Configure an Alternative Name for a Database Item

The Alternative Name feature enables you to define an alternative name for a database item. When you specify an Alternative Name, the evaluated alternative name appears in place of the item's regular Name on document tabs (of displays that are open on a client). You can also use the Alternative Name, for example, with Lists, Reports, Mimics and third-party applications. The evaluated alternative name appears in the AlternativeName field in the CDBObject table. If no Alternative Name has been defined, the field provides the Name of the database item.

To configure an alternative name:

1. Display the Identification tab for the database item that you want to configure (see Display a Form).



2. In the Alternative Name field, you can enter plain text. You can also enter trip sequences or a combination of plain text and trip sequences. Trip sequences comprise special characters and references to database attributes that are replaced by specific values. To enter a trip sequence, you enter a % immediately before and after the trip code.

   Take care when using the Alternative Name property. Ensure that users are not inadvertently misled into thinking that they are working with a different database item to the one they are actually accessing (for example, Mimic A when it is actually Mimic B).

   The Alternative Name field supports the %O<field>% trip sequence. The default name (when the Alternative Name field is blank) is equivalent to %OName% (which evaluates to the value of the Name field).

   You can use %O for any field from the current database item’s table. For fields that are in a database item's main table, use the syntax %O<field>%, where <field> is the name of the field.

   For fields that are in an aggregate table off a database item’s main table, use the syntax %O<aggregate>.<field>%, where <aggregate> is the name of the aggregate field and <field> is the name of the field in that aggregate.

   For fields that are in another database item that is referenced by the current database item, use the syntax %O<reference>.<field>%, where <reference> is the name of the reference field and <field> is the name of the field in the other database item's table. For example, you can get the name of the group containing a database item. There is no limit to the number of references that you can follow in this way.

   You can display a list of the available fields and references by using the OPC Data Bar or the database Schema.

   If Geo SCADA Expert is unable to evaluate any trip sequence that is specified for a database item, it will replace that sequence with a diagnostic message.

   We do not recommend using Data fields in trip codes, as the tab name will still remain static while the display remains open. (The value of the tab name only updates at the moment that the ViewX display is opened.)

3. Save the configuration.

The following are some typical examples of trip sequences supported by the Alternative Name field. The examples are all for a database item that has the full name of Western Region.Zone1. Sensor1: