Open in a spreadsheet data exported from Office Maker or BiblioMaker

Office Maker and BiblioMaker feature a data export function. This means you can transfer your data to another program (word processor, database, spreadsheet, etc.).

The vast majority of export formats generate a text file (with the .txt extension). Here's how to open such a file in a spreadsheet program. We'll use LibreOffice as an example here, but the same logic applies to other programs such as OpenOffice or Microsoft Excel.

1. Once the data has been exported and the text file generated with Office Maker or BiblioMaker, don't open it directly with a double-click, otherwise another program (such as a word processor) will be automatically started by the system. Instead, start your spreadsheet program. With LibreOffice/OpenOffice, create a spreadsheet file. In the File menu, select the Open… command, which displays a standard disk file selection dialog. Navigate your disk hierarchy to select the folder in which the export file has been saved.
2. If the desired file cannot be selected (invisible or grayed out), change an option in the dialog allowing you to choose the type of file to open. Your software may expect to open a file it has generated rather than a text file. Select the All files file type to deactivate the filter. Your file can now be selected and opened.
3. A wizard appears, offering you various options for correctly interpreting the export file: separation character between fields, character set, column type (text, numeric, date...). Once you've set the desired options, confirm the wizard. Your data is now displayed as a table in the spreadsheet. Now you can use your spreadsheet's standard functions.

When you save the file, you'll have the choice of staying in text format or converting the file to spreadsheet format (e.g. .ods for LibreOffice/OpenOffice or .xlsx for Microsoft Excel).