FlexText Excel Import

About This Tool

The FlexText Excel Import tool is designed to make transcription and back-translation of minority language texts easier for everyone, especially native speakers who may not be familiar with complex linguistic software.

Instead of working directly in FLEx (Fieldworks Language Explorer), you can use a familiar Excel spreadsheet to enter your text data. Then, with a simple click, this tool converts your Excel file into a FlexText format that FLEx can import directly.

Download

You need to download both the application and the Excel templates to use this tool.

Quick Start Guide

How to Use - Detailed Instructions

Step 1: Prepare Your Excel File

1. Choose one of the three template sizes based on your text:
   • 80 lines: Short texts or stories
   • 200 lines: Medium-length texts
   • 1000 lines: Long texts or extended narratives
2. Open the template in Microsoft Excel or a compatible program
3. Important: Fill in the writing system codes in the header section (top right of the sheet). These codes must match your FLEx project settings. Use the FLEx Code value from the General tab (do NOT use Abbreviation or language name). See Writing System Codes for details:
   • Vernacular writing system: Usually a 2-3 letter language code (e.g., "en", "spa", "qaa")
   • Gloss writing system: The language code for word glosses
   • Free translation writing system: The language code for free translations
4. Enter your text data in the appropriate columns:
   • Original language text in the vernacular column
   • Word-by-word glosses in the gloss column
   • Free translations (sentence/paragraph level) in the free translation column
5. Save your completed file as an Excel workbook (.xlsx)

Step 2: Run the Converter

1. Double-click the convert_interlinear_gui.exe file
2. A window will open with the converter interface
3. Select "Excel Interlinear" as the input format (should be default)
4. Click "Select input file & load" and choose your Excel file
5. Wait for the file to load (progress bar will show status)
6. Review the writing systems displayed to ensure they match your expectations
7. Select "FlexText Interlinear" as the output format
8. Click "Select output file & convert"
9. Choose where to save the output file (same name as input with .flextext extension is suggested)
10. Wait for conversion to complete

Step 3: Import into FLEx

1. Open your FLEx project
2. Important: Switch to the Interlinear Text view in FLEx. The import option will not be visible if you're in another view (such as Lists, Data Notebook, or Lexicon view). Look for "Texts & Words" in the menu bar to access Interlinear Text view.
3. Important: Before importing, configure your writing systems in FLEx:
   • Go to Tools → Configure → Writing Systems...
   • Ensure your vernacular and analysis writing systems are set up using the correct Code values (not Abbreviation)
   • Go to Tools → Configure → Interlinear... (in the Gloss or Analyze tab)
   • Set the writing systems for Word Gloss and Free Translation
   • Make sure these match the codes you used in your Excel template
4. Go to File → Import → Interlinear Text...
5. Select your generated .flextext file
6. Follow FLEx's import prompts
7. Your text should now appear in FLEx as an interlinear text

Tips for Success

• Writing system codes must match exactly between your Excel file and FLEx project
• If you don't see your text after importing, check your writing system settings in FLEx
• The order of writing systems in FLEx's interlinear settings should match your Excel template
• Each text/tab in FLEx has its own interlinear settings - configure them individually
• Start with a small test file to ensure your setup is correct before converting larger texts

Known Limitations and Issues

⚠️ Writing System Configuration

The most common issue users encounter is with writing system settings. FLEx requires that:

• Writing system codes in your Excel file exactly match those in your FLEx project (use the Code field; not Abbreviation)
• Writing systems must be configured in both the project-wide settings AND individual text settings
• The order of writing systems in FLEx's interlinear settings should match your template

Symptom: You import a file but see nothing displayed in FLEx.
Solution: Check and adjust your writing system settings as described in the "How to Use" section above.

🖥️ Platform Availability

• Windows: Fully supported with standalone executable
• macOS and Linux: Currently requires Python 3.8+ and manual setup. Advanced users can run from source code following the developer instructions on GitHub.

📋 Excel Compatibility

• Only works with files created from the provided templates
• Custom Excel structures are not supported
• Must be saved as .xlsx format (not .xls or .csv)

📝 Data Limitations

• Complex formatting in Excel cells may not transfer correctly
• Template must be used as-is; adding or removing columns will break the converter
• Very large files (thousands of lines) may take longer to process

🔧 Technical Issues

• Windows may show a security warning when running the .exe file (this is normal for unsigned applications). Click "More info" and then "Run anyway" if you trust the source.
• Some antivirus software may flag the executable as suspicious (false positive). You may need to add an exception.

🐛 Known Bugs

For the latest bug reports and to report new issues, please visit the GitHub Issues page.

Frequently Asked Questions

Need Help?

If you need additional assistance:

• 📖 Read the full documentation on GitHub
• 🐛 Report bugs or request features
• 💬 Join the discussion (if available)