Exporting Data from ReporterYou may find it useful to extract data from Reporter's database for use in another application, for example to import values into a spreadsheet for further calculations or graphing, etc. This is easy to do using the export feature. There are two ways to export data. You can use the context sensitive popup menu of the Objects list to export data for any object, as shown in Figure 16. This will launch the data export form shown in Figure 17.
Using this form, you can specify the output format: Comma Separated Values (.csv) or Tab Separated Values (.tsv). Major spreadsheets and database applications will import data in one or both of these formats. You can also specify the date format, which may vary between applications. Consult the documentation for the target application to find the correct date format. As well, you can choose which data bin to take data from.
You can also export data from the data view window. At the bottom of the data view window (Figure 18), you will see a picklist for Export Format, a picklist for Date Format, and an Export button. These options are identical to those on the Data Export Form of Figure 17. When you've selected your desired options, click the Export button. Depending on your browser's settings, a window may open warning you of the possible dangers of opening an unknown file. Since .csv and .tsv files contain no software instructions, there is no danger if you choose to open the file. If you choose to open the file and your system has been configured to associate .csv or .tsv files with a specific application, that application will be started and the data will be automatically imported. If your system has not been configured to associate files of the chosen type with an application, you will need to select an application to open the data in. If you choose to save the file, a window will open, prompting you for a filename.
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