Export delimited file with field names included?

I would like to create an output style to send records to a tab delimited file with the field names specified on the first row (similar to what is required when one imports a tab delimited file into EndNote).  How do I do that in X5?

Have you checked the EndNote tab-delimited output style?  It allows exporting EndNote record data to a tab-delimited file.

Go to the EndNote toolbar, select EDIT, OUTPUT STYLES, OPEN STYLE MANAGER. Then locate and select “Tab Delimited”.

I’m currently using that and it is exporting my records properly…what I need is for it to put the field names in the first row.  Any idea how to specify that I want this?

It doesn’t appear that EndNote’s Tab Delimited output style is able to generate column headers along with the tab delimited data file.  But here’s a workaround:

  1.  After exporting the EndNote records as a tab delimited file, open the file in MS Word then at the top of the list, type-in each EndNote field name followed by a tab (see image 1 - field names are capitalized to make them easier to distinguish from the data).

  2. At the conclusion of the last field, press the Enter key. Now re-save the file. 

When the modified file is open in a data base program (for this example, MS Access), the field names that were manually entered at the top of the text file now appear as the column headers (see image 2). 

It’s annoying to have to manually type-in the field names and tab but once that’s done this section is easily copied and pasted into future tab-delimited files before importing them into a databae program.

The idea for including the EndNote field names so they can be imported as headers might be something to suggest to the developers.



Would it be possible to create a dummy field that would always sort first and generate a “header” that way?

If dshoup wants the field names to appear as column headers, the prior directions might be an option. However, if dshoup wants the field names to appear in row #1 (not as column headers), then creating a dummy record is an option.

  1. To create a dummy record, first create a new library as the dummy record should have record #1 to facilitate sorting.

  2. Now create a new reference (using the Generic reference type) and within each field, enter the corresponding field name. For example, in the Author field, type-in: Author.  (see image 1) Repeat this for each field that is used in the Tab Delimited output style’s bibliography template.  Save/close the reference when finished.

  3. Now that the dummy record is set, copy whatever references are needed into the library. Then change the library’s display preferences setting so the “Record Number” field is displayed. (See image 2)

  4. Prior to exporting the library references, sort the library on the Record Number field so the dummy record now appears in first place. Select the references along with the dummy record and export them as a tab delimited file.

  5. Import the tab-delimited file into the database and the EndNote field names will be displayed in row #1 (see image 3 - example illustrates importing into Excel).



Thanks guys.  I think this is a workable solution.  I probably will make a feature request…seems silly that EndNote requires this format for import but cannot produce it in output (basically, the program cannot import its own files!).  I’m sure it would be an easy thing to implement.  Thanks again for the ideas for a workaround!