CHIRP

h1. How to use CSV files

h2. Introduction

It is important to note that CSV stands for "Comma Separated Values" and is a method of _encoding_ and not a strict file format. Any kind of record data can be stored in a CSV file, which is why spreadsheet applications such as Microsoft Excel and LibreOffice Calc support it. If you create a CSV file without a specific format, CHIRP will not be able to extract the needed data from it,

h2. A Clean Start

If you want to get an empty CHIRP-compatible CSV file, the easiest way is to let CHIRP create one for you. Here are the approximate steps for creating an empty file, editing it in an external editor and opening it back up in CHIRP:

1. Start CHIRP

2. Go to *File* > *New* to create an empty CSV file

3. Add a memory to the first row, by entering a frequency such as *146.52*

4. Go to *File* > *Save As* to save the template file to something ending with a *.csv* extension

5. Open the file in your spreadsheet or external application of choice, make edits and save

6. Re-open the file in CHIRP to validate that the format is still correct, by going to *File* > *Open* and choosing your file

7. Optionally use *File* > *Import* to import the contents of your CSV file into another radio image

h2. Tips To Avoid Breaking The Formatting

CHIRP relies on the CSV file's formatting to be intact in order for it to read and understand the data inside the file. Observe the following rules to ensure that CHIRP can continue to read the file:

1. You must maintain the header row in its original format so that CHIRP knows which column corresponds to which value

2. You may re-order the columns as long as the header row matches

3. You may delete columns for which there are sane defaults and CHIRP will assume those defaults upon opening or importing the file

4. You may place double quote marks (i.e. " not ' or '') around column values that contain spaces or commas

5. Field values must be in the original format and one of the accepted values for the column type. For example, the Duplex field may be either blank, an plus sign (+), a minus sign (-), or the word "split". The ToneMode field may be either blank, the words "Tone", "TSQL", "DTCS", or "Cross", and so on. If there is ever a question, use CHIRP to create a file with a given value and observe what it puts into the CSV file as a result.