Tags

Tags are the building blocks of any VTS application. Tags are software components that represent equipment and equipment processes in your physical system (i.e. pumps, motors, fans, tanks, and their status (on or off), mode (auto or manual), value, etc.).

Multiple tags can represent different processes for a single piece of equipment. For example, one pump might have a tag that reads the status of the pump (on or off), a second tag that allows you to determine the mode of the pump, and an additional tag that enables you to send a signal to the pump to turn it on or off.

Tags represent each object and process in your system, from the status, mode, and controls of different pieces of equipment, to the input/output devices (PLCs or RTUs) that transmit data to and from the equipment, to the serial port used to connect the input/output device to the computer running the VTS application. The image below displays an example of the physical system and the arrangement of tags in the related VTS application.

As shown in the model above, tags represent each object in your system, from equipment to input/output devices, to the computer serial port used to connect the input/output device and your VTS application.

In order for VTS to emulate a physical system, a series of different types of tags are required. As you can see from the above image, there are analog tags to read analog (continuous) values, digital tags to read digital (discrete) values, and driver and serial port tags to facilitate communication between VTS and the equipment. There are, in fact, many different tag types in VTS, some of which may have been custom built for your application.

Although it is unnecessary for you to become familiar with all the tag types, it is important that you simply recognize that there are standard tag types you might encounter in your VTS application.