IR suggestion to enhance Summary and clipboard copy format

[ElizabethD]

My wish list is to have copied IR data useful outside of IR, i.e. as data to other apps such as Excel, EC which took a hit, Word tables, perhaps others. Two conceptually similar items:

1. Add to File menu: TerribleLookingSummary with alternative format.
Same data as current Summary, but with replacement of all instances of consecutive tab characters between fields by one tab in the data parts, because varying number of tabs requires dealing with those tabs externally. No big deal but not convenient.
The effect of the resulting text, by the way, cannot and will not be visually pleasing, but that’s not its purpose. Existing Summary display looks good and, saved to a file, it retains compatibility with the format of previous such files.

2. Change Send-to-clipboard from Summary and Keymoves tabs (might be other tabs, I don’t recall):
Yes Paul, I know I sound like a broken record, but I thought I’d try just once more, this time with a proposed solution.
In data under the heading: It would be nice to get the same, single tabs between fields.
In field headings: A replacement of current carriage returns between words in field names by single tabs between complete field names in order to better align the headings with data below.

As I play with IR data, various workarounds require a bit of fiddling. Purpose of above story is to suggest it be done at the source. I see no compatibility impact. However, my experience is too small to be sure (IR, KM, EC), so it needs a review of use in related apps (protocol builder?).

[e34m5]

What is the purpose of exporting this data to other tools. I am at a loss to really understand what you want.

[ElizabethD]

Nothing profound. No mischief. No revealing secrets. No violation of US tax code . Honest. Experimenting, messing up, comparing versions, learning from yahoo files. My goal in life is to be lazy as I can. If I can copy data out of IR, find destination, and paste (reverse of what KM does), with no need for additional, manual adjustments, I'll be happy. See? Nothing big.

Specific uses get dictated by the needs of the moment. I can't predict them. I very much doubt that a list of how I use and plan to use IR data would add a thing here, nor require any major redesign.

Several general examples where external access to IR data is valuable (mostly Excel):
- Quickly find conflicts in function assignments to buttons, keymoves ,or macros without having to do manual review inside IR
- Quick replace of a button for another, missing none
- Through EC, decode hex codes to button names in old versions (it worked two months ago? oops, when did I change it? what does it do?), and examples provided in yahoo files for different remotes
- Compare three, four ... versions to pinpoint what i messed up, Excel shines as a utility here
- I thought I might print really pretty versions of keymoves and macros through Word to decorate the garage

I doubt you really need details beyond above, as the common, and only, theme is to get data to destination in three mouse clicks. That's all. Any chance?

[Mark Pierson]

I think the biggest problem Elizabeth is talking about is the headings used on the Key Moves grid. At some point, you added hard returns to the column headings in order to make them "wrap". By doing that, now when you use the [Copy] button on that tab, this is what you get:

Code: Select all

#	Bound
Device	Bound
Key	Device
Button	Device
Type	Setup
Code	Hex Cmd	EFC or
Key Name	Notes
1	TV	Power	AUX	CBL	0000	$00 				018	This is a test

If there's a way to remove those hard returns (maybe by changing the heading cells to wrap, if that's a property that can be set?) where "Bound<cr>Device" becomes "Bound Device", the copied data would become:

Code: Select all

#	Bound Device	Bound Key	Device Button	Device Type	Setup Code	Hex Cmd	EFC or Key Name	Notes
1	TV	Power	AUX	CBL	0000	$00 				018	This is a test

This format is much more usable since it is truly tab-delimited.

Unfortunately, the forum software appears to remove the <tabs> so the above code blocks aren't formatted properly.

[e34m5]

That would require two sets of code to create the summary. One as is now and one for when copying.

Is that really worth while.

[Mark Pierson]

It seems like there's already 2 sets of code. When you do a full-blown summary (File, Summary), the Key Moves section headings are correct. When you select the [Copy] button on the Key Moves tab, the headings contain the hard return.

Does the grid control used to display the key moves have an auto-wrap setting? Or, can't you just remove the hard returns from the headings?

[mr_d_p_gumby]

This doesn't sound like it would require all new code to implement. There is already code to copy it to the clipboard. Just modify that code so that it first makes a temporary copy, search-and-replace on the hard returns, and then copy that to the clipboard. While you're at it, you could maybe search-and-replace the double tabs and turn them into single tabs.

[ElizabethD]

I think the biggest problem Elizabeth is talking about is the headings used on the Key Moves grid. At some point, you added hard returns to the column headings in order to make them "wrap".

... If there's a way to remove those hard returns (maybe by changing the heading cells to wrap

Mark, how about second biggest
It's unnerving when EC won't decode a keymoves list, but the funny looking headings are obvious to the user, can be remedied by removing of rows or by using data from Summary. And I would't force the wrap. Pretty is not the goal here.
To me, the bigest, more hidden, issue is that of multiple tabs in data rows. It's hard to justify getting 11 or 12 columns from 9 or so that IR sends. Requires routine adjustment which I'm just suggesting be done once, in IR, instead of in several places.

While you're at it, you could maybe search-and-replace the double tabs and turn them into single tabs.

Mike, in my opinion, it needs a slightly different approach . Since there are, at this point, two to four consecutive tabs between fields, I'd just retain ONE. Between the fields as well as between the headings. (Summary sheet headings are ok). The meaning is the same.

Is that really worth while.

To me it is.T hen again, I don't see crowds knocking on your door complaining. Certainly doing the upgrades and decoding signals is higher priority, this being more of a convenience item. But it borders on inaccuracy of data.