Importing manual entry comments to active report setup sheet

[headhunter]

Well, I've pretty much gotten my setup sheet formatted the way I want.....with the exception of not being able to import any manual entry from the Mastercam file. Does anyone know how to do this? Thanks!

 

Bobby Biggs

[ThRaSH]

If you have X5 then look in your SST folder for these subreport files.

I haven't used them yet, so you'll have to let us know how they work. Looks

like there are 3 different DataField tags for manual entry.

 

-Setup Sheet (MAN-ENT-DATA).rpx

-Setup Sheet (MAN-ENT-INFO).rpx

-Setup Sheet (MAN-ENT-LIST).rpx

[headhunter]

Thanks for the reply. I'm using X4 at the moment though. Any chance of making that work?

 

 

If you have X5 then look in your SST folder for these subreport files.

I haven't used them yet, so you'll have to let us know how they work. Looks

like there are 3 different DataField tags for manual entry.

 

-Setup Sheet (MAN-ENT-DATA).rpx

-Setup Sheet (MAN-ENT-INFO).rpx

-Setup Sheet (MAN-ENT-LIST).rpx

[ThRaSH]

Well your limited with X4. There are some textboxes that you could use in the dialog that opens

when ytou first start an ActiveReport. These textboxes are limited in the amount of text you can use though.

 

You could also add a prompt to your ActiveReport. This would prompt you for input where you would add your manual

entry text, but the text would need to be in one long string or sentence. Basically you would lose all formatting.

 

It's also possible to fill a RichTextBox with text from a file. I've got this to work, but only so far with a hard

coded file and location. I'm working on having ActiveReports thru script use an Open File Dialog and then a person

could browse to the file they wanted to use for a Manual Entry.

[cunder]

If You do get this figured out, I would like to know about it. I was told it cannot be done.

 

 

[ThRaSH]

I did manage to get this to work. It will popup an Open File Dialog so a user can browse

to a .rtf file. It will also work with a .txt file, but it loses formating.

[headhunter]

I was working on the same thing here. It's not the way I wanted to go with it because I wanted all of my info within the Mastercam file itself without having to access any outside files. So, we're going to go ahead and upgrade to X5. Would have already, but we use a post from a third party that has to be upgraded every time we upgrade MC, and we get hit with an upgrade fee.

 

I did manage to get this to work. It will popup an Open File Dialog so a user can browse

to a .rtf file. It will also work with a .txt file, but it loses formating.

[ThRaSH]

Don't you just love upgrading...

Well at least MU1 is out for your upgrade

 

I played around with it some more and have now managed to use a text file and not lose formatting.

So a person could use the same text file that Mastercam uses. If anyone is interested in this let me know.

[NOTW Programmer]

Can you share it please. Thrash

 

headhunter, why don't you upgrade the post yourself. I dont think between X4 and X5 any parameters have changed.

[headhunter]

It's not a matter of changing the post. As I understand it, there is a file that the post looks for when executed that is tied into your MC software, so anytime you go to a different version of MC, that lock has to be configured for the new version of MC.

 

Can you share it please. Thrash

 

headhunter, why don't you upgrade the post yourself. I dont think between X4 and X5 any parameters have changed.

[headhunter]

Upgraded to X5, and have the setup sheets generating the way I want them to. Success! Sure is a time saver.

 

So the next project is generating the tool report that has a function within it to calculate the number of tools needed to run a shop order of a given quantity. I have an excel document that does it now, but I would really like to have it ALL within MC. Possible?

[ThRaSH]

Can you share it please. Thrash

I'm putting something together. Here's how it will work. You run your report and a prompt dialog displays asking if you would like to include a manual entry. You check the checkbox Yes. Then an Open File Dialog displays and you can browse to the .txt file you would like to include. The report is generated with the text from that file.

 

 

Upgraded to X5, and have the setup sheets generating the way I want them to. Success! Sure is a time saver. So the next project is generating the tool report that has a function within it to calculate the number of tools needed to run a shop order of a given quantity. I have an excel document that does it now, but I would really like to have it ALL within MC. Possible?

Might be...I've been trying to think of how you're using your excel document, and all I can come up with is just for the formulas? Do you have a separate database of job numbers and tooling required, or is everything within the excel document?

[ThRaSH]

Can you share it please. Thrash

 

Here you go.

Filename: Y+Inc+(Manual-Entry-X4).zip

 

It's on the ftp in the Setup_Sheets folder.

[NOTW Programmer]

Here you go.

Filename: Y+Inc+(Manual-Entry-X4).zip

 

It's on the ftp in the Setup_Sheets folder.

OK I downloaded the file, how do I incorporate it into my custom setup sheet.

[ThRaSH]

Place a RichTextBox control on your custom setup sheet.

Copy the C# code from the Script window to your custom setup sheets Script window.

 

Now if your custom setup sheet already has code in the Script window then you may

end up with two functions with the same name. So check the function names and if there

are two ActiveReport_ReportStart() functions for example then you will need to merge

the contents of both functions into one.

 

The only other thing you will need to do is make sure the code is pointing to the correct

RichTextBox element. The code I used (below) points to "RichTextBox1". Make sure the Name

of the element is the same as what's used in your code and you should be good go.

((RichTextBox) rpt.Sections["Detail"].Controls["RichTextBox1"]).Text = text;

[headhunter]

 

 

Might be...I've been trying to think of how you're using your excel document, and all I can come up with is just for the formulas? Do you have a separate database of job numbers and tooling required, or is everything within the excel document?

 

 

As it is now, the excel sheet is a document I generate and save for the tool crib attendant that has a list of tools for a given part number. There is a formula within it that calculates the quantity of each tool needed when the tool crib attendant enters the number of parts on the work order. It isn't linked to any other file. Basically what I'd like to do is replicate that when I run a tool report out of MC. I don't know that even if I get the calculation to function within the report that the function would translate to Excel so she could open it.

 

I've attached a copy of that setup sheet I'm using, if anyone is interested in it. I'm sure I'll still tweak on it some as I go....

46129_op1.pdf

[Mr. Wizzard]

Nice setup, thanks for sharing your example and thanks to both you and ThRaSH for the valuable info you share on this topic.

[ThRaSH]

So you have an excel document for each job/part number then? Active Reports AFAIK doesn't have the capability to read an excel document, but it does have the capability to export an excel document. I'm still trying to wrap my head around this. Let's see if we can create a procedure list for this.

 

1 Run your Active Report

2 During this run have it export an Excel Document based on the tools used

3 Include in exported Excel Document formula to calculate quantity based on work order

 

Won't each work order be a little different so that your formula is always changing? For example work order 123 needs one 1/2 endmill per part whereas work order 456 needs two 1/2 endmills per part.

[headhunter]

So you have an excel document for each job/part number then? Active Reports AFAIK doesn't have the capability to read an excel document, but it does have the capability to export an excel document. I'm still trying to wrap my head around this. Let's see if we can create a procedure list for this.

 

1 Run your Active Report

2 During this run have it export an Excel Document based on the tools used

3 Include in exported Excel Document formula to calculate quantity based on work order

 

Won't each work order be a little different so that your formula is always changing? For example work order 123 needs one 1/2 endmill per part whereas work order 456 needs two 1/2 endmills per part.

 

 

Yeah, there is an Excel document for each part at this point. I save all my programs, setup sheets, and tool lists in a folder for each part number. The tool room can then go and pull the tool list.xls file and enter in the work order quantity and it will generate the number of each tool needed.

 

So, your procedure above is correct. What I need to figure out is how to calculate the life expectancy of each tool hopefully using the data available within the MC file. With the my current .xls file, the calculation is based in part on how many parts historically we would get out of a given tool for a certain type of operation, and that comes from just what I know we normally get. I'd like to calculate it off of run time, or cubic inches removed, or some other bit of data that I can extract from the MC file. It's got me scratching my head over how to format it, and if I can even get that kind of data out of MC. I may be aiming way high, but I'm hoping where I end up will at least knock a step out of my documentation process.

[ThRaSH]

Ok...I think I have a better understanding of what your after. I haven't done anything with excel within Active Reports before, so I just did a quick search at http://www.datadynamics.com/ These are the guys that are behind Active Reports in Mastercam. I did a search for "excel formula" and from the results it's unclear to me if a formula can be exported. Here's a link that details creating a basic spreadsheet and saving it as an .xls file. The C# code looks straight forward. If you want play around with it a little - I will too and we'll see what we can come up with. http://www.datadynamics.com/Help/ActiveReports6/arWLKBasicSpreadsheetWithSpreadBuilder.html

[headhunter]

Ok...I think I have a better understanding of what your after. I haven't done anything with excel within Active Reports before, so I just did a quick search at http://www.datadynamics.com/ These are the guys that are behind Active Reports in Mastercam. I did a search for "excel formula" and from the results it's unclear to me if a formula can be exported. Here's a link that details creating a basic spreadsheet and saving it as an .xls file. The C# code looks straight forward. If you want play around with it a little - I will too and we'll see what we can come up with. http://www.datadynamics.com/Help/ActiveReports6/arWLKBasicSpreadsheetWithSpreadBuilder.html

 

Cool, thanks man. I'll give it a go later on this afternoon and let you know if I come up with anything.

[ThRaSH]

ftp://mastercam:[email protected]/Mastercam_forum/Setup_Sheets/Tool+Crib+List.zip

File: Tool+Crib+List.zip

 

I looked into this a little more and found out that it's not possible to export an excel file with script thru the End User Designer (Active Reports Designer). So the only solution at this time is to have a separate report for the Tool Room. I have this "Tool Crib List" Report that you can download from the ftp. When you run a report save it as an excel file and the Tool Room person will have something to work with. The Tool Room person will have to double-click the cell and hi-light the function and hit the enter key in order to set the function. Here's a screen shot that kinda demonstrates that. The function is just an example - your going to want to use your own function which you can change on the reports Script page. The function as it is takes a toolpaths "Cut Length" and multiplies it by a number I just came up with off the top of my head. Like I said it's just an example - we can tweak it to get what your looking for.

[headhunter]

Had a little time to tweak my setup sheets around with some more info my operators requested. It's working for us pretty well so far. Also, as far as getting something going for the tool lists for the tool crib, I ended up setting up another Excel document and importing the XML data directly out of MC using the developer tab within Excel. I'm still doing a bit of manual entry as far as expected tool life goes. This one is still very much in the works.....

 

also, in tweaking the setup sheet, I uncovered a bug in MC. The holder length isn't being output to the XML file. Contacted MC about it, and it's supposed to be fixed for X6.

test.pdf

XML tool list template.pdf

[PcRobotic]

I went to the active report for the files as you told but how can I link them? Please let me know.

 

 

 

 

Well your limited with X4. There are some textboxes that you could use in the dialog that opens

when ytou first start an ActiveReport. These textboxes are limited in the amount of text you can use though.

 

You could also add a prompt to your ActiveReport. This would prompt you for input where you would add your manual

entry text, but the text would need to be in one long string or sentence. Basically you would lose all formatting.

 

It's also possible to fill a RichTextBox with text from a file. I've got this to work, but only so far with a hard

coded file and location. I'm working on having ActiveReports thru script use an Open File Dialog and then a person

could browse to the file they wanted to use for a Manual Entry.