Ignition 8.1.27: OPC UA Writes, OIDC Request Options, Designer & Gateway Configuration Properties
Welcome to the release train’s dining car. While some versions of Ignition serve up a feast of features, this most recent one is like a panoply of amuse bouches — compact and full of flavorful updates. As any foodie knows, appetizers are often just as delicious as the main course. Aperitifs are on the left, folks, and cocktail napkins to the right.
Ignition 8.1.27 brings plenty of delectable improvements to the platform, including increased OPC UA write flexibility, Open ID Connect request options, new web properties for the Designer, timeout properties for the Gateway Configuration page, and more.
First Bite: OPC UA Writes
Every meal begins with a single bite, or in this case, a single value. As such, Ignition 8.1.27 offers three delicious updates for OPC UA writes.
OPC UA clients can now attempt writes to exposed tags that include a StatusCode. This StatusCode is converted to an equivalent QualityCode, passing the write value to the system as a QualifiedValue, which encompasses the quality, value, and timestamp. By supplying more than simply the raw value, a QualifiedValue provides more information and increases write request flexibility and specificity.
Additionally, for those who are scripting-inclined, supplying a QualifiedValue (quality, value, and timestamp) to system.opc.writeValue now sends the corresponding StatusCode in the DataValue to the server. Essentially, this scripting function allows you to pass the entire object to a point in the OPC UA server.
Finally, 8.1.27 also includes support for writing struct array values represented as a Document tag. Previously, while a read would populate a tag with no issue, writes to the full value of Document tags were not possible when subscribed directly to Siemens array data type instances. This update aligns with IA’s long-term effort to provide more flexibility with unique Siemens data types.
Second Bite: OIDC Requests
This next bite is all about authenticity or, at least, authentication. Ignition 8.1.27 adds a new setting control dropdown menu for Open ID Connect, with options to choose GET or POST as the HTTP Request Method for UserInfo API calls. Previously, Ignition only gave the option to make a POST request. As a result, some users had difficulty retrieving access tokens from external servers during authentication because there was no way to specify a GET request instead. This improvement also better aligns with current OIDC standards, helping Ignition to be interoperable with even more IdPs.
Third Bite: Designer & Gateway Config Properties
Like a master chef, the Inductive Automation Development team puts care and thoughtfulness into everything on the menu (read: available properties), but they’re not above a substitution request or two. Ignition 8.1.27 delivers a duo of web-related properties for the Designer and a trio of timeout properties for the Gateway Configuration page, all designed to give you more options when storing and retrieving data.
Designer
In 8.1.27, two new system properties, ignition.jxBrowser.userDataDir.browser and ignition.jxBrowser.userDataDir.perspective, replace the deprecated ignition.jxBrowser.userDataDir property. These new properties offer improved control and separation for user data directories in both Vision and Perspective. Previously, the AppData folder was the Web Browser Component’s default location for storing cache data and browser files. The two properties let you specify where web data is stored. For example, you can now choose to store web data on the desktop for quick access or in a particular folder that better aligns with your system’s data organization structure.
Gateway Configuration
A triple shot of timeout. 8.1.27 adds three system properties — ignition.gateway.connectTimeout, ignition.gateway.readTimeout, and ignition.gateway.opcBrowseTimeout — for setting client connection, tag reading, and OPC UA point retrieval timeout thresholds, respectively. The purpose of these properties, which only apply to connections between Designers and clients, is to set parameters at the Gateway level that globally apply to all of your active projects. If you have certain projects that require different timeout thresholds, you can then adjust those properties within the projects themselves.
Dessert: Honorable Mentions
Hope you’re not full yet because there’s still a dessert cart full of bite-sized updates left to sample.
Backup & Restore
- Increased the default Gateway auto-backup frequency from 2 minutes to 60 minutes. You can still adjust the auto-backup time to whichever cadence best fits your system.
Gateway Webpage
- Added a Jetty server dump to the Gateway diagnostics bundle to be more descriptive about web server tasks and therefore easier to parse.
Perspective
- Added a new spellcheck property for Perspective's Text Area and Text Field components. Now, Microsoft Word-style wavy red lines will appear beneath incorrectly spelled words only when you set spellcheck to “true.”
Store & Forward
- Added a button labeled This for convenient insertion of the {this} variable into Named Query binding parameters, a feature already available in SQL Queries.
User Sources
- Added a checkbox to disable a User Source profile in the User Source profile config page.
Hungry for More Details?
Speaking of new capabilities, this is a perfect place to mention that Ignition Cloud Edition — the new edition of Ignition that you purchase directly through the AWS cloud marketplace — is coming very soon. The release date may still be a little nebulous, but keep your eyes to the skies!
Learn more about these updates and other improvements in the 8.1.27 release notes and the Ignition user manual. As always, we value your feedback about what types of new features you’d like to see in upcoming releases. Just to whet your appetite a little more, the release train has some big things cooking for Ignition 8.1.28’s arrival at the end of May.