Create a log by importing a CSV file

SedLog takes as input data files containing the sediment data in CSV format. CSV (or comma-separated values; also known as a comma-separated list or comma-separated variables) file format is a file type that stores tabular data. It is a delimited text file data format that has fields/columns separated by the comma character and records/rows separated by newlines. Fields that contain a special character (comma, newline, or double quote), must be enclosed in double quotes. The CSV file format does not require a specific character encoding, byte order, or line terminator format making it platform independent. Bellow is a sample CSV file opened by a text editor:

"THICKNESS (CM)","BASE BOUNDARY","LITHOLOGY","LITHOLOGY %","GRAIN SIZE BASE","GRAIN SIZE TOP","SYMBOLS IN BED" 100,"","Limestone",100,"vf","vf","Intense bioturbation" 45,"Sharp","Shale",100,"clay","clay","" 45,"Erosion","Conglomerate",100,"pebble","granule","Cephalopods" 135,"Gradational","Sandstone",100,"vc","m","Trough cross bedding" 65,"","Sandstone",100,"m","m","Planar cross bedding" 50,"","Sandstone",100,"f","f","Current ripple cross-lamination" 60,"Sharp","Siltstone",100,"silt","silt","" 35,"","Coal",100,"","","" 65,"Sharp","Siltstone",60,"clay/silt","clay/silt","Moderate bioturbation"

CSV files can be created or opened by any spreadsheet application such as Microsoft Excel, OpenOffice.org Calc, Corel Quattro Pro, etc. When you are creating an input data file for SedLog using a spreadsheet application such as MS Excel make sure to save it in CSV format using the Save As option not the default one. The CSV format does not store information such as column width, colour, etc, so when you will try to save a spreadsheet to CSV format the spreadsheet application will warn you that you will loose some information saving it in CSV format. Don’t worry about it, proceed and save it as CSV. Below (see Figure 1) you can see a screenshot of a CSV  file opened in Microsoft Excel:


Figure 1. A CSV file opened in MS Excel
To import a CSV file, choose from the menu import a log from a CSV file. A dialog box (see Figure 2) will appear. If the CSV file you want to import has been generated by SedLog choose Automatic Importing. Automatic importing will import all the columns in the CSV file. If the CSV file was created by another application such MS Excel or you want to select which column to import from the CSV file choose  Custom Importing. Using Custom Importing one can select which columns are to be selected for import and these columns can be assigned then to the corresponding log columns.



Figure 2. Importing a CSV file to SedLog

In the Imported Columns list box on the left of the dialog box are displayed the headers of the columns of the imported CSV.  Click on the Imported Columns list box to select which column from the CSV file you want to import. Then use the Assign Imported Column To combo box on the top right of the dialog box to assign the imported column to the corresponding SedLog's log column. Only the columns present at the Assigned Columns box at the bottom right of the dialog box are going to be imported.


See Also

Creating a log from scratch
Data export into other programs