How can I change the CDF which imports the data and uses it, without execution of code

Question

I am making an application which first imports the data from the Excel file and then uses it in the deployment of a CDF. But is it possible to change the data of the Excel file and see its corresponding CDF without executing the code in the notebook?

I have imported y1 and y2 from an excel file. Here is the code.

CDFDeploy[
ToFileName["C:\\Users\\murali\\Desktop","demo2thomson.cdf"],
{DynamicModule[{y = 
Import["C:\\Users\\murali\\Desktop\\demo.xlsx"], y1 = y[[1, 1]],   y2 = y[[1, 2]], q1, q2}, 
Panel@Column[{Spacer[70] Text[
    Style["iPhone and iPad quarterly sales- units, million", Bold,
      18]], Column[{Spacer[70], 
    Text[Style["Click on/off:", Bold, 14]], q1 = True; q2 = True; 
    Row[{Labeled[
       Button["     ", q1 = ! q1, Background -> Blue, 
        Appearance -> "Frameless"], "iPhone", {Right}], 
      Spacer[19], 
      Labeled[Button["     ", q2 = ! q2, Background -> Orange, 
        Appearance -> "Frameless"], "iPad", {Right}]}], 
    Column[{Dynamic@
       BarChart[
        Table[{If[q1, y1[[i]], 0], If[q2, y2[[i]], 0]}, {i, 1, 22,
           1}], BarSpacing -> 0.8, ChartStyle -> {Blue, Orange}, 
        ImageSize -> {600, 280}, 
        GridLines -> {None, Automatic}]}]}]}]]}]

I am importing these values just as default and want that the end user can change these values. i.e.

I don't want the end user to go to the code and execute again and again if he wants to change some of the values of y1 and y2.

Is it possible that he can change value and see the difference in the CDF itself?

Answer 1

One starting point is as follows; it's not ideal because one has to actually save the file before Mathematica picks up the changes. Also I don't know if it will work in the CDF.

file = "test.xls";

Import[file]

(* {{{1., 2., 3.}, {4., 5., 6.}, {7., 8., 9.}}} *)


lastModified := FileDate[file, "Modification"]; (* date of last modification *)
currentData := Import[file];

previousModified = FileDate[file, "Modification"];
startingData = Import[file];

liveData := Module[{currentTime, updateQ},currentTime = lastModified;updateQ = AbsoluteTime[currentTime] > AbsoluteTime[previousModified];{previousModified, startingData} = If[updateQ, {currentTime, currentData}, {currentTime, startingData}]]

(* liveData will Import the data and update the date of last modification *)

This will perform the check every second :

t = CreateScheduledTask[liveData, 1.0];

Now you can start the task and watch the file being changed :

StartScheduledTask[t]

Dynamic[liveData[[2]]]

Remember to stop the task when you're done :

StopScheduledTask[t]

Answer 2

From your comments I guess you look for something like below, although I'm still not sure as your question is somewhat hard to understand. I have also separated the code into:

1. defining pathes and import default data:

   directory = FileNameJoin[{$HomeDirectory, "Desktop"}];
   y = Import[FileNameJoin[{directory, "demo.xlsx"}]];
   

2. defining the graphical user interface (I used slightly different constructs as your original code), adding inputfields for the values of y1 and y2:

   gui = DynamicModule[{y1 = y[[1, 1]], y2 = y[[1, 2]], q1 = True, q2 = True},
     Panel@Grid[{
        {Item[
          Text[Style["iPhone and iPad quarterly sales- units, million", Bold, 18]], 
          Alignment -> Center
        ], SpanFromLeft},
        {Spacer[{0, 20}], SpanFromLeft},
        {
          "iPhone", 
          Row@Table[
            With[{k = k},InputField[Dynamic[y1[[k]]], Number, FieldSize -> 5]],
            {k,Length[y1]}
          ]},
        {"iPad", 
          Row@Table[
           With[{k = k},InputField[Dynamic[y2[[k]]], Number, FieldSize -> 5]], 
            {k,Length[y2]}
          ]},
        {Text[Style["Click on/off:", Bold, 14]], SpanFromLeft},
        {Row[{
            Labeled[
            Toggler[Dynamic[q1], {True -> Spacer[{18, 18}], False -> Spacer[{18, 18}]}, 
             Background -> Dynamic[If[q1, Blue, LightGray]]], 
            "iPhone", {Right}],
           Spacer[19],
           Labeled[
            Toggler[Dynamic[q2], {True -> Spacer[{18, 18}], False -> Spacer[{18, 18}]}, 
             Background -> Dynamic[If[q2, Orange, LightGray]]], 
            "iPad", {Right}]
           }], SpanFromLeft},
        {
         Dynamic[
          BarChart[
           Table[{If[q1, y1[[i]], 0], If[q2, y2[[i]], 0]}, {i,Length[y1]}],
           BarSpacing -> 0.8, ChartStyle -> {Blue, Orange}, 
           ImageSize -> {600, 280}, GridLines -> {None, Automatic}
          ]
         ], SpanFromLeft
        }},
        Alignment -> {Left, Center}
       ]]
   

3. Only once the above works as intended, export to cdf:

   CDFDeploy[FileNameJoin[{directory, "testdemo.cdf"}], gui, Method -> "Standalone"]
   

Answer 3

Import is disabled in the default CDF document reader. There are two common options to get around this:

• Use Wolfram Player Pro. This is a non free version of the player that is often used by proffesors in courses.

• Contact Wolfram Research about signing your CDF document with a special license that will allow it to run on the normal CDF player: http://www.wolfram.com/cdf/adopting-cdf/licensing-options.html