Hi,

Suppose I have a text file of "x" columns of 30 characters. What
program could I use to convert the text to a c.s.v. file ? How to do
it would also be handy. TIA.

Regards, John.

John Fitzsimons <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in
news:(E-Mail Removed):

>
> Hi,
>
> Suppose I have a text file of "x" columns of 30 characters. What
> program could I use to convert the text to a c.s.v. file ? How to do
> it would also be handy. TIA.
>
http://www.freewarepro.com/info.php?...=38&fileid=135

Should do it...but I've not tried *exactly* what you're trying.

--
Tiger

"In the devil's theology, the important thing is to be absolutely right
and prove everyone else is absolutely wrong." - Thomas Merton

Tiger <(E-Mail Removed)>:

> John Fitzsimons <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in
> >
> > Suppose I have a text file of "x" columns of 30 characters. What
> > program could I use to convert the text to a c.s.v. file ? How to do
> > it would also be handy. TIA.
> >
> http://www.freewarepro.com/info.php?...=38&fileid=135

CSVdb

> Should do it...but I've not tried *exactly* what you're trying.

Both CSVdb and DBedit will deal with (read and convert) the files
if those columns are separated by tabs... It was quite a while
before I realized that, as the steps are indirect for both progs.

If the columns are separated by spaces, then all I'd know to do
is run a separate program, text editor or a standalone search &
replace tool, before loading them into a csv editor.

Is this the nature of the request, having a csv editor read the
files? Or is it something else wanted, as in the line of batch
conversion of a number of files? In such a case, it seems the
dirction to take would be a search & replace tool....

--
Karen S.

omega wrote:

> Tiger <(E-Mail Removed)>:
>
>
>>John Fitzsimons <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in
>>
>>>Suppose I have a text file of "x" columns of 30 characters. What
>>>program could I use to convert the text to a c.s.v. file ? How to do
>>>it would also be handy. TIA.

> Both CSVdb and DBedit will deal with (read and convert) the files
> if those columns are separated by tabs... It was quite a while
> before I realized that, as the steps are indirect for both progs.

re: dbEdit - this is how I do it

- copy the tabular data to the clipboard
- open dbEdit
- then from the drop down file menu select: open from clipboard
- save the results as a .csv file

dbEdit has some size limitations - it doesn't sound as if that would be
a problem in this case . . .

Susan
--
Pricelessware: http://www.pricelessware.org
PL2003: http://www.pricelessware.org/2003/about2003PL.htm
PL2004 Review: http://www.pricelessware.org/2004/2004nominationsPL.php
alt.comp.freeware FAQ (short) - maintained by John F.
http://clients.net2000.com.au/~johnf/faq.html

Susan Bugher <(E-Mail Removed)>:
>
> omega wrote:
>> >>John Fitzsimons <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in
> >>
> >>>Suppose I have a text file of "x" columns of 30 characters. What
> >>>program could I use to convert the text to a c.s.v. file ? How to do
> >>>it would also be handy. TIA.
>
> > Both CSVdb and DBedit will deal with (read and convert) the files
> > if those columns are separated by tabs... It was quite a while
> > before I realized that, as the steps are indirect for both progs.
>
> re: dbEdit - this is how I do it
>
> - copy the tabular data to the clipboard
> - open dbEdit
> - then from the drop down file menu select: open from clipboard
> - save the results as a .csv file

That's how I do it, too. Once I finally realized it could be done.

> dbEdit has some size limitations - it doesn't sound as if that would be
> a problem in this case . . .

Yes, send it too large a file, and it hangs, hidden, so you have to get out
a procman to kill it. I nevertheless keep it as my preferred default .CSV
viewer. Then when I have a large file, or have some involved processing to
do on the file, I send that to CSVdb.

In CSVdb, I open the file, which sometimes it might initially display funky,
depending on what type of settings were activated during my previous launch.
Then on the "Modify" options tab at the bottom of the screen, where it says
"set separator," I choose "tab." Last, I go to the File Menu, and choose
"Refresh File." This lets me view and work with it in tab-separted form.

To save it as csv at this point, I again use the "Modify" options tab, and
the "set separator" checkbox, changing that choice to "comma." Then the
Save/Save As dialog honors that choice when doing the save.

The preferred method could be using the "Import" routine in CSVdb, on its
File menu. The first screen, you choose the file to import, together with
the filename you want for export (the export filename can be the same or
different). Hmmmmmmm. I swear I've used it successfully in the past...
Yet trying now, there's something I'm overlooking, something CSVdb (v4.41)
doesn't like about my test files, or something other, don't know what...


--
Karen S.

John Fitzsimons wrote:
> Hi,
>
> Suppose I have a text file of "x" columns of 30 characters. What
> program could I use to convert the text to a c.s.v. file ? How to do
> it would also be handy. TIA.

There is a program I use that will do it, but I'll only mention it (and
the method used) if such objective information, the type I always give
in ACF in reference to *this* type of software, is not going to be
labelled as some sort of "hero worship" ... particularly after the event
and/ or out of its context.

Your call.

--
Alan
« Optimist or pessimist aside, the glass is clearly twice as big as it
needs to be. »

| There is a program I use that will do it, but I'll only mention it (and
| the method used) if such objective information, the type I always give
| in ACF in reference to *this* type of software, is not going to be
| labelled as some sort of "hero worship" ... particularly after the event
| and/ or out of its context.
|
| Your call.

Alan ....

If the data was well formatted, I would probably write a small Python program
for converting a text file into a CSV file, but you've piqued my curiousity
as to what you have in mind ....

If you don't want to post the info here,
my eMail address is real ....

--
Cousin Stanley
Human Being
Phoenix, Arizona

"Cousin Stanley" <(E-Mail Removed)>:

> | There is a program I use that will do it, but I'll only mention it (and
> | the method used) if such objective information, the type I always give
> | in ACF in reference to *this* type of software, is not going to be
> | labelled as some sort of "hero worship" ... particularly after the event
> | and/ or out of its context.
> |
> | Your call.
>
> If the data was well formatted, I would probably write a small Python program
> for converting a text file into a CSV file, but you've piqued my curiousity
> as to what you have in mind ....

If processing a number of files was what John was actually after, that
sounds pretty cool. Maybe just write it up regardless? I, for one, would
set my download manager to gobble it down without hesitation.

> If you don't want to post the info here,
> my eMail address is real ....

My speculative guess is that Alan figures that if John already has Excel,
that this is the tool that will perform the function most efficiently.

--
Karen S.

| If processing a number of files was what John was actually after,
| that sounds pretty cool. Maybe just write it up regardless?
| I, for one, would set my download manager to gobble it down
| without hesitation.
| ....

Cousin Karen ....

I hope I didn't mislead you,
as I should have stated ...

I would probably write a small Python program
for converting THAT SPECIFIC text file into a CSV file ....

Although Python is a VERY useful programming language
and the latest version, Python 2.3, has a csv module,
it would be difficult to come up with an algorithm
that would be useful for text ---> csv file conversion
in general ....

However, solutions to problems like John F. posed
should be readily solvable in Python and adaptable,
through a bit a program tweaking if the user is Python savy,
to other similar cases where the input text files
to be converted are structured in a similar manner ....

--
Cousin Stanley
Human Being
Phoenix, Arizona

On Sun, 16 Nov 2003 09:47:57 -0800, omega <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>"Cousin Stanley" <(E-Mail Removed)>:

>> | There is a program I use that will do it, but I'll only mention it (and
>> | the method used) if such objective information, the type I always give
>> | in ACF in reference to *this* type of software, is not going to be
>> | labelled as some sort of "hero worship" ... particularly after the event
>> | and/ or out of its context.

>> | Your call.

>> If the data was well formatted, I would probably write a small Python program
>> for converting a text file into a CSV file, but you've piqued my curiousity
>> as to what you have in mind ....

>If processing a number of files was what John was actually after, that
>sounds pretty cool. Maybe just write it up regardless? I, for one, would
>set my download manager to gobble it down without hesitation.

Yes, having had experience of Cousin Stanley's programming I could say
with certainty that it would be well programmed.

>> If you don't want to post the info here,
>> my eMail address is real ....

>My speculative guess is that Alan figures that if John already has Excel,
>that this is the tool that will perform the function most efficiently.

Knowing Alan's hero worship of anything Microsoft you may well be
right. Excel however isn't freeware.

Regards, John.