Import file with semi-colon delimiter

[Echo33029]

I am trying to import a text file that uses a semi-colon as a field delimiter. Filemaker 5.0 only appears to want to use a tab as the delimiter character and there are no options to specify alternate delimiter characters. Other than first running this file through excel, is there any way to get FM 5.0 to import this file directly.

Thanks

[BobWeaver]

There are a couple of ways.

1. Easy: Import it as tab delimited. Everything will go into one field. Then use a calculated field to convert the colon to a tab using the Substitute function. Export to a temporary file. Then re-import.

2. Slightly Harder: As above import it as tab delimited. Everything will go into one field. Then use a bunch of text calculations (the Position() function) to locate the colon delimiters and split the data into individual fields.

[ October 04, 2001: Message edited by: BobWeaver ]

[BobWeaver]

Just a followup. If you want to do the parsing with text functions, here are the basics:

Assume the data is all in a field called RawData, and you have a global field gFieldNo that is set to the number of the field that you want to extract:

gDelimiter1Posn = Position(":"&RawText&":",":",1,gFieldNo)

gDelimiter2Posn = Position(":"&RawText&":",":",1,gFieldNo+1)

FieldNdata = Middle(RawData,gDelimiter1Posn+1,gDelimiter2Posn-gDelimiter1Posn-1)

[Echo33029]

Bob,

Thanks for the reply. Your first suggestion makes sense and seems like the easiest solution as I can easily automate it.

Your second solution about the tab delimited file is not an issue as FM expects the tab delimiter during import and will populate the correct field from the tab file.

Thanks

Echo