Updating User Variables from a CSV File

[joebrisbaneau]

Hi guys,

I am very new to Framemaker, so please forgive me if I ask this dumb question. I am trying to update my user variables at a document level per document via a CSV file that contains 2 columns - 1st is product code, 2nd is price.

I have made user vars in each document naming by product code, containing a price - then placing them in tables adjacent to text descriptions with the product code (text only).

I have searched high and low for a cost effective way to acheive this simple thing, however I have had no luck. Any ideas???

 

[kerlin]

As far as I know it can only be done with an FDK client (at least if I understood correctly your necessity). Sorry!

 

[frameuser]

Can you elaborate a bit? I'm afraid that I don't understand what you want.

Rick Henkel
Senior Systems Developer

http://frameuser.docspages.com

 

[joebrisbaneau]

Thanks so far for those whom have taken a moment to place some input.

This is the skinny.

I get given a text file from a vax/vms server containing product code and price in csv format. I then have a book made in framemaker MIF format. The book is broken into sections A - S (300 pages). each page of the book contains information pertaining to hydraulic components with a table listing code for the product and a price.

what i need to do is to apply the price in the csv file to the pages in the MIF book. I can see that MIF is readable text with markup tags, and feel that it can be done with a language like perl or python, however I have no experience in either and limited programming ability.

TEXT FILE (CSV) ---> (?????) ----> MIF

that's as simple as i can explain it.

There must be someone amongst this community that can atleast offer some insight, surely.

 

[markso]

I'm afraid that Kerlin is right, unless someone has specifically written a Framemaker plugin (FDK), out of the box Framemaker cannot do what you want it to do. Maybe someone on the Adobe Framemaker Forum -

http://www.adobe.com/support/forums/main.html

might know if such a FDK exists, but I doubt it.

If sunflower oil comes from sunflowers, and vegetable oil comes from vegetables, where does baby oil come from?

 

[frameuser]

You might also ask in the FrameScript group (

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/framescript-users/).

Maybe someone there knows a way to use FrameScript to do this.

Rick Henkel
Senior Systems Developer

http://frameuser.docspages.com

 

[kerlin]

Hi

Can you send me an example of FM and CSV files? I'll see what can be done. No promisses, though.

Kerlin