FAQ part 3 : Troi
File Plug-in questions
Table
of Contents
| Part
1
| Part
2
| Part 3 File Plug-in| Part
4 Text Plug-in
| Part
5 URL Plug-in
Creating Files
Dialogs
File Formats
Images and Containers
Import
Information on Files
Manipulating Files
Launching
Runtimes
Windows NT
Miscellaneous
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Creating Files
Q. Is it possible to write a TAB
character (or any other special character) in a file in
order to generate a log file that can easily be opened in an
other application, like AppleWorks?
Yes, you can write any ASCII character to a file with the
File plug-in. You need to concatenate your
‘regular’ text with the special characters. The
most clear way is to put the ASCII character in a global
field. First define a global to hold the TAB: gTABchar
global, text
Then fill this global with the help of a startup script,
like this:
Set Field[gTABchar,
"PASTE A TAB CHAR HERE"]
You need to substitute PASTE A TAB CHAR HERE with a real tab
char, pasted for example from a text file.
If you have installed our Serial plug-in you can also use
the demo file ASCII.fp3 file to get the character you want.
Also this function of the Serial Plug-in helps:
Set Field [gTABchar,
External("Serial-ToASCII", "9") ]
For this you need to know the character's ASCII code, TAB
has ASCII code 9. See the demo file ASCII.fp3 for a list of
codes. You can download the Serial Plug-in here:
<http://www.troi.com/software/serialplugin.html>.
Q. How can I create a text file that
has the correct formatting for the end of line for all
platforms?
First create a global text field, for example called
gXplatformReturn, which you set in a script that is run at
startup of the file. In this script have the following
step:
Set Field[
gXplatformReturn, If(Abs(Status(CurrentPlatform)) = 1 ,
"¶", "¶L") ]
Note: The L in this calculation is just a placeholder for
the LF character. You can get this calculation by copying it
from the sample file "All File Examples.fp3" in the script
"Set All Globals". Or you can get the LF character by
selecting 2 lines in a text file on Windows.
Now you can simply append this globals to your calculations,
for example in this script step:
Set Field[ gErrorCode,
TrFile_AppendContents( "-Unused" , "A bit of text" &
gXplatformReturn) ]
Q. The function TrFile-AppendContents
returns error code $$-2. What does this mean?
The error code $$-2 is a generic error and means that the
file does not exists. This is an omission in our user guide.
This function might also return $$-3.
To make this work you need to create the file first with the
TrFile-CreateFile function. Also check if the path to the
file is correctly set with the TrFile-SetDefaultFileSpec
function.
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Dialogs
Q. I do not want a dialog for the user
to determine which file to manipulate - I already know where
the file is. How do I stop the dialog appearing?
In the example scripts these steps are performed: first a step
that asks the user for a file and stores the resulting file
path in a global. Then secondly this global is used in the
next function to perform the actual action with that file.
If you don't want a user dialog you can omit the first step
and give the known path to the file as a parameter to the
second function. So omit this step that brings the dialog up
from the script:
Set Field[ gTheFileSpec,
TrFile_SelectFileDialog( "-Unused" ; "Please select a
file:")]
And only perform this step:
Set Field[
textField,
TrFile_GetContents( "-Unused" ; gTheFileSpec ;)
]
The global field 'gTheFileSpec' must contain a valid path to
a file. You can also use a text field or calculation to
specify the file.
Q. How do I automatically append the
CurrentDate to export files without going through a
dialog?
Use the Troi File plug-in for this: if you know the path to
the export file you can do it. - First do an automatic
scripted export to a file, for example named 'Export.TAB' -
Then use:
Set Field[ gErrorCode,
TrFile_Movefile("-Unused" ;
gFilepath ;
gFilepath &
DateToText(Get(CurrentDate)) ]
Here gFilepath is a global field and contains
for example:
MacHD:Data:Export.TAB or
C:/Data/Export.TAB
After using the function the name of the file will be
'ExportFile.TAB09291998'. The path will be:
MacHD:Data:ExportFile.TAB09291998
or
C:/Data/Export.TAB09291998
Note: You should check the length of the filename:
do not make it longer than 32 characters.
Q. How can I eliminate the "save file
name" dialog box during the printing to PDF?
That's on windows, not? Try this: If you select Acrobat
Distiller as your default printer, it will create a
postscript file that is then automatically distilled by
Acrobat. There's no dialog and it's fast.
Q. The Troi File plug-in will only show
text files in the selection dialog. How can you change
this?
This is on Mac and is file filtering in action. To change
the default filtering take a look at "Filtering Files" in
the example databases.
For example to display all files add this script step:
Set Field[dontcare,
TrFile_SetDefaultType( "-Unused" ; "")]
And to display JPEG, SimpleText and Teach Text read-only
files add this step:
Set Field[dontcare,
TrFile_SetDefaultType("-Unused",
"JPEGTEXTttro")]
Q. How can you display only text files
in a File Open dialog box on Windows?
The fileTypes parameter must be formated in pairs of lines. You can specify multiple pairs of lines. The first line of the pair should contain a description of the files to be shown in the dialog. For example: "Text Files (*.txt)".
The second line of the pair should contain the extension to be shown. For example: "*.txt". Also in the second line you can use multiple extensions to filter on by separating them with a semi-colon ";". For example: "*.txt;*.doc"..
Set Field[dontcare,
TrFile_SetDefaultType("-Unused",
"Text Files (*.txt)¶
"*.txt") ]
Q. A selection dialog like TrFile-Get
FileSpec Dialog does not present a dialog at all. I tried it
with your example database and with mine same problem, how
can this be?
Make sure the plug-in registered. New in version 2.0 and
later is that the plug-in stop sworking after 45 min. if
unregistered. It will return an error code $$-4222 then.
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File Formats
Q. Can the File Plug-in read, write or
modify Microsoft Word documents?
The File Plug-in can read or create any type of document.
However the file plug-in does not know about the proper
format for a Word document. So you can read in the contents
of a document, but this will look like gibberish. The format
of Microsoft Word is as far as we know not public, so we
can't help you decode the proper format.
If you want to create documents that Word can understand,
you might try to calculate a RTF (Rich Text Format)
formatted file.
Below you find an example of a Word document with only the
text "Hello World". This file can contain lots of extra
information. A *part* of this file might be similar to
this:
&endash;œ$%%^^¢£§§§§••••••
¢ ¢ ˆ ˆ ˆ ˆ ¢ ˆ
¢ d Hello World! ∞
∆A!∞ "∞ #êÝ
$êÝ %∞ ∞‰ ∞‰ ê‰
Not an easy read!
Q. What is the difference in line end
format between Mac and Windows?
In Mac text files the end of a line is signalled by the CR
or Carriage Return character (ASCII code 13). In Windows
files in general and specifically text files (extension
.txt) the end of a line is signalled by CR/LF which is the
Carriage Return character (ASCII 13) directly followed by
the Line Feed character (ASCII 10).
Q. I am looking for a tool to export
from Windows FileMaker to Paradox, Excel, textfile or any
other readable format. Do you know of any tools that may
help?
The Troi File plug-in can create files exactly as you want
them, provided you know how to create the format with a
FileMaker calculation. The plug-in also has a substitute
function, so you can even change (exported) files on disk to
some other formats.
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Images and Containers
Q. Is there a Troi plug-in that can save
an image which is stored inside a container field to a
file?
This is not possible with a Troi Plug-in. This is now
possible wiht FileMaker Pro 8.
Q. Graphics imported into a container
and stored as a reference only are not visible on other
computers. What gives?
When graphics are stored in container fields, referenced
graphics will not be visible to guests unless they have
mounted the volume where the graphics are stored before
opening the database.
See also the detailed explanation on this web page:
<http://www.troi.com/software/filexplatref.html>
Q. I need to import many MP3 QuickTime
audio files into container fields using the "Import
Movie..." script. I have a calculated pathname to the MP3
file, is it possible to batch import these?
No, at the moment we don't have a solution. FileMaker will
always store a reference to the QuickTime file. From the
FileMaker 5 help: "The data in a container field is a
REFERENCE to a multimedia file. If you move the database to
a different computer, move the multimedia file as well
(unless you have access to it through an AppleShare network
server for Mac OS)".
The Troi File plug-in has a function that can import by
reference. However, it only works for IMAGES.
Q. When using TrFile-ReferenceToClip I
get an error code of $$-1 on Windows. How can this be
avoided?
There is a problem with higher ASCII values in the path. For
example: "C:\Mes documents\écran\Pict1.jpg"
This will give error $$-1, because of the é (e with
accent) in the path.
We are looking in ways to fix this. At the moment please try
to use paths that don't contain higher ASCII values.
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Import
Q. I need to batch import multiple
files with tab separated data. How can I do that with the
File plug-in?
This is a general description of how you can make this
work.
Create a ScriptMaker Script with only the import script with
a fixed filename and tab separated as selection. Test if
this works.
Then in a loop use the TrFile-CopyFile function to copy from
your source files to the fixed filename and do the import
script. See the Multi Image Import example for a similar way
to import but for images. (Image Import.FP5)
Q. Is it possible to import Word
documents as reference with Troi File Plug-in?
No, sorry this is not possible.
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Information on Files
Q. Do you know of any reason the "List
Disks" command would not work on Windows?
This is an omission in the user guide: this function is Mac
only at the moment.
Q. The TrFile-Search function of the
file plug-in returns aliases even when you dont specify
them?
This was a bug, It is fixed in version 2.1.3
(10-November-2000) and later.
Q. How can I detect if a file
exists?
Just ask the creation date of the file. If it doesn't exist
an error code will be returned.
If [
Left(External("TrFile-GetDateCreated", gFilePath ) , 2 )
<> "$$" ]
Comment[ It exists! do your
stuff...]
...
Else
Comment[ It doesn't exist! do your stuff
for example a warning]
...
End if
Note there is no special existence
function.
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Manipulating Files
Q. How can I separate filename and
folder from a full path?
Lets say the full path is present in a global text field
gFullPath. Then in a script you can use these calculations
to split it out:
Set Field [ FileName,
Middle(gFullPath , Position(gFullPath,
If(Abs(Status(CurrentPlatform)) = 1 , ":", "\" ) ,
Length(gFullPath) , -1) + 1, Length(gFullPath) )
]
Set Field [ Folder,
Left(gFullPath , Length(gFullPath) - Length(FileName))
]
Q. When deleting a file we get a $$-47
error. What is going wrong?
This is the file is busy error. The file is probably opened
by an other application.
Q. Can the File Plug-in link to
documents outside the database for example Microsoft Word
documents?
Yes, use the TrFileLaunch function for this. Store the name
of the external file in the database, including the path
information. To keep this flexible you should consider to
store the path to the file in a separate (global) field:
gPathToWordDocumentsFolder could contain
"D:\Data\WordDocs\"
fileName could for example contain
"FunPoem.doc"
In the script add this:
Set Field[gFilePath,
gPathToWordDocumentsFolder & fileName ]
Set Field[gErrorCode, External("TrFile-Launch",
gFilePath )]
This will launch the file specified by gFilePath with its
application.
Q. Is there a way of using the
"TrFile-MoveFile" to move files from one disk to a folder of
a server?
The instructions for the 'TrFile-MoveFile' state "This
function only works for source and destination on the same
disk". This is true on Mac. On Windows if you want to move a
file from say "C:\Documents" to a folder on a server you can
do it by specifying the path as
"\\server\DocumentFiles\".
Q. Can the Troi File Plug-in rename a
file without too much scripting? If so, what function do you
use?
You can do this using the TrFile-MoveFile function.
See the User Guide of Troi File Plug-in, which shows this
example:
Renaming a file:
assume your C disk already contains a file "Testtext.txt".
We assume that a global number field gErrorCode is defined.
In ScriptMaker create the following script:
Set Field[gErrorCode,
External("TrFile-MoveFile",
"C:\Testtext.txt|C:\NewName.txt" )]
This script will move (rename) the file "Testtext.txt" to
the "NewName.txt" file in the same directory. Note that on
Mac OS the paths will be like:
"Work
Disk:NewName.txt".
Q. I´m using:
External("TrFile-DeleteFolder",
"-DeleteAllSubFoldersAndAllContents|"& ... Is there a
way to avoid the security dialog "Do you really want to
delete the folder ..."?
Yes, there is a way. But as this is a very powerful feature,
we only tell you after a request by email.
Q. Why does the TrFile-Substitute
function truncate the replace parameter at 1000
characters?
This is a limitation of the TrFile-Substitute function in
version 2.5, this is fixed in the latest version.
Q. How can I convert a path returned
from the Status(CurrentFilePath) function to a path that the
Troi File Plug-in understands?
The Status(CurrentFilePath) function returns a URL styled
path, for example: "file://C:/data/test/myfile.pf5" on
windows and "file://My Disk/data/test/myfile.pf5" on Mac
OS.
To convert this, in a ScriptMaker Script add these script
steps:
Set Field ["gFullPath",
"Status(CurrentFilePath)"]
# Remove the first part:
Set Field ["gFullPath", Substitute(gFullPath,
"file://","")"]
#Change slashes to backslashes on Windows and
to colons on Mac:
Set Field ["gFullPath",
Substitute(
gFullPath, "/", If (Abs(Status(CurrentPlatform))=1, ":" ,
"\" )]
NOTE: Earlier there was a mistake in the calculation,
improved it on 24-Jan-2003 (from a calculation of Vince
Lackner)
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Launching
Q. On Windows the TrFile-LaunchFile
command does not launch a file with a specific extension.
How can I fix this?
It may be that your system not configured to launch this
filetype.
You can check this as follows (these instructions are for
Windows XP):
In Control Panel open "Folder Options". Select the "File
Types" Tab. Select the 3 letter extension that does not
work. Make sure it says in the details: Opens with: <the
application>.
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Runtimes
Q. Do you know of any reason the
"TrFile-GetPathTo" function would not work on a bound FM 5.0
runtime solution?
This was fixed in version 2.1.2 and later of the File
Plug-in.
Note 1: The fix is for Mac and Windows 95/98/Me only:
We have not found a way to fix this in WindowsNT and
Windows2000 and Windows XP.
Note 2: FileMaker Pro 5.5 has a new
Status(CurrentFilePath) function, that also returns a path
to the file.
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Windows NT
Q. On Windows NT the File plug-in
doesn't seem to be able to do clipboard actions when you
lock the workstation. Can you help?
No, when you lock the workstation the plug-in will come back
with $$-4225 when calling either the 'thumbnail to
clipboard' or the 'reference to clipboard' function.
When locked the plug-in can not get the front window, and
because of this it can't paste the clipboard next. Don't
lock your workstation when you want to use functions that
use the clipboard.
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Miscellaneous
Q. Can you make alias or shortcut files
with the Troi File plug-in?
No, this is not possible. We are considering this for a
future version.
Q. I'm on Windows and I get an error
code. When I checked your OSErrrs database I saw that the
error code is a Mac error code. How can this be?
We try make cross-platform error handling simpler by
translating error codes on Windows to the corresponding
error code on the Mac. For example on Windows you might get
the error "$$-43" which means "File not found".
NOTE It is still possible to get Windows errors, as we can
only translate the error codes that are expected.
Q. When using the File Plug-in with
functions that have a path as parameter, I keep getting
errors. What is wrong?
Make sure you don't use extra spaces around the pipe
character "|", which separates the parameters. For example,
the following step is incorrect:
Set Field [gResult,
External("TrFile-CopyFile", gSrc & " | " & gDest
)]
This one is correct:
Set Field [gResult,
External("TrFile-CopyFile", gSrc & "|" & gDest
)]
Q. Why can't I find a close command for
the files that the Troi File Plug-in creates, read or
writes?
The Troi File plug-in automatically closes the files after
each function that access a file. This affects
TrFile-GetContents, TrFile-SetContents,
TrFile-AppendContents and TrFile-Substitute.
Q. Is it possible to get the "File
Info" for a given file with the File Plug-in? I'm hoping to
be able to get the information from the "Info &
Comments" window on the Mac or the "Properties" window on
the PC.
You can't get the data from "Get Info" with Troi File
plug-in (yet). Troi-MetaData will only get the data that is
embedded in the file itself. For example see in Photoshop
the IPTC data under File-">>File Info.
This is different than the information from "Get Info" which
is not stored in the file, but somewhere else on the hard
disk (the Desktop Database).
Q. How come IPTC data contains garbage
for higher ASCII's?
Higher ASCII characters are not defined in IPTC data, so the
encoding can be Mac or Windows. Troi File Plug-in assumes
the encoding is the same as the platform the plug-in is
running. If you run in this problem please contact us, we
have a solution for this.
See also: Extended Characters in File Info Fields Don't
Appear Correctly : http://www.adobe.com/support/techdocs/321725.html
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Other Questions?
If your question is not answered here, please look in the
documentation that comes with the plug-in. We will be adding
more to this FAQ. If you have suggestions please
.
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