Guidelines for Customizing Pages for Save as Excel - Intergraph Smart Instrumentation - Help

Intergraph Smart Instrumentation Help

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Smart Instrumentation Version
13.1

Graphic Limitations of the Excel Environment

The Page Editor of Smart Instrumentation allows you freedom in designing specification pages, with few limitations on the layout of data fields, fields with computed values, text fields, and lines. But when designing pages for Excel compatibility, it is important to keep in mind that an Excel worksheet is basically a grid of cells. Although a standalone Excel spreadsheet supports random placement of text, value, and line objects, Save as Excel works best if you imagine an Excel grid underlying your page.

The Save-as Excel functionality only works with the 32-bit version of Microsoft Excel. You must also have installed from the Microsoft Download center the following file: Microsoft Access 2013 Runtime.exe.

Fine-Tuning the Grid and Lines

Although you can use the mouse to create and place lines, you must fine-tune the grid by referring to the Line Position pop-up window for each line object. After you set the major lines of the page grid, you can insert database fields, computed fields, text fields, and lines. Verify the following:

  • All lines are either exactly vertical lines or exactly horizontal.

  • For every vertical line, BeginX = EndX.

  • For every horizontal line, BeginY = EndY.

  • Left/right external border lines share common BeginY (top) and EndY (bottom) values.

  • Top/bottom external border lines share common BeginX (left end) and EndY (right end) values.

  • When one line ends by running into another, make sure that they share an X value or a Y value. This prevents overshooting and undershooting.

  • Create as much of the grid as possible before creating text and value objects.

  • Although there is no requirement for every line to run the entire length or width of the page, imagine an Excel grid underlying your page. For example, if you inserted a vertical line near the top of the page at X = 500 PBU, if your mouse placement of a vertical line near the bottom of the page ended up at X = 505, make the X values consistent for both lines.

  • Similarly, if you inserted a horizontal line towards the left of the page at Y = 700 PBU, if your mouse placement of a horizontal line towards the right of the page ended up at Y = 705, make the Y values consistent for both lines.

Left-Aligning Fields to Lines

During the process of export from Smart Instrumentation to Excel, the software associates each field with a vertical line to the left of the field. To display the lines accurately, make sure the BeginX value of a field should equal the X values of the line to its left.

Fine-Tuning Adjacent Fields

  • To prevent text cut-off, leave at least 5 PBU between adjacent fields. The requirement to left-align fields to lines also applies to fields to the right of other fields.

  • For multiple fields between horizontal lines, set constant BeginY and EndY values for all of the fields. The BeginY value should be several PBU greater than the Y values of the line above, and the End2 value should be several PBU less than the Y values of the line below.

  • Save as Excel functionality is dependent on the correct Microsoft Windows ODBC drivers being installed on your machine. See the Prerequisites section of the topic Create an Import Link for an ODBC Source.

  • Installing Windows updates sometimes causes problems with the Windows ODBC drivers. If Save as Excel fails to work correctly you should re-install the ODBC drivers.