Why I built OPCUAgadget

I work in industrial automation. One day I needed to export OPC UA variable tags into a SCADA system and ran into a wall.

The problem

I was sitting one day working with OPC UA. Frustrated. Not because the tools didn’t exist — they did, plenty of them — but because none of them gave me what I actually needed.

You could export entire node trees, browse and select individual tags. All fine. But the output was always the same story. A raw dump that required hours of manual work before it was anywhere close to a SCADA tag list ready for import.

The difference

It is simple. Most tools log OPC UA data values. OPCUAgadget exports tag definitions: name, address, datatype, engineering units. Everything a SCADA tag database needs.

My tools, my workflow

I work with Webport and Plant SCADA. I don’t like reinventing the wheel. So I decided to take matters into my own hands.

The idea was simple. Export OPC UA variable tags to a SCADA tag database with a proper filter system. Scope it down to the variables that actually matter and format the output so it maps cleanly for import. No manual cleanup. No Excel gymnastics. Whether you connect to a live OPC UA server or load a NodeSet2 XML file offline, the result is a semicolon-delimited CSV ready for tag import.

It worked. The CSV output adapts easily to Webport, Plant SCADA, and quite a few others.

A thank you

A big thank you to everyone who gave feedback early on. It is much easier to spot what you are blind to when someone else is looking.

What’s next

It does not stop there. I have been digging into other SCADA platforms and running into similar walls. Ignition in particular — descriptions disappearing on import, heavy manual work to get OPC UA tags in properly. That is next on the list.

If any of these are problems you are dealing with and you want them prioritised, reach out.

On the roadmap

• Better documentation and manual. Understanding the filter system, name modes, and OPC UA tag export format properly takes time. That should not be on you.
• Username and password authentication for locked-down OPC UA servers.
• More flexibility in CSV output format.
• Ignition JSON export for direct tag import without manual mapping.