Calculated string that contains tab stops

[jimlongo]

Hi,

I may be looking at this wrong, or maybe there's an easy answer.

I have a calculation that gives me a string

Lastname, Firstname,phonenumber1,phonenumber2

I want to export that as a de-limited file that I can import into a spreadsheet.

The problem is that I want the first field to be

LastName, Firstname with the comma.

So I thought that a comma separated file wouldn't work as this separates those two items.

This lead me to want to export as tab de-limited.

So my initial question is there a way to specify a "tab" as a text character in a calculation? So the string my calculation creates is

Lastname, Firstname -> phonenumber1 -> phonenumber2

Or perhaps there's a way I'm not aware of to escape the first comma when importing a csv file into my spreadsheet application.

Thank you,

jim

Edited November 26, 2010 by Guest

[jimlongo]

I've decided to attack it differently.

I've made a layout with 3 fields in a table format and Save as Excel.

Thanks, but if there's an answer to my original question

"Is it possible to have a character (tab) in a text string"

Just like you can have a carriage return.

[Raybaudi]

Hi

I'm on Window and that char can be easily obtained with CTRL+TAB... there is sure some way to get the same char with a Mac.

[Lee Smith]

You can export your fields in any order you want to as either a csv or tab separated file. See file formats and import export in the user guide and help.

If you want to have it format it with commas, then it will take a calculation using a concatenation such as last name & ", " & first name

HTH

Lee

[jimlongo]

Hi

I'm on Window and that char can be easily obtained with CTRL+TAB... there is sure some way to get the same char with a Mac.

Yes I would have thought that too, but I've tried every modifier+TAB and I haven't got it.

We are talking about in the calculation dialog window?

Thank you.

Edited November 26, 2010 by Guest

[Raybaudi]

I think that it is: Option+Tab in Mac

Naturally that char must be between quotes and it seems a space in the calculation dialog window.

[Lee Smith]

You can copy a tab from a text editor, or use the keyboard combination listed in the help for the Mac

[jimlongo]

I think that it is: Option+Tab in Mac

If only I could remember how to turn off the app switcher.

[jimlongo]

You can copy a tab from a text editor, or use the keyboard combination listed in the help for the Mac

Thanks Lee.

[bruceR]

The char() function in FM10+ makes it easy to do this. Char(9) is the tab character.

[comment]

You can have tab characters in field but when you export as tab-delimited, the tabs will be converted to spaces.

OTOH, if you have a comma in a field, and you export as comma-separated, the comma will be preserved.

[jimlongo]

You can have tab characters in field but when you export as tab-delimited, the tabs will be converted to spaces.

OTOH, if you have a comma in a field, and you export as comma-separated, the comma will be preserved.

Yeah, I ended up exporting as csv and changing the commas to tabs in a text editor.

[comment]

Why don't you make a calculation field =

Lastname & ", " & Firstname

and export it as tab-delimited, along with phonenumber1 and phonenumber2?

[Lee Smith]

That's what I suggested in my first post.

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