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Import eLion Class List

This page will explain how to retrieve an eLion Class List, then import it to an Excel spread Sheet.
Note: The information is based on data from Spring 2004. Details may change from semester to semester.

This Page

  1. Retrieve Class List from eLion
  2. Importing the Class List into Excel
  3. Identifying eLion Columns

Retrieve Class List from eLion

This section explains how to down a class list from eLion which can be imported into Excel.

  1. Open a web browser and go to: http://elion.psu.edu.
  2. Click on the Faculty link in the left menu. The Penn State User Authentication screen appears.
  3. Enter your Penn State Access Account userid (e.g., xyz123) and Password (i.e., the same password you use when accessing your email); click OK.
  4. After you log in, click the Class Lists link in the left menu.

    e-Lion Screen Capture
  5. From the main window on the right, highlight the semester for which you would like a class list and click Continue.
  6. Check the button for the appropriate course, then select Retrieve class list.
    Note: If you see an error message instead of a list of courses, then check to be sure that you have selected the correct semester and that your department has listed you as an instructor of record in ISIS.
    E lion screen showing LING 404 and radio button checked.
  7. The next screen is a roster list. Click E-Mail Class List (spreadsheet format) to tell the server to send you the list which can be imported into Excel.

A text file of the class list will be e-mailed to you.

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Importing the Class List into Excel

After you retrieved the class list from eLion, you should receive a message from registrar@psu.edu with the subject line "eLion Class List" and a list of student names with data following their names. This will be turned into a comma delimited file which can be imported into Excel.

Sample Data

The data will resemble the list below. Note that the first column are PSU ID numbers.

"1 2345 6789 ","Riker William T.","wtr000@psu.edu","UP","07","PSYBA"," ","3.0"," "," ","","M"
"9 8976 4321","Troi Deanna X.","dxt000@psu.edu","UP","06","LING"," ","3.0"," "," ","8145551212","F"

Preparing the Text

Before the data can be opened in Excel, it needs to be reformatted slightly.

  1. Select all the class list data in your e-mail message, then select Edit then Copy from the menu.
  2. Open a blank document in Microsoft Word or other word processor or text editor.
  3. In the menu, select Edit » Paste. The document should contain the class list data.
  4. If you are using Word, select Edit » Replace to open the "Find and Replace" window.
  5. Find and replace all quote marks by entering " into the Find What field and leaving the Replace with field blank. Click Replace All to complete the operation.
  6. Select File » Save As in the menu.
    Windows: In the Save As Type field, select Plain Text (*.txt) and click Save.
    Mac: In the Format field, select Text Only (MS-DOS). Do not select text with line break option.
  7. The file will be saved as a .txt file. Click OK for any warnings about losing formatting changes. Close document the window

Opening the File in Excel (Text Import Wizard)

This section will describe how to import the comma delimited file into Excel via the Import Wizard.

  1. Start the Excel program, then select File » Close to close the blank document.
  2. To open the .txt file, select File » Open to open the file browse window.
    Windows: In the Files of Type field at the bottom, select Text Files.
    Mac: In the Enable field at the top, select All Readable Documents.
  3. Locate the .txt file you created, then click Open.
  4. An import wizard window will open. In the first screen, select Delimited and click Next.
  5. In the second screen, check Comma as a delimiter. You should see columns corresponding to different types of data inserted. Click Next.
  6. For step 3, highlight the first column (corresponding to student ID number), then change the "Column data format" from General to Text. This will prevent the student ID numbers starting with zero from being shortened. Click Finish to complete the import.
  7. To resave the file as an Excel spreadsheet, select File » Save As.
    Windows: In the Save As Type field, select Microsoft Office Excel Worksheet (*.xls) and click Save.
    Mac: In the Format field, select the Excel 97 Workbook option.

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Identifying eLion Data Headers

In the spreadsheet, you will see that the data is nor organized into individual cells. The first five columns are:

Additional columns include e-mail, registration status and student gender.

Insert a Header Row

To insert a header row identifying the data, do the following.

  1. Highlight row 1 (the topmost row) with your cursor.
  2. Right-click (or Command-click on a Mac) and select Insert.
  3. A blank row will be inserted at the top. Fill in each cell to identify the column as needed.

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Contact the Webmaster (ejp10@psu.edu) for questions or comments. Material based on content prepared by Roxanne Toto and others.

Last Update: August 26, 2009