The CSV export function on the LiveSky website appears to use a MIME type of text/plain, which result in the data being displayed as plain text in Safari on an iPad, rather than actually being downloaded. This makes it very difficult to share the CSV data with other apps like Excel via the share sheet. RFC4180 recommends that CSV be typed as text/CSV.
It also appears all of the text of the download gets encoded in the URL -weird. I can send an example URL if it will help.
We haven't been able to reproduce the issue you describe, but we are definitely not setting the correct MIME type, which I will fix. What browser are you using?
I can reproduce This reliably. I am using Safari on the iPad - a 10.5 running iOS 11.2.5. I have attached a screen shot.
the really weird symptom is the URL displayed in the address bar - it is actually showing the entity-header (the mime type) and the message body.
I’ve never seen this happen before. It’s almost like the http response header is missing its terminator.
Here’s part of what is showing up in the address bar (the whole export is there, so I have trimmed it):
data:text/plain;charset=utf-8,Julian%20Date%2C%20Target%20Name%2C%20Target%20Common%20Names%2C%20Target%20Catalog%20Numbers%2C%20Site%20Name%2C%20Site%20Lat%2C%20Site%20Long%2C%20Seeing%2C%20Faintest%20Star%2C%20Sky%20Quality%2C%20Equipment%2C%20Comments%0A2456970.568448584%2CAldebaran%2C%22Aldebaran%2CParilicium%22%2C%22%24a%20Tau%2C87%20Tau%2CHR%201457%2CHD%2029139%2CSAO%2094027%2CBD%20%2B16%20629%2CHIP%2021421%2CBU%20550%22%2C%2C%2C%2C0%2C0%2C0%2C%22%22%2C%22Near%20full%20moon.%0ALocation%3A%20Natick%2C%20MA%2C%20United%20States%0AEquipment%3ANextar%206%20SE%2C%2025mm%20Nextar%22%2C%0A2456986.621736111%2CCastor%2C%22Castor%22%2C%22%24a%20Gem%2C66%20Gem%2CHR%202890%2CHD%2060178%2CSAO%2060198%2CBD%20%2B32%201581%2CHIP%2036850%2CSTF%201110%22%2C%2C%2C%2C0%2C0%2C0%2C%22%22%2C%22Binary%20not%20observed.%20Re-added%20to%20starter%20list.%0ALocation%3A%20Natick%2C%20MA%2C%20United%20States%0AEquipment%3ANextar%206%20SE%2C%2025mm%20Nextar%22%2C%0A2457190.56720545%2CDouble%20Double%2C%22Double%20Double%22%2C%22%24e2%20Lyr%2C5%20Lyr%2CHR%207053%2CHD%20173607%2CSAO%2067315%2CBD%20%2B39%203510%2CHIP%2091926%2CSTF%202383%22%2C%2C%2C%2C0%2C0%2C0%2C%22%22%2C%22Saw%20Vega%2C%20double-double%20and%20HR%207401%20in%20large%20binocs.%20Poor%20transparency%20-%20high%20clouds%20coming%20in.%0A%0AGetting%20more%20used%20to%20the%20bcinoculars%2C%20or%20more%20precisely%2C%20astronomy%20from%20a%20chaise%20lounge%20on%20the%20deck.%0ALocation%3A%20Natick%2C%20MA%0AEquipment%3A10x50%20Binocular%22%2C%0A2457240.554344877%2C%2C%22%22%2C%22M%203%2CNGC%205272%22%2C%2C%2C%2C0%2C0%2C0%2C%22
This should now be fixed. Using the "More..." option, you can save to a local file. That being said, working with downloaded files is typically done on a desktop, which is how this is really intended to be used.
Is it now working for you?
Thanks, Dave. The fix is an improvement. When I click the download link, the file still appears in the browser window rather than downloading, however the CSV formatting is preserved, and and you can use the share sheet to save a copy to Numbers or Excel for further manipulation. The URL is still pretty funky - other than the MIME type change, the whole data stream is showing up there.
There were a few places in my test where the data ended up in the wrong rows and cells after exporting. This could be the result of incorrect quoting of commas already in the data. I’ll take a look at my data from SS5 to see if it exports correctly as a cross-check. I can send you samples of Numbers and Excel exports if needed (I’d rather not post these to the community.)
Finally, a heartfelt plea to stop telling people where / how to do their computing - you are hurting the reputation of your product with your target market by doing so. I buy SkySafari Pro because it is the best astronomy app on iOS. I don’t own a desktop and I’m getting very close to retiring my laptop for all but a few work-related functions. I certainly don’t want to use a desktop / laptop for astronomy. This is not only for portability reasons, but I’ll also assert that being able to manipulate your star charts and plan observations by touching the screen is hands-down the best interface for astronomy, and SS Pro is the best at doing this. I used online charts up until the time I got my first Mac astronomy app (Voyager, on a CD); I have SS5 for the Mac but to be honest I rarely use it because the iPad user experience is so much better. I can never see going back to online, with mice, trackpads, download times and all that getting between me and my star charts. I understand you have plans to bring more functionality online and sincerely wish you the best of luck - but it isn’t a product for me, and I really hope SS6 Pro will not end up getting mixed with it, other than the behind-the-scenes sync.
So, please put all your energy into making SS6 Pro the best it can be for planning, observing, logging and managing all aspects of astronomy on iOS. (Feel free to share with Bill and Keiron.)
Rest assured that we're committed to making SS6 the best tool for all of your astronomical pursuits. There is no need for a desktop or for LiveSky.com... lists can be exported directly within SS6. (After selecting a list, choose Actions and Settings > Email Observing List.)
LiveSky.com is meant to be an additional way to access and share your data, not a replacement. If you don't like it, no need to use it!