Creating machine readable records from VSP tables

If you are familiar with spreadsheet string functions or are at ease with writing scripts what follows will be trivial. If you aren't good at either of those things, then you may find it helpful.

When you generate a sequence table for a VSP chart the only methods I have found for creating a local copy of the information is to print it (for me, that usually means to a PDF), download the web page, or copy and past the table into a spreadsheet. 

The problem with either of the two methods above for obtaining the table as data is that multiple pieces of information are contained in a single field (like sexagesimal and decimal degree coordinates). If you want to use the sequence as a database for automating photometry, multiple pieces of information in a field won't work. You have to extract the individual pieces of information into individual fields. For those who are good with spreadsheet string functions or are good at writing scripts, this is easy. For others without those skills, it means a manual cut and paste process to create a table with only one piece of information in each field of the record (column of the spreadsheet). That is a pain, but is still bearable if you only have a few stars in a sequence. If there are a lot of stars, as in a standard field chart, it becomes very time consuming and painful. 

Attached is a spreadsheet that takes the table for NGC 7790 and creates additional columns with the multiple pieces of information from fields of the sequence table extracted into individual columns. This spreadsheet can be used as a template for any sequence simply by cutting and pasting the formulas in additional columns of a spreadsheet created by cutting and pasting any UBVRI sequence table. If the sequence table doesn't have all of the columns of a UBVRI sequence table, you can still use the formulas in this spreadsheet by placing them in the same RELATIVE position to the columns that are present in the data you cut and past from the sequence table. Then you can simple delete any empty intervening columns. The cell references in the formulas automatically adjust and remain valid as is normal for spreadsheets. There are no macros or scripts involved that need to be modified. Even if you have spreadsheet skills the attachment for NGC 7790 will save the time involved in finding and applying the necessary string functions if you don't have them memorized.  When you save the spreadsheet as a .csv or tab delimited .txt file, which many programs require for import, all of the formulas are saved as the values you see. You may have to delete or "comment out" header rows if required by the program into which you want to import a sequence.

When you cut and paste from the online sequence table it will look a bit different from the attached. I deleted any borders or backgrounds from the formatting. Whether you leave this formatting in place or not makes no difference to the process of separating the information into separate fields. I simply find it easier to read the spreadsheet without the formatting that cutting and pasting brings along with the data. 

Brad Walter, WBY