Improve OPC UA Array Tag Flattening: Use parentArray[index] Naming Instead of [index]

[HytKys]

When browsing OPC UA tags in FUXA and enabling flattened tags, array elements are currently shown only with their index names such as:

[0]
[1]
[2]

This makes it difficult to understand which array the elements belong to, especially when multiple arrays exist in the same namespace. It also makes scripting and widget configuration harder because the tag names are not descriptive.

A suggested improvement would be to include the parent array name in the flattened tag name. For example, if the OPC UA node is:

listArray (INT[0..10])

the flattened tags could be displayed as:

listArray[0]
listArray[1]
listArray[2]
...

Similarly, for nested structures or arrays of structs:

recipes[0].temperature
recipes[0].time
recipes[1].temperature
recipes[1].time

Benefits:

• Makes flattened array tags easier to identify
• Improves usability in scripts ($getTag, $setTag)
• Avoids ambiguity when multiple arrays exist
• Provides clearer tag names for widgets and debugging

This change would affect only the display / flattened tag name, while the underlying OPC UA nodeId or address remains unchanged.

This small improvement would significantly enhance usability when working with PLC arrays (e.g., Siemens S7 OPC UA arrays).

Additional idea: Parent Object Editing

It would also be useful if FUXA allowed reading the parent tag of a flattened structure or array as an object, preserving:

• the structure of the parent
• the datatype
• the names of the child fields

For example, an array or struct node could be read as a structured object in scripts or widgets. This would allow users to work with the unflattened parent tag when editing complex data (such as recipe parameters).

Typical workflow:

1. Read the parent tag as an object.
2. Bind this object to a widget for editing recipe parameters.
3. When the user presses SAVE, FUXA writes the updated values back to the PLC by mapping them to the corresponding flattened child tags.

Example concept:

recipes[0].temperature
recipes[0].time
recipes[0].pressure

In the UI this could be edited as:

recipes[0] = {
  temperature: 120,
  time: 30,
  pressure: 5
}

On SAVE, FUXA writes the values to the individual flattened nodes.

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Benefits

• Easier editing of complex PLC structures and recipe parameters
• Cleaner widget configuration
• More intuitive scripting
• Better support for arrays and structs exposed by OPC UA servers (e.g., Siemens PLCs)

This would improve usability without changing the underlying OPC UA nodeId addressing, since the flattened tags would still be used for actual write operations.