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import multi line text

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    import multi line text

    I am from the Sarnia Computer Users' Group and I am reviewing Alpha
    Five. I have a question about importing, I have a 900 record DOS
    database (not .dbf) that I need to transfer to Windows, below is a
    sample of what it it.

    --------
    NAME : SARNIA COMPUTER USERS' GROUP

    ADDRESS : 718 Cathcart Boulevard, Sarnia, ON N7V 2N5

    Fax :(519) 542-4566

    DESCRIPTION : Since 1982, our group consists of members who join
    together each month to learn about computers and solve the problems that
    come with them Both beginners and advanced users watch and participate
    in demonstrations of hardware and software and work together to help
    solve individual problems. Our General Meetings are held once a monthm
    we also have Special Interest Groups, which focus on specific computer
    topics such as Windows, Graphics and Genealogy.

    Meetings: Main meeting - last Wednesday of month (except July,
    August and December).

    Internet address : http://www.sarnia.com/scug

    E-Mail address : [email protected]

    Is there a way to import into A5 so each line (NAME, ADDRESS, etc.) is a
    field?

    Norm

    #2
    RE: import multi line text

    Norm,

    If you can describe the characteristics of the file, or (better) post the file here so we can inspect it, someone will come up with a solution.

    Of course, if it is a text file with each record on its own line and either fixed field lengths or character delimited fields the built in import genie will write the import for you without difficulty.

    Bill
    Bill Hanigsberg

    Comment


      #3
      RE: import multi line text

      Norm,

      Yes, but not without some reformatting of your source data.

      Each row of your source currently corresponds to a single field in an Alpha Five database record. To do the import all of the data for a single member should be reformatted on to a single line, with each line ending in a CR / LF pair. All fields relating to the same member would appear on one line. Each line corresponds to a record in Alpha Five.

      Fields in each row should be delimited by the same character. You should pick something that's not used in the data itself, like maybe the pipe symbol "|".

      Each row must have the same number of fields as the other rows. The field names may be stripped out.

      Data that looks like this:

      George Washington
      101 E. Main St.
      Apt. 4
      Washington, DC 10101

      Harry Truman
      202 W. Broad Avenue
      Kansas City, MO 30303

      Would be reformatted like this:

      George Washington|101 E. Main St.|Apt. 4|Washington|DC|10101
      Harry Truman|202 W. Broad Avenue|Kansas City|MO|30303

      This format type is called ascii character delimited.

      If you prefer you could convert your data to other forms, and Alpha Five could import it from:
      Table ASCII
      Excel 3 or 4
      Lotus 11-2-3, vers 1 thru 3
      or
      Lotus Symphony vers. 1 or 1.1

      -- tom

      Comment


        #4
        RE: import multi line text

        It is possible to write a script to import almost any text file. As William stated if you can post a larger sample or email the entire file to me I'll help you write the script. We need to know what lines of the text file need to be included and how much the data needs to be split IE does the complete address need to be separate fields. Remember that I said: Almost any text file. There must be a way to know when one record ends and the next one starts and which lines of the file contains each field.

        [email protected]

        Comment


          #5
          RE: import multi line text

          ok
          that example I gave is what the output in, but I think I can add () to the field names, I tried doing each field on one line, but I can only do 132 characters per line.
          Your example of the names and address are almost identicle to my example, is there a way I can use this. This is a BIG test for my article and database.

          Thanks
          Norm

          Comment


            #6
            RE: import multi line text

            Norm,

            If your database cannot export the records in the desired format, maybe you can export them as a flat text file, and then use your word processor to do the formatting with a series of search and replace operations.

            Alternatively, you might zip a copy of the data (or representative samples from it) and post it here so we can see if easier solutions might be feasible.

            -- tom

            Comment


              #7
              RE: import multi line text

              If you have a copy of Monarch, data mining software, it would be a simple matter to convert the dos format to something acceptable to all programs.

              Comment


                #8
                RE: import multi line text

                Hi,
                Thanks for all your help, I found another way to export the information, but it is over 25,000 lines of text. Another example below. FIN means finished in French (the program is from Quebec) that is the last field before the next entry.
                Might be too big of a project for anyone. I might be able to change the output (not on single lines) and then export all 900 entries that way.

                Norm

                ------
                -NO-
                SAR1100
                -COMMENTS-
                999 try6
                -ORG_LEVEL_1-
                SARNIA COMPUTER USERS' GROUP
                -ALT_ORG-
                SCUG
                -STREET_BUILDING-
                St. Bartholomew's Church
                -STREET_ADDRESS-
                718 Cathcart Boulevard
                -STREET_CITY-
                Sarnia, ON N7V 2N5
                -ACCESSIBILITY-
                Steps to go down to basement
                -LOCATION-
                St. Bartholomew's Church basement
                -FAX-
                (519) 542-4566
                -DESCRIPTION-
                Since 1982, our group consists of members who join together each
                month to learn about computers and solve the problems that come
                with them Both beginners and advanced users watch and participate
                in demonstrations of hardware and software and work together to
                help solve individual problems. Our General Meetings are held
                once a month we also have Special Interest Groups, which focus on
                specific computer topics such as Windows, Graphics and Genealogy.
                -FEES-
                $35.00/YEAR
                -MEETINGS-
                Main meeting - last Wednesday of month (except July, August and
                December).
                -PRINT_MATERIAL-
                SCUG pamphlets
                -ESTABLISHED-
                1982
                -ELECTIONS-
                Held in June of each year.
                -SUBJECTS-
                COMPUTERS
                -LOCAL_SUBJECTS-
                COMPUTER CLUB
                -CREATED-
                1996-04-13
                -UPDATE_DATE-
                2001-05-17
                -UPDATE_SCHEDULE-
                2001-05-17
                -MODIFIED-
                1996-04-13; 1998-08-04; 1999-05-03
                -FIN-

                Comment


                  #9
                  RE: import multi line text

                  Norm
                  This is a small database for your import. The attached zip file should be extracted to c:\a5data\hardtoimport for the "import" script to work. Than just replace the dist.txt file with your complete file and run the import script from the code tab to import your data into the contacts table. If there are any other fields in your data that were not in the sample data you will have to add them to the script so they will be included in the import.

                  Allen J Klimeck

                  Comment


                    #10
                    RE: import multi line text THANKS!!!!

                    Hi
                    A MILLION THANKS TO ALL WHO HELPED!!!

                    Especially to Allen who wrote that script to move all my DOS text over to a WINDOWS database. You guys must be really smart to do this, so I tried it.
                    I ran it, w o w - what it did it 10 seconds was what I was trying to do in six years. Moving all that data from DOS to Windows, you must be a genius!!

                    Thanks again,

                    Norm in Canada

                    Comment

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