Who is using the "My Encore Program?

I was using the Encore Pro Software, to "Assemble" a Report, for a certain # of days, of my Remstar Auto Data [usually one specific Month].

I am keeping a "Running Yearly Record" of my Data, & periodically give copies of it, to my Sleep Nurse, at the VA. They are aware that I have a copy of Encore Pro, & that I "Know" how to Program my own Machine. They are ALSO aware, that I don't do so, without consulting with them, first.

They seem OK, with this ... they don't seem to consult these CPAP Websites, but are quite interested in any Information, I pass on, myself. They say they are "too Busy" to do this themselves ...

Anyway, I was Exporting Data to a PDF File, & then "assembling the Pages", into a coherent Report [removing Redundant Pages]. Since the Smart card "Rolls Over" the "Daily Charts", after about 6 days, I have to assemble the Charts, from multiple PDF Exports, to get a Month's worth into one Document ...

The rest of the "Compliance", & "Long Term Trends", Roll Over [on the Smart card], after about 9 months ... while the "Daily Charts" roll over, about every 6-7 days, like I said before.

All this Information, DOES remain in the Computer, for the 9 months that the "Long Term" information is retained ... even though the display of the "Daily Charts" part, shifts, every 6 days.

This has made it kind if awkward to assemble Month - long Blocks of Information. I devised a "System" for doing so, with the use of Adobe Acrobat in combination with Scansoft's "Paper Port" ...

The "My Encore" Program has made some of this "Assembly" easier, because I can access longer periods of "Daily Information" Charts at one time, than thru Encore Pro directly. I no longer have to deal with the "6 Day Shift". I can directly assemble "Monthly Blocks" of Data, by selecting the # of days "My Encore" scans ... in the "Preferences".

The "Daily Information", & the "Long Term Trends", display on the same Charts, according to whatever "Tab" you select. The Charts are easier to interpret. The "Total AHI" doesn't display on the "Daily Reports" tab, but that can be found, on the "AHI" tab ...

There seems to be NO WAY to Export the Charts, to a PDF File, directly [within "My Encore"]. It would be Nice, to have My Encore Export ALL this Information, each Chart on a separate Page, so I could "Assemble" the Data, like I described above. At least, it would help to be able to Export the Charts INDIVIDUALLY to PDF, even if you couldn't Export the whole "Block" of Data, in one piece.

As it is, all you can do, is "Print" Individual Charts! I suppose I could "Print" them to Acrobat Distiller ... but I figured out a "simpler" way ... This STILL requires a couple of "Supplementary programs", that would be unnecessary, if the "My Encore" could Export DIRECTLY to PDF, like Encore Pro can!

I have a simple Screen Capture Program [called "Screen Seize"] that defines a specific part of ANY Computer Screen [either ONLINE, OR OFFLINE], & saves it to a *.bmp File. So I can Copy each individual "My Encore" Chart into Paper Port, line them up the way I want them, Duplicate them into "PDF Items", & "Stack" these PDF Pages, into a single "PDF Document" ...

Some of these steps could be simplified, by making "My Encore" capable of direct "PDF Export"!. I am able to set up a decent Database of my CPAP Data, but these "Steps" I outlined, would make it a HELL of a lot simpler! Even so, the "My Encore" Program, has helped a LOT ... THANKS!

Harper,

I think we have to just give thanks to Derek for coming up with this incredible software and giving it away for free. Maybe it doesn't do every function we'd like it to, but he didn't have to do any of it and then offer it to everyone on the site for nothing.

I know you're not being ungrateful and that you're just stating how nice it would be if you could assemble your MyEncore reports that way. I just think we have to remember it's not something we had to pay $100 to purchase, which kind of gives us the right to complain a little then. When someone is as generous with his creation as Derek has been, we have to be happy and accept it at face value; which, IMHO, is pretty remarkable. Could you imagine what it takes to do something like this? And I'm pretty good with computers, but to write a program from scratch, and to make it compatible with an already-existing one? Geesh!!!

Perhaps you could print out the reports and then scan them and save the pages you need in PDF format? Maybe you're not thrilled with the idea of having to print all the pages you would need to scan, but if you do it every time you upload your data to MyEncore, whether daily or weekly, it wouldn't be such an involved process when the time comes to give it to your medical provider. Just a suggestion.

Actually Adobe Acrobat, the full version, installs as a printer on your computer. So you could just print from "My Encore" to the adobe printer to create a PDF.

There might be other Adobe compatible programs that install as a printer, hopefully at a much cheaper price, since Adobe is kind of expensive.

Edit: Oops! Didn't read the part where you were already familiar with Acrobat, sorry bout that.

Harper,
When I was writing MyEncore I tried like crazy to do what you suggested, ie write plots to pdf files directly, and could not get it to work correctly. Life is just too short ! So I settled for people installing a pdf printer, and using that to save the plots to pdfs. In particular I was using Adobe Distiller. However, I still have problems with that on my machine and it frequently saves only about a quarter of the graph in the pdf file. I haven't a clue why! I tried some freeware/shareware pdf printers (for example, PrimoPDF) with the same results. I believe the problem is machine dependent.

Anyway in the end I simply gave up after wasting a couple of weeke on the issue.

Now if anybody is a guru on .NET and feels they can help, please let me know and we will take another look at it...

I didn't know [when I Posted this], whether you were considering developing some of the thing I suggested ... but I thought I would pass them on, anyway.

I have a "system" for assembling Reports. that "Works" [as described]., I was just looking to reduce some of the steps. If you can't get the Program to do some of the thin as I suggested, that's OK ... it does a good job, as it is ...

Do you mind, if I give a copy of this Program, to my Sleep Nurse, at the VA ?
They use Encore Pro, in a multi - patient configuration. Will "My Encore", work with that? The My Encore charts, are a LOT easier, to interpret.

I especially like being able to avoid that "6-day shift", when assembling multi-day Reports.

I don't know if that little Screen Capture Program ["Screen Seize"], is still available. I've had it for 5-6 years ... it seems to work good on XP. There are several Screen Capture Programs out there, but ut this one seems to be the most "simple" ... you select a "screen area" with a Hotkey combination, & it automatically saves that selection, to a *.bmp File. Then I change the *.bmp Files to PDF, & "stack" them, as described before ... from within Paper Port.

Are you familiar with Paper Port? I also don't trust the Adobe Acrobat Distiller.
Paper Port has a PDF Maker, built into it ...

Hi

Just another option for printing to pdf
I use PrimoPDF http://www.primopdf.com/
I don't know hao it compares to distiller etc, but it is easy to use and i have not had any problems with it. And it's Free !!

Jeff

As others have stated, using a PDF print driver will get you most of the way where you're trying to go. There are some free ones out there, but I won't recommend the one I'm using, since it puts an advert in the header/footer of every page (I intend to check out this PrimoPDF that's been mentioned).

The only thing this won't get you is the one chart per PDF page, since MyEncore prints 2 charts on each page, I think. Perhaps this is an option Derek could add to the "Print" dialog. Otherwise, you can get around the need for a screen capture utility by using Window's native print screen functionality. Hold down the <ALT>+<Shift> buttons and hit the <PrtScn> button to capture the currently active window to the clipboard. Just open up a graphics tool (I just use PaintXP, since it can save to JPG now), and do a paste from clipboard. I've been using this functionality for documentation purposes since the Win95 days! <grin>

The other option to consider, depending on your computer skills, is to access the data directly and create the reports however you want, without using MyEncore or EncorePro at all (except for doing data downloads). EncorePro downloads the data to a MS SQLServer database (the newer lite version of SQLServer), so you should be able to use any data-aware software tool with the data from your xPAP. I'd recommend starting with either MS Excel or Access depending on your personal preferences.

Derek was kind enough to point me to the information needed to access the database directly, but LIFE/work immediately reared it's ugly head, and I haven't been able to do more than glance at the information myself. I'm hoping to get back to this personal project once things ease up a bit.