GMS:File Import Wizard

GMS can import many files generated by other software in their native format. Refer to Importing Non-native GMS Files for a list. For files that are not included in the list, GMS provides the File Import Wizard.

The File Import Wizard enables users to import many different types of data into GMS. The File Import Wizard is initialized by selecting a *.txt file in the Open command from the File menu. The wizard has two steps.

Step 1 – Delimiting Columns

The first step in the wizard allows users to delimit the data into columns. Two options exist to delimit the data: Delimited, Fixed Width.

For the Delimited option, typical delimiters are included as well as an option for users to specify a delimiter. Columns can also be specified with a fixed width by clicking on the ruler bar or the window with the data. Break lines can be dragged, and they can be deleted by double-clicking on the break line or dragging them off the screen. The user can specify the starting row the data will be imported at. If your data has a row of headings, you can indicate such and GMS will use the headings in the next step to determine what kind of data each column represents.

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Step 1 File import options of the File Import Wizard.

Step 2 – Assigning Column Types

The first 20 lines of the file are displayed in a spreadsheet according to the file outline specified in step 1. This step lets the user pick what kind of data to import (see Supported File Formats). A No data flag can be specified for the file. This is a number that, when encountered in the file, tells GMS to mark the value as "NULL" or "no data".

The data in the columns are identified by selecting the type in the combo box at the top of each column in the spreadsheet. If a row of headings exists, GMS will automatically select the proper type if it recognizes the heading. Otherwise they are Not Mapped by default. The available column types changes depending on the GMS data type selected. Certain column types must be mapped for each file format before the user can progress to the next step in the wizard. The name of each column is changed by editing the Header cell.

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Step 2 (File Format) of the File Import Wizard.

After the data have been imported, the coordinate transformation tools can be used to transform and translate the data.