Take orders from Excel — gull system handbook

The Excel source in gull system: a watched file or folder, row/column layout, the status column, Wake CAD, enabling intake on this computer, Generate new orders.

Take orders from Excel

An Excel source watches one file or a whole folder. A row whose status says "new" is processed when the sheet is saved, and the status is rewritten.

Create a source

1. In the main menu Input sources → Excel click Create a new Excel source, or in a configurator under step 4 → Excel. A source created in the main menu is not yet connected to a configurator.
2. Under Properties → Watching choose what is watched. One file (.xlsx): every change to the sheet is processed. A whole folder: every .xlsx in it is processed and the headings are read from each file separately.
3. Under Table choose whether an order is a row or a column.
4. Under Order status fill in Status column, New order and When processed. For example Status / New / Done. A row is processed only when its status column holds exactly "New", and after success it is rewritten to "Done". A value not in the sheet is shown with a hint of what is there.
5. Save with the header's Save. That reads the sheet and the columns appear in the wiring — continue with Wire sheet columns to inputs.
6. In the configurator under step 4 → Excel Connect the source and draw a line from it in the Workflow.

Start accepting orders on this computer

Open the source (Input sources → Excel → Open) and click Start accepting orders on this machine on the ribbon. The switch applies to this computer only — if another computer watches the same folder, both take the same row. Leave it on in one place.

• Watch state: Watching the file - Meaning: as soon as the sheet is saved, new records are processed
• Watch state: Off - Meaning: saving the sheet is ignored
• Watch state: No watched file / folder chosen - Meaning: set it under Properties → Watching
• Watch state: No order status field set - Meaning: set it under Properties → Order status
• Watch state: The source is not connected to any configurator - Meaning: connect it in the configurator's step 4

Wake CAD

The Wake CAD row in Properties decides what happens when an order arrives and SOLIDWORKS is not running: on starts it and waits; off does not process the order and the row stays "New". Neither wakes a sleeping computer.

Process waiting rows by hand

Generate new orders on the source's ribbon processes every row with the "new" status, even with Wake CAD off. Not on a switched-off source: "The source is off — first start accepting orders."

gull system writes one thing only into your file: the order status after processing. A file currently open in Excel may be unreadable — "The file could not be read — it may be open, password-protected, or not an .xlsx".