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Is there a Way to Automatically Extract Large Test Reports Collected by the Advanced Cable Tester v2?
Rena Ayeras

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Question from the Customer:

We are using the Advanced Cable Tester v2 (ACTv2) for an extensive number of tests for cables in our QA lab. It looks like API is not yet available for this product. Is there another way we can dump large test reports to a server? The data we are collecting is basic, such as test date, signal integrity, power measurements (DC resistance), and so on.

Response from Technical Support:

Thanks for your question!  As you noted, we don’t have an API library for the ACTv2.  However, we can provide Python scripts so that data can be pulled and stored. We will start with describing how the ACTv2 stores information, then provide example scripts for exporting reports.

How the Advanced Cable Tester v2 Stores Information

The ACTv2 stores test results in an internal database, which are viewable in the web UI of the ACTv2. As the data is internally stored, we can provide a Python script to do the following:

  1. Query the ACTv2
  2. Pull relevant test reports
  3. Store the reports as JSON data on the local disk
  4. Option to remove the data from the ACTv2 to free up space and store it on an external source

The resultant JSON data files are viewable in the web UI of the ACTv2. However, if viewing elsewhere, the JSON report will contain 100% of the data the web UI uses to render the report (except signal integrity image format) where the data itself is primarily a list (array) of objects (structs) of all the measurements taken on the cable.

Examples of Pulling Reports

Here are two examples of python scripts for exporting reports from the ACTv2.

$ ./export_reports.py 10.2.3.4

With this script, reports are exported from the ACT v2 at 10.2.3.4 to an output directory. The original reports remain on the ACTv2.

$ ./export_reports.py 192.168.1.4 --skip 50 --delete-saved \  --target-dir saved_from_today --username john --password unforgettable

With this script, reports are exported from 192.168.1.4 to a "saved_from_today" directory. The first 50 of the newest reports in the ACTv2 are skipped. After the reports are saved, they are removed from the internal database. The reports are saved with the username "john", and the password "unforgettable".

Example of Exported Data

Here is an example of pulled test data for the "GND Cable" measurement of a USB-C to USB-C cable:

{"expected": {"max": 0.082999996840953827, "min": 0}, "group": "GND / Shield", "label": "GND Cable", "measured": {"high": 0.019898248836398125, "low": 0.018739128485321999, "value": 0.019318688660860062}, "round": 3, "sinks": ["2-gnd-a1", "2-gnd-b12", "2-gnd-b1","2-gnd-a12"], "sources": ["1-gnd-a1", "1-gnd-b12", "1-gnd-b1", "1-gnd-a12"], "status": "pass", "type": "dcr", "unit": "ohm"},

We hope this answers your questions. Additional resources that you may find helpful include the following:

If you want more information, feel free to contact us with your questions, or request a demo that applies to your application.