====Common Output Module Options====

While each Output Module has it's own distinct set of options, there are a few that are common to all modules.

These are usually used to allow you to filter your data or only output specific //kinds// of information, giving you control over exactly what is recorded.

===Filtering===

The **filter** option allows you to enter a regular expression that is used to filter the **name of the output point**.

For example, if you have the following outputs...

^Output Name^
|Machine.Input.Speed|
|Machine.Input.Temperature|
|Machine.Output.Vibration|

...you can choose to only transmit the //output// values using the regular expression

<code>
.*?\.Output\.*?
</code>

===Tags===

The source of the output may also **optionally** include certain //tags//. For example, ModelHost will include the **input** tag when transmitting a new input value, and the **output** tag when transmitting an output value.

You can control which tags are accepted or rejected using the **allow** and **deny** parameters.

^Point Name^Tags^
|Machine Speed|Input Decimal|
|Machine Temperature|Input Decimal|
|Machine Vibration|Output Decimal|
|Machine Status|Output Text|

In the above example, you could do the following...

<code>
"deny": "text"
</code>

//This would prevent any text values from being recorded.//

<code>
"allow": "output"
</code>

//This would only send **output** data to the output module//

<code>
"allow": "output decimal"
</code>

//This would only allow **output** data that is also **decimal** data//.

===Timezone and Date Formats===

Most [[event_log|event]]-based output methods have options to correct the UTC dates and time according to a specific time-zone, and to modify the formatting of your dates.

<code>
"timezone": "Australia/Sydney",
"dateformat": "%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S"
</code>

//This would ensure that all dates and times are in Y-M-D h:m:s format, and that the times are in the correct timezone for Sydney, Australia//

===Shared Configuration Files===

The modular output system can use a single configuration file for different types of output. For instance, the output modules for [[key-value|key-value]] data are quite different for those for [[event log|event data]].

You can use the **type** parameter to choose which type of output the module applies to. A type of //value// is for key-value data, and a type of //event// is for event-based data.

<code>
[
	{
		"type": "value",
		"method": "prometheus",
		"port": 9306
	},
	{
		"type": "event",
		"method": "logfile",
		"filename": "spikes.log"
	}
]
</code>

//In the above configuration, events are recorded to a log file while live values are available to Prometheus.//