Preconditions:

• You have exported project data for external editing and not selected the option Edit in external application and reload in the process.
• You have edited the data in the chosen external application and saved the file.
• You have opened the project into which the data is to be imported.

1. Select the following commands: File > Import > Command group Project data > Project data > Command group External editing > Properties.
2. In the Open dialog, select the directory where the file to be imported is located, then select the file and click [Open].
   
   The data is imported. A progress bar shows the progress of larger data volumes.

Preconditions:

• You have exported parts data for external editing and not selected the option Edit in external application and reload.
• You have edited the data in the chosen external application and saved the file.
• You have opened the Parts management dialog (Tab Master data > Command group Parts > Management). In the Parts management dialog you have opened a parts database into which data is to be imported using [Extras] > Settings.

1. Select the menu items Edit properties externally > Import data in the dialog Parts management below the button [Extras].
2. Enter the file name of the import file into the File name field in the dialog External editing: Import parts data, or click to select the file interactively. Multiple selection is possible.
3. In the group box Record identification specify whether the identification is to take place via the Object ID of the parts management or via the name. The identification via the name is used when you import parts data which were created in external systems into the own parts database.
4. In the group box Import use the options to specify the treatment of new or existing records during import.
5. Click [OK].
   
   The data is imported. A progress bar shows the progress of larger data volumes.
   
   If new parts, addresses, etc. are generated during the import, a corresponding message is issued. If parts, addresses, etc. are already available or if data is missing in the import file, a corresponding message is also displayed.

Preconditions:

Importing project data:

• You have opened a project.
• You have opened a navigator and the project in the tree view or list view, and have selected one or more pages or one or more records.
• You have selected the following commands: File > Export > Command group Project data > Project data > Command group External editing > Properties.

Importing parts data:

• You have opened the Parts management dialog (Tab Master data > Command group Parts > Management).
• You have selected one or more parts or other records in the tree view.
• In the dialog Parts management below the button [Extras] you have the selected the menu items Edit properties externally > Export data.

1. In the dialog Edit externally, select a scheme from the Settings drop-down list. If you want to create new functions, select a scheme for which the object type is set to All functions. The "Device" scheme is available as a default for this purpose. If you want to create new parts, select a scheme with the object type Parts. The "Default" scheme is available to this purpose.
2. Select the Edit in external application and reload option in the Edit externally dialog.
3. Click [OK].
   
   The data are exported to Excel.
   
   Excel is opened with the exported properties.
   
   

   Example:

   

4. To create new objects, copy, for example, the rows of existing objects. For the functions change the entries in the copied lines in the columns DT (full) and DT (displayed). (These entries are highlighted with a frame on the right-hand side of the illustration below.) For parts change the entries in the copied lines in the columns Part number and Variant.
5. Lastly, change the entry in the first column of each Excel table by setting the number after the slash ("/") to zero. For a new function specify, for example, the value "17/0" and for a new part the value "117/0".
   
   

   Example:

   

6. To make the new objects available for EPLAN you must extend the range of the EPLAN values in Excel. To do this, press [Ctrl] + [F3].
   
   The dialog Name manager opens.
7. Click the "EPL_VALUES" name here and change the entry in the field References in such a way that it includes the newly added cells.
8. Click [Close].
9. Save the table, and close Excel.
   
   The data are exported.
10. Confirm the prompt regarding the data to be imported with [Yes].
    
    The objects created in Excel are imported. New parts are directly available in parts management. New functions are inserted in the device navigator as unplaced functions.