Printing to text

[sharabi]

I installed the generic win print to print to a text file and followed the instructions. it can print from other applications but from filemaker it doesn't.

i tried a different virtual driver like: Miraplacid Text Driver 2009 and it did print well.

any issues with printing from file to text in filemaker and windows?

In the advanced tab of win printer i picked the win print as a print processor and the raw default data type. I tried other options and i came empty.

[sharabi]

i would like to ask another question:

Is it possible to script printing merge fields of multiple records on one page?

like <>

you get on the page:

name1

name2

instead of having name1 on one page and name2 on a second page. thx.

[mr_vodka]

Not sure about your setup here, but if so want different info from various records, then you should be printing from that name table using perhaps a list view.

If that will not work for you, then you may need to look into the GetNthRecord () function but without knowing more info, it is hard to advise.

[sharabi]

I am trying to get the output from my solution to be x12 delimited.

that is not an option for filemaker, you have to export the file then deal with it.

am trying a workaround solution to print it to a text.

like i have the fields:

firstname1, lastname1

firstname2, lastname2 ....so forth.

the outcome is in one text file :

firstname1*lastname1~

firstname2*lastname2~

where the merge field is a way to get the output formatted my way. on one text file.

so it is important to print those multi-records merge fields to one page rather to separate pages.

[comment]

Why don't you use XML/XSL?

[sharabi]

I would like to deal with the file inside filemaker and not to export and then edit.

i have the plan B to export to XML and map it to my datastage extender. but i think i can do it with filemaker only.

[comment]

Filemaker has the ability to export as XML using a XSL stylesheet. The transformation is performed during the export, so there should be no need to post-process the result.

[sharabi]

the outcome should be a flat file and not xml.

so you will still need to produce a flat file from the exported xml if you go that route. however if i can put the merge field records on one page, eventually in one text file then i can produce the flat file in one step

[comment]

I am not sure what you mean by "flat file".

[sharabi]

HIPAA requires certain formatting of the info from my database solution. the way the insurance receives those info is transmitting a flat file which is a simple text file that has all the records encoded to ANSI x12.

one way of doing it is using a database and link it to x12 translator another one is producing the flat (text) file from file maker directly.

So if i want to sent a batch of records (patient's info) to the EDI it will be more convenient to do it internally with file maker and produce the output text file one step.

so lets say i have :

John Doe 37 male

the insurance wants it:

text file:

John*doe*37*m~

when exported as XML another program like datastage for example takes those records and fields and map them to the text file i described above.

what am trying to do is:

since i know the HIPAA implementation guide and what is required in the transmission i can do it in filemaker internally without asking a developer to write me an ANSI X12 plug-in.

here is a link to my other thread about the issue.

i appreciate your help.

Edit:

Oops i forgot the link:

http://fmforums.com/forum/showtopic.php?tid/186966/

Edited May 11, 2009 by Guest

[comment]

I think we have some confusion of terms here.

When you export as XML, you can set your stylesheet to transform the XML to text. The result will be a text file, exported "directly" from Filemaker. The stylesheet can impose any field/records delimiters you want (and much more).

Whether the resulting file is "flat" or not depends on its contents (and your point-of-view). But that's also true for an XML file, or a Filemaker document, or any other format.

[sharabi]

i did some work in the past on macromedia web pages where i used style sheets to control the html pages. are you referring to a similar process?

[comment]

I think you are referring to CSS stylesheets, not XSL stylesheets - not quite the same thing.

I suggest you look at the XML export examples that came with your Filemaker application, and also the numerous examples posted in these forums (mostly in the Importing/Exporting and XML/XSL sections).

[sharabi]

thx for the help.

i will let you know if any progress.