Export Fixed Width with No Line Breaks/Carriage Returns

[jpfulton248]

I'm trying to figure out how to export a Query in a fixed width text file format with no line breaks. I have everything set up and saved in "Specs" so I'm on the 1 yard line but can't figure out how to stop line breaks from exporting (maybe there isn't away)?



I'm using Access 2003.

Thanks in advance!!

Pete

[June7]

Why are line breaks an issue? Shouldn't the text file have multiple lines?

[jpfulton248]

The problem is that the export is the first step in a multi-step process involving 16bit DOS based executables originally written in Fortran.

My hope was to eliminate step 2 from below:

1. Step 1 is the export (formerly tab delimited)
2. Step 2 is an exe that converts tab delim to fixed width with no line breaks
3. Step 3 is another exe file
4. Step 4 is another one
5. Step 5 is another one that creates a postscript file.

In order to skip step 2 I need to have a fixed field file that will seamlessly feed into step 3. This is all just a matter of convenience, I can continue with the orig workflow but step 2 is a bit of a pain in the a$$ (I have to enter the char width of 75 fields at the command prompt in DOS individually every time I run a draft of this postscript file... and the char widths NEVER change and haven't in 15 years).

Thanks again.

[June7]

I am still not understanding the 'no line breaks'. You want to data to be one long, continuous string?

[jpfulton248]

I am still not understanding the 'no line breaks'. You want to data to be one long, continuous string?

I know it sounds weird, but yes, that is the way the Step 3 executable was written... it expects no line breaks.

So the total character width of the export is 1900 characters comprised of 75 fields. I think the way it works is that when it gets to 1900 it automatically knows that it has reached a new record. I took the fixed field with line breaks into a text editor and find/replaced for breaks... this created a "good" file so I know the only thing I'm missing is the ability to export without the breaks. Just hoping to streamline it a bit.

[rpeare]

Are you trying to eliminate carriage returns, or line feeds? typically in a text file a 'line break' is a carriage return/line feed pair. Some systems will not read one or the other of those or interpret them as the same thing, in essence creating a 'blank' line.

If you are attempting to export a query or table with just a line feed (typically if you were to try to import a file that only had a line feed as the end of line character into access it would look like one great big long string which is what I think you're after) you will likely have to write a VBA script to handle the width you're talking about as I don't think you can build it into access (access doesn't like stuff wider than 255 characters and I'm not sure a total width of 1900 wouldn't make it scream for mercy).

a vba script to perform the export for you wouldn't be too hard though and would be much easier if you had a table defining field widths it could read.

Look at the filesystemobject method for creating a text file and writing to it.