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Creating an EtherNet/IP Tag

Creating an EtherNet/IP Tag

After creating a tag on an EtherNet/IP device, you need to configure the protocol fields that tell Koios which data point to read or write. The fields you see depend on whether the parent device is a Logix Controller or a Generic CIP device.

You can configure these fields during creation or afterwards on the tag's Configuration tab.

Logix Controller Tags

Logix tags are identified by their name in the controller's tag database. Koios reads and writes tags directly using CIP tag-based addressing.

Logix Tag Name

The full name of the tag as it appears in the controller's tag database.

  • Required
  • Must match the tag name in the controller exactly (case-sensitive)
  • Supports structured tag paths for accessing members of UDTs (User-Defined Types) and arrays
  • Examples: SupplyTemp, AHU_3.DamperPosition, Temperatures[0]
  • Use dot notation for UDT members (e.g. MyUDT.Temperature) and bracket notation for arrays (e.g. Readings[5])

Tag Type

The data type of the Logix tag.

TypeDescription
IntegerWhole number values (DINT, INT, SINT in the controller)
RealFloating-point values (REAL in the controller)
BooleanTrue/false values (BOOL in the controller)
StringText values (STRING in the controller)
  • Required

Using the Logix Tag Browser

The Logix tag browser connects to the controller and displays its tag database.

  1. Open the tag's Configuration tab and click Browse
  2. The browser lists all tags available in the controller
  3. Navigate through the tag hierarchy — programs, UDTs, and arrays are expandable
  4. Use the scope toggle to switch between controller-scoped and program-scoped tags
  5. Select the tag you want — the Tag Name and Tag Type are auto-populated
  6. Click Apply to save the selection

The device must be powered on and reachable on the network to browse, but it does not need to be enabled in Koios.

Generic CIP Tags

Generic CIP tags read data from assembly instances — blocks of binary data exposed by CIP-compliant devices. Each tag maps to a specific byte offset and data type within an assembly.

Assembly Instance

The CIP assembly instance number that contains the data point.

  • Required
  • Range: 0 to 65535
  • Common values: 100, 101, 106 (varies by device)

Assembly instances are defined by the device manufacturer. Refer to the device's documentation or EDS file for the correct instance numbers.

Byte Offset

The byte position within the assembly where this data point starts (zero-indexed).

  • Required
  • Minimum: 0

The offset depends on the layout of the assembly data. Fields at the beginning of the assembly start at offset 0, and subsequent fields follow based on the size of earlier fields.

Data Type

The data type used to interpret the bytes at the specified offset.

TypeSizeDescription
INT81 byteSigned 8-bit integer (-128 to 127)
UINT81 byteUnsigned 8-bit integer (0 to 255)
INT162 bytesSigned 16-bit integer
UINT162 bytesUnsigned 16-bit integer
INT324 bytesSigned 32-bit integer
UINT324 bytesUnsigned 32-bit integer
FLOAT324 bytes32-bit floating-point number
FLOAT648 bytes64-bit floating-point number
BOOL1 bitBoolean extracted from a byte (requires Bit Number)
  • Required

All multi-byte values use little-endian byte order, which is standard for CIP devices.

Bit Number

When the data type is set to BOOL, this field specifies which bit within the byte at the given offset to read.

  • Range: 0 to 7 (bit 0 is the least significant bit)
  • Required when data type is BOOL

Using the EDS Browser

If the parent device has an EDS file uploaded, you can browse the device's assemblies and fields instead of entering values manually.

  1. Open the tag's Configuration tab and click Browse EDS
  2. The browser shows the device's assemblies parsed from the EDS file
  3. Expand an assembly to see its individual fields
  4. Select a field — the Assembly Instance, Byte Offset, and Data Type are auto-populated
  5. Review the values and click Save

The EDS browser reads from the uploaded file, not from the device — you can browse even when the device is offline. If no EDS file is uploaded, the Browse EDS button won't appear; you can still configure tags manually or upload an EDS file from the device's Configuration tab.

After Configuration

  1. Save the tag configuration
  2. Test the tag — click
    Test
    to verify Koios can read a value from the device (see Testing a Tag)
  3. Enable the tag — flip the enable switch to start collecting data