Request Excel_template.xlsx for convert can_matrix_excel.xlsx to output.dbc

[Khoa-NT]

Hi,
Thank you for creating canmatrix. It's a great tool.

I converted the input.dbc to the output.xlsx.
In the output.xlsx, there are top border lines and some cells have black background like the picture below.

I have some questions about the convert processing. Would you mind helping me ?

1/ Does the top border lines contain message frame and all the signals of the frame ?
2/ what does the black background cell mean ?
3/ Does it have a standard excel template for converting a excel_file.xlsx to output.dbc ?

Thank you and regards,
Khoa

[ebroecker]

1/ what is the exact question? The Top line should show collumn heads and all ECUs
2/ the different backgrounds are for better human readability only. No special Information
3/ you can create one by exporting on dbc to excel format. But excel is not fully describing a can matrix, there are informations, that only in other can be stored

[Khoa-NT]

Thank you for replying me.

Because i have to create dbc file from the information which are given in excel file.
And create dbc file manually by CANdb++ are hard and time consuming so I need a tool can convert excel to dbc. Canmatrix is the best tool I found.
If you know any tools can create dbc file from excel file or any solutions, please share with me.

[ebroecker]

Well - for starting - you can use every xls(x) which canmatrix creates.
I took the one which is created out of test.dbc and made all text visible again.
While most collumns should be self explainary, some hints:

• "Signal Function" is the comment for a Signal
• testBU and recBU are my example ECUs (Boardunits) [Edit: You can add more collums to add more ECUs]
• if there is one or more Values defined, they are used to create a Valuetable for this Signal.
• Name / Phys. Range either holds the value (if a value was defined in "Value" collumn) otherwise it holds the physical range (minValue..maxValue)
• "Function / Increment Unit" holds the Unit of the value (if a value was defined in "Value" collumn) otherwise it holds the increment of the physical value and seperated by space the Unit (this is than a Must)

cmTemplate.xlsx

[Khoa-NT]

Thank you.
I'm familiar with the excel template and I can convert xlsl to dbc now.
But I still wonder how to configure the offset value in excel file to convert to dbc ?
I see it automatically set offset equal minValue in dbc file after it's converted.

[ebroecker]

Yes,

minValue..maxValue

creates: min = minValue; offset = minValue;

maybe I could add some collums to add offset and factor direct

[ebroecker]

cmTemplate.xlsx

example for importing additional attributes

[Khoa-NT]

Thank you. I see you clear the "Vector__XXX" column.
But what do "Launch Parameter","Signal Default","Signal Not Available" & "frame.is_fd" do and prefer when convert xlsx to dbc ?

[ebroecker]

Hi shaolinkhoa,

use or use not the collums, as you need.
All collums afer "Function / Increment Unit" are free configurable. The collums in front of this collumn should not be changed.

use frame.[ATTRIBUTE] to change the frame:
ATTRIBUTE for Frame can be:

• size
• extended
• is_complex_multiplexed
• is_fd
• comment
• pgn
• priority

use signal.[ATTRIBUTE] to change the signal:
ATTRIBUTE for Frame can be:

• startBit
• signalsize
• is_little_endian
• is_signed
• factor
• offset
• min
• max
• unit
• comment
• multiplex
• mux_value
• is_float
• comments

Note
if value is defined more than once, the last collumn matters; Not really tested

[ebroecker]

does this fulfill your requirements? Could I close this issue?

[Khoa-NT]

Yes. it's working perfect.
I will tell you if I find any problems.
Thank you for supporting me.

[Khoa-NT]

Hi ebroecker,

I find a problem while converting xlsx -> dbc
I'm using signal.offset , signal.min, signal.max
Would you mind helping me.

1/ Can you add signal.init ? so that the converted dbc file will have initial value.
2/ If we have a value table of a signal like below.

Value   | Name / Phys. Range   | Function / Increment Unit | signal.offset  | signal.min   | signal.max
0         | 0x0000-0xFFFE:Valid   | 0.0030518  %                   | -100            | 10              | 100                
65535 | 0xFFFF:Invalid             | 0.0030518  %                   | -100            | 10              | 100

Note: if signal.offset (line 1) = -100 and signal.offset (line 2) = 0.
The dbc will take signal.offset = -100 from line 1 and bypass signal.offset from line 2.

Problem with signal.max : After I converted xlsx -> dbc, the maximum value of signal is 65535. It's not match with signal.max = 100 like I write above.
Would you mind checking it.

Thank you

[Khoa-NT]

Hi ebroecker,

Does the DLC of frame is fixed to DLC 8 ?

I found in src/canmatrix/xlsx.py:

            dlc = 8
            launchParam = getIfPossible(row, 'Launch Parameter')
            if type(launchParam).__name__ != "float":
                launchParam = 0.0
            launchParam = str(int(launchParam))

            if frameId.endswith("xh"):
                newBo = Frame(frameName, id=int(frameId[:-2], 16), size=dlc, extended=True)
            else:
newBo = Frame(frameName, id=int(frameId[:-1], 16), size=dlc)

I added the column frame.size and changed the value to 6 but it didn't work.
I think frame.size doesn't work if the frame is fixed to DLC 8 like code above.
p/s: Do you have any news about the value table + max value ?

Regards,

[Khoa-NT]

Hi ebroecker,
Do you have any update version for those situations above ?
Regards,

[ebroecker]

not sure if it was actively fixed, but my quick test worked:
I added a collumn: frame.size and set "7" in the row of the frame.
Created dbc is ok.

NB: there is a dlc-check which raises the dlc, if the given dlc is to small for handling all signals.

[shamakh96]

i successfully run this command and the .xlsx is generated
canconvert myDbc.dbc myExcelA.xlsx

i tried to run the following command :
canconvert myExcelA.xlsx myDbc.dbc
but it prints the this error : " No module named 'xlwt' "

Am i doing it wrong ? :'D

[ebroecker]

https://canmatrix.readthedocs.io/en/latest/installation.html#dependencies

you need to install xlwt python package