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JuliaDawkins

New channel type "calculation channel" in Data Portal

Status: Completed

DIAdem 2020 supports Calculation Channels as preview feature.

Calculation channels offer a simple way of creating channels using formulas. In the Data Portal, select New»Calculation Channel»Add Formula Channel from the shortcut menu and drag and drop the channels you want to use in the formula from the Data Portal into the formula area. In the formula, you can use channels, constants, numbers, and variables that reference values and channels.

If the formula channel does not provide sufficient functionality for your task, you can also use a calculation from the Calculation Manager to create calculation channels. Use the calculations in the Calculation Manager to execute mathematical operations on any channels and single values while using all functions of the calculator as well as active user commands.

Take early advantage of new DIAdem features by enabling the preview features. Preview features are new developments that will only be fully available in one of the next DIAdem versions. The user interface, the API, or the scope can still change until then. The release notes contain a list of the current preview features.

Rather than a channel that has a "fixed" value (numeric or string), this new "calculation channel" type would be a function of other channels.  Currently, if Channel3 = Channel1 + Channel2, and then I change the values for either Channel1 or Channel2, I have to re-execute the calculation

 

ChnCalculate("Ch(""Channel3"") = Ch(""Channel1"") + Ch(""Channel2"")")

 

Now, if there was a "calculation channel" where I could define Channel 3 as "Channel1 + Channel2", I wouldn't need to perform this re-execution! 

 

Another way to explain is to have a channel that works like Excel calculation cells.  The cell calculation stays the same, and when the input cells change, the result cell is automatically updated. 

 

I'm not sure if I explained this well, please ask for clarification if necessary. 

17 Comments
Brad_Turpin
Trusted Enthusiast

Hi Julia,

 

I've wanted this exact functionality for a long time.  Thanks for bolstering my case with R&D.

 

Brad Turpin

DIAdem Product Support Engineer

Nnational Instruments

MortI80
Member

Very nice idea, this would be really helpful... 

MarredCheese
Member

This is a must.  Since most of your users are probably coming from an Excel background, they expect this capability to be there.  When I started using DIAdem, I was pretty surprised that all calculations didn't work this way.  I feel that without this feature, I have to fall back on scripting a lot more.

MarredCheese
Member

<deleted comment since I put it in the wrong thread by mistake>

唐老鸭
Member

*****

唐老鸭
Member

抓 捕 徐 才 厚

dietfons
Member
 
sg000
Member

I think this would provide a fantastic improvement in useability. You could pre-create a Group of Channels that are essentially calculations. Then when you load your data set, you load in the new group and BAM, all your pre-defined calculations are completed, no scripting required. Like Marredcheese expressed, most are coming from Excel background expecting auto calculations. Frankly, more people CANNOT do scripting than can, and it'll severely limit your customer base over time. I love programming, but the high requirement of scripting made me hesitate implementing this software for our company.

jack__
Member
sg000 hit the nail on the head. SCRIPT is nice but sometimes it's a little much to learn to just get someone on track to do some simple analysis. Being able to set up a DIAdem workspace as a rough analog for an Excel workspace would really help some non-power-users get acquainted with DIAdem for their own uses.
AndreasH_Ha
NI Employee (retired)

The requirements you described (as far as I understand them) are covered by the "CalculationManager" in DIAdem ANALYSIS. Calculation-Manager allows you to create the formulas you described (even nicer) and you can execute a whole set of calculations in one step with no programming required. What you would do is load the data, execute the formulas and you will have the new channels you asked for .