How to use "Schedule: File" object in EnergyPlus?

answered 2018-02-16 14:34:14 -0500

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The File Name input field of the Schedule:File object can either be a simple or full path. For example, if you have the IDF and CSV files saved in different folders like the following folder structure:

C:\Projects
- EnergyPlus
  - project.idf
- Schedule
  - schedule.csv

Then the input can be set to "..\Schedule\schedule.csv" for a simple path of where the CSV is saved in relation to where the IDF is saved, or "C:\Projects\Schedule\schedule.csv" for a full path to the CSV. According to the Input/Output Reference, use full path for best results.

If you have this entered correctly, then there are a few rules that could be causing you an issue:

File name must be <= 100 characters
File name must not include commas or an exclamation point
If using RunEPlus.bat to run EnergyPlus from the command line, a relative path or a simple file name may work if RunEPlus.bat is run from the folder that contains EnergyPlus.exe (e.g. C:\EnergyPlusv8-8-0)

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Comments

Great!! It worked.... I guess I was providing the path incorrectly!! Thank you so much Aaron....

surajtalele ( 2018-02-16 15:02:04 -0500 )edit

Is there any specific format, I need to add data in the .csv file?

divsood04 ( 2021-10-22 06:22:15 -0500 )edit

@divsood04 if you define the schedule in a CSV file, there is no special formatting needed. The important thing is that values are separated by commas, which a CSV file does automatically. The important thing is making sure the Schedule:File object has inputs to account for column headers and other information to read the CSV file's data correctly for the EnergyPlus model.