question

Per Igor's suggestion, we will be adding the option to "Write Global Table Data To An External CSV File" as a standard pick list option for the "End of Replication" field of the Simulation Experiment Control window. In the mean time, here is the code for the new pick list option. It is more generic than the previously submitted code and will automatically determine whether the data being copied is numeric or string data and handle it accordingly. You just need to specify the global table name, the directory path where the csv files will be saved, and the type of delimeter you want to use for separating the data values within the csv files.

//////////////////////////////////// CODE HEADER //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
double replication = parval(1);
double scenario = parval(2);
treenode childexpfolder = parnode(3);
///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
{ //************* PickOption Start *************\\
/**Write Global Table Data To An External CSV File*/
// Only write data if the current process is a the child process
if (!objectexists(childexpfolder))
{
	/**\n\nGlobal Table: */
	treenode globalTable = /**/MyTable/**/;
	
	/**\n\nDirectory Path: */
	string modelDir = /**/"D:/cliff.king/Documents/FlexSimHC 5 Projects/"/**/;
	string fileName = concat(modelDir, "S", numtostring(scenario), "R", numtostring(replication), getname(ownerobject(globalTable)), ".csv");
	// The possible delimeter characters used to separate data into columns
	#define COMMA_DELIMETER 44
	#define TAB_DELIMETER 9
	#define SEMICOLON_DELIMETER 59
	#define CARRIAGE_RETURN_DELIMETER 13
	/**\nData Delimeter: */
	int delimeter = /**/COMMA_DELIMETER/**list:COMMA_DELIMETER~TAB_DELIMETER~SEMICOLON_DELIMETER~CARRIAGE_RETURN_DELIMETER*/;
	/**\n\nNote: The CSV files will be saved in the directory specified above, and the names of the files will have the following format: S#R#_tablename. This format will clarify the scenario number and replication number associated with the tabular data saved in each new file created at the end of each replication.*/
	// Create and open a new csv file for writing
	int fileHandle = fileopen(fileName, "w");
	// Add scenario and replication column headers first
	fpt("Scenario, Replication, ");
	int rows = nrows(globalTable);
	int cols = ncols(globalTable);
	// Now add the other column headers associated with the global table columns
	for(int column=1; column<=cols; column++)
	{
		fpt(gettableheader(globalTable,2,column));
		if(column < cols)
		{
			fpc(delimeter);
			fpt(" ");
		}
		else
			fpt("\n"); //add a new line
	}
	// Loop through the global table and append data to the file one row at a time
	for(int row = 1; row <= rows; row++)
	{
		// Record the current scenario and replication as the first two columns of data
		fpd(scenario);
		fpc(delimeter);
		fpt(" ");
		fpd(replication);
		fpc(delimeter);
		fpt(" ");
		// Record the data (numbers or text) contained in each column of the table
		for(int col = 1; col <= cols; col++)
		{
			if(getdatatype(gettablecell(globalTable,row,col)) == DATATYPE_NUMBER)
				fpd(gettablenum(globalTable, row, col));
			else
				fpt(gettablestr(globalTable, row, col));
			if(col < cols)
			{
				fpc(delimeter);
				fpt(" ");
			}
		}
		fpt("\n"); //add a new line
	}
	fileclose();
}
} //******* PickOption End *******\\

Strange that the website handles your post different than mine. I guess without a proper reproduction of the error it is impossible to find a solution.

I included a screenshot of the model tree node in my model, so you can see that it doesn't always includes an ending slash. Maybe you have to include a conditional slash or something in the code.

Thanks again for all your answers and willingness to improve flexsim!

outputdirectory.png

Igor, I just posted the above post as if I were you (a tricky little feature allowed by the Answers Hub software!), and it did not give me the error message you were getting. The verbiage and suggested code in the post I copied directly from the reply.pdf file you sent a few posts back.

I understand what you're referring to by the "tiny problem" with the ending slash character, but my experience is a little different. The directory path string stored in the model tree node you're referencing (i.e. MODEL:/Tools/Output>variables/OutputDirectory), actually includes an ending slash, so in my case it is not necessary to concatenate an ending slash to the directory path string.

For now, I'd say to just go with what works for you, and hopefully my new changes in the official pick list option will resolve all these issues.

Great, thanks again! - In flexsim it has to be line 57... :-)

if(getdatatype(gettablecell(globalTable,row,col)) == DATATYPE_NUMBER)
     fpf(gettablenum(globalTable, row, col));
else
     fpt(gettablestr(globalTable, row, col)); 

Maybe some blank lines get lost in transferring the code through this website or something. Also the string statement of modelDir is on a different line (15) than you stated (18). - A window interface for selecting the directory sounds even better! I think the output directory of the output data setting would be a logical default. - The replacement code you provided for the modelDir introduced a tiny problem which I couldn't get my head around at first. The node you referred to leads to a directory address without an ending slash and as a consequence, the csv file gets saved one folder up and the foldername gets added to the csv filename... :). Adding a slash in the code does the trick. This is what I got, also including a suggestion for the prefix we discussed:

/**\n\nDirectory Path: */

string modelDir =

/**/concat(gets(node("MODEL:/Tools/Output>variables/OutputDirectory")), "/")/**/;

/**\n\nOutput File Name Tag: */

string fileName = concat(modelDir, /**/"MyRun"/**/, "_S", numtostring(scenario), "R",

numtostring(replication), getname(ownerobject(globalTable)), ".csv");

I tried using code blocks and I also tried it again a few minutes ago. My IP does not seem to get blocked although the error message suggests that. I can immediately post something else, as long as it doesn't include code... Maybe you could also try to repost my reply and see if that works.

Ontopic: hope that @Cliff King gets to see my reply anyway :)

I try to post a reply (with a shorte code statement) ,but now my IP is blocked...

Oh, this still seems to work, let me add the error message that I got: blocked.png

And if this is working, then here is my reply: reply.pdf

Wow, very nice indeed!

A few comments:

• Could you write numeric values as floating point instead of integer? Otherwise, I miss the decimal values. Line 57: fpd=fpf?
• The format in which the directory path has to be defined is with the use of “/”. While I intuitively tried to use the windows standard “\”, I got a syntax error. Would it be possible to also include the windows standard “\”? In my case we use network paths and the most logical way to select it would be to copy/paste it from the file navigator, but then the “\” error appears…

Also may I suggest a few (minor) improvements?

• Could you change the pre-coded directory path to the path of the simulation model? Or add this location as a picklist option?
  Or use the same path that is defined in the ‘output data settings tab’? And/or add this location as a picklist option.

  We use a company network drive and the actual path to our folders is long and tedious to enter manually.

• Could you provide a possibility to enter a prefix for the CSV file name? I would suggest to make it consistent with the use of the ‘file name tag’ (default MyRun) in the ‘output data settings tab’. This would make it easy to make distinctions (e.g. between models with identical global table names).
• And to maximize the consistency with the ‘output data’ functionality, maybe we could also have different runs saved as different versions with a trailing ‘_v#’. Or add this as a built-in picklist option ‘overwrite csv in directory during reruns y/n’?

Hope you appreciate these comments. Please note that I'm already grateful with even the simplest form of this functionality!