# How to String Format or append using range list? Edit: Read txt file on mapped drive and do something **URL:** \ **Category:** Ignition\ **Created:** [January 16, 2020, 4:37pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/how-to-string-format-or-append-using-range-list-edit-read-txt-file-on-mapped-drive-and-do-something/31345 "2020-01-16T16:37:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![wking](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/wking/32/21823_2.png) [@wking](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/wking)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2020, 4:37pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/how-to-string-format-or-append-using-range-list-edit-read-txt-file-on-mapped-drive-and-do-something/31345/1 "2020-01-16T16:37:41Z")
```auto base = 'D' x = range(1,23) x.remove(20) print x for i in x: test = '%s%s' % (base,x) print test ``` Returns: ```auto [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 21, 22] D[1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 21, 22] D[1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 21, 22] D[1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 21, 22] D[1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 21, 22] D[1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 21, 22] D[1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 21, 22] D[1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 21, 22] D[1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 21, 22] D[1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 21, 22] D[1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 21, 22] D[1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 21, 22] D[1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 21, 22] D[1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 21, 22] D[1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 21, 22] D[1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 21, 22] D[1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 21, 22] D[1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 21, 22] D[1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 21, 22] D[1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 21, 22] D[1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 21, 22] D[1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 21, 22] ``` I neeed to work towards an output of: ```auto D1 D2 D3 . . D9 D10 . . D19 D21 ``` ```auto base = 'D' x = range(1,23) x.remove(20) y = [] for i in x: y.append(base+str(iter(x))) print y ``` gives me: ```auto ['D', 'D', 'D', 'D', 'D', 'D', 'D', 'D', 'D', 'D', 'D', 'D', 'D', 'D', 'D', 'D', 'D', 'D', 'D', 'D', 'D'] ``` ---
**Author:** ![jpark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a88e57/32.png) [@jpark](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/jpark)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2020, 4:41pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/how-to-string-format-or-append-using-range-list-edit-read-txt-file-on-mapped-drive-and-do-something/31345/2 "2020-01-16T16:41:43Z")
You are appending the list instead of i. ```auto for i in x: test = '%s%d' % (base,i) print test ``` ---
**Author:** ![wking](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/wking/32/21823_2.png) [@wking](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/wking)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2020, 4:45pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/how-to-string-format-or-append-using-range-list-edit-read-txt-file-on-mapped-drive-and-do-something/31345/3 "2020-01-16T16:45:02Z")
> [@jpark](#): > > instead of i. Aahhhhhhh I'm going to get it eventually.... thanks for the help!......again lol ---
**Author:** ![jpark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a88e57/32.png) [@jpark](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/jpark)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2020, 4:45pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/how-to-string-format-or-append-using-range-list-edit-read-txt-file-on-mapped-drive-and-do-something/31345/4 "2020-01-16T16:45:56Z")
```auto base = "D" for i in [x for x in xrange(1,22) if x !=20]: print "%s%d"%(base,i) ``` ---
**Author:** ![wking](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/wking/32/21823_2.png) [@wking](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/wking)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2020, 5:02pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/how-to-string-format-or-append-using-range-list-edit-read-txt-file-on-mapped-drive-and-do-something/31345/5 "2020-01-16T17:02:17Z")
@jpark Dang, you helped me yesterday and today on both parts of this lol For future readers: The following is an example of how to navigate to a portion of a mapped file directory read a .txt file and return the latest entry that matches a re pattern. This is useful for CNC logs and whatnot. YMMV this doesn’t have things like error or exception handling like it should. Would have to be implemented in a different way as well… In my case Inside my UDT for these machines I am now using an expression tag with runScript(). Where I have a parameter in the UDT that is the machine name. in my case : ‘D01’ Or ‘D20’ note file directories don’t match. runScript(mes.get\_file\_part({machinename})) :untested Eventually, I am going to have to figure out how to look in a mapped directory and then copy those files and folders on to the webserver directory of the gateway machine. So, my users, can self serve. The idea would be to place work instructions and blueprints and so on to a mapped drive in a certain schema. And making that available at the machine level through a tree and pdf viewer. I think this lends itself to that. Unless someone can suggest a different methodology. ```auto import system import re def get_file_part(machine): if len(machine) == 3 and machine[1] == '0': machine = machine[0]+machine[2] else: pass path = ('Z:\Qa_Reports\Daily Production Data\%s\%s_PCM.txt' % (machine,machine)) x = system.file.readFileAsString(path) result = re.findall('\s\d\d\d\s', x) z = result[-1] t = z.strip() return t base = 'D' x = range(1,23) x.remove(20) new = [] for i in x: test = '%s%d' % (base,i) new.append(test) for i in new: c = mes.get_file_part(i) print i print c ``` ```auto D1 985 D2 262 D3 038 D4 260 D5 320 D6 691 D7 289 D8 289 D9 690 D10 987 D11 081 D12 812 D13 387 D14 648 D15 658 D16 690 D17 086 D18 275 D19 936 D21 881 D22 480 ``` ---
**Author:** ![wking](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/wking/32/21823_2.png) [@wking](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/wking)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2020, 5:22pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/how-to-string-format-or-append-using-range-list-edit-read-txt-file-on-mapped-drive-and-do-something/31345/6 "2020-01-16T17:22:04Z")
what the file looks like: ```auto D3 038 060214,01/14/20,11:24,10032959 D3 038 060214,01/14/20,11:30,10033016 D3 038 060214,01/14/20,11:36,10033086 D3 038 060214,01/14/20,11:42,10033143 D3 038 060214,01/14/20,11:48,10033210 D3 038 060214,01/14/20,11:54,10033268 D3 038 060214,01/14/20,12:00,10033337 D3 038 060214,01/14/20,12:12,10033463 D3 038 060214,01/14/20,12:18,10033533 D3 038 060214,01/14/20,12:24,10033590 D3 038 060214,01/14/20,12:30,10033659 D3 038 060214,01/14/20,12:36,10033717 ``` ---
**Author:** ![wking](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/wking/32/21823_2.png) [@wking](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/wking)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2020, 5:33pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/how-to-string-format-or-append-using-range-list-edit-read-txt-file-on-mapped-drive-and-do-something/31345/7 "2020-01-16T17:33:42Z")
make sure to map drive in java or it will work until it decides not too… [https://docs.inductiveautomation.com/display/DOC80/Mapping+a+Network+Drive](https://docs.inductiveautomation.com/display/DOC80/Mapping+a+Network+Drive) ---
**Author:** ![pturmel](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/pturmel/32/3295_2.png) [@pturmel](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/pturmel)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2020, 5:45pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/how-to-string-format-or-append-using-range-list-edit-read-txt-file-on-mapped-drive-and-do-something/31345/8 "2020-01-16T17:45:44Z")
You are doing network file access within a runScript() expression tag? You understand that the slightest network hiccup will freeze your scan class/tag group? This is a job for a timer event on a dedicated thread. ---
**Author:** ![wking](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/wking/32/21823_2.png) [@wking](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/wking)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2020, 5:58pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/how-to-string-format-or-append-using-range-list-edit-read-txt-file-on-mapped-drive-and-do-something/31345/9 "2020-01-16T17:58:27Z")
No, I didn’t know that… that makes sense though. Gateway time script seems more logical. How to do it in a deterministic way though? hmm… I did the same thing awhile back and you helped me then. Where I put ‘clean time entries’ in these machines associated SQL tables. Because I didn’t understand how to query and return clean groups with whole DateTime values yet. So I eventually want to make this where. The file path is a UDT tag or param or whatever don’t care so people can re-map. But, I need to run it from the gateway… Yikes, for now, I’ll run it in gateway timer script and just do write blocking to where the need to go? Also, need to figure out what a dedicated thread is lol edit: just check box when setting up gateway timer script. ---
**Author:** ![wking](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/wking/32/21823_2.png) [@wking](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/wking)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2020, 6:57pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/how-to-string-format-or-append-using-range-list-edit-read-txt-file-on-mapped-drive-and-do-something/31345/10 "2020-01-16T18:57:29Z")
Getting closer: ```auto base = 'D' x = range(1,23) x.remove(20) new = [] ob = [] keys , values = [] , [] for i in x: test = '%s%d' % (base,i) new.append(test) for t in new: c = mes.get_file_part(t) keys.append(t) values.append(c) test = '[{}]'.format(', '.join("'{}': '{}'".format(k, v) for k, v in zip(keys, values))) tagdata = system.util.jsonEncode(test) print tagdata system.tag.write('[default]SCADA/playground/New Tag 1',tagdata) ``` returns: ```auto "['D1': '985', 'D2': '262', 'D3': '038', 'D4': '260', 'D5': '320', 'D6': '691', 'D7': '289', 'D8': '289', 'D9': '690', 'D10': '987', 'D11': '081', 'D12': '812', 'D13': '387', 'D14': '648', 'D15': '658', 'D16': '690', 'D17': '086', 'D18': '275', 'D19': '936', 'D21': '881', 'D22': '480']" ``` But using: ```auto jsonGet({[.]New Tag 1.value},'D1') ``` on an expression tag complains about: ive tried document, dataset and string: also tried getting rid of leading and trailing quotes and same results: ```auto Error_ExpressionEval("Error executing jsonGet(): Not a JSON Object: "['D1': '985', 'D2': '262', 'D3': '038', 'D4': '260', 'D5': '320', 'D6': '691', 'D7': '289', 'D8': '289', 'D9': '690', 'D10': '987', 'D11': '081', 'D12': '812', 'D13': '387', 'D14': '648', 'D15': '658', 'D16': '690', 'D17': '086', 'D18': '275', 'D19': '936', 'D21': '881', 'D22': '480']"") ``` ---
**Author:** ![paul-griffith](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/paul-griffith/32/37249_2.png) [@paul-griffith](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/paul-griffith)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2020, 7:11pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/how-to-string-format-or-append-using-range-list-edit-read-txt-file-on-mapped-drive-and-do-something/31345/11 "2020-01-16T19:11:46Z")
`[]` defines a json array, which isn’t a “mapping” type. Try using curly braces, so your string ends up being: `{"D1": 982, "D2": 262}`, etc. Also, not sure if it matters for our function(s), but legal JSON has to use double quotes, no single quotes. ---
**Author:** ![wking](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/wking/32/21823_2.png) [@wking](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/wking)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2020, 11:37pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/how-to-string-format-or-append-using-range-list-edit-read-txt-file-on-mapped-drive-and-do-something/31345/12 "2020-01-16T23:37:51Z")
Lord have mercy It works: ```auto base = 'D' x = range(1,23) x.remove(20) new = [] ob = [] keys , values = [] , [] for i in x: test = '%s%d' % (base,i) new.append(test) for t in new: c = mes.get_file_part(t) keys.append(t) values.append(c) res = {} for key in keys: for value in values: res[key] = value values.remove(value) break print res system.tag.write('[default]SCADA/playground/New Tag 1',res) ``` I’ll post here in case it could get anyone else started. I am able to write this to a ‘global’ tag of sorts and use a param in the udt as key and json get expression tag inside udt to sort it all out. Should have exception handling and what not added. But, I have other fish to fry and prove out… Thanks to all! ---
**Author:** ![paul-griffith](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/paul-griffith/32/37249_2.png) [@paul-griffith](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/paul-griffith)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2020, 11:47pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/how-to-string-format-or-append-using-range-list-edit-read-txt-file-on-mapped-drive-and-do-something/31345/13 "2020-01-16T23:47:47Z")
Just for fun 🙂 ```auto res = {key: mes.get_file_part(key) for key in ["D%d" % i for i in xrange(1, 23) if i != 20]} print res ``` ---
**Author:** ![wking](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/wking/32/21823_2.png) [@wking](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/wking)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2020, 11:59pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/how-to-string-format-or-append-using-range-list-edit-read-txt-file-on-mapped-drive-and-do-something/31345/14 "2020-01-16T23:59:24Z")
My dude! I want to be there 👆 I am just not comprehending