Import Encyclopedia Article

Import

The following sections of this BookRags Literature Study Guide is offprint from Gale's For Students Series: Presenting Analysis, Context, and Criticism on Commonly Studied Works: Introduction, Author Biography, Plot Summary, Characters, Themes, Style, Historical Context, Critical Overview, Criticism and Critical Essays, Media Adaptations, Topics for Further Study, Compare & Contrast, What Do I Read Next?, For Further Study, and Sources.

(c)1998-2002; (c)2002 by Gale. Gale is an imprint of The Gale Group, Inc., a division of Thomson Learning, Inc. Gale and Design and Thomson Learning are trademarks used herein under license.

The following sections, if they exist, are offprint from Beacham's Encyclopedia of Popular Fiction: "Social Concerns", "Thematic Overview", "Techniques", "Literary Precedents", "Key Questions", "Related Titles", "Adaptations", "Related Web Sites". (c)1994-2005, by Walton Beacham.

The following sections, if they exist, are offprint from Beacham's Guide to Literature for Young Adults: "About the Author", "Overview", "Setting", "Literary Qualities", "Social Sensitivity", "Topics for Discussion", "Ideas for Reports and Papers". (c)1994-2005, by Walton Beacham.

All other sections in this Literature Study Guide are owned and copyrighted by BookRags, Inc.

Import

Import refers to the use of data that has been produced by another application. The ability to shift data from one place to another, and from one software application to another, allows programs to complement each other. For example, the graphical representation of data in a spreadsheet can be imported into a word processing document, which can enhance the appearance and effect of the document.

A variety of software programs exist that enable data to be imported from ASCII files, spreadsheets, mathematical programs, and graphics files. Importing data into a spreadsheet program can be straightforward, if the program accepts HTML files. The data to be imported is saved as an HTML file, which can then be imported directly into the spreadsheet. Other programs have also simplified the import process. For example, software programs can import references cited from a literature search on networks such as Medline into text documents. Importing can be tailored for many journal styles, or for presentation by a variety of criteria (such as in alphabetical order).