eventStartDates and eventEndDates in archival descriptions CSV import

[Elizabeth Thomson]

Hi,

We are trying to import eventStartDates and eventEndDates information as part of an information object CSV load, as per Example_information_objects_rad-2.3.csv, but we are unsuccessful.

The records load successfully, creation information is loaded, along with the data in eventDates, but eventStartDates and eventEndDates are ignored.

I attach a sample file.

Any suggestions as to how to fix this?

Many thanks

[thearch...@gmail.com]

Hi Elizabeth,

This looks like it could be a date format issue (usually caused by Excel, if that is what you are using for creating csv files). To correct this, you will need to format those dates to YYYY-MM-DD (e.g. 01/04/1931 becomes 1931-04-01) or YYYYMMDD (you can see the acceptable date formats in the tool tip when you enter the start or end dates through the main AtoM interface).

I have found the biggest issue is that Excel thinks it's being helpful by converting to the dd/mm/yyyy format whenever you open a csv file to edit it, so you just need to be vigilant to convert the date fields every time you go to save the file as csv (then try not to open and save it again before importing!). Excel will only hold the date formats as intended if you save your working copies as xlsx, which I typically do until the file is ready for upload, then I will save as csv.

Hope this helps!

Jeremy

[Elizabeth Thomson]

Hi Jeremy,

Many thanks for the suggestion. If you open the CSV with a text editor, you will see that eventStartDates and eventEndDates are in YYYY-MM-DD format. I've tried 'YYYY' and 'YYYY-MM-DD' and 'YYYYMMDD' (thanks for the suggestion!), all without success.

[Dan Gillean]

Hi Elizabeth, 

I opened your CSV in LibreOffice Calc (which I often recommend over Excel for preparing CSV files, since it allows you to set the encoding and separators before opening a CSV file, while Excel often defaults to its own custom character encoding such as WinLatin), and the dates looked okay to me. 

I removed the qubitParentSlug value (since I don't have your parent record), and added a legacyID value, then imported it into my local 2.4.x test environment. I'll attach the CSV here for reference. 

The dates seem to have imported fine for me: 

Quick question: were you looking for your start/end dates in the display page, or did you enter edit mode to check the controlled fields?

The start and end dates are typically not shown to end users in the view pages - the display date is instead a free-text field that allows for approximation and uncertainty to be expressed with text and special characters, as per local conventions. 

See: https://www.accesstomemory.org/docs/latest/user-manual/import-export/csv-import/#creator-related-import-columns-actors-and-events

It is possible there is some bug we didn't know about in the 2.4.0 release, but if so, it appears to be resolved in the upcoming 2.4.1 release. We're in the final stretch of release testing now, and hope to have a public 2.4.1 release available very soon! 

Regards, 

Dan Gillean, MAS, MLIS
AtoM Program Manager
Artefactual Systems, Inc.
604-527-2056

@accesstomemory

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[Elizabeth Thomson]

Hi Dan,

Thanks indeed for testing this out and for the screenshot, which is very revealing! I did indeed check the record in edit mode. I believe the issue is that we are using the RAD template for display.  When I switch to the ISAD template I can see the start and end dates in the Identity section. But since we are using RAD, we are hoping to see these dates in the Dates of Creation area.  Perhaps we should be using different column headings in the CSV?

best regards,

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[Dan Gillean]

Hi Elizabeth, 

Have you tried clicking on the Pencil icon next to that row in the edit template?

RAD and ISAD handle dates differently - in ISAD, there is no relation between the creator field and a date field, while in RAD, the two are entered together in a single modal. To see all the fields in the modal, you'll need to click the pencil icon to open it up - there you should see start/end date fields. 

Let me know if they are there! If not, I'll experiment some more, but the field names in the CSV should be the same! 

Cheers, 

Dan Gillean, MAS, MLIS
AtoM Program Manager
Artefactual Systems, Inc.
604-527-2056

@accesstomemory

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[Elizabeth Thomson]

Hi Dan,

Yes I do indeed see the dates when I click on the icon.
Sorry for the wild goose chase!

best,