fixed format file input

[moskhan]

hi
I am a newbie at progress and I am stuck at a simple problem. How can I read text from a fixed format file. The example I am provided with uses SET STREAM to read space delimited numbers. But since text has spaces in it. This code does not work.

Can anyone suggest something?
moskhan

PS: is it possible to provide the names of the input files into progress code as arguments? Just like C where the main function works with argc, argv?

 

[MadMichael]

I would suggest you load a variable with the entire contents of your input record and then use the SUBSTRING function to split out the individual field contents.

Progress also provides a 'quoter' utility which can convert files with fixed formats or delimited formats to the space-delimited, quoted format that is the standard Progress import format.

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Re filenames as arguments, you could call a program like this:

RUN program-name.p(INPUT "c:\your\filename\here.txt").

The program would contain code like:

DEFINE INPUT VARIABLE v-filename.
INPUT FROM value(v-filename).

 

[MadMichael]

OOPS ALERT!!!

The program code should actually be:

DEFINE INPUT VARIABLE v-filename AS CHARACTER.
INPUT FROM value(v-filename).

 

[moskhan]

Thanks Mad Michael,
Your suggestions showed me another way of tackling that problem. I later found examples of fixed format code which showed me my error.

Apparently, progress expects to see 1 space between variables (regardless of whether there are spaces within your string inputs). My input format had been
<8 char><40char><10char>.... As soon as I put spaces in between the fields (<8 char> <40char> <10char> ....) my program worked perfectly.

just thought you would want to know what I did.

moskhan