Importing and Exporting Load Tables

Importing and exporting load tables in the Load Tables function is available in Sierra 6.3 and later.

To import or export a load table using the Load Tables function, you must be assigned permission 711 (Edit Load Tables). See Permissions Used by Sierra for more information.

In the Load Tables function, you can import and export load tables to and from your local PC. This workflow allows you to work on load tables offline and import them when you are ready to use them in Sierra.

For more information, see the following sections:

Importing a Load Table

Sierra provides two ways to import a load table:

Create a New Load Table during Import

Use this method when you want to add a new load table to Sierra.

To import a new load table:

  1. Select Load Tables from the Function list.
  2. Select Edit | Import load table. Sierra opens the Choose file to import dialog.
  3. Navigate to the directory containing the load table you want to import.
  4. Select the load table, and click Open. Sierra opens the load table in the editor, but has not saved it yet.
  5. Click Save on the toolbar. Sierra opens the Save Load Table As... dialog.
  6. Enter the file extension for the new load table.

You do not need to enter a period before the file extension. If you do, the resulting file will appear with two periods (for example, "m2btab..bib").

  1. Click OK. Sierra does one of the following:
    • If you entered a file extension that's already in use, Sierra asks if you want to overwrite the existing load table. You can:
      • Click Yes to overwrite the load table. Sierra overwrites the existing load table and displays the new load table.
      • Click No to return to the imported load table. You can repeat steps 5 - 7 if you want to save the load table using a different file extension.
    • If you entered a file extension not in use, Sierra saves the imported load table and switches you to it.

Overwrite an Existing Load Table during Import

Use this method when you want to overwrite an existing load table with the one you are importing.

To import a load table and overwrite an existing one:

  1. Select Load Tables from the Function list.
  2. Select the load table you want to overwrite, and click Edit on the toolbar. Sierra displays the load table.
  3. Select Edit | Import load table. Sierra opens the Choose file to import dialog.
  4. Navigate to the directory containing the load table you want to import.
  5. Select the load table, and click Open. Sierra asks if you want to replace the contents of the current load table.
  6. Do one of the following:
    • Click Yes to replace the contents of the existing load table with the content from the imported load table.
    • Click No if you don't want to replace the contents of the existing load table. Sierra prompts you to save the imported load table using a different file extension.
  7. Click Save on the toolbar.

Exporting a Load Table

To export a load table:

  1. Select Load Tables from the Function list.
  2. Select the load table you want to export, and click Edit on the toolbar. Sierra displays the load table.
  3. Select Edit | Export load table. Sierra opens the Choose output file dialog.
  4. Navigate to the folder where you want to save the file.
  5. (Optional) If you want to rename the load table, change the value in the File Name field.
  6. Click Save. Sierra does one of the following:
    • If a file with that name already exists, the system asks if you want to overwrite it. Go to the next step.
    • If the file name is unique, the system saves the load and closes the Choose output file dialog.
  7. If prompted to overwrite the file, do one of the following:
    • Click Yes to overwrite the existing load table.
    • Click No to return to the Choose output file dialog, where you can either rename the exported file and try again or cancel the export process.