Transferring data into Excel

[chemhawk]

I have a piece of process equipment that determines and records information about the process into its memory. The equipment manufacturer has provided a data manager software package that allows me to view the data in real time from my computer via an RS 232 connection. I can also have it transfer a block of data to my computer to view.

What I want to do is put this data into an Excel spreadsheet for storage, analysis,etc. The software provides some rudimentary examples of ways to do this using arrays, but I am not a programmer, and need assistance on how to carry this out. I guess what I need is how to set up the arrays.

I appreciate any help you can offer.

Chemhawk

 

[Voga]

Hi
You wrote: ...I can also have it transfer a block of data to my computer to view... it would be helpful to know in what format/application you can view this data? If this is Notepad application then to transfer this file into Excel worksheet is not too hard. Is your data numerical? Another thing, can you actually save this file as Plain Text with extension .txt? If so then there is no problem, so do next:

1)Save this file with your data As Plain Text(*.txt)
2)Open new Excel file
3)In Excel go to "File" then "Open..."
4)In "Open" dialog box in "Files of type:" dropdown list pick "All Files(*.*)"
5)Pick that .txt file with your data, click "Open" You'll get "Text Import Wizard" box.
6)In this box in "Original data type" choose "Delimited" option button
7)Click "Next"
8)Observe data format.
9)Click "Finish"

You can actually play with some options of the "Text Import Wizard". Your import format shall depend on original format of your .txt file

Good luck.

 

[ETID]

Is this real time data?

if so you can buy a product called winwedge
check it out here...

http://www.taltech.com/TALtech_web/products/winwedge.html

 

[ETID]

An alternate...

If you have an old copy of qbasic (any version)...

you can write a module in it to read and write to comm ports

and write the readings to a text file.

then that process can be run via the shell command from excel.

 

[hankm3]

Hello,

You could use DDE if the Application that holds the Text Data can Communicate via DDE. I believe Notepad can do this.

Hank

 

[ETID]

Hankm3,


You might be thinking of windows hyperterminal.

It does support DDE and lets you cofigure the ports.

you can send a release character(if known)to the machine and the returned data can be saved as a text file.

 

[hankm3]

ET,

I use Procomm Plus to Capture Data to a Text and then use DDE to extract the Data into Excel from the Text File.

Hank

 

[ETID]

Ah,..more robust, but if hyperterminal does the trick, why spend the dough?