DBC2Excel

A CAN bus DBC (Database CAN) to Excel converter tool with GUI interface.

Description

This tool converts DBC files (commonly used in automotive CAN bus networks) to Excel format for easy viewing and analysis. The DBC format contains CAN message and signal definitions, while the output Excel file provides a structured matrix view of all messages and signals with their properties.

Features

GUI Interface: User-friendly wxPython-based graphical interface
Flexible Export Options: Configurable output with various optional fields
Signal Descriptions: Extract and include signal descriptions from DBC files
Signal Value Descriptions: Include enumerated signal value descriptions
Initial Values: Export initial/default values for signals
Sender/Receiver Information: Display transmitter and receiver nodes
Sorting Options: Sort CAN IDs in ascending or descending order
Customizable Text Length: Set maximum length for signal value descriptions

Requirements

Python 3.x
wxPython
xlwt (for Excel file generation)

Installation

Clone or download the project files
Install required dependencies:
```
pip install wxpython xlwt
```

Usage

GUI Mode (Recommended)

Run the main application:
```
python dbc2excel_main.py
```
Use the GUI interface to:
- Select a DBC file using "选择dbc文件" (Select DBC File) button
- Configure export options using checkboxes:
  - Generate Signal Description: Include signal descriptions
  - Generate Signal Value Description: Include enumerated value descriptions
  - Generate Initial Value: Include initial/default values
  - Generate Sender and Receiver: Include transmitter/receiver information
  - Ascending Sort: Sort CAN IDs (uncheck for descending order)
- Set maximum text length for signal value descriptions
- Click "生成Excel文件" (Generate Excel File) to convert

Command Line Mode

import dbc2excel as d2e

# Create DBC loader instance
dbc = d2e.DbcLoad('your_file.dbc')

# Convert to Excel with options
dbc.dbc2excel(
    filepath='your_file.dbc',
    if_sig_desc=True,           # Include signal descriptions
    if_sig_val_desc=True,       # Include signal value descriptions
    val_description_max_number=70,  # Max length for value descriptions
    if_start_val=True,          # Include initial values
    if_recv_send=True,          # Include sender/receiver info
    if_asc_sort=True            # Sort ascending (True) or descending (False)
)

Output Format

The generated Excel file contains a matrix with the following columns:

Message Information: Name, Type, ID, Send Type, Cycle Time, Length
Signal Information: Name, Description, Byte Order, Start Byte/Bit, Send Type, Bit Length
Data Properties: Data Type, Resolution, Offset, Min/Max Values (Physical & Hex)
Values: Initial Value, Invalid Value, Inactive Value, Unit
Additional Info: Signal Value Descriptions, Cycle Times, Sender/Receiver mapping

File Structure

dbc2excel/
├── dbc2excel_main.py    # Main GUI application
├── dbc2excel.py         # Core DBC parsing and Excel generation logic
├── README.md            # This file
├── makefile.txt         # Build configuration
└── backup/              # Backup files
    ├── dbc2excel_main.py
    └── dbc2excel.py

Version History

2018/11/14

Added CAN ID sorting functionality
Fixed start bit calculation bug for Motorola byte order (MSB)

Technical Details

Supported DBC Features

BO_ (Message Objects): CAN message definitions with ID, name, size, and transmitter
SG_ (Signal Objects): Signal definitions with bit position, length, byte order, scaling
CM_ SG_ (Signal Comments): Signal descriptions and documentation
VAL_ (Value Descriptions): Enumerated signal value meanings
BA_ "GenSigStartValue": Initial/default signal values
BA_ "GenMsgCycleTime": Message transmission cycle times

Byte Order Handling

The tool correctly handles both Intel (little-endian) and Motorola (big-endian, MSB) byte ordering, automatically calculating the correct start bit positions for signals.

License

This project is provided as-is for educational and development purposes.

Contributing

For issues, questions, or contributions, please refer to the original blog post: https://blog.csdn.net/hhlenergystory/article/details/80443454

Author

Created by Huang Honglei (黄洪磊)

Dbc2excel

Install / Use

README