PLC I/O Utility - Full Modules with Spreadsheet input

[warren.reimer]

Is there a way to use the PLC I/O Utility, use Full Modules and bring in spreadsheet data?

(Rather then the parametric process, I would like to be able to read the spreadsheet and assign the data to the Full Module.)

[mmiller]

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@warren.reimer wrote:

Is there a way to use the PLC I/O Utility, use Full Modules and bring in spreadsheet data?

(Rather then the parametric process, I would like to be able to read the spreadsheet and assign the data to the Full Module.)

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Just adding onto this post. I am also exploring the possibility of inserting full modules rather than using the parametric I/O module feature. Is it possible? I'm finding that although I have a spreadsheet that was functioning fine parametrically, it is not populating the attributes in the full module block (also notice that it is still inserting the 'style box' around the insertion point - argh!). Could be an attribute tag issue, although I'm beginning to think that this 'feature' is just not supported.

Using AutoCAD Electrical 2012.

Any comments, help on this topic would be appreciated.

[TRLitsey]

Hi there,

Short answer, yes.

Long answer.  The easiest way I have found is to:

Insert the I/O module you want.  Make sure you are in an active Project.  Use Project > Export To Spread Sheet and make your selection in the dialog window.  Choose XLS or MDB file format.  If you do this for just the sheet the new file will have a similar name to the sheet.

Once the file is created, I use XLS, open it with Excel.  Note the tabs across to bottom of the sheet.  You should be able to edit the data. Save the XLS, do not change the name, do not create new columns or rows or tabs on the workbook, save the workbook.

Go back to your drawing and select Project > Export To Spread Sheet > Update From Spreadsheet.

As a tool tip, for the fields you want to use,  fill in the data fields for the first I/O point in the drawing before exporting.  Fill the data cell(s) with something easy to find, like "First Data Field I/O 1", "Second Data Field I/O 1".  The idea is to have something you can easily search the entire workbook for, find the data cell, this gives you the chance to make sure you are doing your edits in the right column / row / tab.

Please mark as a solution if this works for you, kudos are always welcome  -  thank you

Good luck

[mmiller]

OK - thanks.

Unless I'm misunderstanding, you create each drawing first, then export to spreadsheet to do the updates? This is a whole lot slower than the original intent of the Spreadsheet to PLC I/O utility, as it can create a complete suite of drawings from scratch. I'm going back to the drawing board to see if I can get the parametric module builder to bend to my will!

Thanks again for your help.

[TRLitsey]

Hi again,

Unless I'm misunderstanding, you create each drawing first, then export to spreadsheet to do the updates?

Yes, but I only follow these step so I have the spreadsheet with all of the formatting ACE want to see and none that it doesn't want to see.  When the drawing is created and the module inserted, the export utility will suck out every piece of information related to the selected data on that drawing, or there is a selection for the entire project.

This is a whole lot slower than the original intent of the Spreadsheet to PLC I/O utility, as it can create a complete suite of drawings from scratch. I'm going back to the drawing board to see if I can get the parametric module builder to bend to my will!

I am sure there is a way to do it in mass, I just have never had to cross that bridge.  Onesy Twosy is all I have ever needed. Hope someone has a better answer for you.

Good luck

[dougmcalexander]

You can insert full modules but the module must be defined in the PLC database.  For example, you can insert a 1761-L16AWA from the icon menu as a brick looking symbol, because in that case, it is simply a block, saved with a PLCIO prefix in the filename.  If you want to insert this module using the Spreadsheet to PLC I/O Utility, the module must be defined in the PLC database.  

You will notice that there is also a 1761-L16AWA defined in the PLC database when you install the software fresh from Autodesk.  This module will look different when inserted using the utility because the utility builds the PLC symbols by inserting blocks from the 40 blocks that are included in the symbol library folder for each of the 5 included PLC appearance styles.

The idea of the Spreadsheet to PLC I/O Utility is to save time when you must insert modules with splits and spaces.  It just saves the time involved in answering all of the prompts to insert a module with spaces and splits.  It is convenient that it allows you to define up to 9 discrete blocks to also be inserted but these can easily be inserted as a saved circuit after the PLC in inserted.  I have customers who save a rung with limit switch terminal blocks, etc. as a circuit and they just insert this circuit as needed.  The same for rungs with output devices.

The Spreadsheet to PLC I/O Utility allows you to inserted entire circuits by placing an asterisk in front of the block name definition.  The software will search for the circuit in the default circuit folder, which is the User folder under your username path, for example, C:\Documents and Settings\Doug McAlexander\Application Data\Autodesk\AutoCAD Electrical 2012\R18.2\enu\Support\User in my case.  You can save a circuit to the icon menu and it will store it as one block in this folder by default.  Placing the asterisk in front of the block name in the spreadsheet instructs the utility to insert the block and explode it, because it is most likely a block with blocks inside of it.  If you are inserting a circuit with the Spreadsheet to PLC I/O Utility you won't need wires in the circuit because the utility adds an entire ladder.

So you can insert a circuit via the spreadsheet to I/O utility by placing an asterisk in front of the block name definition, but, since this utility is designed for inserting PLC modules parametrically, it expects a value in the PLC Code field that matches a PLC module defined in the PLC database.  You might experiment with entering the code from some module you will later delete and then use the field for the first symbol block definition in the spreadsheet to insert the full module as a saved circuit.