Copying memo data into regular field?

Sat Mar 28 13:01:59 PDT 2015

Hi Boaz,

Yes, the intent is to keep using filepro until I can pull the plug while
developing our new accounting system.  Currently, I have an immediate need
for some features of the new system that filepro cannot do.  I've actually
needed them for years now, but some new business rules is forcing us to deal
with them now.  

I was using the filepro memo feature until the other day it blew up and
hosed the data.  I had to revert back to an older backup and lost data.  I
had actually stopped using the memo feature many years ago, so I really
didn't lose much except for all the memo data that was entered last week in
an attempt to bring along all this extra data that is now being required.  I
already ironed out a solution exporting out of the memo field  and all of a
sudden we started getting seg violations.  Traced it to the memo field.  

I have already written the automated scripts that blows out the new systems
data and import all the filepro data massaging it along the way.   Then
every couple of days we would do a data reset on the new system and
automatically bring in all the accounting data including the most recent. 

You mention that we could create and associate a standalone text file with
the invoice.  The external files is actually is where the data is coming
from already, "work logs" in EmEditor (notepad on steroids)...  I just
wanted to keep the data exactly as it appears on the invoice with formatting
with the invoice.  To keep the formatting, I had to parse the memo field and
translate all CR into "-cr-", tabs into "-tab-" and NL into "-nl-" and then
on the new system convert back.  That would allow the formatting to also go.
But that's a huge problem in filepro and not worth the effort in converting.

Someone will say it isn't true...  For them, I ask "how do we do a translate
all the carriage returns, chr(13)  into "-cr-" so that the memo field will
be one long sentence with no special characters embedded?  

Oh, just one of the new specs that is currently needed is a notes field
where freeform rich text entries with hyperlinks and images are saved for
each invoice line item.  And of course, all this data must flow onto the
print/email/pdf invoice.  Other features include scrollable fields,
pageframes,  and screen size/resolution limited only by the system (dual &
triple monitors for example).

Bottom line, I trust regular fields, not memos...  However, next week, we
are going to try the memo again with heavy data entry, just in-case we ran
into a fluke early this week when our memo data got hosed.  I'm giving it
one last chance, if you will.

Now, if anyone has had several bad experiences with memos, I'd really
appreciate you sharing them, (offline if you want).  If this is a persistent
issue, then I don't need to waste any time next week giving filepro memos
another chance.  I'll bite the bullet and go another approach... 

Thanks, Stanley

-----Original Message-----
From: Filepro-list
[mailto:filepro-list-bounces+stanley=stanlyn.com at lists.celestial.com] On
Behalf Of Boaz Bezborodko
Sent: Saturday, March 28, 2015 1:02 PM
To: filepro-list at lists.celestial.com
Subject: Re:Copying memo data into regular field?

> Date: Fri, 27 Mar 2015 20:09:05 -0400
> From: "Stanley - stanlyn.com"<stanley at stanlyn.com> 
> To:<filepro-list at lists.celestial.com>
> Subject: Copying memo data into regular field?
> Message-ID:
> 	
> <!&!AAAAAAAAAAAYAAAAAAAAAPR6Tw5LnS5CoVg+IvMfAXDCgAAAEAAAAFZeCsqAlCRAoe
> JqW1juytgBAAAAAA==@stanlyn.com>
> 	
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
>
> Hi,
>
>   
>
> I need to get memo data out and for now, I'll save it into standard 
> long fields, like (4) 999 character fields 300, 301, 302, 303.
>
>   
>
> The memo field is # 212.
>
>   
>
> I was hoping that this would work, but it won't.
>
>   
>
> Then: 300=mid(212,"1","999") ; 301=mid(212,"1000","999") ;
> 302=mid(212,"2001","999") and so on.
>
>   
>
> Or if something like this was available:  aa=text(212)
>
>   
>
> But first we must sanitize the data by removing all tabs, line feeds 
> and carriage returns, because a regular field cannot contain any of those
chars.
>
>   
>
> How can this be done?
>
>   
>
> You ask why would anyone want to do this?  Because filepro memos are a 
> disaster.  at least that's my experience and I need to move away from 
> them while salvaging whatever data that hasn't been hosed.  Simply, I 
> can't trust it!
>
>   
>
> How would you do this?
>
>   
>
> Thanks,
>
> Stanley

I'm assuming that you are planning a one time conversion to some other
format for you memo storage.  If so then why not output orprint each record
to a separate file and name that file with some kind of reference key that
links to the Filepro record?  You can then work with that output (or files)
with some other program to fix/massage/re-import the data to the format you
want.

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