Predefined items

Predefined items are counters or strings that access information from

FactoryTalk Linx

that can be used for diagnostic purposes. Predefined items can be either internal or external.

Internal predefined items provided by data providers access internal information contained in

FactoryTalk Linx

and do not require reads. There are four types of predefined items:

External predefined items require a read to retrieve the information from the controller. Reads may not be optimized, which means an item on scan may generate a separate packet to the controller. If you intend to leave these items on scan, make sure you configure the appropriate poll rate so that you do not consume excessive amounts of bandwidth from your system.

The shortcut is scanned at the fastest poll rate for any client requests. If you do need diagnostic data at the same rate as the actual data from the controller, you can create a separate shortcut for the diagnostics items to help reduce the number of packets sent to the controller.

Use the

Tag Browser

to access predefined items.