CSV compare (sorting)

[xtbe]

Hi,

I've two CSV files i want to compare it looks like the program is always sorting on one of the columns.

I would expect if no key column is marked it would be sorted on line number however this is not the case, i also didn't find any option to sort on line number.

Is it not possible to compare CSV files in physical sequence (as they are in the file) ? If so, how can this be achieved, if not can this feature

If not, it would be nice if this feature/possibility could be added

This is a screenshot :

Tnx in advance for the response.

Regards,
Tom

[Aaron]

Hello,

BC3's option to control sorting is in the Session menu -> Session Settings, Columns tab: enable "Unsorted Alignment".

Without a Key column, all columns are used and sorted if "Unsorted alignment" is disabled.

[JohnBB]

Can this be made default?

Hi Aaron

I know this is a very old thread, but it's still causing problems. Basically the csv viewer is not intuitive.

At the very least, default view should be unsorted, and the sort options should be more obvious. Also, something in the help file or in the FAQ would save people having to search the forum to find an answer.

My ideal would be:

Default view when opening a csv is that it reads in the csv and displays exactly as it is read in, as text.

User can switch between text view and column view

User can select a header row (or not, if there isn't one)

Click on a column header to sort on that column, or on the record number header to remove sorting


Regards
John

[Aaron]

Our current behavior does associate CSV files with the Data Compare by default, but because they are plain text files it is really easy to compare them in the Text Compare. Simply go to the Session menu -> Compare Using -> Text Compare. You can also create a new Text Compare file format in the Tools menu -> File Formats dialog, associated with *.csv, if you would like to use this view by default.

We do mark the first column and sort by it by default. This is something we're looking into, but in the meantime you can right click the column headers and mark which column you want to be the Key. Once the Key is set, that is similar to "click[ing] on a column header to sort on that column" and it is also aligned by.

There isn't a quick workaround to go from Sorted to Unsorted. For that you'll need to click the Referee button in the toolbar to get to the Session Settings dialog, and enable or disable "Unsorted Alignment."

I hope this helps setup the program defaults for the behavior you expect. If you have any questions, please be sure to let us know.

[Michael Bulgrien]

At the very least, default view should be unsorted...

you'll need to click the Referee button in the toolbar to get to the Session Settings dialog, and enable or disable "Unsorted Alignment."

Hi John,

When you enable "Unsorted Alignment", choose "Also update session defaults" from the drop-down to define the scope of your setting change. This will default all future data compares to unsorted view as you prefer.

[Sumguy]

Can this be made default?

Hi Aaron

I know this is a very old thread, but it's still causing problems. Basically the csv viewer is not intuitive.

At the very least, default view should be unsorted, and the sort options should be more obvious. Also, something in the help file or in the FAQ would save people having to search the forum to find an answer.

My ideal would be:

Default view when opening a csv is that it reads in the csv and displays exactly as it is read in, as text.

User can switch between text view and column view

User can select a header row (or not, if there isn't one)

Click on a column header to sort on that column, or on the record number header to remove sorting


Regards
John

Agreed. It should be easy to disable this behavior, which is always surprising until you figure out that an alphabetical sort is happening. If no column is marked as Key, it should be by line number.