Importing Tab deliniated File

[JerrySalem]

I have a Text file that I need to parse into fields. I would like to do it all in FMP7 and not go into Excel. (Mainly for bragging rights, but also for ease of use).

The file I get is output from a web form, of people that visit our web site. The file has many people in one file. each data element in on a seperate line (with an identifier), there are also many extranious lines, but the whole thing is fairly structured.

What I would like to do is import the file into a table with a single field. Making each line of the text document a new record in the table. Then walk down the fields and process each field (record) as nessisary.

Sort of like this;

Create a new Record in the people table.

Check the line for a field, add it to the new record

Go to the next line, check for data, and populate the new record in people.

Repeate till end of a 'Record'

Go to next line and create a new record in the people table.

etc.....

OK, now my problem.

When I try to import the file, my only choices are as a CVS. This is a problem, because the file contains commas for instance when someone puts in an address between the City and state.

How do I import a file as a TAB file?

TIA

Jerry

[-Queue-]

Can you not change the file type in the Import Records dialog?

[Oldfogey]

You can tell FMP to import any (well, most) file types.

Jerry, if your only choice is CSV, you must be doing somethng very strange. When you hit Import->File, FMP gives you a large range of file types to choose from, including CSV and TAB. However, this choice is just for searching. FMP actually checks the file type and imports appropriately.

Ooops! I'm PC-based. I seem to remember a minor(?) problem with file types on the Mac. Does your input file has an extension on it? If so, make sure it is .TAB and that the file really is tab-delimited. You can use comma-delimited even when your data has commas; whatever creates the file will put quotes (usually) around any fields with commas in them.

No V7 on my Mac yet but V6 has the same range of choices.