Passing data to and from an Excel worksheet

I have three parts to this question: Firstly I am pulling data from a web page but this data (one value)needs to be entered into an Excel worksheet that uses a pre-existing and complex set of formulas to return 24 other values. So far I have come up with this:

make the value a dataset
pass this to a csv
Have a cell linked in worksheet to this csv (like VLOOKUP sort of)
Have a macro in the Excel worksheet to save as csv at a time
Read the second (above) csv using a file called “csv” from the adv training course

I kinda think this is way too complex and amateurish and was hoping for some points in the right direction as it means having the worksheet open etc (did spent more than a few days just dealing with unicode errors and then “frames” within the web page I was looking at :scratch: )

Second Question: I put the HTTP GET code in an app script. If I trigger the script from a button it works. If I use a gateway timer script it fails on “IOError: No route to host: Connect”. So I would like to know, does this mean that the PC I’m running the designer from has Internet access but the server does not? (if I move the gateway timer scripts to client timer scripts they work, but I couldn’t get around the app with button/gateway script thing)

Lastly: My IT dept says the Ignition gateway needs a “proxy server” to get to the Internet…any ideas on what I tell em??

Thanks

Discovered “system.util.execute(commands)” to run Excel when required so this means Excel does not have to be left open etc, tidies up my messy procedure a lot!
I guess what I have is the best I’m going to get considering the Excel requirement :scratch:

A “proxy server” is an intermediary that you pass specific traffic through. For example, you might specify an IP address and port for an HTTP proxy in Internet Explorer, then web traffic goes through there instead of your default gateway (router). You might implement this case for security, anonymity, as well as performance/restriction (content can be more easily cached and/or blocked). You could also do this for incoming/outgoing mail, FTP traffic, etc.

An Ignition gateway shouldn’t really need to “get to the Internet” so much as be network/Internet/Intranet accessible. IT should think of it exactly like any other web server - web severs don’t typically have proxy support as a client. There are a few specific applications where the gateway might act as a client (possibly scripting or web services). A “reverse proxy” type application might make sense in certain architectures, which uses port forwarding and/or NAT to grant access from the outside. This is similar to opening up one of your home computers behind your home router for access over the Internet.

All this said, there could be a case with a compelling reason for an Ignition Gateway to access the Internet via a proxy server. I don’t believe it natively supports this, but I think it can be done with other software if necessary.