PatchCAD v2.3 was just released and it includes a major new feature for PRO users – Export Wiring Schedule to Excel.
The new export window allows generating a full wiring schedule list from the patchbays and terminations panels in the project including all the relevant details automatically thus saving a great deal of time and preventing mistakes in what usually is a cumbersome and a error prone job.
With any project open, pressing the Export Wiring Schedule to Excel button in the toolbar or pressing F7 on the keyboard will bring up the export window which features four tabs of options in its upper half and a preview in the lower half. The options in the four tabs allow you to customise the wiring schedule to your liking but even without changing any setting, the default exported file will include all the relevant information require.
General Tab
The General tab includes global settings like the layout, title and selection of the patchbays to export.
Two layout options are available – listing all the patchbays on a single long list in a single Excel worksheet, or list each patchbay in a separate Excel worksheet.
The Heading section includes the title and the project information. By default, these are pre-filled with the project’s properties but can be changed to anything else required. A tick box next to each element of the heading section controls whether to include that element in the export.
Any patchbay in the project can be included or excluded from the report by ticking/unticking the relevant line in the list of patchbays.
Details Tab
The Details tab focuses on the information to include about each patchbay – anything from the patchbay order number in the project to its rack position, make and model, through to normalling and even the notes associated with that socket.
The information is separated into logical groups in the wiring schedule for easy reading.
Each detail can be included or excluded from the wiring schedule as required.
Extra Labels Tab
The Extra Labels tab includes additional columns which don’t have data for in PatchCAD but are usually used in a Wiring Schedule. Things like details about the cabling used, connector information, etc. PatchCAD will create the relevant categories/groups and columns for this information in order to save time when working with the exported file later.
Although PatchCAD includes a predefined list of these labels, new groups and labels can be added at will by typing the new label name in the Add Item box and clicking on Add Group or Add Column to add a category and a column name respectfully.
The labels can be reordered by dragging the items in the list around.
Style Tab
The Style tab allows for the customisation of the look of the Excel file. Here you can change the font, its size and alignment of different elements of the Wiring Schedule (i.e. Title, column names, etc…) as well as choosing the border style for the header and columns.
To update to the new version of PatchCAD, simply launch your copy of PatchCAD and you will be prompted to download the new version. You can also do so from the Downloads section in My Account.
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