ImportText Function

IMPORTTEXT() Description

The IMPORTTEXT function allows you to load data from a text file directly into LibreOffice Calc. You can specify delimiters, skip or select a specific number of rows, and configure encoding or locale for precise control over the imported content.

Designed for importing data from text files (such as CSV, TXT or TSV).

Key Features of the IMPORTTEXT Function

Syntax:

=IMPORTTEXT(Path; [Delimiter]; [SkipRows]; [TakeRows]; [Encoding]; [Locale])

Parameters:

• Path: Local path to the file or URL of the text file that needs to be imported
• [Delimiter]: (Optional) A character or set of characters that separates columns in the file. If omitted, the function will return solid text.
• [SkipRows]: (Optional) A number indicating how many rows to skip. A negative value skips rows from the end of the array.
• [TakeRows]: (Optional) A number determining how many rows to return. A negative value takes rows from the end of the array.
• [Encoding]: (Optional) File encoding. By default, UTF-8 is used.
• [Locale]: (Optional) Defines regional formatting (locale) for automatic conversion of dates, numbers, etc. By default, data is returned as text.

Usage Example

The IMPORTTEXT() function is extremely useful for automating the processing of external data. Just specify the file path and formatting parameters, and Excel (Calc) will automatically load the content:

=IMPORTTEXT(Path; Delimiter)

We will have the following result:

In this example, the following values are used:

• Path: B1 - Full path to your file ("C:\temp\U36 11-12-21.txt").
• Delimiter: B2 - Space character as a delimiter (" ").
• SkipRows: B3 - Skip the first 7 rows (7).
• TakeRows: B4 - Display 24 rows (24).
• Encoding: B5 - Use default encoding ("").
• Locale: B6 - Recognize data based on regional formatting for the English language and the USA ("en-US").

Corresponding data from the text file:

How It Works?

Simply enter the IMPORTTEXT() function in any cell, specifying the appropriate parameters. After this, you need to press Ctrl+Shift+Enter to enter the array formula and LO Calc will automatically return a table with data.

In order to select all cells associated with the array formula, simply select any cell in the array and press Ctrl+/.

If it is necessary to convert the array formula into values - select the entire array and in the Data > Calculate menu select Formula to Value.

Download Extension

You can use the IMPORTTEXT() function by installing the YLC Utilities extension.

After that, this function will be available in all files opened in Excel (LibreOffice Calc).