Import from Spreadsheet not showing the Spreadsheet fields

[jeddell]

Hi,

I'm about a week old with Filemaker and I'm stuck on importing data. I have a spreadsheet that I used to export from an Access database and it opens fine with the field heading at the top row and the data below. When I Start the import to my filemaker table, which I effective duplicated the fields from the access table, there are no fields showing in t he list from the spreadsheet. Tried the import anyway, but it did not import anything. I cant see why t his is t he case. any ideas?

[Aussie John]

One way is to open a temporary Filemaker file direct from the spreadsheet them import that. 

[jeddell]

Yeah......Did I mention I'm only a week old in Filemaker?   No idea what you just mentioned there. What I did figure is if I name the spreadsheet to the name of the table I want in my database. I can just create the table from the import. everything worked then. So it must have something to do with Filemaker not being able to match the data. So far, I'm finding this program very restrictive by comparison to MS Access. I do want to preserver with it for  the sole reason that it can publish as a stand alone application.

[bcooney]

The Import Records script step requires a path to the source file. Have you specified it? You can set a $var to the path, or simply click the Add File button.

[Aussie John]

What I tried to say was...drag excel to a FileMaker icon to create a new FileMaker file. Then use your main file and import the new FileMaker file. The names will now show. Delete the first FileMaker file. 

[jeddell]

The Import Records script step requires a path to the source file. Have you specified it? You can set a $var to the path, or simply click the Add File button.

 

Not sure why I would want to declare a variable when all I'm trying to do is go FILE>IMPORT RECORDS>FROM FILE.  Is this not what the menu should do? I though Specifying the file happened when you selected the file as part of the menu selection process.

What I tried to say was...drag excel to a FileMaker icon to create a new FileMaker file. Then use your main file and import the new FileMaker file. The names will now show. Delete the first FileMaker file. 

Tried this method now that you cleared that up. ended up with the same result. This is really frustrating. I might try and different file type to import.

OK,

I ran through a number of different file extensions the one that worked most solidly was a *.CSV file *.XLS, XLXS, TXT all did not work, when I saved the spreadsheet as a CSV File, everything Fell into place as it should. Possible bug?

[comment]

I have a spreadsheet that I used to export from an Access database

I ran through a number of different file extensions the one that worked most solidly was a *.CSV file *.XLS, XLXS, TXT all did not work, when I saved the spreadsheet as a CSV File, everything Fell into place as it should. Possible bug?

Possible bug with Access? Why don't you show us an example of the original file as it comes out of Access (for best results, zip the file before opening it in any other application and attach the result here).

[jeddell]

Sure,

Its an XLS or XLXS file both in the zip file. Nothing special about them. They are formatted though, but this didn't make any difference. They had the headings in the first row, but Filemaker can handle that too.

CategoryTBL.zip

[comment]

I seem to recall coming across this before: the "Excel" files coming out of Access are not exactly the same as the files coming out of Excel itself, and this trips Filemaker. If you re-save the files in Excel, the problem goes away.

In any case, Excel is not a good choice for an intermediate format; too often data gets misinterpreted in transit (e.g. leading zeros dropped, dates converted to numbers or vice versa, etc.). Use either a CSV or tab-delimited file (if Access supports these) or (preferably, IMHO) XML.

[jeddell]

Yeah,

I arrived at that conclusion myself . Thanks all for your help on this

Cheers