Once you export the database, you can edit it with any text editor. As you edit the export file, use the following guidelines:
- Verify that each block name is 256 characters or less.
- Ensure each block field is spelled correctly.
- Confirm the block type matches one of the types listed in the Block Type Abbreviations table.
You can also enter comments into the export file by typing an exclamation point (!) as the first character on a line.
CSV File Format
For more intricate editing of the export file, you need to understand the file format. For example, an export file saved in CSV format lists each row of the spreadsheet as one row in the CSV file. Each block's fields appear delimited by commas. The first two fields of each block are:
A_NAME, A_TAG
You only need to enter values for these two fields when creating new blocks. If no additional field values are present, Database Manager creates the block using the default block values. However, by adding these optional values to a block entry, you can complete specific dialog box fields when the block is imported. For example, the following line creates an Analog Input block with a scan time of 1 minute:
AI, AI2, , , , 1M
GDB File Format
The format of the GDB file is different. It uses the syntax:
label :: field_value ; fieldname
The first two lines of each block entry are required and contain the block type and block name. Without these lines, Database Manager will not add the block to the database when you subsequently import it.
Subsequent lines in a block entry appear for each field on the block's configuration dialog box. Including these additional lines is optional. If no additional lines are present, Database Manager creates the block using the default block values. However, by adding these optional lines to a block entry, you can complete specific dialog box fields when the block is imported. For example, to set the scan time of the block AI1 to 5 seconds, the export file should contain the following information:
Block Type:: AI ;A_NAME
Tag Name :: AI1 ;A_TAG
Scan Time :: 5 ; A_SCANT
