TDMS Excel Importer Column Limit = 254

[LabBEAN]

The recommendation over there was to try posting here in the DIAdem forum.  Any reason why the TDMS Excel Importer is column limited to 254?  I've attached a TDMS file below with 300 dummy groups, each of which as 4 channels of dummy data.  The only way to post the TDMS file was as a VI (not a TDMS file or ZIP), so please download the "VI" and change the extension to TDMS and try to import into Excel to view the behavior.

When loaded into Excel, only the first 254 groups are shown as the message indicates:

[LabBEAN]

Obviously need a nap, meant "Sheets" not columns.  Importer is "sheet-limited" to 254.

[LabBEAN]

Maybe the TDMS Excel Add-In tool needs to be re-written to copy blank sheets to get the workbook initialized correctly rather than adding them?

Excel specifications and limits:

"Sheets in a workbook = Limited by available memory (default is 3 sheets)"

How many worksheets can an Excel workbook have?:

"The number of spreadsheets is basically limited by the size of your computer memory..... If you have 255 sheets in a workbook and try add worksheet, it won't let you. But if you have 255 worksheets and copy a worksheet or ten, then this is how to get past the 255 limit."

[Brad_Turpin]

Hi LabBEAN,

I couldn't load your attached VI with either LV 2011 or LV 2012.  It says your VI "is not a resource file".  Weird.  I tried changing the extension to *.xls or *.xlsx, but neither loaded correctly into Excel, though the binary dump does look more like a data file than a VI.

Brad Turpin

DIAdem Product Support Engineer

National Instruments

[LabBEAN]

Please change the VI extension to TDMS (as explained above :D).  Seems like whoever wrote the Importer tool assumed you could keep adding sheets past 255 when in reality you have to copy the previous sheet and then overwrite the contents of the copied sheet in order to add sheets past 255 (at least from what I've read).

Thanks for looking into it, Brad.

[Brad_Turpin]

Yup,

Now I get the same 254 sheet error you get.  I've forwarded this issue on to R&D, and I'll let you know what they say.

Brad Turpin

DIAdem Product Support Engineer

National Instruments

[Brad_Turpin · Accepted solution]

Hi LabBEAN,

R&D has fixed the TDM Excel Addin so that it now loads > 255 groups/sheets into Excel.  Unfortunately, the new version won't post to the web site for about another month.  Would you send me an email at brad.turpin@ni.com so that I can coordinate posting the updated version to you on our outgoing ftp site?

Brad Turpin

DIAdem Product Support Engineer

National Instruments

[LabBEAN]

Excellent news!  Thanks, Brad.