Carriage Return in Field

[Bob Gordon]

I would like to place a carriage return (chr(13)) in a field. I am exporting data and need to have several blank lines between the data I am sending out.

The paragraph mark seems to put a linefeed (chr(10)) in. In Word, this is not a paragraph return.

Is there a way to do this?

[BobWeaver]

The paragraph symbol does represent a real carriage return, but when Filemaker exports as a text file, it will convert any embedded carriage returns into Vertical Tabs (chr(11)). That's because it uses a carriage return to indicate the end of a record.

Of course it would be nice if they gave you the option of converting carriage returns or not during export.

The workaround is to run the exported file through some kind of text editor (like Word?) search and replace routine to convert the VT's back to CR's

[Oldfogey]

Not sure if this meets your application requirements. This is OK if the file is a temporary one.

I have a similar situation but need blank records after a group of 'real' records. I use a script to create (almost)

blank records at the end of each group. The 'almost' is because there is a key field - CustName. In the real

records, there is a field SortCustName = CustName & "A". In the blank records, SortCustName = CustName

only.

A sort on SortCustName gets the blanks in the right place. You just need to make sure not to export the sort field.

[Pupiweb]

You've several options:

- use a "support" file in which you create a record for each text paragraph your text field has; then export the set of records (never used this option)

- use a word processor to replace the unwanted character

- if you want to make things autonatic use a plugin by which either:

-- replace the the unwanted character in the exported file or

-- create the file and fill it with FM data (my favorite option)

[BobWeaver]

There's actually a very simple way to do this using an additional export file:

- Create a new FM file.

- Define the same fields that you want to export to Word, plus define one additional field "Dummy"

- In your original file define a series of calculated fields to corresponding to the fields you want to export. Use the formula:

CalcExportField1 = ExportField1

- Make these calculated fields repeating with 3 repetitions.

- Define a global repeating Number field with 3 repetitions, and put some data in each of its rep's. It doesn't matter what.

In the original file do a find to select the records you want to export.

Now go into the new file and import the records from the original file from the corresponding calculated repeating fields, plus import from the global repeating field into the Dummy field. Select the "split repeating fields into separate records" option. You will now have a file with two blank records between each normal record which you can then export to Word. Each blank record will correspond to a carriage return in the export file.

For more blank records, create more repetitions in the global repeating field in the original file.

You can automate this whole thing very simply with a couple of small scripts.