Export: The Good, The Bad, and The Weird discussion

Do you use your Export file for anything other than backup?

I have not, but I'm wondering if it could be a useful document in and of itself. Using a search term on in the search box on My Books yields results from all shelves. But what if I wanted to search just one shelf? Have you ever tried it?

Good question. I'm interested to know how people use their export files.

Me, I've just started to think of my export file as a source of knowledge. For example, when I was researching the true extent of my missing read dates, I sorted the export file by the "Exclusive Shelf" column, then copied all the rows for the "read" shelf into another spreadsheet. After doing that, it was easier to sort and search for missing read dates. A bit. (I am not good with spreadsheets, alas.) But then I thought, "I should save this information because it's much easier to work with than the multiple GR pages I would have to view."

I also like that the export file contains some information that is "hidden" in the My Books view, like the text of my reviews. If I wanted to find all the reviews where I said, "I HATED THIS", it would be much easier to do in the export file than in Goodreads. (Yes, I can see all my reviews from the link on my profile, but the text I want would have to be in the beginning of the review, because GR chops the info after a few dozen characters.)

Anyway, I'm just beginning to think about using export files as the source of information. Perhaps I'll think of some more examples ...

Yes and yes!

I have found the Filter under Data. It might prove useful for your use. Also, have then copied the remaining data onto a 2nd sheet.

I have opened the CSV file in Excel and then have saved it as an xlsx file. In excel I can sort using whichever column I need, use "find" to find specific information etc.

I have made a tab for each exclusive shelf I have here, so it's easier to sort and I move (using cut & paste) information as I finish reading them or once a book I've pre-ordered has been delivered.

So for me I'm now using it as a complete backup for the site here, just in case, lol.

I find using the filter option in Excel better than just a sort. I can filter by Exclusive and then use the filter on the Bookshelves (non-exclusive) which gives me the same flexibility as Multiple Shelves on GR. Actually *more* flexiblity* because the Text Contains has an OR option, so you can get your Exclusive shelf plus the contents of either of two other shelves, not just those that appear on both of two other shelves.

Should I want to save that subset, I can still copy/paste into another sheet.

Mesembryanthemum wrote: "I sorted the export file by the "Exclusive Shelf" column, then copied all the rows for the "read" shelf into another spreadsheet. After doing that, it was easier to sort and search for missing read dates. A bit. "

After you pasted into another sheet, you could sort Date Read. The empty fields in the Date Read column will be the ones you need to work with.

Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "I find using the filter option in Excel better than just a sort. I can filter by Exclusive and then use the filter on the Bookshelves (non-exclusive) which gives me the same flexibility as Multiple..."

That makes sense, lol. I like having somewhat smaller lists to work with. Having over 10K of lines makes it very hard for me to be able to find what I need, even with the filter option. But that's what makes us all unique. We all do things differently, just as we all process things differently.

I love the idea of saving each bookshelf to a separate tab/sheet. I started this with my Read shelf, but should extend it to the others (someday).

Alas, I don't have Excel (I'm on a Mac), so I'm switching between Mac Numbers, LibreOffice Calc, and Google Sheets. The search functions in these tools leave a lot to be desired. They mostly fail to find text (shelf names) in the Bookshelves column -- or maybe it's me, because I'm pitiful with spreadsheets.

So I usually end up working in the plain text file. I'm an old-school vim user, so I actually prefer the old-fashioned, text-only view - lol. The search function is great, but viewing a raw CSV file is less than ideal.

So then I go back to my spreadsheet tool(s), and hide all the columns I don't want to see for the moment. Then I export a copy and go back to my text editor. And so on.

I'm still hunting for the best solution.

I opened a CSV file in Google Drive. I was able to use filters. I was able to get the same results as I do in Excel.

First, I like to freeze the top row so that as I scroll I can always know which column I'm looking at. This is under the View menu.

See the right portion of the ribbon, and click on the little thing that looks like a funnel. Create a filter is also part of the drop down under Data. There is a help document there, under Filter Views, Learn More:



Then all of the column headers have a little indication of a drop down menu - which is exactly what they are:



If you click on that drop down menu thingy, it offers you some options for filtering. In all columns, all of the data is available, but you can clear and then click on the shelf/data you want to view/filter.

Then you can select another column. I don't know what you'd want to see, but you might want to filter by condition. I would think this would include "I hated this" in the review column.When you have selected your criteria, click OK. When you want to clear your selection, you must scroll up the filter menu to None. I *think* you have to click Select All again, and then Click OK to return to the full list. I admit it isn't very user friendly for full dates, though there is an option for 'before' or 'after'.

Honestly, I haven't figured out the Filter by Values yet. ;-)

Hope this helps. I can see there is more to explore with Google sheets Filter function.

Mesembryanthemum wrote: "I love the idea of saving each bookshelf to a separate tab/sheet. I started this with my Read shelf, but should extend it to the others (someday).

Alas, I don't have Excel (I'm on a Mac), so I'm s..."

There actually is a Mac version of Excel, lol. But it is part of a suite which needs to be bought.

Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "I opened a CSV file in Google Drive. I was able to use filters. I was able to get the same results as I do in Excel.
...
See the right portion of the ribbon, and click on the little thing that looks like a funnel.
...
Then all of the column headers have a little indication of a drop down menu - which is exactly what they are"

Elizabeth, thank you, thank you, thank you for the tips and extremely helpful pictures. You gave me the courage I needed to try again with Google Drive / Google Sheets, and I am happy to report that wow wow wow — it works!!! I'm doing a happy dance now.

I was so encouraged that I tried using "Filter by values". IT'S GREAT! It lets me select exactly the values that I want, or do not want, for each column that I'm interested in. This is perfect for searching for specific names, or parts of names, in my bookshelf list.

For example:

1. First, I selected the entire spreadsheet and clicked Data > Create a filter. (I learned that I couldn't define filters for multiple columns unless I did this first.)


2. Next, to show only the books on the "read" shelf: I created a filter for the "Exclusive Shelf" column by clicking on that funny triangle in that column. Next, I cleared all selections under Filter by values. Finally, I selected read and clicked Done.


3. Then, to show the books in a particular shelf, I created a filter for the "Bookshelves" column. Under Filter by values, I cleared all selections, then selected only those rows that contains the name I was interested in. The Search field is VERY helpful for finding all rows that contain multiple shelves. In my case, I entered "2023" to see all rows that include my "2023-read" shelf. Once I could see the values I wanted, I clicked Select all.

4. Finally, to show the books for that shelf with blank read dates, I created a filter for the "Date Read" column. Under Filter by values, I selected Clear, then checked the value (Blanks), then Done.

VOILA! Or VIOLA, depending on your preference. Anyway, it seemed like magic to me.

Now I can start trying to figure out if there's a pattern to the missing read dates in my export file. Or, at least, identify the exact items that I need to fill in by hand.

P.S. Thank you again! I really appreciate your help as I learn to use spreadsheets.

Oh, yeah -- they say that a picture is worth a thousand words. Here's the Filter by Value dialog for the "Bookshelves" column, after I've entered "2023" in the search box, then clicked Select all.



And here's the dialog for the "Date Read" column, after I've cleared all selections, then selected (Blanks).

Mesembryanthemum wrote: " I am happy to report that wow wow wow — it works!!! I'm doing a happy dance now.."

Yay! I can feel the excitement. 😁

I'm so glad you talked about the export file and opened this group. I have found the file more useful than just a backup.

Try filtering by condition. When you click on that it just says "None" but there are arrows. Clicking on the arrows brings up a menu. You can choose which condition you'd like to use.

I have several shelves for specific authors. I think I did that so that I could easily combine with other shelves and not get other authors. Anyway, however you choose to do things, this applies to any column. I will use the Text options mostly, but I have used the number options for page count - between 399 and 500 for page counts 400-499, for example. I do a lot of challenges, so the page count one was really handy. See below for images.

The options are:

Is empty
Is not empty

Text contains
Text does not contain
Text starts with
Text ends with
Text is exactly

Date is
Date is before
Date is after

Greater than
Greater than or equal to
Less than
Less than or equal to
Is equal to
Is not equal to
Is between
Is not between

Custom formula

Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Try filtering by condition. When you click on that it just says "None" but there are arrows. Clicking on the arrows brings up a menu. You can choose which condition you'd like to use."

Aha! Yes, this is great -- and much easier than "Filter by values" for finding all rows that mention a specific shelf name. I can see that it will be useful for other research, as well. Thanks!