SetUp sheet - active reports - msword

[Newbeeee™]

Cool, Im looking at it right now.

So it recreates it in word EXACTLY?

Looks to - click and convert.

And it would be really good if the set sheet would automatically start/run the nitro exe.

But I'm probably dreaming...

[kenfromlodi]

I did download the trial.

it does convert it very closely.

I still needed to tweak a couple things but works very well.

It did take a long time to covert tho and it was just 3 pages.

 

the excel convert wasnt even close.

Still thinking for now my new PDF skills are far quicker for me.

[rocheey1]

.. but .... have you looked at the File size ? :/

[kenfromlodi]

File size seems ok to me.

 

PDF = 349 KB (358,052 bytes)

 

CONVERT TO WORD = 231 KB (237,012 bytes)

[rocheey1]

wow. that IS impressive. Anytime I've tried dropping a PDF into MsWord, the file size grew by a factor of 10. Gotta check that app out myself

[kenfromlodi]

yeah it works very well. takes a little time to convert but it does format it so you can edit.

 

I still have not heard back about the AR?

I guess those guys ever there make enough money already!

[Newbeeee™]

Ken - please chase them. I'd still love the AR answer IF their expert can sort it.

 

big IF.....gauntlet is thrown down to them

[kenfromlodi]

yeah! me too!

 

You mean the self proclaimed expert?

I think the real expert will be the one that actually designed the AR as it currenty is for M-cam.

 

I am very happy with the PDF editing we are doing. Using the AR and Adobe is working well.

It's leaps better than our old way of fumbling around thats for sure.

It an still be better and ever bit of time we can save is just money in the Bank!

 

So we are still looking to Fix the AR.

 

I will let you know

[kenfromlodi]

 

 

Hi Ken,

 

They have been catching up on their issues they have received over the last week. I am getting replies back to others we had outstanding. I would say if we don’t have something today, we will have something for you bright and early on Monday. I will reply as soon as I get an update.

 

-Ryan

 

[Newbeeee™]

^^^ This does look promising.

I did some more testing with nitro at home - brougth back a 20 tool AR tool list to convert. No bitmaps just a straight tool list on the one page.

It took around a minute to convert which was painful just sat waiting...

Oh this is sooooooooo annoying. Every program needs a set sheet to convey the information. It's as basic as that, yet this is so frustrating that we have to muck about converting from package to package to get something half reasonable as an output.

[Newbeeee™]

Well I've just had a reply from my re-seller.

CNC said 'We do not have the ability to save the report as a Word DOCX file, so I logged enhancement request B-16250 to see about getting that option in there. Thank you!'

I knew that there wasn't the ability at the moment and I've already submitted an enhancement request when AR was initially launcHed (X4). I was hoping for a little more than this...

In the 'excitement' of all this, I have just realised that CNC's response to my reseller didn't answer at all my initial question, ie can we use dynamic reports instead of active reports?

I know we can't save from AR in word format, and I know that there are now a few enhancement requests raised.

But, can someone from CNC please advise if dynamic reports can be used, and how we would go about using it (if it works).

Thanks

[Newbeeee™]

Just had a call back from my reseller (thanks Phill) - he has an answer from CNC.

Dynamic reports could be used by selecting 'other' in the config file (where .set or active reports is specified).

However, I believe it's $1k per seat and whether or not it works 100% compatible with word I don't know, but the price rules us cheap skates out anyway.

[rocheey1]

And that would work? I ask because I recently asked this very question in the developer forums .... (wanting to run my MsWord setup sheet using the 'other' option in config file)

 

Unless Mastercam is built in to automatically recognize certain 'other' programs, then it wont parse the report file. Thats what MasterCam does in ActiveReports... it parses the report (.rpx) file looking for the variables you are referencing in your report. It then finds the 'data source' specified (the default is SSM1.xml) and outputs an XML file that contains the data your report needs. Then when the viewer loads your report, it is seeded with the data from the xml file.

 

The problem is, when you select 'other', there is no parsing of a report file, there is no custom generation of an xml file. There would be no data output for Dynamic reports to work with. It would forever show the same data, which would be of the last ActiveReport you ran. Too bad, I was hoping to do this very thing from my setup sheet, using the active reports parser instead of a custom post.

 

Run the standard 'setup sheet', and then go check the dates/times of the .xml files. they will have been updated to the current day and time. Now , go into your config, under 'Reports' , and select 'other', and browse/select "notepad". Then run another report.

 

Notepad opens instantly. No snapshots of operations. No updating of the day/time of the xml file.

[Newbeeee™]

rocheey - it makes sense from what you're saying...even if it (dynamic reports) did work, it is priced out for us anyway.

Perhaps I can pay you to sort this out

 

Ken is being conspicuous by his absence. The expert possibly hasn't got back to him yet...

 

Oh this should be so simple...

[kenfromlodi]

Sorry guys but I had to do some actual programming.

 

The self proclaimed expert is NOT!!

He passed it on to his higher up and they said NO!

 

They are not helpful and wont even answer basic questions for me.

I have pretty much just resigned to saving in PDF using Adobe.

 

The format is perfect. I am able now to edit and save. Its not like editing in word but it is much easy than screwing with our other set up sheets.

I am hoping at some point Mastercam will understand the serious need for a workable set up sheet for people who do not understand the way all the office files work and do not have time to learn it.

 

I guess maybe im just missing something.

 

Why are we the only guys posting this thread?

Does everyone else have it all perfect where they dont have to mess with it?

Do they just settle for 90% and thats ok?

Very frustrating.

 

Has anyone seen the AR in X7?

Is it improved?

[rocheey1]

rocheey - it makes sense from what you're saying...even if it (dynamic reports) did work, it is priced out for us anyway.

Perhaps I can pay you to sort this out

 

Ken is being conspicuous by his absence. The expert possibly hasn't got back to him yet...

 

Oh this should be so simple...

 

Thanx for the compliment, but this app was developed in-house, and so my employer owns it. I'm just the guy at the keyboard. :/

[Newbeeee™]

Ken - what's that saying about experts.....x being the unknown quantity while spert is a drip under pressure

Glad the pdf is working for you. It looks like nitro is our only option then.

Yes - we seem to be the lone voices

 

rocheey - is there (please) anyway you can explain in laymans terms what and how you have done what you've done. I have some real switched on software mates (dare I say ex-perts!) who I could call a favour in from. If you can say, please PM me. It will be our secret - so you won't get shot!

 

Oh well - it looks like the end for now.

[Mick from CNC Software Inc.]

I've been stalking this thread from afar and one thing you guys might want to look into is in your \Users\Public\Documents\shared mcamx567\vb folder, specifically the GetJobInformation.vbs script. What this script does, when executed, is dump out some information to a HTML file that you can then import into word. I wrote this as an example of our VBScript API almost 5 years ago but it still works today. It should be possible, with a little massaging, to output a nice report. You could also take it a step further and develop a NETHook as that would give you a lot more information regarding the current drawing, operations, etc.

[Newbeeee™]

Hi Mick - You didn't have to be so shy! We're all friends here

Thank you, I'll have a look at this and see if I can make head or tails of it. At the moment, Scripts are soooooooo over my head.

 

Last thing on nitro as I've been testing tonight. It is painfully slow to convert pdf to word but what I didn't do previously was to try using it's own editor while still in pdf format.

This is so easy. Edit any previous text by double clicking. To add text it has a real neat alignment icon, which squares up on previous text, click and type away.

So this is my favourite by far now.

Create set sheet in AR > save as pdf > double click which will automatically load nitro and edit away.

 

[rocheey1]

Actually, Mick, Ive already done both. But neither allowed me the access to tool information - like what thread a tap was, or Op info - like which type of Cutter Comp was used (.net didn't allow access to Reverse Wear, which is our company standard), VBscript didnt allow an interface, and .Net had a bug for years that raised its head when you just tried to read the operations. I have LITERALLY over 30 projects that I'd abandoned because of bugs, or features that were not implemented (like you can get the StartPoint of an Arc, but not an EndPoint ?)

 

And, of course, neither allowed running from the 'SetUp Sheet' menu.

 

So I started with your Mill.Set, expanded on it to get virtually all possible data, called my own .net dll which not only creates a perfectly formatted Sheet in under 2 secs, (using formatted tables); also includes an interface that allows formatting of the report, the ability to merge multiple setup sheets (in case of a palette Machine, etc), and does error checking/standards enforcement. You accidentally have one D Offset that is not like the others? (+50, etc) ... Flagged in red, You miss turning the coolant on for an Op? It tells you. One of your routines has a depth of cut greater than your fluted length? It has your back.

 

But gotta give credit - html first is the way to go. Creating a word doc thru OLE is painful to watch :/

[Mick from CNC Software Inc.]

Actually, Mick, Ive already done both. But neither allowed me the access to tool information

 

I'd be interested to hear if the new NETHook 3.0 API gives you access to everything you need.

[rocheey1]

I'd be interested to hear if the new NETHook 3.0 API gives you access to everything you need.

 

I am jumping out of my skin to start using the new NetHook 3 API. Its unbelievable how much was added. The more I look, the more convinced I am not to bite the C++ bullet. Call it a hunch.

 

Add to the fact , with 25+ years of Basic experience, in all its flavors, I wont be until about Mcx Version XXC till I can do in C++ what I can do in VB.

 

So my frustration in the v7 verify probably shows in my other posts. I cant recommend deployment

[neurosis]

Im not sure if anyone is still toying with a way to export editable documents out of active reports (without excel or html), but I have recently found something that has been working great for me. Although some of the fonts and formats need to be adjusted some what to get it working properly.

 

Libre office, which is free, comes with a converter for .pdf files in their LibreOffice Draw.

 

I can pull any set up sheet that I have created and exported out of Active Reports, edit it as desired, add notes, add pictures, add more pages, copy and paste between documents (other set up sheets) and then export back out of Libre Office as a .PDF or just save it as a native file.

 

It has been working very slick for me so far. Hopefully some day they will allow us to export in to a word document.

[Newbeeee™]

^^^ Thanks for the heads-up. We're still using X+ for quick and easy and sometimes Nitro, and sometime legacy set sheet in word with a save as and modify.

I'm going to go blue in the face one more time for old times sake (and to make Rich @4D roll his eyes ) by saying it, but I really can't understand why AR isn't slicker. Just about everyone here uses X+ which (although brilliant) is an add on.

AR was released in mcam (X4?) back a few years ago now to a bit of a fanfare, and it still can't handle rotary output (A or B ) nor milled stock as a diameter (radius only as if that's any good).

I can understand CNC allocating resource for all the new bells and whistles to gain more sales, but EVERY JOB needs a basic tool list/Set Sheet, but not everyone needs MTM or Swiss or blade expert or port expert or...you get the drift.

[3rdstring]

I believe Active Reports is a licensed product, not developed by CNC Software.