Not sure if bug or feature: high ASCII char in un-comitted Value List

[Grundly]

Not sure if this is a bug or a feature. Has anyone else noticed this?

When editing a Value List, specifically, entering carriage returns, then copying the whole list to a text editor BEFORE saving changes to the VL, a text editor reveals a high-ascii character in place of the newly-entered carriage return(s). Only after saving the Value list, does this char "convert" to a carriage return. Curious feature. 

[Lee Smith]

That is Code (191) it is called a line feed. Did you copy the list from a Windows Machine? Anyway, you can search for it by either entering ¿ Option + Shift + ? ( or use the Code (191)) and replace with “” 

HTH

Lee

Edited October 30, 2015 by Lee Smith

[comment]

That is Code (191) it is called a line feed.

191 is the code for INVERTED QUESTION MARK - the character used by BBEdit as a placeholder for an invisible character. LINE FEED is Char (10). 

[ggt667]

If you are able to get ahold of the question mark, it's quite good, but when you receive a "ghost"-one; it's most likely a corrupt record.

[Lee Smith]

191 is the code for INVERTED QUESTION MARK - the character used by BBEdit as a placeholder for an invisible character. LINE FEED is Char (10). 

Yes it is. My reference file provided LF in error.  I have to go back and find out why. Sorry

[LaRetta]

If you are able to get ahold of the question mark, it's quite good, but when you receive a "ghost"-one; it's most likely a corrupt record.

Well that is not a question mark.  And it isn't a sign of corruption at all.

[comment]

Has anyone been able to reproduce this issue phenomenon? Using v.11 on OS X, I haven't.

[Grundly]

Thank you all for input! PS, was not a windows machine.

Edited October 30, 2015 by Grundly

[LaRetta]

I am unable to reproduce on Mavericks as well.  Was this file created or modified on a Windows machine?

I cannot test Yosemite, sorry.  

[Lee Smith]

I asked that in my original post and she said it was not a Windows Machine. I’m curious where the list came from for future reference.

Edited October 30, 2015 by Lee Smith

[Grundly]

FM 13.0 v9 on OS X 10.11.11 El Capitan. (I know)

I also tried it in a VM, FM 13.0 v9 on under OS X 10.9.5, same result.

You can see the result in BBEdit, as well as some other raw text editors.

These are the steps I take:

Create a Value List and save/commit it.

Open it again, re-arrange its contents, adding some new carriage returns. 

Without saving your VL (without hitting OK), Select-All, Copy.

Mosey over to your text editor (Say, BBEdit), and Paste. 

There be upside-down red question marks where your new carriage returns were.

The only "issue" really, as far as I can see, is that if you're editing a VL in FileMaker, then decide, halfway through your edit, "I'd rather copy this stuff to my favourite text editor and continue editing over there", is that you must first save that VL, and only then, copy its contents out.

I haven't tried pasting it back in still containing the upside down red question marks. Probably rather not find out on a good file.

Edited October 30, 2015 by Grundly

[Lee Smith]

Where are you pulling the list from? Are you creating it in “FM”, if so why is BBEdit involve?

[Grundly]

Yes, it is initially created in FileMaker. Wanted to edit externally, purely because, it's a very large VL, and I wanted to make use of some of handy text-massage features of a compiler (or BBEdit, gives exact same result). 

[LaRetta]

Did you copy the list from a Windows Machine?

Was this file created or modified on a Windows machine?

Yes, I know but I was not asking about the text itself or how it was copy/pasted or modified once already in the file but instead was asking about the file's creation or if the value list itself was created in the file on Windows and was now only being modified on Mac.

I asked specifically this way because,  when I used Windows (for more than 15 years), I saw that symbol a lot in data migrations and when copy/pasting into FM.  Since I have been on Mac (only about 3 years), I've never seen it!  :-)

 

Edited October 30, 2015 by LaRetta

[Grundly]

Indeed, the text has not graced Windows at any point along the journey. OS X the whole way.

The FileMaker file also created on Mac, never used on / accessed via Windows or come into contact with any Windows OS.

[comment]

These are the steps I take:

Create a Value List and save/commit it.

Open it again, re-arrange its contents, adding some new carriage returns. 

Without saving your VL (without hitting OK), Select-All, Copy.

Mosey over to your text editor (Say, BBEdit), and Paste. 

There be upside-down red question marks where your new carriage returns were.

There's got to be more than that - for example, I wonder what your settings are in BBEdit.

To move this forward, I suggest you select this character in BBEdit, copy it and paste it into a field.Then use the Data Viewer to find out the value of Code (Yourfield ).

 

[Grundly]

It would appear, when the VL text is copied as per my example: 

• Non-committed, newly-entered returns are Mac Classic style carriage returns, Hex 0D.

• Previously-committed, saved & recalled returns are OSX-style line feeds, Hex 0A.

It would appear, when working on a Value list, FileMaker interprets new return key entries as old-style 0D, but after the VL has been "saved" (hitting OK), internally, FileMaker converts them all to 0A. Thus, next time you open it, they're all 0A now.

[ggt667]

 

Without saving your VL (without hitting OK), Select-All, Copy.

Mosey over to your text editor (Say, BBEdit), and Paste. 

Or make vl from content of field and when you paste, paste without formatting.