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Report Export as Plain Text File v6 to v7 Changes

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    Report Export as Plain Text File v6 to v7 Changes

    Good day.

    I have a report that is used to generate a plain text file that is suitable for direct import into either Microsoft Access or Microsoft Excel.

    Since the upgrade to Alpha 5 v7, I am encountering a problem with the output format: it is no longer tab-delimited.

    The report is optimized for export and has been stripped of headers, footers, and anything else extraneous. I am only concerned with the detail record on each line of the report.

    The report is more useful than a direct export of the table, since the report includes a variety of calculated fields that are not stored in the underlying table.

    I use a simple snippet of XBasic code to perform the function:

    query.filter = ""
    query.order = ""
    :Report.saveas("XReport","TEXT",query.filter,query.order ,"C:\XDirectory\XReport.txt",.t.)


    When performed in v6, the output file XReport.txt contains tab-delimited data from XReport.

    When the same code is used in v7, the output file XReport.txt contains space-padded data from XReport. The result is not fixed-width but highly variable from line to line.

    The space-padded file is unusable in either Excel or Access.

    When I run the XBasic code, I notice that under v7 the XReport.txt is sent to Alpha Five Printer, whereas under v6 XReport.txt is sent to Text Driver.

    One further test confirmed that the v7 Alpha Five Printer is the source of the changed output results.

    I re-installed v6 on the same PC with V7, and then manually printed XReport to v6 Text Driver printer from within V7.

    The XReport.txt was tab-delimited.

    How can I restore the capability to export a report to a tab-delimited Text File under v7 and without maintaining a v6 install?

    Thank you in advance for any comments or suggestions.

    John Cupak, Jr.

    #2
    Pending a more elegant idea, might it be possible to put the entire "detail" line in a single calculated field, storing the field values as character strings, and embedding the tabs chr(9) between them?

    -- tom

    Comment


      #3
      I recently upgraded to version 7 from version 6 & I have experienced the exact problem that John Cupak had posted. I also used a simple xbasic code to perform the report output function:

      :Report.SaveAs("export","TXT",query.filter,query.order,"c:\Export Files",.F.)

      In v6 when the Xbasic code is run the export.txt file is sent to Text Driver, in v7 it is sent to Alpha Five Printer. I have found that the output in v7 is variable on each line, unlike v6 the output was tab-delimited.

      I called Alpha tech support, but they did not have any answers because they were unfamiliar with the "Alpha Five Printer" driver which was developed by Amyuni Technologies. I called Amyuni Technologies & they indicated to me that they never heard of Alpha Five and could not provide a solution because the output is controlled by the Alpha Five software itself.

      I will revert back to version 6 until I am able to solve the problem. Perhaps someone has a solution.

      Comment


        #4
        This thread explains how to use the V6 PDF driver from V7. The same technique may also work to use the V6 text driver, as they are both part of the Amyuni software that is licensed and bundled as part of Alpha Five.

        Lenny Forziati
        Vice President, Internet Products and Technical Services
        Alpha Software Corporation

        Comment


          #5
          Thanks Lenny, it worked!

          I have one small issue left to resolve. In v6 the xbasic code that I have to save the report worked properly. The name of the file is to contain the project name and have the current date & it is to be saved in a designated folder. It is saved in the correct folder, but it uses an old file name which was originally used some time ago. What do I need to do with my code so that it gets the current project name and date? The code used is as follows:

          '
          filter = " (Check_date = [varD->prms.Parameter1] )"
          get_parameters_string = <<%string%
          Parameter1|Enter Check Date|Date|calendar||
          %string%
          ok_label = "&OK"
          cancel_label = "&Cancel"
          dialog_title = "Parameters"

          'Prompt for parameter values. Store results in a 'dot' variable called 'prms'
          dim prms as p
          prms = ui_get_parameters(dialog_title,get_parameters_string,ok_label,cancel_label)

          if prms.last_button_pressed = "OK" then
          'Replace parameters in the filter with actual values
          query.filter = replace_parameters(filter,local_variables())

          query.order = ""
          else
          end
          end if



          :Report.SaveAs("export file","TXT",query.filter,query.order,"c:\Export File Folder"+chr(92)+trim(Project_detail->Project_name)+" created on "+format_data(date(),"9-"),.F.)

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