Beginner at scripts, help please?

[Mark.Ogier]

Hi

I have been a .Net and other programmer for many years but only just started doing some work withFM.

I am tasked with writing an import routine from a tab delim file. I have started an import script and set up filed mapping but many of the fields will require massaging after import.

I am loading the ones that need work into temp fields and want then to run a further script to manipulate the data to clean it up and make it more suitable for the new database.

What I can't see is how to get to use all the FM functions I see in the doc files that allow me to do things like string manipulation etc (Right, left, replace etc).

Is it possible to do such things in a script? If so can someone give me a steer to how itis done. Or am I going about this in the wrong way?

Thanks in advance

Mark

[Fitch]

You use those functions anywhere there's an option to specify a calculated result. This includes many script steps, such as If/Else If; Set Variable; Set Field; etc. etc. etc.

[bruceR]

Have you looked at any of the template files that come with FileMaker or at the tutorial (fmp12_tutorial.pdf)? Lots of examples of scripting and calcs are provided there.

[comment]

I am loading the ones that need work into temp fields and want then to run a further script to manipulate the data to clean it up and make it more suitable for the new database.

What I can't see is how to get to use all the FM functions I see in the doc files that allow me to do things like string manipulation etc (Right, left, replace etc).

 

Have a look at the Replace Field Contents[] script step:

http://www.filemaker.com/12help/html/scripts_ref1.36.55.html#1029581

[Mark.Ogier]

Great help! Thanks to you all. I will get reading