Hi!
When we export forms and then open the CSV-file in Excel we have problems with the multi-fields. We use the data import and use comma as a separator. Every row from the multi-field is after that appear on new roads. All the other fields from singel text is ok. We only have this problem with multi-field. How can we do to not have the text on several rows?
That does not happen normally with a multi-select field. The values submitted in a multi-select are stored as a string, with the values separated by comma. This is how one of the fields is stored:
"First Choice,Second Choice,Third Choice"That is normally imported into one cell. I used OpenOffice.org and that was my experience. I used "Separated by [ ] comma" for the separator options and "Quoted field as text" for "Other options".
Here's a screenshot: http://minus.com/lZuPlQ7uTXw2Z
I don't have a copy of Excel here to test, but you should have similar options that will allow this to open correctly
Hi again and thank you for your reply. I'm so sorry but I wrote about the wrong field in my question. It is NOT multi-select field I have problem with it is with the text area field. Not single line text but the field that allows serveral lines of text. Is it called "Text area field" in english. We have installed the Swedish terms and therefore I'm I little bit confused - sorry for my english :) So no I wonder - the same question as above:
When we export forms and then open the CSV-file in Excel we have problems with the text area filed. We use the data import and use comma as a separator. Every row from the Text area field is after that appear on new roads. All the other fields from singel text is ok. We only have this problem with text area field. How can we do to not have the text on several rows?
You can try to change the separator to see if that helps you: http://www.gravityhelp.com/documentation/page/Gform_export_separator
Because the separators for the list field should stay as commas between quotes while the others are changed to something else like a pipe. Then when you import, you tell you software to only use the pipe. Then it won't shift columns/rows based on commas.
The Gravity Forms software is exporting the data correctly. The textarea field with new lines in it sounds like the field which is causing you problems. As a test, can you export the entries without exporting your textarea (paragraph) field to see if the data is in a usable format? If so, then we need to figure out a way to deal with the new lines in the paragraph when you export the data.
# Johannes (developer)
Textareas are used so users can write longer texts, and so that they can use newlines when they insert text. Otherwise a normal input text would do. So, one would assume that an export would filter the text of newlines, as a default csv export interprets newline as new item.
Currently you actually have a field (textarea) that don't seem to work to well with your export, which I definitely would call a bug in the system. It's quite hard to tell the user not to use newlines, or we won't be able to export, since the plugin has no support to export textareas (which I can't find any information about anywhere).
It works for me too when not including the text area in the export, but we really need to export that field. As a temporary solution we can export the form two times. One time without the text area and one time with only the text area. Then I have to copy and past the textarea into the first exportfile. It's a solution, but I'm not satisfied with it. I hope you can fix this bug as soon as possible. Please keep us informed in this topic.
/Susanne
