Excel Add-in for PLC and Instrument Connectivity

NOTE: Step 2 only needs to be perfomed once. If you have already added ASComm.NET Excel Add-in to Excel, proceed to Step 3.

These instructions describe Excel 2013 configuration. Excel 2007 and 2010 dialogs may be slightly different, but the steps are the same.

2.1. Create a new Excel notebook.

2.2. Add the ASComm.NET Excel Add-in to Excel Add-ins.

In Excel, select File> Options> Add-ins

At the bottom of the dialog, in the Manage dropdown list, choose 'COM Add-ins', then click the Go/new. button.

Select ASCommExcelAddIn1 from the COM Add-ins dialog, then click the OK button.

 

3.1 Locate the ASComm.NET tab on the Excel ribbon

3.2 Click the 'Show' button in the Task Pane group to show the ASComm.NET Task Pane.

3.3 Select the ASComm.NET configuration file created in Step 1 (above).

3.4 The Configured Items list box will now show the configured items.

3.5 Configure ASComm.NET data collection, data storage, and error handling parameters for this spreadsheet using the task pane.

 

Data Collection

Run When Workbook Opens

This option causes ASComm.NET Excel AddIn to automatically start when a workbook is opened

Update Rate

This sets the logging update rate in milliseconds. This is the rate at which rows are added to the spreadsheet, not that rate that data is collected from target devices.

To configure data collection rate, refer to configuration application in Step 1, specifically Group UpdateRate property.

Clear Sheet on Run

Clears sheet data when Run button is pressed or workbook is opened and 'Run When Workbook Opens' is checked.

Reset Record Number on Run

Resets record number when Run button is pressed or workbook is opened and 'Run When Workbook Opens' is checked.

 

Data Storage

Add Timestamp

Adds a timestamp column before data columns.

Add Record Number

Adds a record number column before data columns.

Sheet Name

Allows you to specify a sheet within the current workbook to log to.

Starting Cell

Allows you to specify a cell (A1, BC10, DEF21, etc.) that will be the starting row and column for logging.

Mode

• Logging (new row for each update)
  

  Adds a new row for each record.

• Real time (Single row for all updates)
  

  Overwrites previous record on a single row.

 

Diagnostics

Output to Windows Event Log

This option causes ASComm.NET Excel AddIn to output errors to the Windows Event Log.

Spreadsheet Error Text

Allows you to specify text to be logged when data is invalid.

Error Color

Allows you to specify text color to be logged when data is invalid.

 

Manual Start

To start data logging, select the ASComm.NET ribbon tab, then click the Run button

Alternate VBA method

Sub ButtonStart_Click()
          On Error Resume Next
        
          Set addin = Application.COMAddIns("ASCommExcelAddin")
          Set automationObject = addin.Object
          Call automationObject.Start
          Exit Sub 
        End Sub           

 

Stop

To stop data logging, select the ASComm.NET ribbon tab, then click the Stop button

Alternate VBA method

Sub ButtonStop_Click()
          On Error Resume Next
        
          Set addin = Application.COMAddIns("ASCommExcelAddin")
          Set automationObject = addin.Object
          Call automationObject.Stop
          Exit Sub 
        End Sub           

 

Automatic Start

To start data logging when workbook opens, click the Run When Workbook Opens checkbox (described in Step 3).

 

On-demand

ASComm.NET Excel Add-in can read data from hardware devices and populate Excel spreadsheets without writing any code.

In order to perform on-demand logging a small amount of VBA code is required.

Example

 

To generate an on-demand log entry when ButtonReadAll is clicked:

Sub ButtonReadAll_Click()
        
          On Error Resume Next
        
          Set addin = Application.COMAddIns("ASCommExcelAddin")
          Set automationObject = addin.Object
          Call automationObject.ReadAll
          Exit Sub
          
        End Sub
                          

The ASComm.NET Add-in for Excel can read data from hardware devices and populate Excel spreadsheets without writing any code.

In order to write data to hardware devices a small amount of VBA code is required.

Example

 

To write the value from spreadsheet 'Sheet1' cell 'L9' to the Item specified in cell 'L6' when ButtonWriteValue is clicked:

Sub ButtonWriteValue_Click()
              On Error Resume Next
              Dim item As String
              Dim value As String
            
              ' Obtain Item name from cell 'L6' in spreadsheet
              item = Sheet1.Range("L6")
              ' Obtain value from cell 'L9' in spreadsheet
              value = Sheet1.Range("L9")
            
              Dim addin As Office.COMAddIn
              Dim automationObject As Object
              Set addin = Application.COMAddIns("ASCommExcelAddin")
              Set automationObject = addin.Object
              Call automationObject.WriteValue(item, value)
              Exit Sub
            End Sub