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Texts with datalinqs flicker when saving excel file

  • 1.  Texts with datalinqs flicker when saving excel file

    Posted 01-14-2025 15:50

    I think the title says it all. Sometimes when I save the excel that fills the graphics with stats and logos, before updating everything disappears off screen and then plopps back into existence.

    Any help with this would be highly appreciated.



    ------------------------------
    Best wishes,
    Johannes
    ------------------------------


  • 2.  RE: Texts with datalinqs flicker when saving excel file

    Posted 01-14-2025 16:12

    Without having experienced it and trying a simple solution, I have a complicated one.

    Make the textfields that are linked to the data invisible and they copy their data to a display when the data changes. However, before the text is copied, make sure it is not an empty string.



    ------------------------------
    Azathoth
    Son of Cthulhu
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  • 3.  RE: Texts with datalinqs flicker when saving excel file

    Posted 01-14-2025 16:24

    I think I could get this to work with logos and such, but I can't imagine this being the simplest solution. Also I'm not certain if this would fix the problem I'm having. What I understand for your solution is to basically create a "buffer" for the data to be fill and then load into the textfields that display it. But once the datalinq unloaded all the data, it will also fill the buffer with that empty state thus flicker again or am I missing something?



    ------------------------------
    Best wishes,
    Johannes
    ------------------------------



  • 4.  RE: Texts with datalinqs flicker when saving excel file

    Posted 01-14-2025 16:41

    The last line:

    However, before the text is copied, make sure it is not an empty string.

    If it's empty, don't copy it.

    You might have to implement regex and replace against whitespaces to make sure a textfield doesn't get filled with whitespaces only.



    ------------------------------
    Azathoth
    Son of Cthulhu
    ------------------------------



  • 5.  RE: Texts with datalinqs flicker when saving excel file

    Posted 01-14-2025 16:50

    I don't think I can fully follow what you're suggesting. Also I had this happen when I swapped the content of the textfield to another text. So the text disappears for a splitsecond and then the new text popps up. The text plopping in and out of existance also happens to textfields that are not touched, so for example if I change the contents of cell1 in excel and save, both cell1 text and cell2 text will flicker, even tho I didn't change cell2s content.



    ------------------------------
    Best wishes,
    Johannes
    ------------------------------



  • 6.  RE: Texts with datalinqs flicker when saving excel file

    Posted 01-14-2025 17:05

    Replace the white space.

    Here is a global VB function I use for replacing:

    Function RegExpReplace(src as String, rgx as String, rplc as String)
      Dim rObj as Object
      Dim rez as String
      rObj = CreateObject("VBScript.RegExp")
      rObj.Pattern = rgx
      rObj.Global = True
      rez = rObj.Replace(src,rplc)
      RegExpReplace = rez
    End Function

    Now you attach a script to the datalinqed field.

    newText = RegExpReplace(linqField.Text, "\s", "")
    If Len(newText) > 0 Then
      displayField.Text = linqField.Text
    End If

    Of course youneed to declare the objects and find them. Plus the datalinqed field does have a self reference and the incoming text. Forgot what they are. Perhaps someone can cleanup the second script. I just can't hop onto Xpression right now.



    ------------------------------
    Azathoth
    Son of Cthulhu
    ------------------------------



  • 7.  RE: Texts with datalinqs flicker when saving excel file

    Posted 01-14-2025 17:31

    Unfortunatly I'm not that deep into scripting yet so I can't judge what exactly that script does, but I also think I did not explain my problem properly.

    Let's for example say I have an excel sheet in which cell1 contains a teamname and cell2 contains a talent name. If I now go ahead and change the talents name in cell2, save and then look at the onair graphics that has textfields displaying both the Teamname that has not changed aswell as the talent name that did change, both will flicker regardless of if I changed the content of the cell or if it was empty beforehand. So bascially if I spam crtl+s in the excel sheet, I can make all data displayed on screen flicker even when it did not change. It will just disappear for a second and then reappear as the same or updated data depending on if I made a change or not. So it looks to me like the datalinq clears all it's data and then load everything again.



    ------------------------------
    Best wishes,
    Johannes
    ------------------------------



  • 8.  RE: Texts with datalinqs flicker when saving excel file

    Posted 01-14-2025 17:47

    Yes, I understand. What might be happening is upon save the datalinq server might be sending blanks upon save when the file is locked by the OS. A Ross person would know for sure.

    What I suggested would theoretically work because you would never display blank/whitespace data.

    What version of Xpression and project server are you dealing with? This will help a Ross employee know if you are dealing with an old or new bug.



    ------------------------------
    Azathoth
    Son of Cthulhu
    ------------------------------



  • 9.  RE: Texts with datalinqs flicker when saving excel file

    Posted 01-14-2025 17:55

    Aaah I see. Thanks for explaining. I am currently working on Studio v10.5 build 5508 same goes for the datalinq server. And no project server is in use.



    ------------------------------
    Best wishes,
    Johannes
    ------------------------------



  • 10.  RE: Texts with datalinqs flicker when saving excel file

    Posted 01-15-2025 05:46

    Hello, 

    I advise you to uncheck these "Live Update" to avoid flickering on the air during refreshes.



    ------------------------------
    Alan LAMY
    Intégrateur graphique
    Paris France
    ------------------------------



  • 11.  RE: Texts with datalinqs flicker when saving excel file

    Posted 01-15-2025 08:20

    I need those textfields to go from empty to full while online tho. So if I turn this off, I won't be able to fill the fields while on broadcast.



    ------------------------------
    Best wishes,
    Johannes
    ------------------------------



  • 12.  RE: Texts with datalinqs flicker when saving excel file

    Posted 01-15-2025 12:19

    Post images of your datalinq settings for the excel connection in the datalinq server. 




  • 13.  RE: Texts with datalinqs flicker when saving excel file

    Posted 01-15-2025 16:06

    The file is located on the desktop of the same machine xpression is running on. I think the most cells I had to read at the same time were 240-270 cells in one graphic. Also I didn't want to use dynamic materials because I had some bad experiences with the dynamic materials not updating when the datalinq text changed. One more thing. When I preview that one graphics with all those linkings, the excel sheet gets permanently locked until I fully restart the datalinq server. Ah and also sometimes I have weird holes in my excel sheets.

    The red box is where those tricodes should be, but if I put them there in the excel then they simply won't show up.

    ------------------------------
    Best wishes,
    Johannes
    ------------------------------



  • 14.  RE: Texts with datalinqs flicker when saving excel file

    Posted 30 days ago

    You have 240-270 datalinq's text objects in the one scene? 

    We may need you to open a tech support ticket. We will need to enable additional logging on the Datalinq Server and capture the log file when you see the flickering. Its possible the Microsoft ACE driver is not keeping up with that number of queries. 




  • 15.  RE: Texts with datalinqs flicker when saving excel file

    Posted 30 days ago

    Alright, will do when I get the time to do so. Thank you in the meantime for the help, maybe our IT department can already try some things with the Microsoft ACE drivers. Otherwise I'll be in touch with the Ross support.



    ------------------------------
    Best wishes,
    Johannes
    ------------------------------