Protool !! Can I do This ?

Dear Experts,

I would like to do following things in Protool/Pro Trend, please let me know what all can i do and if any hints can be given.

1. I need a cross wire control on the trend display which, when clicked on any point of the trend line would Show me the value of that point in a Text field.

2. Can we make the trend display to point to a CSV file ? And what exact format should it have for the the Trend display to read this file instead of reading the Arch file created by protool?

3. Linking point 1) and 2) for the cross wire I would like to read the value of the other tag which would be stored in the Self (Via a script of another system) created CSV file.

4. The basic format of CSV file could be like shown below.
Tag1,Tag2,Tag3,Date_Time <---- Header to Field Names
1.11,1.23,1.34, 07-08-2005 10:11:56 PM<---- Vales of tag and time
1.46,3.45,4,68, 07-08-2005 10:20:36 PM

I know that the ARCH format that protool Log creates, is different but can this file be linked with the trend display. Please let me know if you know a way. Or at least give me a pointer.

5. As the time domain is same i would like to get the values of different tags on Text Display when I click the cross wire on a particular Trend line.

6. Can i dynamically switch the Archive name (or CSV File name) for Trend display, normally it points of a particular Arch.
Please educate me.

Thanks

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Arc

Arc,
I dont have much time to go into details, so I will put a little short.

1. Yes, you can toggle a "readline" on and off. Moving the readline along the trend will change the values displayed to where the readline is pointing.

2. Yes, you can log to a CSV archive file.

3. Yes, the trend may display values from the archive and the readline can read from the archive file.
But I have had problems with Protool to reliably display the archived values in the trend. Archiving works without problems though.

4. The archive format is as it is. Take it or leave it.

5. Moving the readline will update the trend display of the time accordingly.

6. Not sure what you mean. You can set up Protool to make a "ring" of archive files, but it is fully automatic, you cannot control which file it is logging to.

I was thinking Jesper may reply !!

Hi!

Let me clarify a bit more.

I know that cross wire can be shown but when I move the cross wire, the value (Point) of that Trend line at point of cross, I would like to put that particular value into a TAG that can be then shown in a "Text Box Field." or manipulated for further use, (not in the table which comes below the Trend Graph. One can just see and not use it in a script or for any further manipulation).

May be rest i will try to fig out if I can do something.

Haven't tried out but during runtime is the Arch log file (CSV) locked by the Application (read only access allowed to another script or another application)? Can I rewrite on this same CSV file "on-line" during runtime execution by another script or external application. This rewriting may be done prior to opening the trend display.
Thanks anyway!!

----
Arc

No, I dont think you can get the actual value displayed by the readline out on some tag or function.

If you want access to the archive that is currently being used by Protool then it can only be done by using archiving to an ODBC database server (not CSV).
With ODBC you can simultanously read/write from multiple sources.

millisecond ??

Thanks Jesper,

Just one more...

If I would like to create the Archive via the script, my problem is to get the millisecond value that is stored in the standard Archive file. (I am able to get the Day, Date, month, year, hours, and seconds but this combined calculated millisecond value that protocol stores in its standard Archive file, I could not find out. Any clue or pointers on this area This millisecond is the PC time and how to read it in the script so that I can log it ?
Thanks

I am not sure what you mean or what you want to do.
Normaly tags are updated with 1 second or maybe 0.5 second cycle times. The accuracy of the logging cannot be better than that. The milliseconds re only from the PC.
If you need millisecond precision, then you need to log via the ALARM-S system. This gets the message times from the PLC, and is thus much more precise.
Without this the milliseconds are irrelevant.

And: I dont have experience with ALARM-S --- yet !

Reason for millisecond

Dear Jesper,

When i open the standard Arch (CSV) file there is a column which gives the Millisecond stored. I wanted to replicate this Archive log file using the VB script (where i can also include Achieving of String Tags as this is not allowed by the default menu of achieving).

Hoping that the String tag value will come in the Standard Table below the trend graph when i place my cross wire at a other trend point.. Just wondering will it happen !! The very reason i wanted to maintain the exact format for the Log file, so that i can later create this file via VBS and make the Trend graph point always to this file.

To maintain the same format i wanted to include the millisecond filed that is present in standard Archive file. (The only reason and not to get a better resolution of time).

Any pointers to make this happen !!

Thanks.

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arc