Understand child attributes

PI AF attributes can have child attributes. Similarly, PI AF attribute templates can have child attribute templates. You specify attribute and attribute-template hierarchies with an attribute path. Separate attributes in the path by the pipe symbol (|).

For example, an element called Reactor1 has an attribute called Temperature. The Temperature attribute has a child attribute called Lower Limit. The attribute path (relative to the Reactor1 element) for the Lower Limit attribute looks like this:

|Temperature|Lower Limit

Relative to the top-level parent attribute, the attribute path would not contain the leading pipe symbol:

Temperature|Lower Limit

The attribute path for the Temperature attribute (again, relative to the Reactor1 element) looks like this:

|Temperature

When you display attributes as separate rows in Excel, the Name column contains the attribute path, relative to the top-level parent attribute (without the leading pipe symbol).

When you display attributes in attribute columns, the attribute column heading contains the attribute path, relative to the element.

Note: For information on element paths, see Learn about child elements.