Batch UN-formatting text in browse mode

[dheraud]

I have a database here with over 6000 records. We have a range of users using the database, and some of them over time have played around with the text formatting in certain fields. QUESTION: Is there a way of restoring all the records to their original intended formatting? (Short of browsing through the 6000 records and doing it manually). Maybe through a third party utility or script?

[Kurt Knippel]

I think that using the Replace function, and simply replacing the field with the same field, will strip the formatting.

[dheraud]

Wouldn't work since the fields contain different data... I'd end up doing them one by one anyway, but thanks for trying. =0)

[The Bridge]

The Replace function works across all records in the current found set.

What CaptKurt suggests is something like the following:

Show All Records

Go to the field you want to reformat

Replace by calculation:

FieldName = FieldName

[dheraud]

Forgive my ignorance, but I've never done anything like this... how do I calculate a text formating change? But now that I think of it, this brings on another problem... by formatting the text a certain way, it will still give me problems in other layouts where the field's default formatting is different. So what I really need to do here, is UN-format the data so that no special formatting is applied, is there a way to do that? Maybe by exporting the records and re-importing them?

[The Bridge]

2 options:

1. Exporting to a tab-delimited text file will remove formatting. Import into a clone of your database before you do anything drastic with your working copy.

2. Follow the procedure I gave before, as suggested by CaptKurt. To replace the field's contents with itself, just specify the fieldname in the calculation dialog that appears when you select Replace (by calculation). Again, Replace works across the current found set of records.

In either case, the formatting of the text in the field will take on the default formatting for that field. By default I mean the way the field has been formatted while in Layout Mode. So if a field is formatted to be italic with red text, then importing text into that field or using the Replace option will convert the text to red italic.

I hope this makes sense. In any case, save backups of your database before proceeding, or the format of your text will be the least of your worries.