Annotation Spreadsheet View

What is Spreadsheet View

Spreadsheet View displays annotations in a table where each row represents an annotation and each column represents an annotation field/property. Users can quickly scan data, apply filters, make bulk edits, and move annotation data in and out of the platform using CSV files.

Edit Annotation Properties

Users can edit supported annotation properties directly within the spreadsheet interface. Changes made in Spreadsheet View update the corresponding annotations in the project.

This makes it easy to:

Correct data
Update labels or attributes
Perform quick edits across multiple annotations

Follow the steps below to edit annotation properties.

Click the ellipsis button (...) next to the annotation group to access additional layer settings.
Click Spreadsheet View.
Make sure the correct annotation template is selected.
Single Select: Users can click on any field they want to edit.

Note: 3D Shape field cannot be edited.
Multiple Select: Users can select multiple cells by pressing Cmd + Click (Mac) and Ctrl + Click (Windows)
For dropdown fields, select the appropriate value.
For all other fields, a text box will be available for editing.
Click Apply to make the changes.
Users will be notified on the number of changes pending. They can also see the pending changes highlighted in light orange.
Click Save changes to finalize and apply all changes.

Filter Annotations

Annotations can be filtered based on defined criteria, allowing users to narrow down the dataset and focus on relevant items only.

Filtering helps users:

Find specific annotations quickly
Review subsets of data
Prepare targeted exports

Below are the steps on how to filter annotations.

Click the filter icon for the annotation field the user wants to filter.
Users can select the value/s they want to filter.
Click Apply Filter button to filter the annotation results by the selected field.
Users can add multiple filters as well.
Click Clear All Filters to restore the original data.

Export Annotations to CSV

Users can export annotations as a CSV file. The exported file can be opened and edited using common spreadsheet, word processing, or code editing applications.

This supports offline editing, bulk updates, and external review workflows.

Follow the steps below on how to export annotations.

Click Export to save the data in a CSV format.
View and edit the data in any third-party software.

Import Annotations from CSV

Users can import annotations from a CSV file to update existing annotations or create new ones. This enables bulk creation and modification without manual entry.

Imported annotations are validated before being added to the project to ensure data consistency and correctness.

CSV Import Guidelines for Annotations
When importing annotations using a CSV file, the following rules must be followed.
1. Mandatory Fields
  The following fields must not be empty:
  1. Color
  2. Points
  3. Shape Type
  If any of these fields are missing or empty, the import will fail.
2. Points/Polygons Validation
  Points and polygons must correspond to the specified shape type.
  Point-based shapes must be labeled as POINTS, while polygon-based shapes must be labeled as POLYGONS.
  
  If the points or polygons do not align with the shape type, the annotation will not be imported.
3. Point and URL Fields
  Fields that store arrays, such as Points and URLs, must be enclosed in double quotes and formatted as an array.
```
"[]"
```
  Failure to follow this format will cause import errors.
4. Date Format
  All date fields must use the following format:
```
MM/DD/YYYY
```
  Dates that do not follow this format will be rejected during import.
5. Dropdown Fields
  Values in dropdown fields must match the values defined in the selected annotation template.

Here's how users can import annotations:

Users must ensure that all edits in the CSV file are validated before importing.
Click Import to initiate the process.
Select the CSV file and click Open.
Any changes or additions to the current data will be highlighted in light orange.
Click Save Changes to finalize.

Note: Refer to this example CSV file for a proper reference when importing annotations.

Importing New Annotations while Preserving Existing Ones

When importing new annotations:

All fields available in the CSV must be included.
Annotation ID must be excluded.

These rules ensure that new annotations are generated correctly during import.

Here's how users can import new annotations:

When working with a large number of annotations, users can add annotations in SKAND by importing them.

Read this section that also covers the data validation requirements that must be met before importing.
Users can manually add rows to the CSV file, as long as all fields are populated except for the annotation ID.
Once data from the CSV has been validated, click Import.
Select the CSV file and click Open.
The additions to the current data will be highlighted in light orange.
Click Save changes to finalize.