ArkMatrix supports two versions of CSV file import/export, Simple Relationships and Tagged Relationships.
The Simple Relationship format consists of two columns representing an Above/Below stratigraphic relationship between two stratigraphic units.
The Tagged Relationship format consists of 3 columns, with the first two columns detailing the stratigraphic units and the third column describing the stratigraphic relationship them, such as above, same, or subgroup. This format also supports including site metadata.
Neither format supports a header row, i.e. every row will be interpreted as data.
The simple relationship format consists of two columns representing an Above relationship, i.e. the Stratigraphic Unit in column A is Above the Stratigraphic Unit in column B. There is no header row.
Example:
| Unit1 | Unit2 |
| Unit2 | Unit3 |
| Unit2 | Unit4 |
| Unit3 | Unit5 |
| Unit4 | Unit5 |
Units may be chained to enter a sting of above/below relationships:
| Unit1 | Unit2 |
| Unit3 | |
| Unit4 | |
| Unit5 |
Is the equivalent of the matrix chain:
Unit1 | Unit2 | Unit3 | Unit4 | Unit5
This would be the equivalent of the following:
| Unit1 | Unit2 |
| Unit2 | Unit3 |
| Unit3 | Unit4 |
| Unit4 | Unit5 |
See https://gitlab.com/arklab/ArkMatrix/-/blob/master/tests/harris/csv_simple.csv for another example.
The tagged relationship format supports more features by allowing relationships to be tagged in a third column, i.e. the tag in column C defines the relationship between the Stratigraphic Units in columns A and B. There is no header row defined.
File Metadata Tags:
Unit Metadata Tags:
Relationship Tags:
Aggregation Tags:
All Metadata and Aggregation tags are optional. Tags may be included in any order, except the 'site' and 'dataset' tags which if defined should be listed first so they can be used when processing the following units. It is recommended that the tags be written in the order listed above, i.e. File Metadata, Unit Metadata, Relationship, Aggregation.
Other tags may be included in the file, such as 'description' or 'location', but these will be ignored by ArkMatrix.
Example:
| MNO12 | site | |
| Area A | dataset | |
| Unit1 | assigned | status |
| Unit1 | fill | class |
| Unit1 | label | Unit 1 |
| Unit7 | void | status |
| Unit1 | Unit2 | above |
| Unit2 | Unit3 | above |
| Unit2 | Unit4 | above |
| Unit3 | Unit5 | above |
| Unit4 | Unit5 | above |
| Unit5 | Unit6 | same |
| Unit3 | Unit4 | contemporary |
| Unit1 | Subgroup1 | subgroup |
| Unit2 | Subgroup2 | subgroup |
| Unit3 | Subgroup2 | subgroup |
| Unit4 | Subgroup3 | subgroup |
| Unit5 | Subgroup3 | subgroup |
| Unit6 | Subgroup3 | subgroup |
| Subgroup1 | Group1 | group |
| Subgroup2 | Group2 | group |
| Subgroup3 | Group2 | group |
Units may be chained the same as in the Simple Relationship Format.
| Unit1 | Unit2 | above |
| Unit3 | above | |
| Unit4 | above | |
| Unit5 | above |
See https://gitlab.com/arklab/ArkMatrix/-/blob/master/tests/harris/csv_format.csv for another example.
To generate a graphical version of smaller matrices, install yEd https://www.yworks.com/products/yed.