parametrically overwriting existing excel file program and automating "saveas"

I am working with an excel based energy modelling program and realized that while it is possible to write over the excel sheet, it is not possible to do iterations and export results from the excel sheet program since there is not a way to "saveas" iterations per se.

Does anyone have an idea how I might be able to save different versions of excel based program (analysis) per design iteration?

I was thinking maybe pick a fitness value from one of the slots from excel sheet and recirculate that value back into grasshopper while galapagos is running. For example place dimenion values into an excel sheet program which will calculate energy performance, and calculated value will be read back into grasshopper as a fitness threshold, I actually don't know if grasshopper would wait for the excel based program to run all the calculations.

Does anyone have an experience using galapagos and excel based program together?

Thanks,

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Brian Harms on February 22, 2017 at 3:41pm

Could you just keep writing to the same excel file but use different columns/rows for each iteration?

Permalink Reply by yj on February 22, 2017 at 7:20pm

Well specific columns-rows are meant for specific values - for example sheet 5 column D Row 5 is for an area of room to analyze, Row 6 is for a different room but cannot use iterations in different rows because the program will think that they are different rooms in the same building, it needs to be the same room in different designs. The program will add it all up and calculate annual energy use, for instance.

Good thing is that excel sheet will correspond to whats happening with grasshopper, its just that there isnt an easy way to save each iteration in a visual way, unless internalizing the results in grasshopper again, but the excel program has a result visualization feature.

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