Import Survey File - bug or just how it works?

[IanH]

I am importing a survey file in ID, Eastings, Northings, Elevation, Description - its tab delimited in meters. All the data comes in fine and populates the stake object, except the ID.

When importing, it would appear that this ID can only be numerical, otherwise the ID becomes 0. Is this correct?

I would expect the ID to be alpha numeric, and the field to be separated into ID prefix and ID number in the stake object.

So for example, a test data file containing:

1	0	0	0	Datum
2	1	1	0	1mE, 1mN, 0h
STN1	2	2	0	STN1 at 2,2,0
1P1	3	3	3	1P1 at 3, 3, 3

points 1 and 2 are being correctly imported, but points STN1 and 1P1 are being imported with ID of 0, where as I would expect the stake objects to be (ID Prefix=STN, ID Number=1) and (ID Prefix=1P, ID Number=1) respectively.

Not having used a Total Station before, I'm not sure of this is a bug or just how the functionality works - if the latter, it seems to me to be missing a trick. Looks like I'm going to have to modify my TS export format to also include the point ID as part of the description, then write an unnecessary script to copy the id from description into the ID prefix and number fields of the stake object.

[go2greece]

the ID is numerical

the description can be alpha-numerical

peter

[IanH]

The ID on my Leica Total Station is alpha numeric. NNA have obviously thought of this with the stake object, by separating out the ID as alpha numeric 'ID Prefix' and numeric 'ID Number' but the Import Survey File cannot seem to handle this.

[go2greece]

what format are you exporting from your leica.

are you using leica office or sierra dl02?

did you try DXF export import?

peter

check your Format Manager Documentation from leica and your exportstring.

can you open the export file on your pc with word pad?

Edited March 30, 2009 by go2greece

[IanH]

I tried dxf - pretty useless for what I want which is to get Vectorworks to joint the dots for me. Having everything in stake objects is exactly what I am after - just with the ID field correctly populated to include the alpha PtID prefix and self incrementing number for the PtID that is used when surveying.

I am using LGO - the format manager in LGO creates an export format string for Point ID that is alpha numeric which is 100% correct since the Total Station value for PtID is also alpha numeric.

I have had to put a dummy value in the ID field of the survey file and put the PtID in the description then write a script, which is daft since the stake object supports an alpha numeric point ID and it should simply be populated correctly direct from the data file IMHO.

[Guest Frank Brault]

Thanks for pointing this out, Ian. I will start the process to get this fixed in our software. The creation of the Import survey command predates that of the Stake object, so I would say that we should work to update the Import Survey command.

[IanH]

Great. Wasn't sure if it was my understanding as I am new to Total Stations. But the more I thought about it the more it didn't make sense that it worked as it does. The stake object obviously copes with an alpha numeric PtID and it was just odd that the import function did not.

Thanks for instigating a fix. Maybe I could get a patch so I can test it for you!?!

[go2greece]

we never came to this because we use only numeric id's