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Importing Data from a Text File


Disc Cover can import from text files created in other applications. Such a text file may contain a list of files, audio tracks or other information. Tab stops, commas and semicolons can be used in a text file to separate blocks of data. These separators are also called delimiters. The text file format is described below.

 

To import data from a tab-, comma- or semicolon-delimited file:

  1. Open the Import tab in the Source panel.

  2. Choose Text File in the pop-up menu and click Import. The Import dialog will open.

  3. Click the Change File... button and select a file to import.

    The program will identify the data delimiter automatically. If the imported information is displayed incorrectly, try to choose other option in the Encoding and Delimiter pop-up lists.

    Select the lines you want to import.

  4. Click the Import button. The imported information will appear in the Source panel.

  5. Select a data format in the Format drop-down list in the Source panel. To create a custom format, choose Custom... See the Custom Formats section for details.

  6. Drag the imported information from the Source panel onto the document.

Note: If you drag text from the Source panel onto existing text, the new text will replace the old one. A blue frame will indicate that text in the text box will be replaced.

 

Text File Format

The input text file may have all data organized in one or several columns.

One-column structure:

[TEXT][RETURN]
[TEXT][RETURN]
...
[TEXT][RETURN]

Example:

Abstract Vision
Autumn Fire
Bend the Guitar
Blues Moon

Multi-column structure:

[LINE 1, COLUMN 1][DELIMITER][LINE 1, COLUMN 2][DELIMITER]...[LINE 1, COLUMN n][DELIMITER][RETURN]
[LINE 2, COLUMN 1][DELIMITER][LINE 2, COLUMN 2][DELIMITER]...[LINE 2, COLUMN n][DELIMITER][RETURN]
...
[LINE m, COLUMN 1][DELIMITER][LINE m, COLUMN 2][DELIMITER]...[LINE m, COLUMN n][DELIMITER][RETURN]

Example with a semicolon used as the delimiter:

1;Abstract Vision;572
2;Autumn Fire;204
3;Bend the Guitar;368
4;Blues Moon;176

 

If your data is stored in a database or spreadsheet, export it to a tab- or comma-delimited text file.

To create a text file manually:

  1. Open a new document in the Text Edit application.
  2. Switch to the plain text format (Format > Make Plain Text or Cmd-Shift-T).
  3. Add several lines of text. Use a semicolon or tabulation to split a line into several columns.
  4. Save the file.

Do not add any unnecessary symbols! Otherwise you will break the file structure.

Note: Only files in plain text format can be imported correctly.

 


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