Text Export gets extra carriage returns

[Marichele]

I am exporting to a text file. All of the columns are fixed length. Together they run out to 260 characters.
I keep getting a carriage return at 255 on the Clients machine not on mine. I have changed the textExport registry to 22 characters per inch, I have chosen landscape, legal and am using the smallest font it will accept.
My Client has many different printers, any of which may be the default printer. This is strictly an electronic data deliverable.
My client does a lot of text exports to 3rd party dbs, I need this to work.

Crystal 8.5


Thanks,
Mary

 

[Madawc]

You could try exporting as something else, say Excel, and from Excel to text.

Also check if the export dlls are up to date. In 2003, there was a change in Crystal 8.5 exporting that improved it a great deal. If your export-choice says things like Excel Extended rather than MS Excel 97, then an update should fix it. I assume 'BO' still have them for Crystal 8.5 customers.


Madawc Williams (East Anglia, UK). Using Windows XP & Crystal 10

 

[Marichele]

Thanks for your response but if I am going to write an
app to take the excel file and change it to text. I will drop crystal from the picture entirely and create an
app which will create the file. Then I won't have to worry about any 255 character limit.

I have checked the dll and we match.

Thanks,
Mary

 

[synapsevampire]

You wouldn't need to change the Excel to text using an app, Excel will open it directly.

I don't understand what the issue is, you just need to have adequate space to perform the export, you don't NEED fixed length fields.

Drop them in alongside each other and shrink them down. when exporting to Excel the data should all be there, they just might need to expand the column width within Excel afterwards.

-k

 

[Marichele]

I will restate my problem:
This is a data import file I am creating not an excel file. The receiving database is expecting a FIXED length file. I need to create a FIXED LENGTH file in which each record has a potential of being greater than 260 characters. On some systems the file is created correctly. On others a Carriage Return/Linefeed is inserted after 256 characters. This causes the receiving database to issue an invalid file format error. I have verified that the u2ftext.dll version is 8.6.2.788. The registry for CharPerInch in TextExport is set to 16. I do not need it to be readable by humans, just a machine.

I have Crystal 8.5.
I know nothing about the receiving database other than it requires a FIXED-Length file from my client.

Thanks,
Mary

 

[synapsevampire]

OK, sorry, Madawc threw me there.

Are the users all using Crystal Reports to create the files?

One means might be to try selecting No Printer and make the orientation Landscape.

As you're learning, Windows programs WYSIWYG is based on the printer being used, so if they are using a 2 inch thermal printer, Crystal will render accordingly.

-k

 

[synapsevampire]

I shuold also mention that I have install the standard HP 3500 CPS printer driver and ask that they select it when using reports for export.

-k

 

[Marichele]

I tried selecting no Printer and the orientation is landscape.
Also, when the user is doing the export, I do not allow them to have a viewer. I send the report directly to the crystalexport process dll.

Thanks,
Mary

 

[synapsevampire]

Well Crystal Reports 8.5 doesn't allow for sending the report directly to the crystalexport process dll, perhaps you should share how you are executing this? VB, or?

I've never heard of this "crystalexport process.dll"???

Are you using the RDC, OCX or print engine api?

Perhaps you can set the printer as part of your process, not sure.

-k

 

[Marichele]

Thanks for your help.
Can you recommend
I'm looking into that now. A former employee wrote a c++ dll/com object that connected with our java library. I assume he based it off a print engine api, since that is the name of one of his creations (crengine.dll and crmfdlg.exe). I have to find the code first. There doesn't seem to be a way to tell it which printer driver to use.

Unfortunately, the client isn't too keen on setting up printers that don't exist. Even if it is just on the user who will be creating the edd. Somebody might decide to print to one! And I not the one that has to answer the phone on that.


Thanks,
Mary