The CompactFlash trend file described here contains time, current-hour production, and shift-average values sampled every five minutes over an eight-hour period, but its records do not consistently start on separate lines. Excel can split fields into columns only after the record boundaries are sound; changing delimiters alone cannot repair missing or irregular row breaks.
Keep an untouched copy of the CompactFlash log
Copy the file obtained through FTP to a working folder and keep the original unchanged. Use a second copy for import tests or conversion. This gives you a known source to compare against if an import changes timestamps, drops values, or joins multiple samples into one row.
Record the expected structure before editing: each sample should contain a time, a date, and one value for each configured trend pen. In the described trend, the two values are current-hour production and shift-average production. The five-minute interval over eight hours implies 96 sample intervals; confirm the actual record count from the logging setup and file because the evidence does not say whether the initial sample is logged at time zero.
Check: Open the working copy in a plain-text editor and verify that it contains the same data as the untouched file. Do not treat visual wrapping in Notepad as a record delimiter.
Inspect separators and actual record endings
Look at the file as plain text, not in a word processor. A trend row may be represented as time, date, pen 1, pen 2, and so on, with spaces or tabs between fields. That field layout is different from a CSV file with commas, even if the display documentation describes the expected output as CSV.
Check where records actually end. One reported file had a carriage return only after every third record, while another report described data appearing as one long sequence. These patterns can make the file look readable in a text editor while leaving Excel without a reliable row boundary for each sample. Word wrap only changes how text appears on screen; it does not insert a line ending into the file.
| What you see | Likely issue | Next action |
|---|---|---|
| Every sample starts on a new line, with fields separated by spaces or tabs | The rows may be intact; Excel needs the correct field delimiters | Test a direct import using the observed delimiters |
| Samples run together, with no consistent line ending per sample | Excel may not know where one record ends and the next begins | Repair record boundaries in a working copy before importing |
| A line ending appears only after groups of samples | One line may contain multiple records | Determine the record pattern and pen count before conversion |
| A USB log has one sample per line and tab-separated values | The file layout differs from the problematic CompactFlash/FTP file | Test that file separately; do not assume all storage paths produce the same layout |
Do not conclude that the trend itself is corrupt from the display alone. Compare the same logging data from CompactFlash/FTP and, if available, a USB log. The reported USB file with two analog values contained one sample per line, with time and date followed by tab-separated values; that format imported cleanly when space and tab were selected as delimiters.
Check: Identify the field separators and determine whether each individual sample has an actual, consistent record ending. Proceed to a direct import only if rows are already intact.
Test Excel import before converting the log
For a file with one sample per line, use Excel’s text import workflow and select the delimiters visible in the file. The reported working case used both space and tab. Import into a new worksheet rather than opening and resaving the original text file.
- Open Excel’s text or CSV import function and select the working copy of the log.
- Choose a delimited layout, then select the observed space and/or tab separators. Do not select comma unless commas actually separate fields.
- Preview the columns. Confirm that time, date, and each pen value occupy separate fields rather than splitting into unexpected extra columns.
- Load the data into a new worksheet and compare several imported rows with the plain-text source.
Spaces inside timestamps or dates can produce extra columns if the import settings treat every space as a field separator. Use the preview to establish whether the file’s time and date should be separate columns or one combined field. If the time/date structure does not match the intended columns, adjust the import method rather than accepting a shifted dataset.
Check: Each worksheet row must represent one sample, and each sample must have the expected time/date fields and the configured number of pen values. If records remain joined in the preview, stop; delimiter settings alone will not fix that file.
Restore one row per sample when line breaks are irregular
When several samples run together, first establish the record pattern from the raw file. Confirm the number of trend pens and inspect repeated sequences of time, date, and pen values. A conversion must recognize both the field pattern and where each sample begins; inserting a line break after an arbitrary number of spaces can split values or timestamps and corrupt the data.
The historical workaround described for this file type was a conversion program that accepted the number of pens and produced CSV output. That approach is suitable only after testing against the specific log: the preliminary converter had been tested on a limited number of files, and its author sought longer-file testing. Treat converted output as unverified until it passes row-count and value checks.
If no validated converter is available, use a controlled text-processing method based on the confirmed record structure, or ask the display supplier for the correct export behavior and supported conversion approach. Do not deploy a script that guesses record boundaries based only on visual word wrapping. If the same malformed layout appears in logs copied through more than one storage path, include those sample files in the support case.
Check: The converted output must contain exactly one complete record per sample, consistent field counts, and no missing or duplicated readings before Excel analysis begins.
Validate timestamps and production values
Use the five-minute sampling interval and eight-hour logging window as a reasonableness check, not as a substitute for checking the actual data. Count records and inspect timestamp progression. Determine whether the logger records a starting sample at the beginning of the period; that affects whether the count is 96 or includes an additional endpoint sample.
Compare selected rows in the worksheet against the original text file, including early, middle, and final records. Check that date and time remain paired with the correct current-hour and shift-average values. Confirm the number of pen columns against the trend configuration. A successful import can still produce bad analysis if a delimiter shifted values into the wrong columns or a conversion omitted a record.
Before calculating line rates or averages, check that the imported cells contain usable numeric values and that timestamps sort chronologically. Treat current-hour production and shift-average production as separate trend series; do not combine or reinterpret them simply because both contain production quantities.
Check: Reconcile representative source rows, verify chronological timestamps and expected pen count, and account for the actual sample count before using formulas.
Build charts only from a verified worksheet
Once each row is a valid sample, use the timestamp field as the horizontal axis and chart the production pen columns as separate series. Keep the current-hour value distinct from the shift-average value so dips in hourly output remain visible rather than being obscured by the average. Use the validated worksheet as the source for formulas and graphs; retain the original log for traceability.
Review the plotted points against several worksheet rows, especially around suspected slow periods. A sudden time gap, repeated timestamp, missing point, or implausible jump may indicate a logging or conversion problem rather than a process change. Resolve data-quality problems before using the graph to justify line-speed changes, staffing changes, or mechanical modifications.
Check: Confirm that chart points map to the correct timestamps and pen columns, then compare a few plotted values with their worksheet cells.
FAQ
Why does my C-more trend file appear as one long line?
A text editor may wrap long text visually without adding record breaks, or the file may contain line endings only after groups of records. Inspect the raw file for actual endings; Excel needs a reliable boundary for each sample row.
Why does Excel put the trend fields in the wrong columns?
The file may use spaces or tabs rather than commas, or spaces within the time/date fields may also be treated as delimiters. Use the import preview and select separators that match the actual file layout.
Can I import the CompactFlash trend log directly into Excel?
Yes, if the file already has one sample per line and consistent field separators. If samples run together or line breaks are irregular, repair the record boundaries in a working copy first.
Why does a USB trend log import but the FTP file does not?
The reported USB log used one line per sample with tab-separated values, while the problematic CompactFlash/FTP log had irregular record endings. Compare the raw files from each path instead of assuming they share a format. Stop and contact official C-more support if the records remain malformed across storage paths or no validated conversion can preserve every sample.