Suunto SDM enhancements

Not sure if this should go in the computers forum or the DIY
Despite all its shortcomings, I don't mind SDM too much. But my biggest gripe with it (and with all other dive log software I've tried) is rather poor printing support. So I set about seeing what I could do with SDM now that all its data is in Access.

Here's my work so far:
http://froop.net/files/scuba/d9xtras.zip

In the zip is another Access database, which contains a few queries, a code module and a couple of reports. To add it into your DB:

1. first make a backup copy of d9.mdb
2. Open d9.mdb in Access (password is "koira")
3. Open d9xtras.mdb in another instance of Access
4. Drag all the queries from d9xtras into d9
5. Drag the "ReportUser" table across
6. Drag the two reports across
7. Drag the module across
8. Go to the Queries tab on your d9.db, and you should be able to run any of the queries to give a much better view of your dive log data.
9. Hit ALT-F11 to bring up the VBA editor.
10. Go to Tools>References and find and tick Microsoft DAO 3.6 Object Library
11. Close the VBA editor
12. Double-click the "Users" query, and check what your userID is.
13. Double-click the "ReportUser" table, and update the UserID with yours.

Now you should be able to double-click the "DiveLog" report to give a nice pretty divelog. Its quite small, but that's because I print my logs in a diary-sized notebook, about 4"x7"

This is what it should look like:
http://froop.net/files/scuba/DiveLog.pdf

I'm sure there's an easier way to export/import all this.

There's still plenty of glitches and also a lot of data I haven't yet deciphered. I use metric. I have no idea what will happen if you have your data stored in imperial. Cylinder pressures are dealt with differently if you have a default cylinder instead of entering one for each dive.

The sub-report will create a second log-page showing any pictures that have been added as annotations, along with their notes. But I think that some of the object reference may be lost in the copying across.

Thanks Mark. Just having access to the data will be good for me.

Hey Froop

Is it necessary to repeat steps 1 through 13 everytime you've been out diving?

Thank you for a very nice program.

/BobDK

Hi Bob,
You just need to do steps 1 to 13 once. (Make sure that SDM is not currently running when you open the database up in Access.

Once you've made the changes to the database, each time you add new dives using SDM, exit the SDM application, then open the database up using Access, and double-click the report to generate the latest version with all your dives.

Since I'm now getting much more into photography, I now print my dive out on 6x4 postcards using my Canon Selphy. The MS-Access report now also looks for an image attachment with the description of "BG" and uses that as a background image for the page. I'll then print out my favourite pics from the dive onto their own page:

Log page: http://froop.net/files/scuba/log6x4.pdf

Picture page: http://froop.net/files/scuba/dive96.jpg

froop:

I'm sure there's an easier way to export/import all this.

Click to expand...

open d9extras, then
-> file -> get external datas -> link

maybe, and correcting the queries.
but I'm not an expert of MSAccess

DuboisP:

open d9extras, then
-> file -> get external datas -> link

Click to expand...

- Open d9extras
- Delete the tables Bookmarks, Cylinders, GasChanges, Items, TrackPoints, say OK to annoying messages about relationships
- Menu File -> Get External Datas -> Link -> Select d9.mdb -> enter the password 'koira' -> select all tables and OK
- Go to Reports and click on Divelog ( i have a message telling a .gif file is missing)

on the following time, re-open d9extras, the links are always here.
no modification required on d9.mdb

Well there you go! I've just been using my modified d9.mdb. Thanks Dubois.

I've modified the d9xtras.mdb file to output reports in imperial units. It can be downloaded at:

http://dx.eng.uiowa.edu/d9xtras.mdb

This file is set up per Dubois's recommendation above, so you don't need to modify the Suunto database at all. Should be just download to the same directory as d9.mdb and go!

hello,
I've done everything with the d9 database and it only works halve. All the dives that doesn't have a profile doesn't come in the report so I had to give all the manually inputted dives a profile. When I look at the graphic it somethimes give 1m 1 m 2m 2m in the printout. So my question is isn't it possible to give some explanation of how it works so I can change it myself so it fits my needs. Especcially how you make a graphic in a report isn't verry clear for me. I'm a regular access user but not reports so. A second question of course is, is there someone who knows what al the customs are (i_custom, t_custom1,...) in the items table. Some of them I could find myself but most of them still are a mistery.
thanks a lot