do all csv files have to have coordinates?
|
9 years
|
So for my work we are constantly running addresses all day and the website we use has a "handy" feature that allows you to export all the addresses to a CSV file. What is useless about this file is that for one: the formatting of the data is wrong. if you open the CSV file with a CSV editor the first column doesn't contain coordinates, but instead it contains some other data. secondly the address isn't coordinates instead its an address like, for example: 123 main st, anytown... my question is does Garmin only read coordinates for csv files? and is there anyway or any program that can convert the addresses in one swoop or convert the whole CSV file from our website we use so that I can be put into the Garmin without any problems?
Thanks in advance!
Yes
Yes, they all need coordinates.
This FAQ explains the CSV file format:
http://www.poi-factory.com/garmin-csv-file-format
This gives several links to places to batch encode
http://www.poi-factory.com/node/821
This gives a walk-through using Excel
http://www.poi-factory.com/node/25743
Garmin Nuvi 2450
Improper Formated CSV
If the formatting is consistent throughout the file then load it into Excel or the Open Office equivalent and do the following.
Click on the column head you want 1st and drag it to the first column position. Do the same for the 2nd dragging it to the 2nd position. When you have completed rearranging the column order, save the file as a CSV.
That procedure will give you the file format you want.
Generic CSV does not require coordinates.
CSV means Comma Separated Values. CSV doesn’t really care what the values are – it could be your grocery list. CSV just tells the software how to identify what part of the file content is each individual value. CSV doesn’t even require that all lines have the same format.
Excel can read CSV files. It can often deduce the format (text, number, etc.) of columns. With file inconsistencies it can guess wrong. Could also be the format you want is not the apparent format.
Almost any program that actually uses the data knows the format and understand the meaning of the data. (Note that Excel never understand the meaning of the data; that is provided by the person running Excel or writing Excel macros.) So if your gps program reads a CVS file it knows how to determine what the coordinates are. It may know more than one way; it may have a way of being told or deducing the coordinates. The point is the program is attaching meaning to the CSV data. The post above tells you how a Garmin expects the CSV data to be organized.
has a "handy" feature that allows you to export all the addresses to a CSV file.
Sounds like this software does exactly what is stated – it exports a list of addresses. The comma part of CSV just identifies (to a computer) how to separate the data into identifiable fields. I don’t see a claim that it exports coordinates and apparently it does not.
It's the export
So for my work we are constantly running addresses all day and the website we use has a "handy" feature that allows you to export all the addresses to a CSV file. What is useless about this file is that for one: the formatting of the data is wrong. if you open the CSV file with a CSV editor the first column doesn't contain coordinates, but instead it contains some other data.
Your website is providing exactly what it stated it would do, provide a list of addresses in a CSV format. What you expected is something the website doesn't provide, the geographical coordinates.
secondly the address isn't coordinates instead its an address like, for example: 123 main st, anytown... my question is does Garmin only read coordinates for csv files? and is there anyway or any program that can convert the addresses in one swoop or convert the whole CSV file from our website we use so that I can be put into the Garmin without any problems?
Thanks in advance!
Others have provided an answer about using other programs to look up the coordinates for an address. This is your only solution unless you can go back to the website and ask them if it is possible for them to provide the coordinates. If the display the location of the address on a map, then they can get the coordinates and may be able to make them available to you in an exported file.
Illiterate? Write for free help.
Welcome to coastline
Welcome to the site.
Before getting too deeply into a question posted by someone new to the site (in your case a "comma separated value" question), we usually recommend the following.
There is a "Learn" button in the upper right of this page next to "red light cameras" that takes you to a Getting Started page. It is worthwhile visiting this page.
To make navigation easy, most browsers provide the following option. When you want to follow a link - but still keep your current page open - you can hold down the "Ctrl" key as you left-click on a link. That action will open a new "Tab" in your browser up on the "Tab" bar. When you then left-click on that new "Tab", you will follow the link - leaving the "Tab" you are now reading open and available to click on and return here.
So, using the "Learn" link, you might try the "Ctrl" - left-click sequence and then return here. You can return by either "X-ing" out of the "Getting Started" page (using the "X" on the "Tab" itself) or just left-clicking on the "Tab" for the page you are on right now.
Since you are new here, I encourage you to go through a couple of the Tutorials.
The first link makes sure the settings on your computer are such that you can do more advanced POI loading.
http://www.poi-factory.com/node/30393
The next link helps you make a backup of your GPS by attaching it to your computer. (NEVER do anything to your GPS until you have a backup). It also assures that you put your (newer) unit into a state where you can see all of the folders there.
http://www.poi-factory.com/node/30394
Now, regarding the .csv file you have, maybe we could see a way to convert it to a "Garmin .CSV" format if we knew what the first two lines of the file looked like.
Open the file in Notepad or Wordpad and copy the first couple of lines. Paste that into a post and we will see what might be helpful.