Forms
2.5 XML or Binary, as exported from a 2.5 Forms tool (using Groove
3.0) as "Binary XML" or "XML (without attachments)"
Imported records can be viewed only if the Forms tool application contains
corresponding fields and view columns. For example, if you import a file
exported from a Forms tool application that contains a "Name"
and "Address" field, you see the imported records in the data
view only if the target Forms tool also contains these fields.
If the sort type in the selected data view is "Flat" or "Hierarchical",
imported records appear as new records at the top or bottom of the data
view (depending on the current sort order).
If the sort type in the selected data view is "Grouped," imported
records are placed within categorized groups, and sorted in each group
depending on the sort order defined for the view.
Importing a Forms V3 Binary XML file
To import a file exported as either Binary XML or XML (without attachments),
do the following:
Select File -
Import - Forms V3 Binary XML.
Select the XML file to import, and click Open.
Importing a comma-delimited .csv file
To import a file exported as a comma-delimited .csv file, do the following:
Do the following in the Import Options dialog
box:
Select the form
to use for importing records from the drop-down list.
Be sure to select a form that contains fields and data types that match
the column headers and data types in the .csv file.
If the .csv file
was saved in Microsoft Excel, check Microsoft Excel.
Select the character
set used to create the .csv file you're importing from the drop-down list.
You must select the same character set in which the .csv file was saved.
Select the locale
in which the .csv file you're importing was created from the drop-down
list.
You must select the same locale in which the .csv file was saved.
Click OK.
About importing files created in other applications,
and saved as CSV
You can import files created and saved as .csv in other applications
such as Microsoft Excel. However, keep in mind that column headers must
be formatted to match
the field names and field types in the Forms tool application.
Additionally, note the following details about importing .csv files
saved in Microsoft Excel:
Column headers for values to be imported into
numeric fields (such as Number or Currency) must be qualified using the
"Double" data type. For example:
Cost:Double
$35.95
Column headers for values to be imported in text
fields can optionally be qualified using the "String" data type.
For example:
City:String
Hoboken
Column headers for values to be imported into
date and date/time fields must be qualified using the "Date"
data type. For example:
Start_Date:Date
March 14, 2005
Additionally, date entries in Excel must use an MM/DD/YY date format,
and in English locales, Date/Time entries must use 12-hour (nonmilitary)
time formatting:
3/14/05
03/14/05
3/14/2005
March 14, 2005
3/14/05 1:30 PM
Non-English locales can 24-hour time formatting.
About field name matching for .csv importing
As noted above, when you import a .csv file saved from Excel (or another
source application) into a Forms tool, the column headers in the .csv
file must match the exact names of associated fields in the Forms tool
in order for the field values to import properly.
To achieve this exact matching, it's important to know how to correctly
identify field names in the Forms tool, and to remember that field names
are usually NOT the same as their associated field labels.
You can identify field names in the Forms designer:
Open the Forms Designer (Click Designer - Open Design Sandbox).
Expand the Forms section, and select the form
you plan to select for importing the .csv file.
On the form layout, find and select the fields
you're matching with column headers in Excel (or other source application).
When you select a field in the form layout, the field is also selected
in the field list below, which also lists the associated field name as
well as its field type. In the example below, the field labeled "Event
Start" is selected. The field list reveals that this is a Date field
with the field name "Event_32Start".
In Excel, the column header match for this field would be: "Event_32Start:Date".
Issues associated with importing Excel .csv files in different locales
In some locales (other than the English (United States)), Excel files
saved as .csv use characters other than a comma as tab delimiters. These
files will not import property into a Groove Forms tool because only comma-delimited
.csv files are allowed for this procedure.
If you're having problems importing .csv, and are uncertain about whether
you're experiencing locale issues, you can try opening the exported .csv
file in a text editor such as Wordpad, and changing the tab delimiters
to commas. If you update the file, be careful to avoid changing other
punctuation characters. In the example below, all commas are tab-delimiters
except for the commas that are part of the date values. Note that values
that include the tab delimiter character must be enclosed in quotation
marks.
Importing records from a 2.5 Forms tool
into a 3.0 Forms tool
You can also import records from a 2.5 Forms tool into any Groove 3.0
Forms tool, but note the caveats listed below this procedure:
In Groove 3.0, go to the Groove 2.5 Forms tool
that contains the records you want.
Select File -
Export All Entries - Binary XML, and save the XML file to
a disk location.
In the Groove 3.0 Forms tool, select File
- Import - Forms 2.5 XML or Binary, select the exported 2.5 Forms
tool XML file, and click Open.
Caveats for importing 2.5 Forms records into a 3.0 Forms tool
If the 2.5 Forms tool design you're importing contains fields that are
not currently in the 3.0 Forms tool design, new fields will automatically
get created for these missing fields. However, all "text-based fields"
(such as Text, Option Buttons, Check Box, List Box, and Drop-down List)
will be re-created as Multi-line Text fields.
Additionally, if a field you're importing has the same name as
an existing field in the 3.0 Forms tool design, but is a different data
type, an error message will display and the Forms tool data will not get
imported
