Export Question

[John Cunradi]

I am designing an app that needs an export in a different than typical way.
It would be a text file with the field name and then the field data on the same line. Then the next field name and data on the following line, etc.

For example:
CATEGORY_USE = Yes
CATEGORY_PROMPT = Department
CATEGORY_SIZE = 6

Note: the all-caps are the field names, after the = sign is the data for the field

For the data I am exporting, there is only a single record but there are over 450 fields of data.
It's much more readable to look at one line at a time rather than a huge header line followed by a huge data line.
Matching data to field visually is virtually impossible in that case.

I have got it to work by creating a letter and then printing it to a text file.
The trouble is that I don't know how to make that letter print as a text file automatically and with a pre-specified file name as the result.

Since it will be a distributed app, everything needs to be automatic for the users.

Any ideas ?

Thanks.

[Stan Mathews]

Re: Export Question

Probably the easiest way to handle this is with the file.create(), file.write_line(), etc methods.

Try this in AlphaSports.

tbl = table.open("customer")
tbl.fetch_first()
flds = tbl.field_name_get()
cnt = line_count(flds)
fil = file.create("c:\temp\customer.txt",FILE_RW_EXCLUSIVE)
for qx = 1 to cnt
	fld_name = word(flds,qx)
	fld_val = tbl.field_get(qx).value_get()
	fil.write_line(fld_name +" = "+fld_val)
next qx
fil.flush()
fil.close()
tbl.close()

And if you really want something readable.....

fil.write_line(padr(upper(fld_name),50," ") +" = "+fld_val)

to replace the fil.write_line(.......... above.

[csda1]

Re: Export Question

Hi Stan,

Probably the easiest way to handle this is with the file.create(), file.write_line(), etc methods

Actually, for size of files that can be kept in main memory, 50 Megabytes or less (although 200 Megabytes would work too), I would build a text string, and then write the file, as in

tbl = table.open("customer")
tbl.fetch_first()
flds = tbl.field_name_get()
cnt = line_count(flds)
dim output_text as c
output_text=""
for qx = 1 to cnt
	fld_name = word(flds,qx)
	fld_val = tbl.field_get(qx).value_get()
	output_text=output_text+fld_name +" = "+fld_val
next qx
tbl.close()
Save_to_file(output_text,"c:\temp\customer.txt")

The advantage is the file is not open for long periods (which leaves file fragments if/when computer crashes), and you are not wasting network resources if file is located on the network, 1 line at a time.

At one time in Alpha, you would have had to do it 1 line at a time, but no longer.

[Stan Mathews]

Re: Export Question

Thanks, Ira.

I would have too but I was demonstrating the various commands. I probably would have used for each...next as well, feeding the placeholder to tbl.field_get(), but I'm old fashioned.

[John Cunradi]

Re: Export Question

The file.create() was the function I was looking for.

Once I got a single line to generate correctly, I did a copy-paste for the next line and modified it.

It'll be tedious doing that for over 450 fields but at least it can be done.

Thanks Stan

[Stan Mathews]

Re: Export Question

Not sure what you mean. The snippet I gave you reads the field names and their values and creates the file you specified. No extra lines needed. You just change the table name and the path-filename to save as.

[John Cunradi]

Re: Export Question

The bulletin board must have burped or something.

When I first viewed your response, there was no code whatsoever. All I saw was this line:

Stan Mathews

Probably the easiest way to handle this is with the file.create(), file.write_line(), etc methods.

So I started writing the code below:
Yours works great, much easier than my way...Thanks a lot.

dim tbl as P
tbl = table.open("c:\Vyperra-CFG\configuration.dbf")
file_pointer = file.create("c:\Vyperra-CFG\Archive\configuration.txt", FILE_RW_EXCLUSIVE)
tbl.fetch_first()
while .NOT. tbl.fetch_eof()
file_pointer.write_line("; **** SYSTEM FIELDS")
file_pointer.write_line("SYS_APPNAME = " + tbl.sys_appname)
file_pointer.write_line("SYS_MONEY_DECIMAL = " + tbl.sys_money_decimal)
file_pointer.write_line("SYS_MONEY_SYMBOL = " + tbl.sys_money_symbol)
file_pointer.write_line("SYS_BL_TIMEOUT = " + tbl.sys_bl_timeout)
file_pointer.write_line("SYS_VERSION = " + tbl.sys_version)
file_pointer.write_line("SYS_RF_INTERVAL = " + tbl.sys_rf_interval)
file_pointer.write_line("SYS_RF_UPLOADTIME = " + tbl.sys_rf_uploadtime)
file_pointer.write_line("SYS_RF_LOCATOR_CLOSEOUT = " + tbl.sys_rf_locator_closeout)
file_pointer.write_line("SYS_RF_LOC_CLOSE_OVERRIDE = " + tbl.sys_rf_loc_close_override)
file_pointer.write_line("SYS_SUP_PASSWORD = " + tbl.sys_sup_password)
file_pointer.write_line("SYS_REC_EDIT = " + tbl.sys_rec_edit)
file_pointer.write_line("SYS_REC_DELETE = " + tbl.sys_rec_delete)
file_pointer.write_line("SYS_REC_UNDELETE = " + tbl.sys_rec_undelete)
file_pointer.write_line("SYS_REC_RANGE_EDIT = " + tbl.sys_rec_range_edit)
file_pointer.write_line("SYS_REC_RANGE_DELETE = " + tbl.sys_rec_range_delete)
file_pointer.write_line("SYS_REC_RANGE_UNDELETE = " + tbl.sys_rec_range_undelete)
file_pointer.write_line("SYS_GLOBAL_EDIT = " + tbl.sys_global_edit)
file_pointer.write_line("SYS_GLOBAL_DELETE = " + tbl.sys_global_delete)
file_pointer.write_line("SYS_GLOBAL_UNDELETE = " + tbl.sys_global_undelete)
file_pointer.write_line("SYS_GOOD_SCAN_BEEP = " + tbl.sys_good_scan_beep)
file_pointer.write_line("SYS_SCAN_SYMBOLOGY = " + tbl.sys_scan_symbology)
file_pointer.write_line("SYS_TOTALS_STATS = " + tbl.sys_totals_stats)
file_pointer.write_line("SYS_MISC_LOGIC1 = " + tbl.sys_misc_logic1)
file_pointer.write_line("SYS_MISC_LOGIC2 = " + tbl.sys_misc_logic2)
file_pointer.write_line("SYS_MISC_CHAR1 = " + tbl.sys_misc_char1)
file_pointer.write_line("SYS_MISC_CHAR2 = " + tbl.sys_misc_char2)
file_pointer.write_line("SYS_MISC_NUM1 = " + tbl.sys_misc_num1)
file_pointer.write_line("SYS_MISC_NUM2 = " + tbl.sys_misc_num2)
file_pointer.write_line("SYS_LOOPBACK = " + tbl.sys_loopback)
file_pointer.write_line("SYS_LOC_AUTO_INC = " + tbl.sys_loc_auto_inc)
file_pointer.write_line("; **** LOCATOR FIELDS")
file_pointer.write_line("L4_USE = " + tbl.l4_use)
file_pointer.write_line("L4_PROMPT = " + tbl.l4_prompt)
tbl.fetch_next()
end while
file_pointer.flush()
file_pointer.close()