Re: .xml file is not getting imported into Cabling

catipash · ‎Sep 23, 2014

I created .xml file with the help of excel data, but when I am trying to import it in cabling window, it is saying error .xml is not exported from Routed System Designer.

I am attaching Excel data and xml file which i created out of the excel, please check and help me where is the defect.

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msonnathi · ‎Sep 23, 2014

your xml file doesnot have proper info.need to have some basic info of where to where the spools are connected for cabling. It will not read.

catipash · ‎Sep 24, 2014

Madhu I am really thankful for that quick response, In my post above I have also attached the Excel file from which the xml file is created.

My Excel defines

1) spool as w1 & w2,

2) Colors of wires,

3) Size,

4) From and To is Ep1 and Ep2 (that is Entry port 1 & 2) co-ordinate systems

5) Item no. A,B,C,D are connector part names.

I think this excel data is enough to create basic routing.

May be the xml file created out of the excel is not correct, as i used some converter from google to create it.

Can you please try to create xml file out of my excel and call that in creo cabling through rsd, and let me know if it is reading successfully.

BrianMartin · ‎Sep 24, 2014

Hi Syed...

I am working on a translation tool to generate XML files for Creo Cabling but unfortunately I don't have a working demonstration available yet.

From what I can see, you may have enough for a basic routing but this assumes your spools, connectors, and entry ports are all designated in advance. Part of the benefit of having an NWF file (or XML) is not having to manually import spools or designate connectors.

The problem with your XML file is absolutely the format. Your formatting is incorrect. The best way for you to learn the proper format is to have Creo give you the format. Then, after you understand what Creo is looking for, you can plug in your own values and generate XMLs easily.

Here's what you should do:

Generate your spools (or import them manually)
Designate your connectors including entry ports
Route your wires using the appropriate spools
From inside the Cabling application, go to the Logical Data group and select the drop-down arrow. Choose Export from the listing and select RS Designer as the output format. Save the file in a location you can easily access.
Download and install a credible tool capable of editing XML such as Notepad++. This is a freely available tool without adware or spyware... and it color codes the XML statements so they're easier to see. Open your XML file in a tool such as Notepad++ and examine it.

This will help you understand the format Creo is expecting. With this information in hand, you can now create your own XML files from Excel in the proper format. Creo will read the file correctly and create spools, designate connectors, and route wires using the XML logical data.

I hope that helps get you going in the right direction.

Thanks!

-Brian

PS: I've attached my own XML file for you to see a demonstration of the proper format the file should have. My XML contains spools, connectors (with entry ports) and wire connection (From/To) information. As you can see, this format is much more intricate that the one Google generated.

catipash · ‎Sep 25, 2014

Hi Brian,

That was a great idea to understand the type of xml file creo expects for auto Routing, It helped me a lot I Exported an .xml file out of my cabling, and could understand the type of file creo expects for Auto Routing.

Today I tried to create xml out of my excel but could not get the required parameters as per Creo.

I am eager to know if we can develop a some software which can convert the Excel file directly to the xml or nwf data as per creo cabling requirement, if we develop that I think it will be of great help, we can fix our cabling through Excel.

Thanks!

Syed

BrianMartin · ‎Sep 25, 2014

Hi Syed...

Not only can we develop that software, I've already been working on it for quite a long time.

What parameters are you missing that prevent your XML from working? Maybe we can figure out a clever way to get that information from your Excel file so you can automate your XML creation. Do you know what's missing? Sometimes you can use simple tricks in Excel or a basic programming language like Perl to massage your data into a format that will accomplish what you need.

If you know what's missing... maybe I can help you get to a solution that works for you until I have some software to help with this task.

Thanks!

-Brian

catipash · ‎Sep 25, 2014

Hi Brian,

At this point of time i am very clear with the type of xml file pro-e expects and what parameters i need to add and how to add them manually.

There are softwares available on web which converts excel to xml but such xml files are not helpful for creo as the syntex it follows does not sink with Creo.

Now my main worry is how an excel file can be converted to such an xml file which creo expects.

Thanks!

Syed

msonnathi · ‎Sep 25, 2014

Hi Brain

could you please share how you are done in excel file to xml conversion. how you are wrote in excel file means entered harness components parameters.

It will be great help.

Thanks

Madhu

BrianMartin · ‎Sep 26, 2014

Hi Madhu and Syed...

The easiest way to get Excel to XML is with an XML Schema (XSD) file. The XSD basically defines that the output of your XML file will ultimately look like. The goal is that you already have data in Excel... but now you need to format it into an XML style of output.

The XML Schema (.XSD) file sort of lays out a template for your final XML file. It defines data fields and their formatting. No actual data goes in this schema file... it's just an outline which will eventually be populated with actual data. You can do your own research on XSD files online. Armed with a correctly formatted XSD, you can use the XML tools embedded within Excel.

If you have Excel 2013, you need to enable the Developer tab. The XML commands are located there. Select Source then your XSD template. You'll be able to view your template in the right hand panel of Excel (which will populate with fields defined in your XSD file). There's some Excel magic that happens to drag and drop data from your XML template into the Excel spreadsheet but there are several good tutorials on YouTube which can help. Here's one video that sort of gives an overview. It assumes you already have an XSD file to work with.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=klbi56fW0k4

The general technique is:

Create the XSD file
Import the XSD as a source file in Excel (Developer Tab)
Drag/Drop data from XSD onto a blank Excel worksheet
Grab Excel data to populate the XSD worksheet
Export the XML file
Read XML file into Creo Cabling

Creating the XSD is the most time consuming and troublesome part of this procedure. You can look up XML Schema Creation on W3schools.com. They have pretty great tutorials for several programming languages including XML. I think if you read their pages, within an hour or so you'd be up and running.

This entire process can get very tricky. You'll find yourself dumping out many XML files and attempting to import them into Creo successfully. You have to work carefully and slowly. My advice would be to start with something basic- like spools. Get those to import properly... and then move on to more complex parts of the XML like connectors. Start small while you learn what Creo needs... and build from there.

This could be the topic of several training videos or several chapters of a Creo Cabling book. There's too many nuaunces to be able to give a complete answer in the context of a PTC Community post but I hope this gives you something to go on.

As always, feel free to ask if you get stuck or need additional advice.

Best regards,

-Brian

lsegarra · ‎Jul 12, 2016

Hello Brian and all people who are folowing this XML issue.

At first, thanks for your help.

I´m a hardware electronic developer and i´m searching a way for generate XML Sch Cabling Creo of electric connexion nets.

I never used XML generation from Excel 2013.

Do you have a example of Excel file or macro for generate XML Creo readable?

Kind regards.

Luis