Latch Math Table Gaps

Hi. I'm trying to use latch math to write values to a table and I'm using the "fast on trigger, slow otherwise" storing method which causes gaps to appear in between the rows of data.

I set the latch criteria to a math channel with the TRIG formula that "gives a pulse when a store trigger appears" and I am able to write the latched values to a table in Analysis mode (offline math). As the calculation is being performed, the data appears correctly in the table. However after the calculation is finished, there are gaps/spaces in the rows between the data. See screenshots below. Is this a way for the table to be populated without gaps in the displayed table?

Related feature requests / improvements:

1. Add vertical scrolling ability to tabular values widget. Currently if the # of rows of data exceeds the # of rows displayed in the widget then the rows are overwritten. Also add ability for a large table to span across multiple report pages if needed.
2. Add math formula to create a pulse when an event (keyboard or text) is entered.
3. Add an event text input widget with the ability for the user to select pre-populated text from a dropdown OR enter freeform text (for capturing notes during a test and/or tagging data).
4. Add an event viewer widget. The current event viewer is very small so it would be useful to make it larger for displaying on reports.
5. Add capability for event text to appear in the latch table and other widgets. Generally speaking, it would be helpful if the text events were stored to a channel so that they could be displayed in the widgets. I see in the channel list that there is Event log --> Data events but that channel only seems to save storing status events. This was discussed in this post : "I would like to have a string channel" which is asynchronous i.e value changes at random intervals. Assuming this channel is some kind of a list or array, each element will have a value and a timestamp (time when value changed)"

This screenshot shows the latch table displayed as desired however after the recalculation is complete, the display reverts to the 2nd screenshot below.

After the calculation, there are significant gaps between the rows of data in the latch math table.

Hello Matt, 

thank you for reaching out to us. I have tried to replicate the issue you are experiencing, but could not reproduce the exact setup that you are describing. Is there any way that you could send us the datafile, so that we could see exactly what's going on?

Looking at the photos you have attached, it looks like your measurement lasted for approximately 1 hour. Additionally, if we take a look at the second image you have sent, all the displayed events took place in the span of approximately 8 minutes. If we check the latch index row, the second image displays the third, fourth and fifth event. I am going to assume that the first and the second event, that are also approximately 8 minutes apart, are bundeled together, in the same way as the events in your image. Based on this, I assume that you would need to increase the DB buffer length, which should allow you to display multiple events, done across a large amount of time, using the Tabular values widget.

Latch value math produces asynchronous channels, so you would need to change the Async DB buffer length according to the length of your time intervals. Async DB buffer length is the memory size for all asynchronous channels (CAN, GPS, and many others…). The default value is 50 seconds.Please do note, that the maximum length of the buffer is 1000 seconds.

I am slightly confused regarding what exactly it is that you do in the Analysis mode and how exactly the Analysis mode behaves. Do you use the Tabular values display widget before or after you enter the Analysis mode? You state that the data takes all the available spaces in the widget once you first enter the Analysis mode. What type of calculations do you perform before doing the recalculations and just before the values start getting bundled up?

As for the related feature requests/improvements. I will certainly ask if there would be any interest in doing any of these in the future. I will let you know regarding any changes as soon as I know more.

Best regards, 

Pika Kreča Šmid

Thanks Pika. I uploaded a data file to the private forum. I tried increasing the Async DB buffer (to 1000 sec) and I also checked the option to "Dynamically increase async DB buffer" but the issue persists.

Also clarification to my original post.... I said "Analysis" mode but I meant "Analyze" mode.

So in Analyze mode, I did the following:

Added offline math:

• trig formula for trigger pulses
• latch match that uses the trig channel for the latch criteria

I have "Auto recalculate" disabled, so I use the Recalculate button to run a manual calc. While the recalculation is in progress, the latch values are stacked (contiguous, as desired... 1st screenshot above). After the calc is complete, the latched values are dispersed throughout the table with large gaps between and I need to replay through the whole dataset to see them (2nd screenshot). I'd like the table to NOT show any blank rows between the data, so I can use it in a report.

The issue seems to be repeatable. I tried other data files and I've also run the manual recalculation multiple times by going to Offline Math and changing the Latch math "Criteria limit" from 0.5 to another value (e.g. 0.4)... just to force the recalculation.

Thanks

Matt

Hello Matt,

thank you for the datafiles, however, it looks like there was an error while the datafiles were being uploaded. The team has tried to download the file you have sent, but each time, we got File type Datafiles. Is there any way that you could re-send the files?

Thank you in advance.

Best regards,

Pika

Hello again Matt,

thank you for resending the datafile. I checked your datafile and noticed that you use events in your measurements. Keyboard, voice and text events can be used in the Tabular values display and are stored in the Data events channel. Additionally, you can display the entirety of Data events. This, however, works best if there is only one data type added to the Tabular values display, such as only Data events.

You can also edit Notice events after they have been created, by right clicking into the event and pressing the Edit button. DewesoftX also has a formula, that can create a pulse when a keyboard event is entered. This option is called keypressed and you can find it in the Events tab in Formula setup. Its syntax is KEYPRESSED(VIRTUAL_KEY_CODE) and it returns 1 when the key with corresponding VIRTUAL_KEY_CODE is pressed.

With the provided datafile, I could better understand what it is that you are trying to achieve.

Sadly, while there is a way to display the entirety of Data events, it is not possible to display all Latch math values and indices due to the limitations of the software. In order to display all the latch data and Data events in a report, we would suggest exporting the data and then pasting the exported data into the textbox widget.

Best regards,

Pika

Thanks. I understand that a software limitation prevents the latch math table from displaying as desired. Hopefully that is something that the developers can improve in the future.

Regarding the Notice events pulse, I was able to use KEYPRESSED(78) to create a pulse when the n key (shortcut for the Notice event) is depressed. I then set the pulse as a trigger to start fast storing. This trigger obviously only works if the "n" keyboard shortcut is used. The trigger is not started if the user depresses the notice event button in the main toolbar. Is there a way to more directly set a start storing trigger upon any events? There is an option to select "Data events" in the Start trigger setup (under Storing) however it doesn't seem to do anything. See screenshot below. Ultimately, I'd like to start fast storing when the user creates a Notice event. Thanks!

Dear Matt,

there is currently no other way to start storing data, besides assigning the trigger to a KEYPRESSED math channel. The issue with Data events is that they are a binary type of data with character presentation and if you were to enter the measure mode, you could see that you cannot assign this channel to any other widget besides the Tabular Values Display (and Digital meter, but will receive no input). You may also notice that there is quite a significant delay between the notice event and the start of the storing. If this is bothering you, you could select any other key to be pressed, then use the Text Box widget to make a correlation between the Fast storing and the red B cursor that indicates the start of fast storing. Additionally, you can use a cursor module, so that you will get a custom cursor when you start storing. You can always use the Text Box widget to tell the users which key to press in order to start storing.

Best regards,

Pika