Undefined Tags
Undefined Tags are tags that exist on actors or components but are not currently defined by the J2 Tag Manager system.
More specifically, a tag becomes an Undefined Tag when it is neither part of a TagSet nor registered as a Quick Tag. The tag still exists as a normal Unreal Engine tag, but it is not managed as part of the structured J2 workflow yet.
Why Undefined Tags Exist
Undefined Tags are a normal and expected part of many workflows.
They commonly appear in situations such as:
existing projects that already use native Unreal tags
projects that start using J2 Tag Manager later
tags that were manually created before being converted into a structured system
Because of this, Undefined Tags should not automatically be treated as errors. In many cases, they simply represent tags that have not yet been migrated into the managed J2 structure.
How Undefined Tags Differ from Managed Tags
Managed tags in J2 Tag Manager come from either:
a TagSet
or the Quick Tags defined in Project Settings
Undefined Tags do not belong to either of these systems. They exist only as native tags on the objects and therefore do not benefit from the additional organization and metadata provided by J2 Tag Manager.
This means they do not have managed display data such as a structured TagSet definition, a controlled hierarchy, or the same level of editor integration.
Typical Workflow
A common workflow is to first scan a level or project, identify all existing tags, and then decide which of them should become part of the structured system.
From there, Undefined Tags can be converted into managed tags and incorporated into the project’s tag organization.
This is especially useful when cleaning up a project that previously relied on manually entered tags.
Converting Undefined Tags
Undefined Tags can be converted through the tools provided by the plugin.
The most relevant places for this are:
the Level Tag Manager
the Tag Diagnostics Panel
These tools make it easier to review existing tags and move them into a TagSet-based workflow.
Undefined Tags Are Not Always a Problem
It is important to understand that an Undefined Tag is not necessarily wrong. In some workflows, temporarily using unmanaged tags can be completely fine.
The main difference is simply that they are not yet part of the structured tag ecosystem provided by the plugin.
That becomes important once the project grows and tags need to be organized more consistently.
Recommended Use
For long-term project maintenance, Undefined Tags should generally be reviewed and converted wherever appropriate.
The more a project relies on repeated manual tags without structure, the harder it becomes to keep naming, usage, and organization consistent over time.