File I/O commands for MS Excel

For scripting or inside Excel, i.e. VBA?

I hope neither. I'm talking about opening and writing to an excel file directly from the program in PC-DMIS. File I/O commands in the edit window.

I'm still looking for this

The FILE/IO commands would simply allow you to read or write text to/from a specific file. You might be able to achieve what you're after if your data is in .csv format, it depends on what you are trying to do. Have you looked at the Excel Form Report Command? https://docs.hexagonmi.com/pcdmis/2020.2/en/helpcenter/index.htm?rhcsh=1&rhnewwnd=0#t=mergedProjects%2Ftoolkitmodules%2FMisc%2Fexcel_report_command%2FUsing_the_Excel_Form_Report_Command.htm

I have never messed with it myself, but I have seen Basic Scripts that write directly to Excel files. Here is a recent post that had a full script for opening an Excel file and adding measurement data to it.

https://www.pcdmisforum.com/forum/pc-dmis-enterprise-metrology-software/pc-dmis-for-cmms/495172-script-help

I tested this and I don't think this is possible to write sometime directly to a specific Excel cell from PC-DMIS FILE I/O (such as FILE/OPEN & FILE/WRITE commands). I think you'd have to get involved with some kind of Excel VBA scripting.

With PC-DMIS FILE I/O commands, you can only pretty much write only to simple text files (ie files that you can open inside of a standard text editor, like Notepad. However, after some experimentation, I was able to write to an .xls--but not not .xlsx--extension, but Excel was giving me "The file could be corrupted or unsafe" messages and when I agreed to open it anyway, I was only able to get the data into the first column, not a specific cell.)

Your might want to consider writing to a CSV (Comma Separated Value) file and then inside a blank Excel worksheet, import the CSV file into different columns / rows (from Excel's ribbon, choose Data, then From Text/CSV).

Good luck.

Something like this may be easy, then all you need to do is write a quick macro in Excel that reads the cell then enters the value from the file. There are a lot of ways you can go with this, but this seems simple enough to start from and use in programs.

Writing to specific cells, you're going to have to do so with a script. I probably went the hard way because I didn't know (and still don't know much) about VB.

I wrote it to a CSV, then used a script to convert it to an Excel format. Then copied the cells from that Excel into a dedicated, network-based Excel document for all to see.

You might be able to achieve what you're after if your data is in .csv format, it depends on what you are trying to do. Have you looked at the Excel Form Report Command?

I knew excel reports existed, but I was not aware how customizable they were. I was also told years ago that one could not report OOT only with an excel report, and im now seeing that this is not the case. With some customization to the template and setting the mode to append, I think this will be exactly what my org is looking for. Thank you.

Here is a recent post that had a full script for opening an Excel file and adding measurement data to it.

I’m not a basic junkie, but my colleague is, He will glean much from this example script. And once written, the pattern seems straight forward to follow and add to. Thank you, this shall be useful.

I was only able to get the data into the first column, not a specific cell. Your might want to consider writing to a CSV (Comma Separated Value) file and then inside a blank Excel worksheet, import the CSV file into different columns / rows (from Excel's ribbon, choose Data, then From Text/CSV).

I apologize, I need to remember to be specific in these posts. Yes, any excel analog will satisfy my needs. .XLS, .XLSX, .CSV, and tab separated will all work. The problem with the text solutions though is that it would still be quite complicated to locate the cursor where I desired it to be. Do the file I/O commands have a search function for locating the position specific text in a file?

Something like this may be easy, then all you need to do is write a quick macro in Excel that reads the cell then enters the value from the file. There are a lot of ways you can go with this, but this seems simple enough to start from and use in programs.

I was super excited for a second. If I am understanding this correctly, this doesn’t write to cell G10, this write the text “G10” in a cell. Does this write CIR1.D into B1? Or does it concatenate with G10 in A1?

Writing to specific cells, you're going to have to do so with a script. I probably went the hard way because I didn't know (and still don't know much) about VB.
I wrote it to a CSV, then used a script to convert it to an Excel format. Then copied the cells from that Excel into a dedicated, network-based Excel document for all to see.

Yeah, CSV and copy would be acceptable for the short term, but there seems to be consensus on this thread that the only way to accomplish specific cell writing is with a script.

Yeah, CSV and copy would be acceptable for the short term, but there seems to be consensus on this thread that the only way to accomplish specific cell writing is with a script.

Correct.