Inporting CSV Files into Gmail

Are you trying to import an address book from some other email program, or from Google Groups into Gmail? It can be pretty frustrating when you follow the directions and it won't work.

The Google Help file only says to save your other mail list as a comma-delimited file, and then import it into Gmail. Even if you know what that means, it may not work. Why?

First of all, a comma delimited file just means a file where each item that would go in a spreadsheet field is separated by a comma. For example,

Name	Address	email	Phone
Joe Smith	800 W 4th St	joe@mail.com	555-555-5550
Jane White		sweetgirl@mail.net	555-555-5551

would simply be: Name,Address,email,Phone,Joe Smith,800 W 4th St,joe@mail.com,555-555-5550,Jane White,,sweetgirl@mail.net,555-555-5551

Notice that since we don't know Jane's address there are simply two commas with nothing between them.

So, the first step is to export your address list from whatever source you want and choose to save it as a comma delimited file. This will have the file extension CSV. Let's pretend we named this OLDBOOK.csv

Now, open your Gmail account and put in a couple of contacts manually. Anything will do- if you make duplicates you can always delete them later. Do put something in each field that you plan to use, including any custom ones you want to create. Now export this as a comma delimited file (extension CSV). Let's pretend we named this NEWBOOK.csv

Open both files in Excel. Now you can see the contents of each address book. You must use the format from the Gmail file to make a CSV file that it will read.

Use the NEWBOOK.csv as a template. You must fill the fields you want from your OLDBOOK.csv. You can just copy and paste each column, but make sure you paste them in the correct row, or all your addresses (for example) might be one entry off when you import the file. Save the NEWBOOK.csv file you just added to.

Now, this file will have all your address info, and it will have it in a form that Gmail wants. From your Gmail account, import this file, and all your data will be there!

Access Tip - Ordering Items in a Form Combo Box

When building an Access database you may create what's called a combo box to provide a drop-down list of choices for a field in a form. Note that in the picture above, the list of choices is conveniently in alphabetical order.



However, in the table from which that combo box is getting its information the list is not alphabetical. Of course, you can choose to order that table alphabetically for that field, but this will NOT make the choices alphabetical in the combo box. So how does one do that?



Here are the steps:

• Open the form in design view
  
• Select the field you want to order and right click
  
• Select Properties
  
• Select Data- this will give you the image above
  
• Under Row Source, hover at the end of the row and click the little box with three dots
  
• This opens a query- see the image below
  
• Under Sort, choose Ascending

Make sure that you choose to save the changes made to the design of the form when prompted. Your Access drop down list should now be in alphabetical order.

An alternate way would be to build an intermediate query from which the combo box reads, but this way is more economical.

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World Calendar - Know2Go

I learned of this site yesterday, and I've signed up. This is not a paid review, but my personal opinion. Know2Go is an ambitious attempt to collect a calendar of events from around the world and combine them into one huge database.

The owners freely admit that they are not offering anything that one couldn't find out for themselves, if they hunted long enough. But being able to package all this information in one site is a huge time-saving resource.

There are three usage levels. One may simply use Know2Go for free without even registering. In this way you can find all the event information, although it may take you a few search levels to do so. One may register for a free membership. All you need enter are your name, address and email- about as much as is required to read some newspapers online. This gets you "speed search," a feature that supposedly gets you to any event in three clicks. For $19.99 a year you can subscribe. This gives you access to historical events and allows you to access the site from a mobile phone. With either a free membership or subscription you get a personal calendar.

The strength of the site is that anyone can enter events. They encourage the submission of any public event, Golf tournaments, Craft shows, concerts, little league playoffs... whatever, no matter how local. The events will be verified and then added to the live events.

Groups (called vendors) with regular events or an annual calendar may make arrangements to have their activities automatically entered into the Know2Go database.

To find an event you may search by the location, the event type, or the date. Event types are divided broadly into Activities and Lifestyle. To find a location, begin with a world map and focus in to a country and city of choice, Activity categories might be anything from Bowling to Football, while Lifestyle includes grouping such as Fashion or Festivals.

The site is easy to navigate and fairly intuitive. There is a good page of instructions for those who would like more specific help.

Know2Go