Generic (User Defined) Raw Data

Generic Raw data files are text files that contain field data like point labels, angles and distances. They are similar to ASCII coordinate files which contain coordinates only.

Rules for Generic Raw Data Files

The files can have any combination of point number (alpha or numeric), northing, easting, elevation and description. The following rules apply to all files imported by TPC:

Point labels can consist of numbers, letters and most symbols which can be typed from a computer keyboard.
All numbers must be in standard decimal notation (i.e. 12786.3545) or scientific notation (i.e. 1.23345E+04). For standard decimal notation, a decimal point is not required, but TPC will interpret the number 12786 as 12786.0000.
All distance values must be in the same units of feet, chains or meters. You can select the appropriate units before or after the file is imported.
Descriptions may have quotation marks around them, but quotation marks are not required.
All items on a line must be delimited. This means that a space or a comma or other delimiter must be used to separate one value from another. Numbers can also be separated by (+) and (-) signs.
Each point in the file must have the same sequence of data items.
If the import file does not include point labels, TPC will assign sequential numbers to each point imported, beginning with the number 1.

Default CSV Settings

By default, TPC uses comma delimiters and the CSV file extension for the Generic Raw Data files in order to match the CSV files used by Microsoft Excel. You can write a Generic Raw Data file using the default settings and open it directly with Microsoft Excel.

Importing a Generic Raw Data File

From the TPC Desktop menu choose File | Import.
From the Type list, choose Generic Raw Data (CSV) then settings you want by clicking on the [...] button.
Enter the name of the file you want to import or choose Browse to select it.
Choose Import.

TPC will import the file and put all the imported points into a traverse.

Determining the Format of an Import File

Before importing a file, it is important to determine the file’s format.

If you do not know the file format, Choose Preview File. Examine the file format, looking for the pattern or format of the data.

Telling TPC which format to use

Choose Settings to bring up the Generic Raw Data Settings dialog.
Enter the Import Format that matches your data.
Choose OK to return to the Import dialog.

The backslash ( \ ) at the end of the data line is for a “line break.” You must enter the correct delimiters (commas, spaces, +, -, or quotation marks).

What if you specify the wrong format?

If you specify a format that doesn’t match the format of the imported Generic Raw Data file, TPC will still try to read the file. It will do the best job it can with the format you tell it to use. The file will come in with errors though, such as zeroes for coordinates and almost anything for field notes. If the imported data is wrong or unusable, you can specify the correct format, and go through the above steps again.

Using the imported data

Once the data is in TPC, you can reconstruct a survey, print the field data, balance coordinates, plot the traverses, inverse points, or whatever else you want to do. When you are finished, you can export the same points to any other generic file format, or save all your work as a TPC file.

Exporting Generic Raw Data Files

TPC can export generic data files for use with other computer programs. The steps for exporting a file are similar to the steps for importing a file, with the exception that you may need to include file delimiters and quotation marks when you specify the format of the export file. The following rules apply to all files exported by TPC:

TPC exports alpha/numeric point labels.
All coordinates are in standard decimal notation (i.e. 12786.3545) in a 12-digit field with 5 decimal places.
Each line in the export file has the same format. TPC does not export header or footer lines.

Exporting the entire survey

In the Export dialog, select All from the Export What box.
Choose Export.

Exporting selected traverses or points

Go to the Traverses Manager or Points Manager. Select the traverse or points you want to export.
From the TPC Desktop menu choose File | Export.
From the Type list choose Generic Raw Data (CSV) then settings you want by clicking on the [...] button.
Select the data to export from the What list.
Choose Export.

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