Text Functions

[goosebriar]

I currently have a php page that has a textbox in which I paste text which representing multiple records which I have copied off the screen of an old dos program and my php script will separate the records from the one text box.

 

So for example, I would paste the following text:

 

BIO 117 4.0 A- 14456 082

BIO 119 4.0 A- 61238 082

BIO 120 4.0 A+ 78936 082

 

All at once into one textbox and it would make 3 separate records from it.

 

Is there a way to approach this in Filemaker 8? Perhaps one global field and a script to process the field contents into three records? How would I do this? What are some good text functions to separate the text into records?

[Maarten Witberg]

I could write a script but I am not sure if you have

 

- script variables

- the GetValue ( ) function

and/or

- the middleValues () function

 

in version 8. memory fails, can you tell me if they are there?

[goosebriar]

Yes, I have that, although I'm new at variables in Filemaker.

 

I am about half-way through figuring this out. I made several calculated fields that parsed the text using the middle function. Now I think I will make a script to further parse those fields and make them into new records.

 

Do you have any further suggestions?

[Maarten Witberg]

here's a possible script:

 

set variable [ $total ; ValueCount ( Utility::TextToParse )]
set variable [ $ count ; 1 ]
set variable [ $Text ;  Utility::TextToParse ]
go to layout [ TargetLayout (TargetTable) ]
loop
 new record / request
 set field [ TargetTable::Field1 ; leftwords ( GetValue ( $Text ; $count ) ; 1 ]
 set field [ TargetTable::Field2 ; Middlewords ( GetValue ( $Text ; $count ); 2; 1 ) ; 1 ]
 set field [ more parse work as needed ]
 [b][color=Red]commit records / requests[/color][/b]
 set variable [ $count ; $count + 1 ]
 exit loop if [ $count > $total ]
end loop

typed from memory, if you run into problems let me know.

[goosebriar]

The getValue function isn't working in the script, although I can get it to work as a calculated field.

 

What I would like is for each line ending in a carriage return to be added as a record.

 

When I do the loop based on valueCount, it makes correct number of records but they are empty.

[Maarten Witberg]

Please post your script as you have it now.

PS I have added a commit records script step just now. see above.

[goosebriar]

I think I am going to go with just making fields which will calculate using the getValue function instead of doing a looping script. Thanks for your help, though!

[Maarten Witberg]

In my script, GetValue is used to extract the nth value of the original field content. This in a loop: the nth run in a loop will pick the nth value and put it in an nth record...

I'm not really sure what you mean by "calculate".