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WordPerfect Corporation
InfoShare Information Fax Service
(800) 228-9960
Title: Converting a Secondary Merge File to an ASCII Delimited
File
Product: WordPerfect 5.1 for DOS
Number: 1022-12/93
Problem
This document describes how to convert a secondary merge file to
an ASCII comma-delimited file.
Concept
ASCII is short for American Standard Code for Information
Interchange. ASCII is a standard format for representing
characters in a document on a computer. An ASCII format is
useful in files you want to share between applications. The DOS
Text option in WordPerfect 5.1 is an ASCII format.
The Text In/Out feature of WordPerfect 5.1 lets you save
WordPerfect documents in DOS (ASCII) text format. There are two
options for saving files in DOS text format. The DOS Text option
converts the [SRt] codes to ASCII [HRt] codes, which will place
carriage return and line feed codes at every point where a [SRt]
code appears in your document. The Generic text option removes
those [SRt] codes and leaves only the [HRt] and [HPg] codes in
your document. Although you can create an ASCII delimited file
using both of these features, the Generic text option is much
easier to use. Therefore, we will deal with the Generic text
option in this document.
Delimiters are characters that mark the beginning or end of an
item such as a record or field. Converting a secondary merge
file to ASCII delimited format is the process of replacing
WordPerfect merge codes with delimiters, the most common
delimiters being the comma and quote.
When you prepare a secondary merge file to be converted to ASCII
delimited format, in most instances you will replace the {END
FIELD}[HRt] merge codes with the ," delimiters. The ,"{END
RECORD}[HPg] codes will be replaced with a hard return code
[HRt]. In ASCII delimited format, information is divided into
records marked at the end by [HRt].
Solution
To convert a secondary merge file, begin by replacing the merge
codes with ASCII field delimiters.
1 Retrieve the file to a blank screen. Your merge records
might look like this:
Bob Johnson{END FIELD}
123 Main Street{END FIELD}
Orem{END FIELD}
UT{END FIELD}
84057{END FIELD}
{END RECORD}
A [HPg] command would separate each record.
2 With the cursor at the top of the file, type the first "
delimiter before the first field.
3 Press Replace (Alt+F2), then N to replace without
confirmation.
4 Press End Field (F9) and Enter to define what you are
searching for. Then press Search (F2).
5 Type "," and press Search (F2) to replace the merge
codes with the delimiters.
Now you need to replace the merge record codes with ASCII record
delimiters.
1 Press Home, Home, then Up Arrow to go to the top of the
file.
2 Press Replace (Alt+F2), then N to replace without
confirmation.
3 Type ," and press Merge Codes (Shift+F9), End Record
(2), then Ctrl+Enter. Then press Search (F2) to search
for the merge and hard page codes.
4 Press Enter, then ". Then press Search (F2) to replace
the codes with delimiters.
5 Press Delete to delete the last quotation mark at the
bottom of the document.
Your merge file will now appear in ASCII delimited format. The
sample record shown above would now look like this:
"Bob Johnson","123 Main Street","Orem","UT","84057"
Now you need to save the file in ASCII delimited format.
1 Press Text In/Out (Ctrl+F5), Save As (3), then Generic
(1).
2 Enter the name for your new file; then press Enter.
See Also
∙ Text In/Out in the WordPerfect 5.1 for DOS reference
manual
WordPerfect Corporation 1993
WordPerfect Corporation
1555 N. Technology Way
Orem, UT 84057-2399
WordPerfect is a registered trademark of WordPerfect Corporation
within the United States and other countries.