### Device Alias The information below provides a FULL description of this microblock and all of its properties. What information you see and what you can do with it depends on your license and the application you are in, and in some cases, a controller's driver version.
Microblock family | Display microblocks
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What it does | This microblock works with the Device Alias field in every Display microblock to enable efficient re-use of a control program for multiple BACnet devices. You define a character string, or Device Alias, for a particular Device Instance in this microblock. Then you use the same character string in the Device Alias field of any Display microblocks that you want to use the same Device Instance. At runtime, the system replaces the Device Alias character string in a Display microblock with the Device Instance defined in the Device Alias microblock to create a BACnet address. In another instance of the same control program, you can change the Device Instance field in this microblock to re-direct all Display microblocks using this microblock’s Device Alias to a new BACnet device.
Click for details below Properties To reuse a control program
#### Properties TIPS Alt+click any value in the WebCTRL® or Field Assistant interface to view property details, including its editing privilege and expression (location path) for use on graphics. You can right-click some properties in the EIKON® Property Editor and select Make editable or Make read-only to determine that property's functionality in your system.
Reference Name RefName | Use the default reference name unless you want a more descriptive name for graphics or network links. Limitations: lower case only limited to 40 characters cannot begin with a number must be unique within a control program
Device Alias | A character string that represents the device you are integrating with. For example, the model of the BACnet controller or equipment. Use this character string in the Device Alias field of any Display microblocks whose value will be retrieved from the same BACnet device.
Device Instance | The device instance of the BACnet device. At runtime, the system uses this device instance in the BACnet address of any Display microblocks using this microblock’s Device Alias.
#### To reuse a control program You can reuse a control program for multiple pieces of identical third-party equipment. To reuse a control program for identical pieces of equipment: In the EIKON® application, open the control program you want to reuse. Add a Device Alias microblock. In the Property Editor, type a meaningful character string such as the model number or name of the third-party device in the Device Alias field. Select Control Program > Edit Common Properties > Display Points tab. Select the All radio button. Replace the numbers in the Device Alias column with the model number or name of the third-party device exactly as you typed it in step 3. In SiteBuilder, assign this reusable control program to each instance of the third-party device. In your WebCTRL® or Field Assistant system, for each instance of the third-party equipment, change the Device Alias microblock's Device Instance number to match each specific device.