[SML] ASCII file reader

[e-mail frank.wood95]

Good advice. If you have some skill with high level programming, such
as in Pascal and its successors, it is no great problem.

On 5 August 2015 at 21:28, Ford Sellers via Stagecraft
<stagecraft at theatrical.net> wrote:
> Hi Dan, Try this….
>
> I think *** (and that is a dangerous thing) that this will work.
>
> You should be able to import the ASCII txt file into Excel, and then
> reposition the columns, and then copy and paste back into a txt file.
>
>
>
> Here’s how…
>
> Save your ascii file as a text document (for lack of a better file name I’ll
> say “ascii.xtx”)
>
> Open Excel,
>
> [File], [open], under file type, choose text file, select ascii.txt.
>
> It will open an “Import Wizard”.
>
> On the various tabs of the wizard, you can select how it determines what
> info goes into which columns.  There is a preview pane, so you can see how
> it will be displayed as you select different options… it’s pretty easy to
> figure out.
>
>
>
> Once it looks like you want, click OK, and you’ve got it in Excel.  Then
> simply move your columns into whatever order you desire.
>
>
>
> Then… [Save as] file type “Unicode Text”.  This should leave everything in
> the right order, but in a txt file to reimport into ascii.
>
>
>
> -HTH,
>
> Ford Sellers
>
> Senior Product Development Manager
>
> Chauvet Professional Lighting & Iluminarc
>
> 5200 NW 108th ave
>
> Sunrise, FL 33351
>
> Phone: 800-762-1084
>
> Fax: 800-544-4898
>
>
>
>
>
> From: Stagecraft [mailto:stagecraft-bounces at theatrical.net] On Behalf Of Dan
> Sheehan via Stagecraft
> Sent: Wednesday, August 05, 2015 1:15 PM
> To: Stagecraft Mailing List
> Cc: Dan Sheehan
> Subject: Re: [SML] ASCII file reader
>
>
>
> Thanks all for suggestions.
>
>
>
> Probably would not have worked anyway.
>
>
>
> Here's the situation and interesting, but not useful, results
>
>  (somewhat lengthy description):
>
>
>
> One of several community theatre groups I assist recently
>
> started using a venue which has a 72-dimmer Unison system
>
> controlled by a NSI [Leviton] 7532, which can run as 64 channels wide.
>
> (Dimmer sys orig install was 48 wide, later added 3rd Unison box & 2nd FOH
> pipe]
>
>
>
> By patching many houselight dimmers into a few channels the
>
> 64-wide 7532 can handle the 72 dimmers OK.
>
>
>
> The group had an ETC  Smartfade 2496 gathering dust.
>
>
>
> Thought that would be a better tool than the NSI 7532,
>
> mainly because it could be used with SmartSoft in a laptop
>
> for runtime display of levels etc,
>
> control via computer instead of console buttons,
>
> hence less reliance on wheel for tasks like patching (ugh!),
>
> file save and load capability, offline emulation, etc.
>
> and everything you can do with an offline SW pkg.
>
>
>
> ETC Tec Support got me through getting SmartSoft SW and Smartfade HW
>
> to talk to each other.  Never would have got there without that help.
>
>
>
> Maybe it's just an olde pharte syndrome, but I find the
>
> hover-the-mouse-and- *wait*,  to see one patch connection at a time,
>
> and the drag-and-drop to create patch links, klutzy.
>
>
>
> I like the way it works (and displays) on the Express.
>
>
>
> And I like... in fact, insist on...  a patch list ( p/o magic sheet) on
> paper
>
> during the run of the tech & show.
>
> Surprised that the offine SW does not provide printable reports.
>
>
>
> Since "ETC" (!) SmartSoft, and ETC Express EOL, both import
>
> and export USITT ASCII, I thought maybe....
>
> since one strong purpose of USITT ASCII is to enable
>
> data sharing between different consoles...
>
> but not quite.
>
>
>
> EOL refuses to read ASC file written by SmartSoft,
>
> because manufacturer (and console) do not match.
>
> (USITT ASCII includes both).
>
>
>
> Tricked around that by replacing the Express patch info
>
> in the EOL file with the patch info from the SmartSoft file.
>
>
>
> Resulting imported patch was wrong.
>
>
>
> EOL patch info is Ch:Dim;    SmartSoft patch info is Dim:Ch.
>
>
>
> They can't both be right , can they ?  :)
>
>
>
> EOS OLE says it reads the SmartSoft .ASC file successfully
>
> (I think... read status flashes by pretty quickly),
>
> but the resulting patch is blank.
>
>
>
> Importing patch from Express EOL .ASC into EOS OLE works correctly.
>
>
>
> ===
>
> Have not been successful trying to find the USITT ASCII spec on USITT
> website.
>
> Any suggestions ?
>
>
>
> --
>
> ...Dan Sheehan
> Fixer of things that break
>
>
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-- 
Frank Wood