Help ID characters

[GCC Consulting]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: filepro-list-bounces at lists.celestial.com 
> [mailto:filepro-list-bounces at lists.celestial.com] On Behalf 
> Of Lerebours, Jose
> Sent: Tuesday, December 07, 2004 2:45 PM
> To: FilePro Mailing List
> Subject: RE: Help ID characters
> 
> JP suggested:
> 
> > | >SCO UNIX based ...
> > | >
> > | >Trying to use import ascii to read and process EDI file. Client 
> > | >sent me file which has
> > | >
> > | >a) when I cat file <85> between data blocks
> > | >b) when I vi file \20 between data blocks
> > | >
> > | >I've tried using \20 as field and record delimiter but it wont 
> > | >take.
> > | >
> > | >
> > | >What do you think I should use?
> > | 
> > | The "cat" comment above makes no sense, but the vi does,
> > and based on that,
> > | octal 20 = decimal 16, thus:
> > | 
> > | chr("16")
> > 
> > Chr("16") is Control-P, and in vi, it looks like ^P, not like \20.
> > 
> > So I, for one, still don't know what Jose is looking at.
> > 
> > Jose, run the file through less.  What then?
> > 
> 
> This is what I see
> 
> 626*0*P*:<85>GS*FA*001495472*3055940038*20041207*1147*626*X*00
4030<85>ST*997*62
> 
>          ^^^^                                                 
>     ^^^^^
> 
> when I use both more and less.  The <85> shows in reverse video.  
> 
> I need to correct my original post, when I cat the file, I 
> see a letter a with a left leading tilde
> 
> 6260001àAK1*RC*2415àAK9*A*1*1*1àSE*000004
>       ^^^                     ^^^
> 
> Regards;
> 
> 
> Jose Lereborus

Jose,

This is a VICS format. These files are based on position and asterisks *****.

You might be more successful reading in each line and hashing it for the values
you need. 

Sorry to say I can't help you more.  I outsourced :) my EDI problem.  The fellow
I work with uses dBase to translate the VICS files and gives me a dBase fie.  I
use dbcopy to convert the file and then process the file further for use by my
client.  On the other side, I give him 2 ASCII files and he converts them to one
VICS file for transmission.  

I did this a few years ago after looking at the specs and deciding that it would
be more cost effective to have someone who deals with VICS standards handle this
for me.  Being off by one * can cause a document to be rejected.

Good luck.

Richard Kreiss
GCC Consulting