Organize solutions by categories.
Reference → Solution → Designer → Settings and Tools → Settings | Categories | Import Tags | Import Plugin | Export | History
Categories provide metadata labels for organizing and classifying objects throughout your solution. Every configuration table (Tags, Alarms, Devices, Displays, and others) has a Category column where one or more categories can be assigned to each object. Categories also control AI write permissions through the EnableMCP flag.
Access: Solution → Categories
Categories Grid
The Categories table in Designer shows the following columns:
| Column | Description | Type | Required |
|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Category identifier. Must be unique across the solution. | Text | Yes |
| Description | Purpose or usage notes for this category. | Text | No |
| EnableMCP | When checked, objects assigned to this category can be created, modified, and deleted by AI tools (MCP Designer). See EnableMCP and AI Permissions below. | Checkbox | No |
A solution supports up to 64 categories.
Assigning Categories to Objects
Most configuration tables include a Category column. Click the Category cell on any object row to open a checkbox dialog where you can select one or more categories. The assigned categories appear as a semicolon-separated list in the cell.
Tables that support category assignment include:
| Module | Tables |
|---|---|
| UNS | Tags |
| Devices | Channels, Nodes |
| Alarms | Items |
| Displays | List, Layouts |
Categories are stored internally as a bitmask, which is why the maximum is 64 categories per solution.
EnableMCP and AI Permissions
The EnableMCP checkbox controls whether AI tools (such as the FrameworX MCP Designer) can modify objects assigned to that category.
- When a category has EnableMCP checked, objects with that category are AI-writable — they can be created, updated, and deleted through MCP tools.
- Objects without an MCP-enabled category are read-only to AI tools. Write operations silently skip these objects.
- A built-in category named MCP is automatically created when AI tools are used. This category cannot be renamed or deleted.
- You can create additional MCP-enabled categories to organize AI-managed objects (for example, “AI_Alarms” or “AI_Displays”) by checking EnableMCP on any user-created category.
This mechanism gives the engineer full control over which parts of the solution AI tools can modify.
Best Practices
- Define categories before creating objects so they are available for assignment from the start.
- Use a consistent naming convention across the solution.
- Use the Description field to document each category’s purpose, especially when multiple engineers work on the same solution.
- Check usage before deleting a category — objects that reference it will lose that classification.
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