Using Excel to put data into Plant Resourse Database

[coopscapes]

I'm a new user, and one of the first priorities is to customize the plant resourse database. Can someone please give me specifics of how to set up an excel sheet that can be imput into the PRD? Or maybe send me an example of an Excel sheet?

Thanks in advance,

Clarissa

[Peter Huggins]

Hi Clarissa,

The easiest thing to do is to revise the existing database as follows:

1. Open Excel, then choose "Open" and locate the file: VectorWorks 12/Plug-ins/VW_Land/Data/PlantReferenceData.txt. Make sure the popup menu at the bottom of the Open dialog box says Files of Type "All Files".

2. In the Text Import Wizard dialog, keep pressing "Next" until the button is greyed out, then press "Finish". The file will now be open as an Excel spreadsheet.

3. Make any changes by adding, deleting, or changing info as required. Of course, you can use all the commands that Excel has to offer. Don't use row 1 as it is needed by VectorWorks.

4. When complete, change the value in cell A1 to be the same as the number of plant entries (i.e. total rows in spreadsheet-1). By default it is 1153. If you add plants the number will be greater and vice versa.

5. Save the file. Excel will prompt you that the file is a Text file. Click OK.

Now, you'll have access in Landmark to the revised database.

Hope that helps!

[coopscapes]

Thanks that's great!

I have one more question.

Can I change the "category" field to separtate

Deciduous Shrubs and Coniferous Shrubs. Right now, I can only choose shrubs. That doesn't work very well.

Thanks again,

Clarissa

[Guest]

quote:

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Originally posted by coopscapes:

Thanks that's great!

I have one more question.

Can I change the "category" field to separtate

Deciduous Shrubs and Coniferous Shrubs. Right now, I can only choose shrubs. That doesn't work very well.

Thanks again,

Clarissa

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Sorry, that cannot be done as of right now. You can only put a "category" that is one of the categories listed in the pulldown menu in the plant reference dialog. If you change it to a name that is not in that pulldown menu, it will select the top most item (a bar accross that looks like ----- ) because it cannot find the new custom name you've given it, in the list of items in that pulldown menu.

[Earthworker]

[/QB]Sorry, that cannot be done as of right now. You can only put a "category" that is one of the categories listed in the pulldown menu in the plant reference dialog. If you change it to a name that is not in that pulldown menu, it will select the top most item (a bar accross that looks like ----- ) because it cannot find the new custom name you've given it, in the list of items in that pulldown menu. [/QB]

Andrew-

Will this be an option for 12.5?