importing a simple conversion table

[codalo]

Hello this maybe very simple but I looked and didn't see any body with similar comment.

I have a simple conversion table that I want to bring into a FM7 app, but can't figure out why I can't import it. Table description, simple x-y table (time is vertical (200 timeslices) & raw # is horizontal (75 raw#)) the contents of the table are the converted data. I would use the formula but I don't have it.

Can I just import the table using the first column as a field, the first row as a field and match up the table elements accordingly? I have been fighting with Excel & FM7 to import via XML, XLS & CSV but must be missing something.

Thanks

[codalo]

I take it that no response means that this is not a viable way to get the data into FM and will head back to rolling my own tools.

[Fenton]

We are either unsure of what you mean, or don't want to tell you the bad news -]

If you want 200 records (timeslices) and 75 fields (raw#, columns), then you'll have to manually create the 75 fields, unless this is the 1st table in the file, in which case you could import a Merge file (.mer) to get the fields.

You could likely do a scripted Loop to create the Timeslices (I don't really know what they are however).

Or, you could create 2 fields, Timeslice and Raw#, then import the data itself. This is more correct relational design, but may be too "spread out" for you. It may also be difficult or tedious to do the import.

[comment]

This is not a very good way to get the data into FM (though it can be done).

For the lookup table to be useful in Filemaker, you need to end up with 15,000 (200*75) records of three fields each (two are input and one is the result).

If you simply open the sheet in FMP, you will start with 201 records of 76 fields (the extra record and field holding the labels). The next step would be to create a second table with the correct structure (i.e. 3 fields) and write a very tedious script to transfer the data.

I would look very hard for the original formula.

EDIT:

If you know some VB, or don't mind performing the same action 75 times, you could simply rearrange the data in Excel. That shouldn't be as difficult as it may sound.

Edited August 3, 2005 by Guest