This article describes how the syntax of the Excel RTD function to be used with Excel Connector. When used in the way described here, the RTD function retrieves real-time data using the Connectivity RTD Server.

RTD Function Syntax

Use the following syntax in Excel (the '=' designates a formula):

    =RTD(RealTimeServerProgID, ServerName, Topic1, [Topic2], ...)

where the function arguments are as follows:

• RealTimeServerProgID
  A string that represents the Program ID of the Connectivity RTD server. RealTimeServerProgID is a required argument.
• ServerName
  A string that represents the name of the server on which the RTD server is to be run. If the RTD server is run locally, the ServerName should be an empty string ("") or omitted.
• Topic1, [Topic2], ...
  Strings that determine the data being retrieved. You can use from one to 28 topics, although only one topic is required.

RealTimeServerProgID Argument

For Connectivity RTD Server, use one of the following ProgIDs as the RealTimeServerProgID:

   "opclabs.office.excel.connectivityrtdserver"

or

   "conn.rtd"

Both these ProgIDs are equivalent. The second one is intentionally short, intended for manual typing into Excel.

ServerName Argument

The Connectivity RTD Server is usually run locally (i.e. on the computer where Excel runs), and you should therefore omit the ServerName argument.

Topic Arguments

The topic arguments determine the data to be retrieved. See Topic Syntax for details.

Examples

For illustration, this is how an RTD function in a formula may look like for OPC Classic:

   =RTD("conn.rtd", , "di", "OPCLabs.KitServer.2", "Demo.Ramp")

or for OPC Unified Architecture:

   =RTD("conn.rtd", , "ua", "opc.tcp://opcua.demo-this.com:51210/UA/SampleServer", "nsu=http://test.org/UA/Data/;i=11218")

Related Links

More information about the Excel RTD function:

• RTD function 
• How to set up and use the RTD function in Excel - Microsoft Support