Convert to RTF

[Bob Whitaker]

I feel I should know this but am looking for the best method please.

I have a table with 15 character fields (80chr long) - the number of fields with data varies from record to record.

I need to get that data into an RTF Memo field in a new table.

I have managed so far by appending to a new table into a normal memo field using

Line1+chr(13)+Line2+chr(13) etc

And then converting the memo field to an RTF memo field but feel sure there is a more elegant solution out there somewhere.

Bob Whitaker

[Tom Henkel]

Re: Convert to RTF

Bob,

The only thing I might suggest is that you use an alltrim(fieldXX) so that you don't carry all those extra spaces into the memo field.

If your fields were similarly named, I guess you could use a loop to perform the operation.

Tom

[Keith Hubert]

Re: Convert to RTF

Hi Bob,

Not sure if this is what you are looking for, INSERT_TEXT_IN_RTF_MEMO().

[Bob Whitaker]

Re: Convert to RTF

Thanks Keith I found that - I now have to write some code to gather up the text in the 15 fields - weed out blanks and place in a variable that can use that function.

Bob

[Keith Hubert]

Re: Convert to RTF

Hi Bob,

Found the script I used in 2005, created by Jim Chapman.

t=table.open("notes")
	t.fetch_first()

	t.batch_begin()

while .not. t.fetch_eof()
	t.change_begin()
		insert_text_in_rtf_memo(t,"free_text2_rtf",t.free_text_2,1,"arial,10","Black")
	t.change_end()
	t.fetch_next()
end while

t.batch_end()
t.close()

ui_msg_box("RTF Update","Finished")

[CALocklin]

Re: Convert to RTF

And I suggest you NOT use chr(13). Use crlf() instead - which is actually more correct.

The crlf() is really just a chr(13) and a chr(10) although I don't recall which comes first. (I think it's 13 then 10 but I could be wrong.)

WHY? Because I used to use chr(13) but found places in v9 where the chr(13) doesn't work. I don't remember where it was but it convinced me to change all my chr(13) uses to a crlf().

Some background for any young-uns out there:

"Back in the day" (and apparently still today in some situations) there was a "carriage return" and a "line feed" and both were separate. Sometimes a user wanted just a "carriage return" so they could type over something on the current line - hence no line feed; just a carriage return. (I don't remember why or what program but I remember programming something like this back when I was at Ford.) Or, they might want a line feed without a carriage return so they could type something on the next line at the current location or a few spaces further to the right.

To go even further back, think about a typewriter. The normal thing to do was to push the "carriage return" lever which rotated the drum one line space (a line feed) at the same time it moved the whole carriage to the right (returning the carriage to it's starting point). However, a light touch on the lever could also be used to simply create a line feed or you could just press on the end of the carriage to return it without adding a line feed.

Obviously the full "carriage return/line feed" was most common and still is. But sometimes one or the other is all you want.

HINT: And, since I've discovered that some people have missed this, the crlf() function can take an argument for multiple line feeds - crlf(2) will add a blank line as well as a new line and crlf(3) would add two blank lines, etc.

I'm pretty sure you can even use crlf(0). I seem to recall running into a situation where I wanted to define the number of new lines with a variable and there were some situations were the variable was actually set to 0 and it worked.

Disclaimer: I've never tested the crlf() vs. chr(13) in RTF fields but would be shocked if crlf() caused a problem.