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Loading Data from a CSV file


Description

Loading data from CSV files is easy and this video shows you how to load as well as how to append data to a Tecplot Chorus project.

First, let’s take a look at the anatomy of an ideal CSV file in Excel. The first header row is variable name. The second row is variable type of which possible keywords are independent, dependent, AuxFile, and other. The rest of the rows will be your data where strings or numbers can be passed. As for AuxFiles, the file path supplied must be a relative path to the CSV file. This path then becomes the root path. Using relative paths allow for sharing between multiple operating systems.

These CSV files can be easily built with scripting languages or exported at the end of CFD runs. The data set in this example was built with Python in a folder with images and data files.

Let’s now load the CSV file into Chorus. There are two ways to import CSV files.

  1. Automatically import the CSV file using File > Open CSV Project.
  2. Use the file import wizard from Create Project.

In this video, we choose to import it automatically using Open CSV Project.

Looking at the left side bar with the filters, notice that this data set has 74 cases.

At this point, any Chorus functions can be used including image view, plotting and diving into Tecplot 360 EX.

Now, let’s say you’ve done some work in this project while your CFD solver has run more cases, and you want to append the new cases to the existing Tecplot Chorus project. In this example, the new cases will be appended to the original CSV file.

To append your data go to Project > Append Data > Delimited Text Reader. Then click Browse to choose the CSV file you want to append. Click Next. The root folder is the same.

Click Next. This page has all of the Aux files that you want to link to the cases, so be sure that all of the checkboxes are checked.

Click Next. This last page shows which variables will be appended. You cannot choose specific variables because they have already been loaded into Tecplot Chorus.

Note the independent and dependent variable types have been selected for you due to the second header row in the CSV file.

Click Finish. Finally, a window pops up saying there are duplicate cases. Choose “Modify the existing cases” which will add non-duplicate incoming cases as new cases.

At this point, there are 99 total cases up from the original 74.

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