Exporting data with text style formatting

[lucidlumen]

I have read a similar post on here, however it doesn't solve the issue I'm having. I have a database that has mixed case and for this example, I have a "name" field containing my full name "ken wright" in lowercase.

 

Next, I have a "rendered text" calculation field called "c_name" using this calculation:

 

c_name = TextStyleAdd (name; Titlecase)

 

Now, this does display correctly while in FileMaker. However two things to point out:

 

1.) If I copy & paste to a text editor (Coda), the data is still in lowercase, and 2.) if I export to CSV, the data is still lowercase.

 

 

"name","c_name"

"ken wright","ken wright"

 

Ultimately, I want to have the export be:

 

"name","c_name"

"ken wright","Ken Wright"

 

One more thing, instead of having the c_name field be a calculation, I tried defining another text field using the auto-enter calculated value option with the same calculation as above. Oddly, this didn't display correctly in FileMake at all and exported empty fields.

 

Files attached for reference purposes.

 

Thanks in advance to anyone who can suggest or recommend another course of action.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[comment]

CSV is a plain text format, and cannot contain styled text. Try changing the calculation to =

Proper ( Name )

which actually modifies the characters instead of just adding a style attribute.

[lucidlumen]

So then:

c_name = Proper (name)

 

Obviously, the test database is a simplified version. What about address fields like State or Country that should be uppercase. Or even an email address field to contain only lowercase information.

 

What I'm getting at, is I have a customer database that has been poorly managed without data input guidelines... Varying cases and inconsistent mailing addresses... Some are in uppercase, some mixed and others lowercase. 

 

I guess somehow I was thinking (hoping) the case styles would be treated differently than bold or italics. And in LaRetta's post how was it working?

[LaRetta]

Well, the link you PM'd me will show I suggested Proper (  name ) ?

 

http://fmforums.com/forum/topic/70056-exporting-and-title-case/

[comment]

I guess somehow I was thinking (hoping) the case styles would be treated differently than bold or italics.

No, a style is a style - it doesn't matter what it represents. To make the case-change survive exporting, you must use one of the Text functions: Lower(), Upper or Proper() - instead of a Text Formatting function.

[Lee Smith]

I deleted your other post as a duplicate post.

 

Please do NOT multiple post your question.

[lucidlumen]

LaRetta you're right...You did recommend the Proper function in your earlier post. I was thinking of a different issue (but same project as this) when I referred to your post... My apologies. And thanks to additional poster, I do think the other functions: Lower(), Upper() or Proper() should work great.

I deleted your other post as a duplicate post.

 

Please do NOT multiple post your question.

Whoops, I probably just did it again. 

[Lee Smith]

I'm not seeing the other topic? If you did, please provide me with the link.

[LaRetta]

Hey, no problem, lucidumen, glad it worked out for you.  BTW, welcome to FMForum!  

[comment]

There is one more point this additional poster    would like to make: it is very difficult to reconstruct case properly, once it has been discarded. Names like "McCartney", "d'Artagnan" etc. are likely to fool any automatic scheme you may come up with. OTOH, people are sensitive to their names being misspelled. It's best to have a human - preferably an intelligent one - to go over the results and apply some common sense to them.

[LaRetta]

Indeed!  Thank you for bringing it up, Michael.   I'm usually an advocate for this issue since my name is always misspelled because 'computers' correct it!

 

LaRetta 

[lucidlumen]

A continuing variation of this topic... With the dataset I have, I have a "state" field containing US state mail codes (Fl, Nv, Wi), Canadian providences (On, Al) and other full international territories (Manawatu).

 

What I want to accomplish is to apply a calculation to field that will determine if the "country" is either United States or Canada to capitalize the data and for all others use Titlecase. Here's what I've done, but doesn't work... Keep in mind, either of these work properly separate, but not together.

 

This works:

c_state = If ( country = "United States" ; Upper (state) ; Proper (state) )

 

And this works:

c_state = If ( country = "Canada" ; Upper (state) ; Proper (state) )

 

However, this DOES NOT work:

c_state = If ( country = "United States" or "Canada" ; Upper (state) ; Proper (state) )

[lucidlumen]

Solved... (I just needed to look at the calculation a different way):

 

If ( country = "United States" or country = "Canada" ; Upper (state) ; Proper (state) )