- More Examples

Steps for setting up WinWedge:

1. Select "DDE Server" from WinWedge "Mode" menu. When the dialog box appears asking for a DDE Command Destination Application, enter: "EXCEL" as the Application Name and then enter: "SYSTEM" as the DDE topic.

2. Select "Input Record Structure" in the "Define" menu and define the structure of the input record(s) to WinWedge. When you get to the final Window with the caption "Input Record Definition Editor", enter the string: [RUN("GetSWDataAbove")] as the Field Postamble DDE Command after the last data field that you have defined. This is a DDE command that will be sent to EXCEL after each data record is received by the Wedge.

3. Set up the rest of WinWedge parameters and then activate it.

Steps for setting up EXCEL:

1. Create or edit a macro module and enter the following code in the module:
(To create a new module click on Insert > Module from the Menus in the Visual Basic Editor Window.)

The example above sets up WinWedge to issue a DDE command consisting of the Excel "RUN" command forcing Excel to run the subroutine "GetSWDataAbove()" after each data record is received from your serial device. The "GetSWDataAbove" subroutine performs a DDERequest to WinWedge that returns the contents of FIELD(1) to a variable named "WedgeData". Data is inserted at the top of a row and moves all previous readings down in the sheet sort of like a strip chart recorder. The latest data is always in Cell A1 with all previous readings below it scrolling down as each new reading is inputted. The example above assumes that the open workbook contains a worksheet named Sheet1.

The following example subroutine for Excel shows how to insert data from
WinWedge at the bottom of a row. The code figures out where the bottom cell is each time it is called so the spreadsheet does not have to keep track of the bottom row with a memory variable. To use it enter the string: [RUN("GetSWDataBelow")] as the Field Postamble DDE Command after the last data field that you have defined.

Sub GetSWDataBelow()
Dim X As Long ' Dim all variables
Dim MyVar As Variant
Dim MyString As String
On Error Resume Next ' ignore errors
Application.DisplayAlerts = False ' turn off DDE warning messages
X = DDEInitiate("WinWedge", "COM1") ' connect to WinWedge
MyVar = DDERequest(X, "Field(1)") ' get Field(1)
DDETerminate X ' terminate the DDE link
MyString = MyVar(1) ' convert to a string
' find the row number of the last empty cell at the bottom of Column 1
X = Sheets("Sheet1").Cells(65000, 1).End(xlUp).Row + 1
Cells(X, 1).Value = MyString ' put value in the last row
End Sub