Is there a way to build a recipe file in excel and then export it to the .rcp extension and be in the correct format. I would love to see if this can be done. That way I wouldn’t have to install PAC Project and SoftPAC on a clients PC just let let them program a recipe offline.
Any input would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Dan
To be clear, PAC Display uses the .rcp file. So while you don’t need to install full PAC Project or SoftPAC, you will need to install PAC Display.
With that said, what you propose is more than possible.
Its a little outside the scope of Opto 22 official support, but the .rcp file is just a text file.
Take one that works, copy it, and write a macro in Excell that builds it…
But I gota ask… Why?
What would be the use case?
Why do you need a dynamic recipe file that backs up different variables to and from a controller?
I’m seriously interested in this (to me) slightly different use case…
I thought you couldn’t install PAC Display by itself. I thought you have to load PAC Project. I would have to install SoftPAC and write a small program to handle a few calculations for the recipe file as you are building it in PAC Display. So I would have to have them make sure SoftPAC was running, then load PAC Display runtime. Seems like a lot of steps to get there.
I didn’t want to have to install all that stuff on multiple PCs of a client that wants to build recipe files from the office. Then load them to the all-in-one located at the machine. They all have excel already, so it would be nice just to build an excel workbook to handle this. I think I know how to build the the actual text to make it look like the .rcp file, but I don’t know how to export all the fields and get it to save as or convert to a .rcp file. I was hoping someone has tried this and can just give me the sample code. In excel, I can save a sheet as a .txt file but not a .rcp and I wouldn’t want the client to have to change the extension every time they build a new recipe.
I have done some pretty elaborate things in Excel before (years and years ago) and I’m a little rusty. One thing I have never done is work with VB or macros. I might have to learn a few things with those items, but I do know I can create the .txt file to look exactly like the the .rcp. I have 2 days to get this done.
So I decided to stick with PAC Display and using SoftPAC. Is there a way to load the strategy to SoftPAC without using PAC Control? Can you just build the .cdf file in PAC Control and then copy it to a certain directory on the hard drive? If so, where would I copy the file to?
Another question: Can you export screens in PAC Display PRO and import them into a PAC Display Basic program?
First question.
Second question.
Duno. Will have to check (or rtfm).
Update on this project:
I installed PAC Project on my all in one PC. I only selected to install PAC Display, SoftPAC and Tools (PAC Terminal). I then started SoftPAC. Then loaded my .cdf file (that I built on a different PC) with PAC Terminal. Then in the SoftPAC control panel, I started the strategy. 1 chart running – good to go. Then I copied my protected Display Project to the all in one and started Display Runtime and pointed it to that Display Project. Display Runtime comes up and loads my Display Project. I can see it loaded the values from SoftPAC. In this little project I have an Upload and a Download recipe button. When I click either the upload or download, it comes up with an error window which states:
“Error opening strategy file”
"Cannot open “
my path from the computer I programmed it with
"Error -416”
At this point, why does it even care where the .idb file is? Can anyone clear this up for me?
Of course, to make this work, I copy the .idb file to the place where it is looking for it and then everything works just fine, but why must I have a copy of the .idb file if I won’t be editing the Display Project on this PC any more?