Rons Data Edit - How To Edit the Column Layout of a CSV File

To Edit the Column Layout of a CSV File

Step 1: Open your file with a dedicated CSV Editor - Rons Data Edit

First things first, make sure you use the correct application to edit your CSV files; you can download Rons Data Edit, for free, right here: Download.

Your CSV file can be opened using the 'Open Document' File menu, or 'Open Document' link on the Start Page of the application.

Step 2: Edit the column layout using one of the three following ways:

1. Editing the column layout using the Ribbon Menu Options

The column layout can be edited in many ways using the functionalities displayed on the ribbon bar. To make changes that directly affect the layout of the columns, go to the Columns section.

When one column is selected, one can add or duplicate that column to the left or to the right, delete it or clear its content by clicking on the relevant buttons. Click on "Rename Column" to change an existing column name or to add a new one to a newly added column. When the whole document is selected, one can click on the "Delete Empty" button to remove potential empty columns, or click on "Detect Types" to define in one go whether each column type is for example Text, Time, Numbers or Dates. See below for the listing of all The Ribbon Bar Columns Buttons and their explanation.

The Ribbon Bar Columns Buttons

Description	Options	Explanation
Edit Schema		The Edit Schema pannel is a pannel that allows to sort, rename and attribute a type to column. See Step b and The Edit Schema Pannel section in this article for further details.
Detect Types		When clicking on "Detect Types" after selecting one column or the whole document the application detects and attributes a type to each column. Types can be the following: Text, Time, Date, Date Time, Number, Decimal, or Boolean.
Update Schema		When the column layout has been be arranged using viewing options, such as, for example, hidding a column, clicking on "Update Schema" changes the layout accordingly by removing the column.
Rename Column		Select a column and click on Rename Column to open the cell field and type in the new name.
Add Left		Select a column and add a new empty column to the left.
Add Right		Select a column and add a new empty column to the right.
Duplicate Left		Select a column and duplicate it as a new column to the left.
Duplicate Right		Select a column and duplicate it as a new column to the right.
Move	<< First	Select a column and move it as the first column on the document.
	< Left	Select a column and move it one column to the left.
	> Right	Select a column and move it one column to the right.
	>> Last	Select a column and move it as the last column on the document.
	Show Panel	"Show Pannel" opens a pop up pannel with << < > >> arrows to move columns more easily across the document.
Delete		Select a column and delete it.
Clear		Select a column and remove its content without removing the column.
Delete Empty		Select the whole document and remove any column that has no content.
Column Tools	Split	To open the Split Column tool. See How To Split Columns in a CSV File
	Merge	To open the Merge Column tool. See How To Merge Columns in a CSV File
	Pivot	To open the Pivot Column tool. See How To Pivot Columns in a CSV File

Some changes can be made that only affect the view, such as hiding or freezing columns. For more information check the article **How to View efficiently a CSV File**.

2. Editing the column layout in the 'Edit Schema' panel

In the ribbon bar, at the top of the main window, go to the 'Columns' tab, and click on the 'Edit Schema' button. This action opens the 'Edit Schema' panel.

Editing the schema (columns) of the document actually changes the way it is stored when saved to the disk, rather than just being a visual change to the layout.

In this panel, the columns names are displayed vertically and numbered, and can be easily moved using the Up, Down, Top and Bottom arrows. Columns can be inserted, deleted or duplicated using the appropriate buttons. Column types can be automatically detected in one go using the Detect Types button. Each column can also be edited separately, be renamed and assigned a type chosen from options listed in a drop down menu.

See the below table for a description of the 'Edit Schema" panel buttons.

The 'Edit Schema' Buttons

Description	Options	Explanation
Add		Add a column at the end of the list.
Insert		Insert a column above a selected one in the list.
Delete		Delete a selected column.
Duplicate	- (Copy)	Duplicate a selected column. If Duplicate (Copy) is selected the exact column and it content will be copied.
	- (Text)	Duplicate a selected column. If Duplicate (Text) is selected the same column name will be copied without its content.
Up/Down		Up and Down buttons can be clicked on to move the columns accordingly.
Top/Bottom		Top and Bottom buttons can be clicked on to move the columns accordingly.
Guide		Local Guide available to explain the "Edit Schema" panel.
Detect Types		When clicking on "Detect Types" the application detects and attributes a type to each column. Types can be the following: Text, Time, Date, Date Time, Number, Decimal, or Boolean.
Reset Existing		Reset the columns as they were. This is possible as long as the pannel view has not been saved.
Save		Save the document and leave the pannel open.
Save and Close		Save the document and close the panel.
Close		Close the pannel without saving.
Columns Section		The 'Selected Columns' section displays the columns where the split data is going to be displayed.
Edit Data Column Section	Name	Editable field where a column can be renamed.
	Text Hint	List of Types that may be assigned to the selected column. Types can be the following: Text, Time, Date, Date Time, Number, Decimal, or Boolean.

Additional options are displayed when a new column is added or inserted:

Edit Data Column Section	Name	Editable field where a column can be renamed.
	Text Hint	List of Types that may be assigned to the selected column. Types can be the following: Text, Time, Date, Date Time, Number, Decimal, or Boolean.
New Column Value	Empty	When selected the column won't contain any value.
	Copy	When selected the column will contain the same values as the existing column chosen from the dropdown menu.
	Text	When selected, any value can be typed in the dedicated field and the value will be displayed in the column.

3: Editing the column layout in the 'View Layout' side pannel by synchronizing the view with the "Update Schema" button.

Click on the third side bar icon called 'View Layout" to open the side panel.

This side panel is primarily used to manage the visual side of a document by hiding the columns. However, much more can be done to the column layout by using the right-click menu options. The menu, for example, offers options to move the columns left and right, to sort the order of the columns ascending or descending, hide or freeze rows. While changes may be used for temporary viewing purposes and be undone easily by 'resetting' the document (Right-click menu or top ribbon menu under View/Reset), they can also be saved to alter the column layout structure by clicking on the "Update Schema" button in the Column top ribbon menu.

Note that it is still possible to use Undo/Redo as long as the whole document has not been saved.

See the article How to View efficiently a CSV File for more detailed information about the "View Layout" side panel.

Step 3: Save the file

When satisfied with the changes, make sure to save the document by clicking on the 'Save' button the top left corner of the main window or by clicking the 'Save' button on the 'Home' tab of the ribbon bar.

Finally

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