Possible new function for fp - wishlist item maybe?

[GCC Consulting]

I had to import, from Excel, a resident listing which contained date in the
following format.
    NAME
1.Smythe, James
2.Smith, John & Mary
3.Jones, Allan&Linda

The database this data needed to be moved in contains a last name field and
2 name fields.  This required that I split the single Excel into 3 cells,
last name and 2 name cells.

Now, with Excel this is a fairly easy process and there is a function "Text
To column".  In the cell containing the full name, with this function one
either selects length or deliminiter.  In this case delimiter is used and
one ends
Up with

 Last_name		Name_1		Name_2
1. Smythe		James
2. Smith		John & Mary
3. Jones		Allen&Linda

Repeating the above on Name_1 with & as a delimiter
2. Smith		John		Mary
3. Jones		Allen		Linda

Two relatively easy steps.

Other then using the mid function to loop through rhe starting name field is
there another way, using only filepro functions (no outside calls to other
apps i.e. awk or some other *nix application) to accomplish this easily?

Would a new function such as aa=xmove(starting field,second field,delimiter)
be useful?

aa=xmove(name,name_1,,)

If aa=1 the successful aa=0 failed

Or possibly aa=xmove(name,name_1 name_2,,&)  at first delimiter move
everything to the right of the <,> to name_1 then move everything to the
right of <&> to name_2.

Any comments?

Richard Kreiss
GCC Consulting