Using Excel to generate T5 column-delimited data for travellermap.com

[Daneel Olivaw]

Hi all.

I'd like to generate my own sector data using Excel, to upload to Travellermap so I can produce nice maps. I have no trouble generating the data itself, but I don't know how - exactly - to format it in Excel so that it can be exported in column-delimited format, as described below:


From "Sector Data File Formats - Traveller Map"

Does anyone have any guidance or references to step-by-step procedures for this? I'd really appreciate any help I can get.

 

[inexorabletash]

Just use tab-delimited, Excel can save it directly.

 

[Daneel Olivaw]

Just use tab-delimited, Excel can save it directly.

Not sure what you mean exactly. Does that mean I should generate each character of the data in its own cell in Excel, then just save it as a text file?

 

[Daneel Olivaw]

OK I had some clarification from an answer on another forum: generate each line of data as a single string, with spaces added to make each section of the data match the spacing above, correct?

 

[tjoneslo]

You want each field in the format to be a cell in excel. So a name column, UWP column, remarks column, etc. fill each column with the data. Excel can export (File > export) as tab delimited.

 

[inexorabletash]

Not sure what you mean exactly. Does that mean I should generate each character of the data in its own cell in Excel, then just save it as a text file?

No. Don't try to generate column-delimited. You're making a whole lot of work for no benefit. Just use tab-delimited.

Column-delimited exists to be human readable, but requires custom code to generate and parse. Tab-delimited is a better interop format between programs.

And to be more explicit: you framed the problem as wanting to get data from Excel into TravellerMap.com. Great - just use tab-delimited data. Trying to coax Excel into generating a different format is just adding work. TravellerMap accepts both formats for all endpoints.

 

[whartung]

Tab-delimited is a better interop format between programs.

This is the Tab Delimited format. Note that the first row of each column must have the column name, so you should put those in the top row of your spreadsheet.

I don't know if the column names are case sensitive, and I don't know which columns are required.

You very well may be able to get away with 3 columns, simply: Hex, Name, UWP.

If that's the case, or at least as an example, in your spreadsheet, you would have 3 columns. The first cell in each column would read, respectively, Hex, Name, UWP

Each row would then have the appropriate data in each cell. Then you would export the spreadsheet in a tab delimited format.

The loader is probably not sensitive to empty lines, but I don't know for sure.

I'm sure @inexorabletash can can clarify the requirements.

 

[Daneel Olivaw]

OK thanks all for the info and for clarifying. I really appreciate it!