor will have the same values as the
members of Reactor2 (i.e. IndReactor\Mixer is on, IndReactor\SteamValve is open,
all other valves are closed, and the pumps are off). The real advantage of Indirect
SuperTags is that you can save a lot of time when creating a window to display the
values for multiple instances of a SuperTag (figure 4).

http://www.wonderware.com/support/mmi/comprehensive/kbcd/html/T000924.htm (5 of 7)3/9/2004 3:48:36 PM

Using SuperTags in InTouch 7.x

Figure 4. Reactor Demo Using Indirect an SuperTag

Download T000924.zip, the modified Reactor Demo Application. It is an example of an

application with 8 reactors and a single window to display them using Indirect SuperTags.

The T000924.zip file contains all of the necessary application files, along with the SuperTag.dat
file. If you want to view the template definition, then move the SuperTag.dat file into your
InTouch installation directory.

Fernando Gonzalez

The Tech Note is published occasionally by Wonderware Technical Support. Editors: Sabrina Abercromby and Kelly Hauser;
Publisher: Wonderware Corporation, 100 Technology Drive, Irvine CA 92618. There is also technical information on our
software products at www.wonderware.com/support/mmi, our WonderFax fax-on-demand system at (949) 450-
5050, and the Comprehensive Support Knowledge Base.

For technical support questions, send an e-mail to [email protected].

http://www.wonderware.com/support/mmi/comprehensive/kbcd/html/T000924.htm (6 of 7)3/9/2004 3:48:36 PM

Using SuperTags in InTouch 7.x

back to top

© 2004 Wonderware Corporation. All rights reserved. Terms of Use.

http://www.wonderware.com/support/mmi/comprehensive/kbcd/html/T000924.htm (7 of 7)3/9/2004 3:48:36 PM