UNS Asset Tree Reference

Organize your assets in a hierarchical tree.

UNS Asset Tree (Reference): The Asset Tree provides:

Hierarchical data organization
Visual tag management
TagProvider integration
Runtime value monitoring
Drag-and-drop organization
Dynamic folder linking

The Asset Tree serves as the central hub for organizing the Unified Namespace, creating a logical structure that mirrors your physical assets or functional areas.

Key Concepts

Asset Tree: Hierarchical representation of real-time data variables
Asset Folder: Container nodes for organizing tags and sub-folders
RootTags Folder: System folder containing unorganized tags
Linked Folder: Folder dynamically connected to TagProvider data
Element: Any item in the tree (folder or tag)

Ontology metadata on folders (10.1.5 note)

Asset Tree folders did NOT gain ontology columns in 10.1.5. All ontology metadata (DisplayText, Labels, SourceIri, BaseUserType, Attributes) lives on the typed Tag, not on the containing folder. When an OWL individual imports with typed members or a class IRI, it becomes a Tag named <folderPath>/<entityName>/Attr. The folder structure auto-creates from the slashes but carries no ontology properties of its own.

On export, the /Attr suffix is stripped so each OWL entity IRI reflects the entity's identity, not its FX storage leaf. Folders emit containment edges only (hasChild by default, or the policy's ordered ContainmentPredicates by depth).

/Attr semantics (10.1.5+). /Attr Tags carry STATIC ontology-derived properties — every member has StartValue defined (literals). Dynamic equipment under the same folder lives as a separate naked UserType-instance Tag. Typical pattern: Plant/AreaA/Attr (S88_Area ontology metadata: Name + Description) + Plant/AreaA/Mixer_M101 (S88_Unit equipment instance with live Speed/Temperature/Status). The two are siblings under the auto-created folder.

See Industrial Ontology Integration How-to for the full model.

AI / MCP page action (10.1.5+)

When Designer is navigated to the Asset Tree page, the following action is exposed via the designer_action MCP tool:

designer_action("relationship_graph") — mirrors the Knowledge Graph toolbar button on the sibling UserTypes page. Generates an interactive HTML view (pan, zoom, filter via cytoscape.js) and opens it in the default browser. A Mermaid Markdown side-car lands next to the HTML in the Exchange folder under Visualizations/ for diff and source-control use.

The action is listed in the tabActions array returned by get_state() only when the Asset Tree tab is active. See Generate a visual report of your UNS for the broader visual-report reference.

User Interface

Layout

Left Panel: Tree structure with toolbar
Right Panel: Details of selected node and children

Toolbar Actions

Icon	Action	Description
1	Reload Tree	Refresh structure
2	New AssetFolder	Create container
3	New Tag	Add tag to tree
4	New TagProvider	Create connection
5	Insert Provider Data	Link external data
6	Edit Element	Modify properties
7	Rename	Change element name
8	Create Template	Generate UserType
9	Collapse All	Close all folders

Configuration Workflow

Creating Folders

Navigate to Unified Namespace → Asset Tree
Options to create:
- Click New AssetFolder toolbar icon
- Right-click existing folder
- Right-click root level

Adding Tags

Select target folder
Options to add:
- Click New Tag toolbar icon
- Right-click folder → New Tag
- Use main toolbar New Tag button
Configure tag properties
Tag appears in selected folder

Tags created without selecting a folder are placed in the RootTags folder. You cannot create sub-folders within RootTags.

Working with Elements

Common Operations

Moving Tags:

Drag from source to destination folder
Cut/paste using context menu
Maintains all tag configurations

Copying Elements:

Copy entire folders or individual tags
Preserves alarm, historian, device settings
Paste to any valid location

Renaming:

Right-click → Rename
Updates all references automatically
Maintains data connections

Deleting:

Right-click → Delete
Removes tag and configurations
Cannot be undone

Tag Access Methods

Direct Tag Syntax

csharp

// Full path including folders
@Tag.Area1/Line1/Temperature
@Tag.Plant/Boiler1/Pressure

Asset() Function

csharp

// Dynamic path resolution
Asset("Area1/Line1/Temperature")

// Relative path
Asset(@Client.Context.AssetPath + "/Temperature")

// TagProvider access
Asset("/OPCServer/Device1/Status")

TagProvider Integration

Linking External Data

Create TagProvider Connection
Folder auto-created in Asset Tree
Right-click folder → Insert from TagProvider
Select data to import
Browse real-time values

Customizing Linked Folders

Right-click linked folder → Edit Asset Folder:

Alias: Custom display name
Visibility: Control tag exposure
Access: Read/Write permissions

Runtime Features

Value Monitoring

When solution running and Designer connected:

Values display in right panel
Real-time updates
Quality indicators
Timestamp information

Display Integration

Add AssetTree Control to displays:

Go to Displays → Draw
Find AssetTree under Modules
Drop onto display
Configure properties

Asset Folder Properties

Property	Description	Options
Name	Folder identifier	Any valid name
Alias	Display name override	Custom text
Visibility	External access control	Private/Protected/Public
LinkedTo (JSON / MCP: `TagProviderLink`)	TagProvider connection. The Designer properties grid labels this field LinkedTo; the underlying `UnsAssetTree` column — visible to `get_table_schema`, `write_objects`, and ConsoleMCP JSON payloads — is `TagProviderLink`. Both names refer to the same single value: the Name of the TagProvider connection this folder follows.	Connection name (must match a TagProvider Name exactly)
Path	Full tree path	Auto-generated

Best Practices

Plan hierarchy - Mirror physical/logical structure
Use meaningful names - Clear identification
Group related tags - Logical organization
Limit depth - 3-5 levels maximum
Document folders - Add descriptions
Regular cleanup - Remove unused elements
Consistent naming - Follow conventions

Example Structures

By Location

/Plant
  /Area1
    /Line1
      /Motor1
      /Sensor1
    /Line2
      /Motor2
      /Sensor2
  /Area2
    /Tank1
    /Pump1

By Function

/Production
  /Mixing
    /Ingredients
    /Temperature
  /Packaging
    /Counter
    /Weight
/Utilities
  /Power
  /Water

Dual-shape (ontology + live equipment, 10.1.5+)

When the asset is imported from an OWL/RDF ontology AND also carries live runtime data, both halves sit as siblings under the auto-created folder. The /Attr envelope carries static ontology metadata; the naked instance carries live equipment members. See Industrial Ontology Integration How-to → Two paradigms.

/Plant
  /AreaA
    /Attr                  (S88_Area — Name, Description, classification literals)
    /Mixer_M101            (S88_Unit equipment — live Speed, Temperature, Status)
    /Mixer_M101/Attr       (S88_Unit ontology metadata — rdfs:label, manufacturer)
    /Reactor_R101
    /Reactor_R101/Attr

Troubleshooting

Tree not updating:

Click Refresh button
Check runtime connection
Verify tag creation
Review folder permissions

Cannot move tags:

Check source/destination validity
Verify not moving to RootTags subfolder
Confirm user permissions
Check if tag is locked

TagProvider data missing:

Verify connection active
Refresh tree structure
Check provider configuration
Review access rights

Display not showing tree:

Confirm AssetTree control added
Check control bindings
Verify runtime active
Review display security

Why does my /Attr tag show no values? (10.1.5+)

Per-instance member StartValue write surface is in-flight; today, set StartValue on the UDT member definition so every /Attr instance inherits it.
Verify the importer ran with dry_run=false (a dry run preview leaves no rows behind).
Check that the source individual carried xsd-typed literals on its DatatypeProperties — only literal-typed values land in StartValue.

In this section...

Page tree