Question about Create Excel Delimited Line FB

[Flex727]

There is something about this FB that I don't understand that isn't addressed in the Help file nor in the recent webinar on this subject. Looking at the Project Example for SD cards, when you open the "Create Excel Delimited Line" function there are 4 fields defined (MI500, MI510, MI508, & MI509). The "Size (in chars) column shows an "*". Why is that? Since this field is a vector of 5 MIs, where is that indicated to the function to grab 5 MIs rather than just 1 (i.e. where is it being told that MI500 and MI510 are vectors of length 5?)

[Stein Yair]

Hi,

the * appears when choosing Indirect Text in the Field because the function can't calculate the size of the row. You can enter the value manually if you know the size in order to get the total size.

Both these values are merely helping indicators for setting the length of the vector which is the second input row at the bottom of the window: Max Vector Length.

[Flex727]

Thanks, but that appears to provide the TOTAL length of the Excel line being created. How does it know the length of the INDIVIDUAL vectors that make up the line? Or is there something I'm totally missing?

Looking at the example project, (V570_DS_card_demo.vlp), Field #1 is Date to ASCII (vector of 5 MIs) and Field #2 is RTC to ASCII (also a vector of 5 MIs), then there are 2 Numeric Fields. The Indirect Text MIs (MI500 & MI510) are each LABELED as being vectors of length 5, but how does the FB know they are vectors and what the length is?

[Flex727]

Okay, I'm dumb - it looks for a NULL character. Sorry for the confusion.