# Device profiles

> A device profile holds the protocol, the connection settings and the tag list for one kind of machine. Many devices can share one profile.

Source: https://proxus.io/docs/connect/device-profiles

A **device profile** says how to talk to one kind of machine: the protocol, its connection settings and the list
of tags to read. Each device uses one profile and adds what is its own, such as its address. Ten identical
packing machines can share one profile, so a tag you add to the profile is read from all ten.

The setup wizard creates a profile for you when you add a device with **A new profile**. Open
**Connect > Device Profiles** to see all profiles, change them or share them between hubs.

## The list

| Column | What it shows |
| --- | --- |
| **Profile** | The profile's name. |
| **Protocol** | The protocol the gateway uses to read devices with this profile. |
| **Tags** | How many tags the profile has. |
| **Devices** | How many devices use the profile. |
| **Description** | Your note about the profile. |

The demo data includes sample profiles for many protocols. Copy one with **Clone...** as a starting point.

## The profile page

*Screenshot: A profile page showing five devices that use it, ten tags, a 5 s polling interval and the tags by data type*

1. **Used by**, **Tags**, **Polling** (the time between reads of each device) and **Parameters** (the number of
   connection settings).
2. **Devices using this profile**, with the status, gateway and site of each. Changes to tags and connection
   parameters apply to every device in this list.
3. **Export to File** saves the profile, with its connection settings and tags, as a file for another hub. See
   [Share profiles between hubs](#share-profiles-between-hubs).

Below the summary are the profile's fields:

| Field | What it is |
| --- | --- |
| **Protocol** | The protocol. Required. |
| **Profile Name** | A unique name. Required. |
| **Description** | Optional. |

### Connection parameters and tags

*Screenshot: The Tags tab of a profile with the Edit Tags and Import Tags buttons and a list of tags with their addresses and data types*

1. Two tabs: **Connection Parameters** and **Tags**.
2. **Edit Tags** opens the **Tag Editor**, where you add and change tags in a table.
3. **Import Tags** reads tags from pasted text or a CSV file in a PLC tag-table format. You pick the tags to
   add; a tag whose address is already on the profile is marked as a duplicate.
4. **Polling Interval** of a tag. `0` means the tag is read at the profile's polling interval.

**Connection Parameters** is a list of **Key** and **Value** pairs: the address, the port and the protocol's own
settings. The keys depend on the protocol. A value that is a password or a key is masked. The key
`PollingInterval` is the time between reads, in milliseconds.

> **Tip:**
The setup wizard shows the same settings as labelled fields, with a help text under each and a connection test.
To change the connection of one device, use [Configure with wizard](https://proxus.io/docs/connect/devices/configure-a-device)
on the device rather than editing the profile.

**Tags** has one row per value to read:

| Column | What it is |
| --- | --- |
| **Name** | The tag name. It is the name the value has everywhere in Proxus: trends, rules, the Unified Namespace. |
| **Address** | Where the value is in the device. Its form depends on the protocol, for example `x=3;0` for a Modbus holding register or `ns=2;s=Line1.Speed` for an OPC UA node. |
| **Data Type** | Bool, Short, UShort, Int, UInt, Long, ULong, Float, Double, String, Bytes or DateTime. |
| **Length** | The length in bytes, for String and Bytes. |
| **Unit** | The engineering unit, such as `°C` or `rpm`. Pick one from the list or type your own. |
| **Polling Interval** | How often this tag is read, in milliseconds. `0` uses the profile's interval. |

For a [Simulator](https://proxus.io/docs/connect/devices/simulator) profile, each tag also has a **Generation Type**: how the
simulated value moves.

For an OPC UA profile, the **Tags** toolbar also has **Discover Servers** and **Browse Tags**, which open the
OPC UA connection wizard. See [OPC UA](https://proxus.io/docs/connect/devices/opc-ua#the-opc-ua-wizard-on-a-profile).

## Change a profile that devices use

When you save a profile that devices use, and the save changes its protocol, a connection parameter or a tag,
Proxus first shows **Before you save this profile**. It lists:

- how many devices get the change as soon as it is saved;
- each change, for example a tag that is removed or renamed;
- rules, pipelines and saved trend views that read a tag you remove or rename, by name.

Tick the confirmation and select **Save the change**, or **Cancel**.

> **Warning:**
A renamed or removed tag stops getting new values under its old name. Its history stays, but a rule, pipeline or
dashboard that reads the old name gets nothing. Check the list in the dialog before you save.

## Share profiles between hubs

- **Export to File** (on the list, select the profiles first; or on a profile page) saves the profiles with their
  connection settings and tags as a JSON file. Passwords are left out.
- **Import from File** (on the list) adds the profiles of such a file. Profiles that already exist are not changed.
  Tags without a name or an address, and repeated names, are left out; the message says how many.

## What's next

- [Add a device](https://proxus.io/docs/connect/devices/add-a-device) with an existing profile: select it under **Start from**.
- [Devices, profiles and tags](https://proxus.io/docs/concepts/devices-profiles-tags): how the pieces relate.
- [Protocols](https://proxus.io/docs/reference/protocols): every protocol a gateway can read.