Daktronics Data Manager User Manual
Daktronics Data Manager
(DDM) Software
Operation Manual
DD1376354 Rev 2 – 2 October 2014
201 Daktronics Drive PO Box 5128 Brookings, SD 57006-5128
Tel: 1-800-DAKTRONICS (1-800-325-8766) Fax: 605-697-4700
Web: www.daktronics.com/support
DD1376354
Rev 2 – 2 October 2014
DAKTRONICS, INC.
Copyright 2008-2014
All rights reserved. While every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this manual, the publisher
assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions. No part of this book covered by the copyrights hereon may be
reproduced or copied in any form or by any means – graphic, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying,
taping or information storage and retrieval systems – without written permission of the publisher.
All trademarks used in this manual are property of their respective owners.
Table of Contents
Section 1:Introduction.......................................................................................................................... 1
1.1 System Requirements ............................................................................................................. 1
1.2 Software Conventions ............................................................................................................ 1
Section 2:Installation & Registration .................................................................................................. 3
2.1 Installation................................................................................................................................ 3
2.2 Opening & Exiting the Application ...................................................................................... 3
2.3 Registration .............................................................................................................................. 3
Section 3:Operation .............................................................................................................................. 5
3.1 Main Application Screen ........................................................................................................ 5
3.2 Document Actions Task Pane ................................................................................................ 6
Enabling Document Actions ........................................................................................... 6
View ................................................................................................................................... 7
Package Suite Editor ........................................................................................................ 7
Port Configuration ........................................................................................................... 7
Function Button Configuration ...................................................................................... 8
Creating Function Buttons ....................................................................................... 9
Paging Function Buttons .......................................................................................... 9
Scrolling Function Buttons..................................................................................... 10
Sorting ...................................................................................................................... 10
Grouping Function Buttons ................................................................................... 10
Select Current Function Buttons ........................................................................... 10
Start Sequence Function Buttons .......................................................................... 11
Blank Sign Function Buttons ................................................................................. 11
Start Schedule Function Buttons ........................................................................... 11
End Schedule Function Buttons ............................................................................ 12
Sign Dimming Function Buttons........................................................................... 12
Refresh Data Function Buttons ............................................................................. 12
Select Frame Function Buttons .............................................................................. 12
Capture RTD Function Buttons ............................................................................. 12
ITF Configuration .......................................................................................................... 13
Help ................................................................................................................................. 13
Columns .......................................................................................................................... 14
Data Range Location ...................................................................................................... 14
Highlight Color .............................................................................................................. 15
Input Mapping ............................................................................................................... 15
Row Count ...................................................................................................................... 15
Input & Output Monitors.............................................................................................. 15
3.3 Outputting Data .................................................................................................................... 16
3.4 Advanced Data Importing ................................................................................................... 17
Packages .......................................................................................................................... 17
Create a Package Suite ........................................................................................... 17
Create an Input Port ............................................................................................... 19
Input Mapping ........................................................................................................ 19
Final Note on Package Suites ................................................................................ 19
Web Queries ................................................................................................................... 20
Table of Contents i
Appendix A:Sample DDM Exercise ................................................................................................... 21
Creating Headers ................................................................................................................................. 22
Creating an Output Port ..................................................................................................................... 23
Creating Function Buttons.................................................................................................................. 24
Stop Button...................................................................................................................... 24
Paging Button ................................................................................................................. 24
Scrolling Button .............................................................................................................. 25
Scrolling Button with Sorting ....................................................................................... 25
Creating the ITF ................................................................................................................................... 27
Entering & Sending Data .................................................................................................................... 27
ii Table of Contents
Section 1: Introduction
Bold
Indicates an item that requires direct action, such as clicking, pressing,
selecting or formatting.
Italics
Indicates onscreen text or labels that are not clickable.
Bold Italics
Used to reference items within the manual, such as figures or sections, as
well as other documents and important notes.
[X]
Represents a keyboard key that needs to be pressed.
“Quotes”
Text or commands that may be typed; also indicate file or folder names
Click
Press and release the left mouse button.
Double-click
Press and release the left mouse button twice.
Right-click
Press and release the right mouse button.
Select
Highlight or mark, such as by placing a check mark in a nearby box;
clicking will not necessarily perform an action.
>
Followed by, as in menu navigation (ex. File > Open).
The purpose of this manual is to assist users with the installation and operation of the Daktronics
Data Manager (DDM) application. The DDM application is a plug-in for Microsoft® Office Excel® that
converts data from spreadsheets into formats used by Daktronics display control systems. Once the
data entered in a spreadsheet is outputted as Real Time Data (RTD), it can easily be sent to displays.
The manual is divided into four sections: Introduction, Installation, Operation, and Appendix.
Introduction covers the basic information about the application and this manual. Take time
to read the entire introduction as it explains concepts and conventions used throughout the
rest of the manual.
Installation describes the installation procedures of the DDM application.
Operation details the specific operation and configuration of the DDM application.
Appendix includes an exercise to help users create a basic DDM spreadsheet.
Daktronics identifies manuals by an ED or DD number located on the cover page of each
manual. Any manuals referenced in this document will be identified by its ED or DD number.
For example, this manual would be referred to as DD1376354.
1.1 System Requirements
The DDM application has the following system requirements:
Windows XP or higher Operating System
Microsoft
CPU and RAM must at least be equal to minimum requirements of operating system
Additional serial ports or networking may be needed based on interface requirements
The DDM application will typically be loaded onto a computer system that already contains
other Daktronics software, such as the Daktronics display controllers; however, it may also be
installed on a different computer on the same network.
Excel 2003 Professional or better
1.2 Software Conventions
This manual contains the following software conventions and terminology:
Introduction 1
Section 2: Installation & Registration
Figure 1: Registration Window
2.1 Installation
To install the DDM application:
1. Download and save the “DDM.zip” file from
http://dakfiles.daktronics.com/downloads/Sports_Products/DDM/.
2. Extract the contents of the “DDM.zip” file.
3. Double-click the “setup” file to begin the installation procedure.
4. Follow the onscreen instructions.
5. Click Close when done.
2.2 Opening & Exiting the Application
To open the application:
1. Navigate to “C:\Program Files\Daktronics\DDM” (Windows XP) or
“C:\Program Files (x86)\Daktronics\DDM” (Windows 7 +).
2. Copy the “DDM.xls” Excel Worksheet file.
3. Create a new folder in a different location, such as the “Desktop” or “My
Documents”, and Paste the “DDM.xls” Excel Worksheet file into the new folder.
4. Double-click the “DDM.xls” Excel Worksheet file inside the new folder.
Note: It is possible to open the DDM worksheet right from the “Program Files” folder.
However, going through the above process will prevent the original DDM worksheet
from being overwritten, and a clean copy will always be available to make new
worksheets later on.
To exit the application:
Click the top exit button in the upper-right corner of the window to close the Excel
application completely.
Click the bottom exit button in the upper-right corner to close only the DDM
spreadsheet.
Hold [Alt] and press [F4].
2.3 Registration
When the DDM application is first opened, the registration screen will appear (Figure 1).
A new software license file must be obtained using the given Lock Code.
Installation 3
The registration process varies depending on the operating system in use:
Windows XP
1. Open a DDM spreadsheet as described in Section 2.2.
2. Write down the Lock Code, and exit the DDM spreadsheet.
3. Email the Lock Code to DakStats@daktronics.com with the subject line “DDM Lock
Code”, and a software license file will be emailed back upon proof of purchase.
4. Save the software license file to “C:\Program Files\Daktronics\DDM”.
5. Reopen the DDM spreadsheet. The license file will load automatically and unlock the
application for use.
Windows 7 +
1. Set Excel to Run as administrator by right-clicking the “EXCEL.exe” file located in
“C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\Office##”.
2. From within Excel, press [Ctrl] + [O] and navigate to the “DDM.xls” file to open.
The default location is in “C:\Program Files (x86)\Daktronics\DDM”; however, it is
recommended that a backup copy first be saved elsewhere.
3. Write down the Lock Code, and exit the DDM spreadsheet.
4. Email the Lock Code to DakStats@daktronics.com with the subject line “DDM Lock
Code”, and a software license file will be emailed back upon proof of purchase.
5. Save the software license file to “C:\Program Files (x86)\Daktronics\DDM”.
6. Reopen the DDM spreadsheet, and the license file will load automatically to unlock
the application for use.
7. Close out of Excel. It should now be possible to double-click a DDM spreadsheet to
open it without having to run Excel as an administrator.
Note: The DDM application will not become functional without a software license. If the
DDM application is not registered, be sure to close the DDM spreadsheet, or it will not be
possible to open any other spreadsheets.
4 Installation
Section 3: Operation
Figure 2: DDM Main Application Screen (Excel 2007)
The operation of the DDM application depends largely on the user’s familiarity with Microsoft Excel.
For assistance using Microsoft Excel, please refer to the Microsoft Office Excel Help by pressing [F1].
With a little practice, it will be possible to output data to a display as easily as using ordinary
Microsoft Excel spreadsheets.
This section of the manual on program operation is broken into three main sections:
The Main Application Screen
Document Actions Task Pane
Advanced Data Importing
3.1 Main Application Screen
After the DDM application is registered, the main application screen will appear (Figure 2).
This screen contains all the menus and buttons as a typical Excel spreadsheet. Every setting
related to outputting information to a display is found in the Document Actions task pane.
By default, there are six cells of the spreadsheet highlighted in blue. Any data entered outside
of the highlighted columns will not be included as Real Time Data (RTD). The extra space
may be used for labels or notes about what data should be included in the spreadsheet.
Operation 5
Loading...