A common format for data is as a series of points with associated data. To import such data the user selects File|Import|Import Points... to display the Import Points dialog box. The dialog box has two tabs: Controls and Data. Typically, the user sets the values on the Controls tab before switching to the Data tab to specify the data that will be imported. At the top of the Controls tab is a list of data sets for which data can be imported. The data sets that are listed depend on where the data will be Evaluated at (elements or nodes), their View direction (top, front, or side) and the number of Associated third dimension formulas. These three choices are specified with radio buttons below the list of data sets. The user also specifies whether the imported objects Set values of intersected nodes or elements or Set values by of nodes or elements by interpolation. The names of the imported objects will be based on the Root name specified by the user. These options are explained in greater detail in the explanation of the “Object Properties Dialog Box” on p. 48.
Once the user is satisfied with the Controls tab, the data to be imported is specified in the Data tab. The Data tab has a table in which the data to be specified is entered. The first two to four columns of the table are reserved for the coordinates of the data points. The remaining columns are used for the data to be imported. The columns for the imported data can be rearranged by clicking down on a column header and dragging the column to a new position. The user can enter the required data into the table manually. When entering data manually, the user specifies the number of rows in the table in the edit box near the bottom of the Data tab. An easier way to enter the data is to read it from a tab-delimited file or to paste it from the clipboard. In a tab-delimited file, each value is separated by the next value by a tab character. Each line in the file represents a separate data point. To read the data from a tab-delimited file, the user clicks the Open File button and selects the file from which the data is to be imported. To paste the data from the clipboard, put the data in a spreadsheet program, select the cells that hold the data and copy it to the clipboard. Then go back to the Import Points dialog box and select the cell in the upper left corner of the space where the data belongs. Press Ctrl-V on the keyboard to paste the data. If required, the number of rows in the table will be increased to accommodate the data that is pasted from the clipboard. Once the data has been entered into the table, the user presses the OK button to import the data. Each row in the table will be imported as a separate point object in GoPhast.