Formats of element references

These are the four different formats you can use to reference an element.

Fully qualified element name

Using the fully qualified name tells
FactoryTalk Design Studio
 which element has the reference to resolve. Scope search is performed. The reference starts with the fully qualified name at the top of the owning relationship and specifies the path all the way to the actual element. The segments of a fully qualified name are separated with periods.
For elements defined within a controller application, the fully qualified name starts with the name of the controller application. For example:
  • LogixApp_crl.mainProgram.main
For elements defined within a
FactoryTalk Design Studio
; the fully qualified name starts with the system model. For example:
  • Area.soInst1.soChildInst2.soGrandChildInst2.mainProgram.programParameter

Partially qualified element name

Using the partial qualified name as a reference matches qualified names in the element that has the reference to resolve. Scope search is performed with the segment of the partially qualified name. For each found candidate, the other segments of the partially qualified name must also match. For example:
  • soChildInst2.soGrandChildInst2.mainProgram.programParameter
From the source of the reference,
FactoryTalk Design Studio
 searches available scopes for soChildInst2. For each found candidate,
FactoryTalk Design Studio
 ensures that the candidate has a child FactoryTalk Smart Object named soGrandChildInst2, and a program called mainProgram that has a parameter named programParmeter.

Element name

This reference format does not include any fully or partially qualified name. An example of this format are argument values within routine instruction. If a routine has the instruction argument 'ctrlTag’, the scope search finds an element that has the name ctrlTag.
FactoryTalk Design Studio
 searches the routine first, then the program that owns the routine, and then the owner of the program.

Owner scope operators

Use the ‘Owner’ keyword to instruct the scope search to look only at the parent of the element. You can chain keywords together.
For the argument of a routine instruction that contains ‘ctrlTag’, the routine is defined within the controller application.
  • Owner.ctrlTag instructs
    FactoryTalk Design Studio
     to look in the program that owns the routine exclusively.
  • Owner.owner.ctrlTag instructs
    FactoryTalk Design Studio
     to look in the controller application of the program that owns the routine exclusively.
For routines defined within a
FactoryTalk Smart Object
, ‘Owner.Owner’ does not apply. FactoryTalk Smart Objects do not contain tags.
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