Lookout Reports Dynamic File Naming - Date/time format

[erblock]

Looking for any ideas to format the file name of Lookout reports to yyyy-mm-dd-hh-mm-ss

I can get the decimal equivalent of date using a system function such as now(hourly_timer), but can't figure out how to set the display format for such an object into the file name output field of the report object.

Thanks,

Ed

[Khalid]

Hi Ed,

Long time no see!  Not sure if you have already checked the following thread;  it discusses some Expressions to build filenames based on current date: 

http://forums.ni.com/ni/board/message?board.id=190&message.id=3948

Regards,

-Khalid

[erblock]

Hi Kahlid,

Yeah...wearing other hats mostly.  I see your as active as ever!  Maybe NI will license lookout leftovers to you 🙂    Thanks for the link.  Your text/replace tips got me a reasonable solution.

Sideline.... has anyone custom exposed the panel name field to be dynamic?  (for panel print purposes).

[Khalid]

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@erblock wrote:

Maybe NI will license lookout leftovers to you 🙂   

---

Maybe NI can open the source of Lookout..??  Or at least make the Object Development Toolkit available for free.  Seriously, this would keep it alive (a little longer).

Regards,

-Khalid

[erblock]

Khalid,

I seriously doubt NI would open Lookout source since it is(was?) one of the core technologies within LV DSC and someone could take the technology and compete with NI.  It would be nice however!

Ed

Message Edited by erblock on 11-01-2006 04:16 PM

[maxofmillions]

hi ed....i'm the dummy khalid helped with that link...what exactly does this mean...custom expose the panel name field to be dynamic? (for panel print purposes). thanks randy

[erblock]

Well, I was hoping someone had modified the panel object to include a dynamic panel-name field using the Object Developer Toolkit.  Someone probably has done it.  It would help me print panels to pdf with date/time filenames for example. Or to print status during an alarm condition with the filename indicating such.  (other methodologies to obtain the same functionality are certainly welcome here.)  Not a high priority but certainly handy.

Damn, the more I think of an open source Lookout, the more excited I get.  Khalid!....stop that!!

[Khalid]

Hi Ed,

Do these have to be PDF files?  Can they be HTML files?  If HTML (or even BMP) is fine, here's one option: 

1.  Use the Report Object

2.  Note that the generated file's name can be dynamic -- tie in the datetime expression here, for instance.

3.  Make the following connection:

Report1.Display1 = Panel1.graphic

Where Panel1 is the panel you want to capture. 

4.  Use the Generate logical datamember of the Report Object to generate the HTML file.  It will copy and paste (will link to, actually) the panel nicely into the HTML file.  The actual panel screenshot is saved as graphic1.bmp in the same folder -- which by itself should suffice as a record.  But then you would have to make the folder structure based on datetime, etc., to be able to distinguish the screenshots.

By the way, I fail to see why the Panel's title -- which is what gets sent as filename to the printer -- has to be static.  It's not the Object name.  There's no reason for it to be static.. unless I am missing something.  See, we could easily change this if.....

Anyways, hope this gives you some options.

Regards,

-Khalid

Message Edited by Khalid on 11-02-2006 01:02 AM

[erblock]

Khalid,

I started down the road of folder structure, but I just couldn't bring myself to create an hourly structure!  😄  They could have had the report object create a web folder instead of a web page....oh well.

STOP THAT!

Ed

Message Edited by erblock on 11-02-2006 07:25 AM