Import Batch From Excel

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leigh mills
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Import Batch From Excel

Post by leigh mills »

Hi,

Does anybody use the "Import Batch From Excel"?

Since we have installed the new version 6.2 the "Import Batch From Excel" works different and not how it should do. From our database we create an Excel spreadsheet with the units that have been order and then we also print of an order acknowledgement. So for an example the order acknowledgement will be displayed like so:

Cabinet 1
Door 1
Cabinet 2
Door 2
Cabinet 3
Door 3

So our Excel spreadsheet will be identical to the order. So prior to version 6.2 when we have done a "Import Batch From Excel" the list of batch cabinets have been in the same order as that of the order acknowledgement and also the Excel spreadsheet, which gives the ease for following the order.

Since we have installed verion 6.2 the order of the cabinets change when selecting "Import Batch From Excel", for example when importing will display like so.

Cabinet 3
Cabinet 1
Cabinet 2
Door 3
Door 1
Door 2

Is this annoying anyone else?

Thanks
leigh mills
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Re: Import Batch From Excel

Post by leigh mills »

I have been told that from Excel to eCabinet it gets arranged into numerical order and that this was a request from the majority. Very hard to believe, just because before version 6.2 we had the ability to order the cabinets how we like in the spreadsheet which then kept that order into eCabinets but now it is limited to numerical.

Any suggestions
Josh Rayburn
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Re: Import Batch From Excel

Post by Josh Rayburn »

My highest hopes are that we will eventually be able to reorder the batch list as desired with an additional numbering / ordering field.
A little birdie told me this might be in the works, but I don't know the timeframe at all.
Patience I guess....
jnr
Josh Rayburn
Hall's Edge, Inc.
CNC Machining Service


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Sean Jakob
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Re: Import Batch From Excel

Post by Sean Jakob »

I agree there is something funny going on, but maybe it is not so much in the import.

I have noticed that eCabinets now no longer maintained the order of entry into the batch like it used to. It now reorders the batch cabinets into some sort of Ascending order. I also notice that it is not quite the same ascending order as the items are displayed in the item window, for example; If I had the following cabinets in the item window, they would be displayed in this order:
Base - 100
Base - 200
Base - 300
Base

Then if I select and add them in that order into the batch list, the order is changed to;
Base
Base - 100
Base - 200
Base - 300


I for one would like to see the cabinets in the list maintain the order in which I added them in the first place. Often people will bring a drawing to me and ask that I quote on it. I simply add the cabinets into the batch in a logical clockwise order from the first wall to the last. Then as I add them, eCabinets changes the order and makes life very difficult in trying to figure out what cabinet goes where.

Could the eCabinets team please relook at this.

Sean
Ryan Callahan
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Re: Import Batch From Excel

Post by Ryan Callahan »

Sean,

There has been much talk in the forum on this topic. There has also been discussion on how to add a customizable sort to the batch.

We will explore the possibility of adding this in the next Major release. Sorry, it will not make the next Build.
Ryan Callahan
Thermwood
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leigh mills
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Location: England UK

Re: Import Batch From Excel

Post by leigh mills »

Ryan,

Is there no way of changing this back to its previous state, it has worked perfect prior to version 6.2. As I mentioned we now have no control over the order, at least before we could order the batch as we would like. Just like Sean said, he inputs cabinets into his Excel sheet starting from one wall to the next to the next, when inputting into eCabinets they are all over the place in a sorted method which is then very difficult to follow your order.

This is very difficult to use.

Thanks
Dennis Englert

Re: Import Batch From Excel

Post by Dennis Englert »

I haven't worked with this, but if it is like a lot of other applications, I'd rename the cabinet in the batch and give it a prefix number. For example, 01 Corner Base, 02 Base 24 inch 2 Dwr, 03 Base 30 DD, etc. Based on your comments, I'd think the addition of a prefix number would then match the layout as you suggested. That would also mean that you could manipulate the order, if necessary rather than deleting the batch and starting over. That may be a plus.

Dennis
Larry Epplin
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Re: Import Batch From Excel

Post by Larry Epplin »

Just to add a little extra insight to what has occurred here. Batch did not hold the order of items in excel with previous versions. Entering more than nine items caused the order to mix up. This was a bug. We implemented an alphabetical sort as well as a means to keep cabinets and assemblies grouped to resolve this. If you create your excel spreadsheet in alphabetical order and grouped you will get a matched output. We will work on adding other sort options (including the option to obey the excel import order correctly this time) in a future version.
Sean Jakob
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Re: Import Batch From Excel

Post by Sean Jakob »

Larry

Forgetting about Excel for a minute, The batch list itself now acts differently than previously. After the bug fix, the batch used to hold the items in the order that they were added.

Since Version 6.2 (maybe 6.1, not sure) they batch now re-orders the items in a sort of alphabetical order.

Can we have the batch changed back to the way it was post bug fix? (held in the order of entry)

Sean
Josh Rayburn
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Re: Import Batch From Excel

Post by Josh Rayburn »

Sean,
I have to respectfully disagree with you.
I have found that the batch sorting can be very helpful in this way:
If I was to add a list of cabinets in my preferred order, for example - from left to right, referring to an architectural elevation....Then I realized I wanted to delete one out of the middle and add something different in it's place, it would be impossible to get the order correct without some kind of sorting.

In the past, the BUG was that when you deleted something out of the batch, the entire batch would re-order itself with some ill logic and would yield unexpected and undesirable results.
I have found that the little effort it takes to add an '01' or an 'A-1' in front of the cabinet name is worth the investment.
Now I can reorder the batch if I want to, even if it's a little cumbersome to do.
Better to have the ability than not in my opinion.

This could be implemented into Excel manually, or as a simple calculation, and tweaked to fit in front of all your cabinet names before the list is even imported.

Leigh, you said that before we could order the batch as we like. I don't know what you mean, from my experience, once I added a cabinet - there it was. I was not able to change the order of anything previously. For me it cost a little but I get a lot out of it....
All the best,
jnr
Josh Rayburn
Hall's Edge, Inc.
CNC Machining Service


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Larry Epplin
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Re: Import Batch From Excel

Post by Larry Epplin »

Sean,

The old way was not correct. If you would have added more than 9 items you would have gotten undesired results. As I stated previously we will work on a feature to provide user selected sorting which will include an option to hold items in the order they were inserted.
Sean Jakob
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Re: Import Batch From Excel

Post by Sean Jakob »

Josh,

I agree with you that applying your own number system as a prefix would allow you to arrange the cabs in a preferred order, of course the dowside is more time, and then adjusting the number if you need to add or delete cabinets (the way I referred to has those two issues as well).

What I would be concerned with, is that when my thermwood supplier cuts my job, the labels he provides also includdes it's own numbering system which is applied by the machine somehow. I would be concerned that with two sets of numbering coming out on the labels, that could cause confusion.

Sean
Sean Jakob
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Re: Import Batch From Excel

Post by Sean Jakob »

Larry
I did mean the old way (after the more than 9 items fix), but before version 6's automatic alphabetical listing.

Anyways look forward to the new capabilities which will make a fantastic program even better.



Sean
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