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The ASCII import dialog

Imagine the ASCII text file as a table with a lot of columns. Each letter of a line equals to a column. That's the way as the text file will is displayed in the ASCII import dialog.

By using the strictly tabular format, the user should become able to define ranges for the QSO data of interest very easily. For each field of a QSO (call, date, UTC etc.) a column range from … to has to be defined. Each kind of field has got an own color. This color you will find in the small "spin buttons" below the table as well as in a special color bar within the table.

The definition of the field ranges themselves (from ... to) can be done using one of the following ways:

1. Selecting the range by dragging the (pressed) left mouse button and that followed calling a popup menu with the right mouse button. In the popup menu you can define the field directly that the marked range should be assigned to. This way is the fastest one of all.

2. Reading the column numbers for begin and end of the range using the numbers in the table header and writing that numbers into the small spin buttons below the table.

3. Increasing/decreasing the column numbers using the small up & down buttons at the right border of the spin buttons.

Once created definitions can be saved and restored if needed (see Format list). 

For a successful conversion basically only the data fields call sign, UTC and the sent/rcvd exchanged numbers (of they are flexible) are required. All other data like date, band and mode may be constant in the whole contest and are not obligatory in the log to be converted. LM can fill such data fields automatically if their content in known. You can define such constant data within the ASCII import dialog (group box "Constant log data").

The sent exchanged number will be prompted later (if it's a constant number) depending on the specific contest rules. Both the sent and the received RST will be filled with 59(9) if there is no RST available in the log to be converted.

As a matter of principle it's essential: If constant data have been pre-defined in the ASCII import dialog and they appear anyway in the log as well, then the data from the log will be taken. If the data do not appear in the log, the pre-defined data will be taken over.

After pressing the OK button in the ASCII import dialog, the active file will be converted according to the defined parameter. That followed it will be stored as a LMF file and will be opened in the log editor for further editing.

Under what name the LMF file will be stored depends on the option „Always save as CALLSIGN.lmf" (see Options dialog).

Non relevant lines (lines that do not contain QSO data, e.g. header lines) will be jumped over and can be read at the end of the conversion in the message window of the log editor output area. Please check always, if all of the QSOs have been converted correctly or if LM read too many or too less lines by mistake.

To prevent from unintended converted lines, you can restrict the range of the lines to be converted at the outset (group box „Convert lines..."). That way you can exclude a file header from the conversion.


See also
Using the format list
ASCII text file import (overview)
Import of foreign formats to LM