On Jul 9, 2009, at 12:38 AM, Ross Dickson wrote:
Another approach is to assemble all of the data with its formatting requirements in a global text field. Add the header and footer information, and export the global text field from one record. Convert the vertical tabs in the exported text file into returns with a file management plug in.
Yet another approach, and one I've used when faced with a requirement for multiple exports of this type from different tables (actually files -- this was pre FMP7 days), is to use a temporary file.
The temporary file simply has as many fields as you need columns in the export. You set up your export by creating a first (header) record and populating the fields appropriately for the header. Then import your record set. Then create a final (footer) record and populate appropriately. Then export and finally delete the found set. This can all be scripted of course.
The biggest difficulty with this is field/data types. I made all the fields in the temporary file of type text. Then made sure I populated the fields with already-formatted data. A second problem is that you have to carefully consider how it is going to work in a multi-user situation. I'm sure this approach would be simpler in FMP10 than it was back in FMP6.
Given that this is becoming a major part of your client's business, such a 'temporary' file might be useful if made 'permanent'. I could envisage a situation where you have a pair of related tables: export < export_lines. The export table (with fields for export date, user, perhaps export destination, etc.) would have one record per export and all the export lines would be related to it. You would then be left with an audit trail that shows who did the export and when as well as the exported lines (including header and footer). In my experience, this can be very useful -- especially in this kind of situation where you have to be very careful not to send off the same data twice.
Just a thought! Steve
