For each supported report, COLUMBUS can also generate a comma delimited data file that contains only the report data (no formatting). These data files can be loaded into 3rd party products as-is (e.g., Microsoft Excel) or they can be further manipulated either programmatically or by using a simple text editor.

One very nice way to manipulate these data files is by writing Python scripts. Python is an interpreted, interactive, object-oriented programming language that is very easy to learn, yet very powerful!

In order to create and use Python scripts, you must first download and install Python (it's free) onto your computer.

Python Notes:

Python is indentation sensitive. If your script does not run (due to a syntax error on a specific line number), check the indentation of nearby lines (above/below).
The # character acts as the beginning of a comment. We usually put more comments (than code) in our Python scripts.
Python is easy. Use google to find help when needed (e.g., in google type Python file handling or Python strings, etc.)
Have fun programming Python.

Python Scripts We Have Written:

Relative Error Ellipse script
This script is designed to extract data fields from the Relative Error Ellipse .csv file. The script is set up to extract the AT Station Name, TO Station Name, and Semi-Major Axis for each relative error ellipse result. With minor modifications, you can extract additional fields. Unzip the script file (.py extension) into the folder of your choice. Follow the directions in the script for usage.

Multi File Parsing from excel (.csv) files
This script is designed to extract data fields from multiple excel (.csv) files. In this script, we are extracting data from a coordinate file, a fixed coordinate file, and an observation file. The coordinates are Transverse Mercator and the distances are sea level horizontal distances.

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Network Adjustment and Coordinate Transformation
Software Solutions • Since 1990