Alain,
>I have trouble with this type of files. I can not synchronize
>fields. I tried "append from delimited", Fread ...
You have several options, depending on the data and what tools are available
to you.
1) If you have access to the HFSQL ODBC Driver you can use Alaska's ODBCDBE
or Boris' SQLExpress to read the data directly from the HFSQL database.
That way, you have access to all data values in their native format and
you can even read the data relational, combining data from multiple
tables/records into a single record.
2) If you have already converted the files into (some sort of) CSV format,
you can either use the DELDBE or FRead() to convert that data. Just make
sure that you select the option to enclose text/character values in
quotes, when you export/convert the data to CSV.
CSV isn't a great format for complex data, though. It can only handle basic
field types (Character, Numeric, Date, Boolean/Logic) but won't work for
more complex ones, like Memo Fields (Long Text) or Binary values (like
images).
Also, even if you choose to enclose the character values in quotes, so that
any field delimiters (like comas or semicolons) in text fields won't be
mistaken for real field delimiters, any quote characters, as well as many
non-printable characters (like CR, LF, etc.) can still break the file.
So, before you can use the DELDBE, you might need to manually "fix" the CSV
file and replace any such issues, like changing extra quotes, etc. with a
simple text editor. Also keep in mind that some programs add an extra field
delimiter at the end of a record.
If the DELDBE doesn't work for you, you can always use FRead() to manually
read the text and convert it. That will allow you to handle some common
issues that the DELDBE might not be able to handle by itself.
If you do use the DELDBE, make sure that it is setup correctly for your CSV
file format, such as the correct field and record delimiters etc.
If you use FRead(), I suggest a modular approach, where you read one line
(or record) at a time (with a sub-routine) and convert the resulting text
into an array of individual fields, which you can then separately convert to
the correct data types and save to your database.
Hope that helps,
BTW: I'm available for software development as well as tutoring/coaching,
if you need any additional help.
Andreas
Andreas Gehrs-Pahl
Absolute Software, LLC
phone: (989) 723-9927
email: Andreas@AbsoluteSoftwareLLC.com
web: http://www.AbsoluteSoftwareLLC.com
[F]: https://www.facebook.com/AbsoluteSoftwareLLC
example import.prg