Output data to basic formatted textPDF

[ensta]

Hi,

 

I'd like to setup a very basic database, from an excel spreadsheet, that outputs to ideally a text or Word file (but am happy to cut and paste from a PDF if necessary) with some very basic formatting: fields headings in bold for example.

Example of formatted output below:

DESCRIPTION
Trained fruit trees. Fan-trained, espaliered, cordon

High yield from a small space. Utilises vertical space

POSSIBLE PLANTS – Espalier: comice pears; black mulberries. Fan-trained: almonds, plums, figs.

BENEFITS – utilises vertical space, utilises favourable microclimates

SUITABLE LOCATIONS – all types of walls, along paths etc

 

 Data currently being aggregated into an excel file, which I've imported into FM.

 

Any help gratefully receveived.

[brian rich]

This document might help

 

http://fmdl.filemaker.com/MISC/PDF/guide_diy_office.pdf

 

Brian

[ensta]

Thanks for prompt reply. Presumably you can only output to Word Mail Merge rather than to a normal Doc.

That said, is there an easy way to acheive my aims outputing to PDF? Am happy to copy and paste from PDFs (it's destined for web content).

 

Thanks again,

N

[webko]

If it's destined for web content, why is any formatting required for output? Won't the web application deal with that?

[comment]

That said, is there an easy way to acheive my aims outputing to PDF?

 

Outputting to PDF is extremely simple: just design a layout showing the data the way you want it, then choose Save/Send Records as PDF… from the File menu (or run a script that does the same thing).

 

However, as Webko noted, it makes very little sense to use PDF as an intermediate format.

[ensta]

Agree. However the web tool I'm using won't format the text and I want to avoid having to manually enter the data from each field onto the each web page.

For that reason I want to output the entries for each product formatted as above in raw text.

That said if there's a better intermediate format I'm well up for that.

Also outputting to Indesign, or some other pro layout tool would be really good to know about .

 

Thanks again for all the input. The dbase import from excel worked well.

[brian rich]

You could add a calculated field which automatically builds the raw HTML and embed that into your web page - call this _cHTML

 

Assuming that your data record contains the fields Description, Possible Plants, Benefits, Suitable Locations, your calculation might look like

 

"<p/><strong>DESCRIPTION</strong>  " & DATA::Description & "<BR/>" &

"<strong>POSSIBLE PLANTS - </strong>  " & DATA::Possible Plants & "<BR/>" &

"<strong>BENEFITS - </strong>  " & DATA::Benefits & "<BR/>" &

"<strong>SUITABLE LOCATIONS - </strong>  " & DATA::Suitable Locations & "<BR/>"

 

You can now export this field from filemaker as a text field to be inserted into the respective web pages.  You might want to build the formatiing with HTML tags or using CSS but the principle will be the same.

 

Depending on how you intergrate this information into your web pages, you may need to URL encode the text in _cHTML

 

HTH

 

Brian

[comment]

That said if there's a better intermediate format I'm well up for that.

 

It's difficult to advise without knowing what exactly is on the "other side". A "web tool" that won't format the text? Not sure how you talk to a beast like that.

 

If you have the option to insert your data into an existing HTML template, then Filemaker can do this for you quite easily by exporting as XML using a custom XSLT stylesheet to produce the final HTML page. Have a look at the HTML export examples in the XML Examples folder that comes with the application.

 

XML/XSLT is also the best tool for outputting to InDesign and any other target application that accepts XML input. Using XSLT, you can transform the output XML to the grammar of the receiving application directly during the export.

[ensta]

Thanks guys again for the speedy replies, been off track for a while -installing pumps and flushing out water tanks.

 

But hey listen, forget about the web thing, that's a bit of a red herring in this regards. I just want FM to output sections of the DB into preformatted text as below, with the spacing, the bold and the dash (or similar), this then can be opened in Word as is, even if the file format isn't a .doc. Help with this, pointers to resources/vids are gratefully received.

 

Cheers,

Niels

 

DESCRIPTION
Trained fruit trees. Fan-trained, espaliered, cordon

High yield from a small space. Utilises vertical space

POSSIBLE PLANTS – (Field data) eg Espalier: comice pears; black mulberries. Fan-trained: almonds, plums, figs.

BENEFITS – utilises vertical space, utilises favourable microclimates

SUITABLE LOCATIONS – all types of walls, along paths etc