Namespaces and Common Names

ABB Field Information Manager Learning Center

Common Names are used to assign external generic names to internal Device Package items with specific names. After successful assignment, the respective Device Package items can also be accessed via their Common Names for further use.

Common Names are defined in a Namespace which can either be pre-installed in FIM or user-defined and imported into FIM.

Assigned Common Names are also available to a connected OPC-UA client.

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Assign and use Common Names

The assignment of a Common Name to a Device Package item is done in the respective Device View, similar to favorite handling. Within the context menu of each Device Package item, a Common Name can be assigned or removed. Common Names are used typically for parameters which can be assigned or removed in Device Settings by clicking "..." of a parameter.

Set Common Name Dialog

Namespaces and their defined Common Names are displayed and accessible with their assignment status in the Common Names sidebar.

Common Names Sidebar

Management of Namespaces

Field Information Manager supports multiple Namespaces and each of them can define its own set of Common Names.

By default, the following Namespaces are installed:
  • Standard (covering the basic set of generic device parameters)
  • PA-DIM (covering parameters of different device types)

Available Namespaces are listed in Tools Menu - PROJECTS - NAMESPACES AND COMMON NAMES. From this view, it is possible to import user-defined Namespaces from an XML definition file. Since already listed Namespaces can also be exported, they can be used as an import template to create a user-defined Namespace with its own set of defined Common Names.

Namespaces and Common Names

Export of Common Name Mapping

The mapping of Common Names for one or more Device Packages can be exported and imported via the Device Catalog.

The export functionality is available in the context menu of selected Device Packages. The user can configure the export settings, e.g. by selecting Namespaces for export. All required information regarding Common Names of a selected Device Package and Namespace is exported to a CSV file. Besides information about the Device Package, Namespace and available Common Names, the exported file contains the complete Device Package item structure. The column "Common Name" either displays the already assigned Common Name or provides the option to enter one.

For an easy identification of Device Package items, the user can specify that example values shall be included in the exported file. These example values are read from the first online device using this Device Package.

The CSV file serves two purposes:
  • It stores all existing mapping information of Common Names to specific Device Package items.
  • It allows user-friendly manual mapping in standard text editors or even easier in Microsoft Excel. Within Microsoft Excel, the list of available Common Names can be configured as input for a dropdown menu. This ensures an efficient mapping process of the required Common Name to a Device Package item.

Import of Common Name Mapping

Existing mappings of Common Names can be imported via the "Import" button in Device Catalog or via Drag & Drop. 

Mapping of Common Names is only imported for Device Packages available in the local Device Catalog.

Device Package Handling

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