How to convert a CSV file to FIT

A place for the community to help each other out with getting the most out of the Combine FIT, GPX or TCX files for Strava Upload Tool.
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fulmar2
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How to convert a CSV file to FIT

Post by fulmar2 »

I've received a number of questions about this tool recently, so I decided to create a FAQ for the CSV to FIT tool.

CSV File Format:
I have a little help on this topic here: Uploading CSV File Format Tips. Note that there are two templates that you can download. The tool tries to be flexible with the way it handles column headers. It is case-insensitive, and it looks for keywords (or fragments of keywords) such as "cad" for "cadence" and "heart" for "heart rate". You will notice that there is a "simple" and "advanced" template. As of this writing, many of the fields in the "Advanced" CSV file will NOT export to FIT. I'm working on that... I have definitely included most of the fields that are pertinent to cycling/running/swimming when translating from CSV to FIT. Also note that the tool tries to be generous in the sense that it will accept commas or tabs as delimiters for the most part.

How Does it Work?
To Convert a CSV file to a FIT file, simply upload the properly formatted CSV file here. I know that this is a "merge" tool, but it works even if you only have one file. I've pooled many of my tools into one to reduce the complexity for users trying to find the "right" tool for their needs. You can even ZIP the CSV file to make it upload faster.

What about Converting FIT to CSV?
Have you ever wanted to see all of the information inside of your FIT file? Here is a chance to do that. Here is the tool to Convert FIT files to CSV. The CSV format that the tool produces is designed to be imported back into GOTOES, so you will see the GOTOES tags in the first column. You can just delete that column if you don't need to re-import back to GOTOES. One big advantage to using this converter is that it uses a different (and more efficient) engine to read your FIT file. Therefore, if you are struggling to upload those huge Wahoo files (that are overloaded with data) to my Merge tool, you can probably convert them to CSV using the FIT->CSV tool, and then upload the ZIPPED CSV to my merger - and it will process very quickly.

Why can't you read all of the CSV fields when converting CSV->FIT?
Some day, I would like to add more fields to the FIT files that are exported by GOTOES. This tool mainly focused around Strava, which only displays Power, Heart Rate, Cadence, Temperature, and Pace. Meanwhile, Garmin Connect shows a lot more data, including "Connect IQ" fields. As much as I would love to add in all of your special fields, my target audience is still Strava users - and honestly, only a small percentage of users care about fields like "min_saturated_hemoglobin_percent"...
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