Dataset formatting issue

18429
Reporter: feedback bot
Type: Feedback
Summary: Dataset formatting issue
Resolution: Done
Status: Closed
Created: 2016-04-22 21:45:44.04
Updated: 2016-04-25 10:32:59.611
Resolved: 2016-04-25 10:32:59.486
        
        
Description: I have recently tried to delimit and retrieve a dataset at:

http://doi.org/10.15468/dl.k65lij

However, once downloaded and opened in Microsoft Excel, the comma delimited file's cells seemed to be arranged in a very haphazard way.  There are multiple rows containing data, none of which have comma's.

Rows A to J contained information which need to be parsed out, but the data is not systematically dispersed between rows (i.e. some rows contain multiple cells with data, but not always the same data).  I am attaching a copy of the file if needed.  I am new to GBIF, but this result seems anomalous.  Can this file be corrected?

*Reporter*: Matthew Boot
*E-mail*: [mailto:mboot@fieldmuseum.org]]]>
    

Author: rdmpage
Created: 2016-04-22 22:10:59.146
Updated: 2016-04-22 22:10:59.146
        
Hi, I'm guessing you are using Windows? The CSV file is actually tab-delimited, not comma delimited. Ideally it should have the extension ".tsv" not ".csv" to reflect this. It also has Unix end of line characters, I don't know whether this causes problems with Excel on a PC. If you open Excel and then tell it to open the file as a tab-delimited file it should work (I don't have access to Excel for Windows to check).

If you can't persuade Excel to read it, it can be opened in Google Docs, and then exported to Excel. This is what it looks like in Google Docs https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1209fhynnEMuj5DFc3SPdx4DC8rw6paFe_83aGgPQ2Kw/edit?usp=sharing
    

Author: mblissett
Created: 2016-04-25 10:32:59.559
Updated: 2016-04-25 10:32:59.559
        
Thanks Rod.

I've emailed the user, since this isn't automatic for requests submitted by the "Feedback Bot".