User manual BUSINESS OBJECTS FILEPREP 4.02A

[. . . ] FilePrep User's Guide Version 4. 02a August 2001 Prepare ASCII and dBASE files for processing. To understand this document, you must first understand format description (FMT) files. Those are explained in the Database Prep manual. 2 Pwfmt: ASCII file formatter . . . . . . . . . . . . [. . . ] Set up a field or two, then go to Browse to see what effect that has on that display. As you define more and more fields, the display gradually becomes more orderly. When your FMT file is complete and accurate, the ASCII file will appear as if in a table, in orderly columns and rows. For example, compare the figures on the next page. Tips · Use the "Goto" feature to move to the end of the file (or press Ctrl PgDn or Ctrl B). This assures you that your FMT remains accurate throughout the data file. Refer to the on-line help screen for information about quick keys. Press F1 or Esc 1 for help. · Measuring field and record lengths Browse offers three tools to help you measure field and record lengths quickly. · Column: As you move the cursor right or left, notice the Column counter in the lower left corner. When you have no fields defined (blank FMT), this count represents the number of characters from the left end of the display. Once you begin defining fields, the count always represents the numbers of characters from the left end (beginning) of the record. Filler fields are not displayed, but their lengths are included in the count. Count from top of file: When you press F2 or Esc 2, Pwfmt reports the number of characters from the top of the file to the cursor. You can use this to find the length of a header or first record. Once you have defined a topoffset, it is not included in the count. Ruler: Press F8 or Esc 8 to turn on the display of a ruler (see figure, next page). While displayed, the ruler obscures one line of data. You can move it up and down with arrow keys. To turn off the ruler, press F8 or Esc 8 again. Of course, the ruler measures characters, not inches! · · How to use Browse 5 In this example, no fields have been defined. Notice the vertical bars, which represent unprintable characters. These may be end-of-record marks (CR-LF) Here, fields have been defined, and they are shown as columns in a table. 6 FilePrep 4. 02a User's Guide How to use View View mode shows you one record at a time. It is most useful for checking the accuracy of your FMT file when it is fairly complete. [. . . ] If you do not provide an output FMT, Fmtcopy will create one. compare input. DBF copy output. FMT output. DAT Fmtcopy: File format conversion 9 How to run DOS fmtcopy fmtcopy /h fmtcopy [/v] infile [/i:dbase3] outfile [/o:dbase3] [/strip] Unix or VMS fmtcopy fmtcopy -h fmtcopy [-v] infile [-i:dbase3] outfile [-o:dbase3] [-strip] The arguments on this command line are: Argument Description no options h v infile Display usage information similar to this page. Help (displays information about format conversion) Suppress verbose processing messages Name of original, input file. If it is not in the current directory, add a full or relative path to identify its location. If there is an input FMT, Fmtcopy will expect to find it in the same location. [. . . ]