Add or edit property attributes

Property attributes store information related to a module, including its name, data type and a value. PI properties may store values for most of the data types supported by Data Archive, such as string, numeric, date, and so on. They may also store references to other module database items or file objects.

For example, you can use PI property attributes to store the serial number of a valve, the date it was installed, the technician who installed it, and its maintenance record.

Note: The Module Database editor provides read-only support for PI properties defined as file objects.

1. Do one of the following:

   • To add a property, right-click the module it will belong to and then click New > Property.

   • To edit a property, double-click the property, or right-click it and then click Edit.

     

2. Select an existing Data Type for the property value, or enter one directly in the field. Array types are denoted by square brackets [] following the data type name.

3. Enter a value for the property using the provided tools (not all tools are available for all data types):

   1. Enter a value in the field for property types that take a single value.

   For information about array types, see the next step.

   1. Click Browse to select an entity from the module database as a property value for PIModule, PIProperty, PIAlias and PIHeading data types.

   2. Click Edit to update attributes of the referenced property.

   3. Use the controls to the right of the value panel to size an array for array data types and then use the value panel to enter array values separately.

   4. Click OK to save property values as entered.

   Note: For objects and other non-displayable data types, the data type name appears in the value field.

4. Array controls (LBound, Elems) are enabled when you select an array data type, which is shown in the list followed by square brackets []. For array data types only:

   1. Set LBound and Elems values to set the lower boundary and number of elements, respectively.

   2. Click Resize Array to create the array in the value panel.

   3. To define the contents of the array, select a placeholder in the panel, then enter a value in the field and click Update. Use the Add and Delete buttons to add and remove selected array values or placeholders.

5. Click OK.