A custom module to add better-best reporting

[Ryan Moore]

You can add any calculations, controls, tables, charts…anything you can do in Excel you can add to OptiMiser.

OptiMiser has a built-in spreadsheet emulater and the ability to both display the contents of spreadsheets and connect them to OptiMiser controls. We also have developed our own table-based programming language to allow users to develop their own custom controls – no programming experience required!

In the attached workbook there is a table that demonstrates how to use values from OptiMiser in external spreadsheets. The table references an Excel file called Transfer.xls, which is included in every installation of OptiMiser. This file makes it possible to get values from the OptiMiser program in real time.

Also in the attached workbook is a sheet called “UI.” On this sheet you’ll see an example of a simple User Interface declaration table. The example provided will create a new tab in the interface with four “memo” controls and a “range” that lets you preview the custom Better Best table that we’ve created on the other sheet.

To use this custom workbook or module, just download and save it to the Modules folder of your OptiMiser installation (i.e., C:/Program Files (x86)/OptiMiser/Modules). When you start OptiMiser, the module with load, creating the new custom controls on the fly.

Change some settings in OptiMiser and select some improvements to see the custom table in action.

You can add the custom control values and the table range into a report template by referencing the control names and the Excel range name. To find the control name, look at the ID column of the UI sheet, or right-click on the control in OptiMiser. Use the controls names in square brackets ([ControlName]) in any narrative section of a report template. The values of the controls get saved with the OptiMiser project file and added to every report generated with your customized template. To add the better-best table range into a report, you first have to create a table section in a Narrative report template using the Edit Library (under the Report menu). It is currently not possible to add new tables to the PDF report. In the new table section of the narrative report, enter “BetterBest_Base+Improved.xls!BetterBest” in the Location field. This tells OptiMiser where in the custom Excel module to find the table.

Try changing the table in Excel and restarting OptiMiser. Then try adding more tables and ranges to view them in OptiMiser. You can add as many controls as you want, too, using values from OptiMiser or other workbooks to build complex logic structures.

Have fun!

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