tab in calculation

[isabella]

Is it possible to have a tab in a calculated field similar to the way you can include a return? I have a calculated field that will basically create an .iif file that Quickbooks can import. Currently I'm using asterisks in place of tabs, but that means I have to pick up the file in a word processing program, change the asterisks to tabs then pick up the file with Excel, I'd like to cut out that step.

[LaRetta]

Try this answer by Comment. :smile2:

[isabella]

Thanks, but the option tab when it's exported is not actually the same character as a tab. If you import the exported file into Word, option tabs show up as spaces, not tabs. More importantly, they don't force a separate column in Excel, which is what I need it to do.

This looks like it's been discussed before, so I won't waste anymore bandwidth. Maybe I'll work on automating the cleaning up process instead.

Thanks for your help.

[comment]

You cannot have real tabs in ANY Filemaker field - calculated or not. The tab key is used to move between fields, so inserting a tab into a field requires a different keypress, and as a result, a different character.

If you're seeing spaces instead of tabs, you're probably exporting in tab-separated text format. In this format, tabs are reserved as field separators. Therefore tabs in fields have to be converted to a different character. Try using the comma-separated text format instead.

[comment]

More importantly, they don't force a separate column in Excel, which is what I need it to do.

Sorry, I haven't noticed this part before. There is a good reason for this behavior: Filemaker is very particular about what's INSIDE a field, and what separates BETWEEN fields. This is passed meticulously to the exported file, and Excel (along with all intermediate data-exchange formats) abides strictly to this. You cannot make a structure change by exporting alone.

There are several ways around this, e.g. export as XML (with the stylesheet modifying the character), or run an AppleScript after the import, etc., but the simplest solution would be to enter the data into separate fields to begin with. This would be probably the most correct solution as well - since if the data needs to end up in separate columns in Excel, it shouldn't be kept in a single field in Filemaker either.