OS X and Tab delimited text file import

[MusicTime]

Anyone have any suggestions for getting around this? I am having serious problems with Developer 5.5v2 and importing tab text fields into a FMP database. The files appear but are not accessible. I believe this has something to do with the OSX filing system and fmp......the bug makes using OSX native runtimes worthless for me. I need the ability to script an import of the text file (works great in OS9 and Windows).

One option I could do is a converter db (when running in classic) that changes the text file to a .fp5 file. I would RATHER not do this (clumbsy) but I am at a loss otherwise......even doing a copy and paste deal with text edit doesn't seem to work. I have an installed base of about 1,500 users that are generating .txt data files that are emailed or mailed via diskette. Importing those into a runtime 5.5v2 program is CRITICAL if OSX is going to be worth a dime to me.

Thanks!

Greg Taylor

Music Time Software

[skuli]

Does your text file name include the .txt extension?

What happens if you open the text file in BBEdit or some text editor and save it again? Will FM see it then?

[MusicTime]

Yes it does have the .txt extension...but it will not allow me to import it. I need to find a FMP only solution because the text files that need to be used are being processed by a runtime (by teachers with minimal computer knowledge). Drag and drop is not an option because the runtime won't import and convert the text file with drag and drop.

I have been told the problem may be caused by OSX filing system and text files not created on the OSX computer. For example, a windows user (or mac os9 user) creates text file and emails it or sends it via diskette..the osx computer wont allow the import...BUT if the text file is created on the computer running OSX, then it will allow the import of the file. It seems non OSX text files are missing someting that filemaker is looking for?B)

[falkaholic]

Is the file name longer then 31 charactors? I have found the FM still has the 31 limit from OS 9 hardcoded into it so it has some problems with files names longer then 31. (I guess its good for backward compatibity)

[MusicTime]

No....it conforms to the 8 plus 3 convention. The file name is

jhdata.txt

[Kesh]

Make sure that it really is a plain-text file. If it was opened in TextEdit, it defaults to RTF no matter what the actual extension is made.

Aside from that, I would recommend opening the file in TextEdit, using Cmd-Shift-T for plain text formatting, and then resaving the file under another name. That would update its file type to plain text, and FMP shouldn't have any problem with it at that point.

[keshalyi]

I have had no problem with text files travelling from platform to platform, but if you are, here's somethign you might try. Write an applescript that manually changes teh creator type and file type of the file to something your computer understands. OS X (and OS 9 for that matter), determine what kind of data your file is in 3 fairly simple ways . First, the creator type. If the creator type is Photoshop, it assumes its some sort of graphic, and should be opened in photoshop, or a closely analagous program. Second, the file type. If the file type is set to TEXT, than the computer knows that... well... its text. Thirdly, using the File Exchange component, the three letter extension. Now, if you set all three of those to something that you know OS X can recognize, you should be ok - unless there is something physically damaged in the fiel of course. My suggestion, is take a text file made in OS X that you KNOW you can import, and examine it to get the file type and creator type, than make an applescript that runs on import to convert both of those pieces of data on the file before importing it.

[BobWeaver]

Did you ever solve this problem?

[Pablo Ramirez]

Hello,

I am having the same problem trying to import .txt or .csv files to an solution created with developer 5.5 and running on OS X. There is no problem if the solution is running on OS 9 but in OS X, the solution does not recognize the file therefore it can not be opened.

The file is created in SprintDB Pro for PocketPC and then exported to the desktop computer to be opened in FileMaker. I talked to the developers of Sprint DB Pro and they said that txt or csv files created with it are the same as created with excel.

Could somebody tell me why the solution in OS X does not "see" these .txt or .csv files?

Thanks a lot

Pablomac

[BobWeaver]

There is likely no difference in the file format at all. The difference is in how OSX (or Filemaker running under OSX) recognizes the file *type*. It's looking at the four character file type rather than the actual file data, sees that the type is not what it expects, and ignores the file. Since I've gone back to OS9 for various reasons, I can't experiment with it, but maybe this (see attached) applescript application which lets you view and change the file type will help.

[Fitch]

In OS X, the extension IS the file type. Get info on the file in the Finder and click on the Name & Extension triangle. I'm wondering if perhaps there is a hidden extension...

Also, when you import, don't use All Available, but explicitly choose tab- or comma-delimited.

And that's the end of my guessing.

[BobWeaver]

I had thought that in OSX the extension is the file type, but then some of the things that I read on various user forums led me to believe that OSX still uses a 4 character type and creator as well. I suspect that conflicts between the extension and the 4 char. type code make confuse some applications. But, I'm just speculating here.

[Pablo Ramirez]

What amazes me is that if I transfer the files from the Pocket PC to one mac in OS 9 and then to another mac in OS X (via ethernet) Filemaker has no problem and identifies the .txt files

But if I transfer the file from the Pocket PC to the mac in OS X directly then Filemaker does not see them??:

Could someone explain me this or a way to overcome this obstacle from OS X?

Thanks in advance

Pablo

[BobWeaver]

Use the applescript that I posted above to view the file type of the one that you transferred directly, and compare it to the type of the one you transferred via OS9. I suspect that the types are different.