Data in a variety of configurations from other programs including Excel can be imported into Handicap System. You may have just a first and last name, name plus a numeric ID, name and ID with scores, etc. that you can import. The file you import must be a text (ASCII) file. Most software programs and services have a way to output your data in a text file delimited by a comma, space, tab or semicolon.

When importing, if you already have names in the Handicap System Roster into which you are importing, the program will first attempt to match people by looking for a matching player ID number. If a number is not available, then the program will attempt a match with the first and last name (Jim and James or Dick and Richard may be the same person to us humans, but to the computer it is not a match even with the same last name).

If you are importing the data into an empty Roster, then no matching is necessary (except if you are importing scores in which case the first and last names must match for all scores by an individual player).

Importing

1. Select "Import Data to Roster..." from the Roster menu.
   
   
2. Click on the Find Handicap Roster button.
   
   
   
   
3. Highlight the Roster into which you want to import the data and click on Load Roster button. If the Roster does not yet exist, click on the New Roster button to create a Roster and load it.
   
   
   
   
4. Click Next to move to Tab 2. File to Import.
   
   
   
   
5. Click on the Find ASCII delimited file to import button (above image) and you will see a new window like the one below (from Windows XP).
   
   
   
   
6. Select the file you want to import from the "Get file to import window" (above) and click on Open button.
   
   
   
   
7. Check to see if your data has a header line or lines above the data (the above has none) and make sure the number in the Start import at row box is correct. If you have one line of headers (last name, first name, gender, etc.), enter "2" in this box. If your data starts at the third line in your file, enter "3" in this box.
   
   
8. Click the Next button to go to Tab 3. Type of file.
   
   
   
   
9. When you arrive at Tab 3. Type of file, your data may not show itself in rows and columns as above. You must select the correct delimiter by clicking and placing the dot next to the applicable delimiter (see below). Your data should be in rows and columns as in the image below.
   
   
   
   
10. In some cases you may see the text in columns surrounded by single or double quotation marks. If that is the case, click on the Text qualifier box and change to the text qualifier which is visible in your data. For instance, if you see the double quotation marks surrounding the last name - "Taylor" - then change the Text qualifier box to the double quotation marks.
    
    
11. Click on the Next button to advance to Tab 4. Fields to import to.
    
    
    
    
12. You must "map" or tell Handicap System on Tab 4 which columns of data you wish to import and where (what "field") to put the data. All columns, like column 1 above, will have "None" for the field name. If that is a field you want to import - Handicap System will not import data identified as "None" - select the proper identifying name from the drop down menu for that column (field) of data. Once all of the fields you want to import are properly identified and all of the fields you do not want to import have "None" as the column header, then you may click on the Finish button.
    
    
13. When the importing is complete, you will see something like the below image.
    
    
    
    
14. You will note in the background how many records were updated, added and transferred. Click on the OK button. Handicap System will close and you must restart Handicap System.