About Object Templates

When you create an object type, you create a template. A template contains attributes/properties of an object type, called variables. When you apply a template to an object instance, the variables included in the template are added to the object instance.

Types of Templates:
  • Default Template: The default template contains generic/common variables of an object type. Each object type contains one and only one default template; you cannot delete it.
  • Custom Template: In addition to the default template, if needed, you can create one or more custom templates for an object type. When you do so, you can choose to include variables from the default template or other custom templates in the same object type.
For example, suppose you have an automobile manufacturing unit. You can create a default template that contains generic details about an automobile. Each of these details is a variable.

In addition to the default template, you can create custom templates for the object type, and add variables to it. For example, in the automobile object type, you can create a template for a car and another one for a scooter. Some of the variables in the default template (such as storage and gear system) may not be applicable to a scooter. Therefore, you can exclude them.

When you later create instances of the object type, you can choose any of the three templates. When you do so, all the variables in the template are included in the object instance. You will then capture values of these variables in Historian.