Text Data Files

Text Data File preferences customize the handling of importing and exporting text files.

Preferences for Import Settings for Text Files

Select the strategy JMP uses to open text files. The default selection is Use these settings. In that case, you need to ensure that the settings reflect your text files.

If you select Use Best Guess, JMP collects statistics in the text file on tabs, commas, blanks, and a few other characters and uses a rule-based system to decide what the file format might be. The rules try to make reasonable field widths and a reasonable number of fields per line. If your data format is too different from what the rules are designed to guess, JMP guesses incorrectly. In that case, either use the wizard or explicitly describe your data in these preference settings.

End Of Field

Select one or more characters to use as the delimiter that signifies the end of a field when importing text data.

Select the Other option and enter a character to specify a delimiter that is not listed.

End Of Line

Select one or more characters to use as the delimiter that signifies the end of a line (row).

Select the Other option and enter a character to specify a delimiter that is not listed.

Note that if double-quotes are encountered when importing text data, the delimiter rules change to look for an end double-quote. Other text delimiters, including spaces, that are embedded within the quotes are ignored and treated as part of the text string.

Table contains column headers

Select this option if your text file contains columns names. If you select this option, enter the line number where the column names are located in the field next to Column Names are on line.

Column Names are on line

If you select the Table contains column headers option, enter the line number where the column names are located in this field.

Data starts on line

Enter the line number where the data starts in your text file.

When determining column types

Set how long JMP scans a text file to determine data types for the columns. Scan whole file is selected by default. Note that the Scan whole file option can cause importing a text file to be slow for large files. Consider selecting Scan for 5 seconds instead.

When your text file contains columns of missing data, select Treat empty columns as numeric to import the columns as numeric rather than character. A period, Unicode dot, NaN, or a blank string are possible missing value indicators. This option is deselected by default.

Two-digit year rule

Select the rule that you want to use to import dates that have two-digit years instead of four. For details about these rules, see Two-digit year rule in Import Your Data.

Try to compress

Select the options used for compressing text files. Available options are:

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Numeric columns

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Character columns

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Allow List Check

Note: This feature requires a scan of the entire file.

Strip enclosing quotation marks

Select this option to remove quotation marks that enclose data in the text file. This option is selected by default.

Recognize apostrophe as quotation mark

Select this option to treat apostrophes as quotation marks and omit them. This option is off by default.

Note: This option is not recommended unless your data comes from a nonstandard source that places apostrophes around data fields rather than quotation marks.

Use Regional Settings

Select this option to use the operating system’s regional settings when importing a text file.

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If the option is deselected (the default setting), files that use a period for a decimal point and a comma for the value separator import correctly.

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If the file uses a comma for a decimal point and some other value separator (and the regional settings use a comma for a decimal point), selecting this option imports the text correctly. You must specify the value separator in the Text Data Files import preferences.

Preferences for Export Settings for Text Files
Preference	Description
Export Table Headers	Select this option to include column names when you save data tables as text files.
End Of Field	Select one or more characters to use as the delimiter signifying the end of a field when exporting text data. Select the Other option and enter a character to specify a delimiter that is not listed.
End Of Line	Select one or more characters to use as the delimiter that signifies the end of a line (row). Select the Other option and enter a character to specify a delimiter that is not listed.