Creating your own data streams with Excel and Dropbox

by André (andre.hess@junar.com)

In Junar we use Dropbox all the time. It's a great service and we love it. Also some of us are loyal fans of Microsoft Excel and because of the data company we are in we have always tried to think on simple solutions to share data you have develop (or researched). What we discovered is Dropbox it's a great tool for publishing your own data in excel files online, share it and make it more usable (for fans/users/followers) with Junar.

To create a data stream in Junar with Dropbox first you need the following:

  • An Excel file with data in it (obviously).
  • Dropbox installed in your computer

For this example we are going to create a data stream that contains some info about Junar's team members:

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Now just follow these simple steps:

1. Save your Excel file in HTML format (Excel 2011 has the quick option called 'Save as a Web page' / the long way is to click Save As and change the format of the file to web page/html). You can only create data streams for single sheets so remember to select only to save the selected sheet while saving the HTML file (this is very important, if this is not selected Junar will not be able to grab it).

Format_web_page

 

2. Place the HTML file you just created in the folder called PUBLIC within Dropbox folders. (when you install dropbox it places a folder called DROPBOX and inside of it there is a folder called PUBLIC)

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3. Go to the PUBLIC folder and right click on your file >Dropbox >Copy Public Link (now you have the file's URL copied in your clipboard)

Public

4. Now go to your favorite internet browser and paste the URL you have copied into the address bar or into Junar's Collect Data bar and start creating your data stream!

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5. Data Stream Ready =) (you can check this DS with this link: http://bit.ly/jI7UMN)

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So now if you got data you want to share, don't hesitate. Uploaded into Dropbox and let your followers/fans/and friends track it and use it with Junar! 

Got even better tips on how to use Junar with other apps or services? Let us know! Send them to contact@junar.com and we will share them with the community. Also if you had trouble with this tutorial let us know at support@junar.com

Disclaimer: whatver you place on your PUBLIC folder will be publicly available and could be seen by anyone on the web. Also if you delete the file the DS won't work.