Importing Connections

Bring a wire list or from-to list into a Harness from a spreadsheet, instead of entering each connection by hand. RapidHarness adds the connections, creates any parts that are missing, and shows you what every row will do before anything changes.

Overview

To start an import, open a Harness and press Import in the Utilities section of the Home ribbon. You can import from:

  • An Excel file (.xlsx or .xls)
  • A .csv or text file
  • Rows copied from Excel or Google Sheets and pasted

Each row of your list is one connection, from one endpoint to another. The import then takes you through four steps: selecting your data, checking the columns, matching new parts, and a final review.

import-ribbon-button

Preparing Your List

Your list needs a column (or a pair of columns) for each end of the connection. Everything else is optional. RapidHarness recognizes the following information:

Field Description
From / To The endpoint and its cavity in one column, such as C1.3, C1:3, or J49 - 3, or a name on its own for a splice or terminal (S1, LW1).
From Connector + From Pin, To Connector + To Pin The same information with the connector and the cavity in separate columns.
From PN / IPN, To PN / IPN The part number of the endpoint. Used to select a design from your Library when the endpoint is new.
Conductor The name of the wire (W001), or a cable conductor (CBL1.Red-White, CBL1.Shield).
Cable The name of the cable, when the conductor is part of one.
Conductor PN / IPN The part number of the wire or cable.
Color The wire color, such as Red, RD, WHT/BLK, or Red w/ White stripe.
Size The wire size, such as 20 AWG, #20, 22ga, or 0.5 mm².
Length The connection length, such as 300 mm, 12', or 4 ft 6 in.
Notes Connection notes. Several columns can be used, and their values are joined together.
Signal Added to the connection notes as 'Signal: X'.

Your columns do not need to use these exact names or be in this order. Blank cells, N/A, and - are treated as no value.

Step 1: Select Your Data

Press 'Select File' to choose a file, drop a file onto the dialog, or press 'Paste Rows' to use rows you have copied from a spreadsheet. When pasting, include the header row.

import-connections-select-data

Step 2: Check the Columns

RapidHarness finds the header row and matches each column to an import field. The first rows of your data are shown as they are, and the heading of each column is a dropdown for the field it feeds. Change any column that was matched incorrectly, and leave columns you do not need unmatched.

The settings above the data let you choose the:

  • Worksheet - for spreadsheets with more than one sheet.
  • Header row - for sheets with a title block above the headers, or with no header row at all.
  • Cavity separator - the character between a connector and its cavity when they share a column.
  • Sizes without a unit and Lengths without a unit - the unit to use when a value is only a number. A length with no unit is skipped unless a unit is chosen here.

Press Next once each end of the connection has a column.

import-connections-check-columns

Step 3: Match New Parts

If your list names a connector, splice, loose wire end, ferrule, terminal, wire, or cable that is not in the Harness yet, RapidHarness adds it for you. This step lists each new part and the design it will use.

  • When a row's Part Number or IPN matches exactly one design in your Library, that design is selected automatically.
  • To choose a design yourself, double-click the part, or select it and press 'Select Design...'.
  • Select several parts of one type with Ctrl or Shift to give them all the same design at once.
  • Tick 'Only show parts without a design' to see what is left to choose.

Choosing a design is optional. A connector, splice, or terminal without one is added without a design, which you can set later. A connection whose wire or cable has no design is imported without a conductor.

The Type column shows what each new part will be. When RapidHarness cannot tell from the part number or the name, you can pick the type from the dropdown. If your list does not need any new parts, this step is skipped.

import-connections-match-parts

Step 4: Review and Import

The last step shows what each row will do: the From and To endpoints, the conductor, and what will change. Each row is marked as ready, as having a warning, or as having an error, with the reason in the Messages column. Use the Show filter to see only the rows with warnings or errors.

Rows with a warning are still imported. Rows with an error are skipped. To fix a column or a design, press Back.

Nothing changes in your Harness until you press Import. New parts are placed below your existing drawing, each with its Connection Table, ready for you to arrange.

import-connections-review

Updating Existing Connections

An import adds new connections and updates the ones that already exist. It never deletes a connection. A row matches an existing connection by its conductor, or by its pair of endpoints when the row names no conductor. Only the values the row gives are changed.

This means you can export your Manufacturing Data, edit the Connections sheet in Excel, and import it back.

Undoing an Import

The whole import is a single Undo step. Press Ctrl + Z to remove everything it added and changed.

Things to Know

  • The number of connections your subscription allows in a Harness still applies. If the import would go past it, nothing is imported.
  • Resistors and diodes are not created by the import. Add them to the Harness first, and your rows can then connect to them.
  • Lists need one row per connection. Netlists and sheets laid out as a block per cable need to be reshaped into rows first.
  • The import is disabled when the Harness is a read-only Version.

See Connections for creating and editing connections by hand.

Further Questions?

We're happy to help with any questions you may have! You can always search our documentation, or Contact Us if you need further help.