With Vectors why didn't I think of this ages ago!

[Ausman]

One of those "duhhhh" moments today. 

When using Structs with UniCan in Visi, one of the really annoying issues for me is the lack of being able to name in the sending plc where the various operands are going to in the other plc .  Of course, we excellent programmers' give all operands across a project the same IDs, which eliminates this issue.  And I often try to pluck the curly tails off those pigs flying around my workspace as well. 

Anyway, in reality land the same IDs are often impossible, depending on what you are flinging around the network and the way it all works.

I don't know whether this is a case of brain fade, or just being plain stoopid, but today I had a light bulb moment that's taken many years to arrive.  The magic word is Excel.  It is exceedingly ironic that myself, a big Influencer; KimKarDashCam; Make-other-people-buy/wear-the-ridiculous-shoes-I-make; Do-What-I-Do; Need I go on?; promoter of using Excel to make programming plcs so much easier, did not for one moment consider how Excel would make this so easy.  On the left is the location of the collect, then the Vector number list, then the next columns across the row list what is going and where it ends up.  So I end up with an exceedingly simple way of having an accurate cross reference by simply heading left to right across the row. (Unless you're a traditional Chinese programmer, then you'll go the other way!)  If it is also going to other plcs then you can easily add in whatever extra columns you need.  And the real beauty is that it is very easily adjusted as necessary.

Previously I was keeping notes of this sort of thing in an associated word file which is, correction, was an exceptionally clumsy way of doing it.  No doubt many of you will already be doing the Excel method, but if you're not, make the most of the revelation! 

Keep in mind that unless you get these things exactly right at both ends the entire procedure falls over.  A tiny slipup and the various plcs' little minions all do a huge sigh, put their hands in the air and make "What??" noises....much to the chagrin of the boss.        

  

cheers, Aus

[Lacey]

Can you take a screen shot of what your excel file looks like and share it here please?

[Ausman]

Noted, Lacey.  Soon.

[Ausman]

I've simplified what I use for the sake of displaying it.  My real one goes into much more detail, but the basic layout is like this.  The operand numbering method shown allows easy cross-checking for duplicates through data copy/paste/manipulation on a saved file.

cheers, Aus