How to perform simultaneous calculations in the results formula.

This video demonstrates how to stack formulas in the results formula field using the pipe character.

 

Happy Tip Tuesday! This is your friendly neighborhood metrologist, Mike Lynn. Today, I'm going to talk to you about a feature we added back in version 13.1.7, which deals with calculations.

On my screen, I have a torque calibration set up. We will take some "as found" data, some "as left" data, and calculate an average set of readings, standard deviation, repeatability, max/min, and the difference between max and min. Before version 13.1.7, we had to do this using our test point scripting with Visual Basic scripts. But now, we have a new feature that allows us to stack formulas in the formula field, specifically the results formula field.

If I open this up to the editing mode, you’ll see six different calculations. Each one is separated by what we call the pipe character, which is the shift + backslash key (|) located right above the enter key on your keyboard. The first section is for the result. For example, I’m taking the average of the five readings from the previous lines, dividing by five, and that average goes into the "as found" result field.

The second section, after the first pipe character, is the standard deviation function. The standard deviation calculation will go into the "as found" or "as left" extra number one field, depending on the data type. The same goes for repeatability, where I take the standard deviation and divide it by the square root of the number of readings, and this goes into the "as found" or "as left" extra number two field.

You are allowed to perform five additional readings in addition to the "as found" and "as left" results. All calculations must be separated by the pipe character to be parsed correctly.

Now, I'll demonstrate running a calibration. I select the calibration tab and my master, then get to the results section to start taking some data. For example, if I input 45.4 and move to the next line, all the calculations will show up. To trigger this, I typically put in a zero and hit the down arrow. This calculates the average, standard deviation, repeatability, max/min, and the difference between max and min. This new feature allows you to perform multiple calculations using the "as found" extra number fields without writing scripts, simplifying the process.

If you have any issues, please contact our support team. We'll be more than happy to help.