Text files, importing data from

On occasion you may find that you need to import data from ASCII text files for analysis. In this section, traditional rectangular ASCII text files are discussed. Although XML files are composed of ASCII text, they pose unique challenges that are discussed later in this chapter. Some examples of ASCII text data that you might need to import include... 

If you have installed MAPI (mail application interface) software on your PC, you may exploit the MS-WINDOWS mailslot-function to e-mail NMR data directly to and from your PC. The full version of ID-WIN-NMR allows you to export/irnport FlDs, spectra, tables, text-files, relaxation data and metafiles to/from other users of (the full version of) ID WIN-NMR. Both JCAMP-DX5 and Bruker specific binary format are supported. Compared to the procedure outlined in section 2.6.5 this is an even more convenient way for exporting/importing NMR data via Internet. For further details refer to the ID WIN-NMR manual [2.1] or contact your Bruker/Spectrospin representative. 

Usually (though not for our exercise data files), importing data into the spreadsheet will involve the Text Import Wizard. This asks you about the nature of the data file (e.g., whether and how the data are delimited, i.e., how the various data points are separated from each other) and then helps you along. But that is beyond what we need to learn now it may become relevant if you want to import a long file with experimental data from some instrument. 

Finally, the results are presented and the raw data from analysis is archived, if possible, as non-rewritable computer files. All of these important aspects of an analysis can be found in official texts under the heading Good Laboratory Practice or GLP. 

A data type is necessary to allow the RDBMS to accurately convert the data from an external representation, most often text in a file, to an internal representation of the data. For example, the external representation of a numeric value is a text string containing at least one numeral, and possibly a plus or minus sign or a decimal point. A text value may contain any valid text character, usually only printable characters from the ASCII set. The internal representation of the data is dependent upon the particular RDBMS and hardware being used. It is not necessary to know the exact internal representation of the data. The important thing to consider is which data type accurately represents the data for your purposes. 

To import the data resulting from the FOURIER command (as shown in Table 8.3) into a spreadsheet, such as Excel, first, open the output (.out) file. Highlight and copy the data you need in the. out file, and open Excel. After Excel opens, paste the contents into the spreadsheet. The next step should be to pull down the DATA menu and select the TEXT TO COLUMNS command. Follow the steps to convert the pasted data into... 

Import of circuit structures and netlists from 2D ECAD Here again each software manufacturer has developed proprietary file formats that require import and export filters. In some instances the data exist in a text-only format. The principal difficulty, however, is that cryptic designations for components have to be traced back and matched to the descriptions in the component library in 2D ECAD. This is discussed in more detail in Section 8.10.2. 

To transfer the R output to MS Excel, copy the first section of the table without the column headers (for example the PC1-PC8 data before the first section break) and paste it into an MS Word document. Change the font to Courier and the size to 5 pt such that the text in the document resembles a table. Save the file as a Text-only (.txt) file. From MS Excel, import the data using Data > Get External Data. Select the file, then choose the Fixed width option in Step 1 of the Text Import Wizard, click on Next , verify column divisions, and then click on Finish . 

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