Infotran

[Tom]

I came acros a problem tonight that others might have hit as well, or will hit eventually.
Infotran is a DOS based program and can only read the old 8 character filenames. The file I was working on was 9 characters and I kept getting an erro messge that the source file could not be found, even though I could plainly see it sitting right there! Grrrr!
After renaming the file to under 8 characters, it worked fine.

There is another bug that I cannot figure out - maybe someone else has: The last field I extract repeats at the end of the line, say I have Date as my last fiuled before the -111 carriage return, it wil put the dat there twice.
I can just ignore it, but it would nice to correct this.

This is a really handy prgram.

[formula_2002]

I came acros a problem tonight that others might have hit as well, or will hit eventually.
Infotran is a DOS based program and can only read the old 8 character filenames. The file I was working on was 9 characters and I kept getting an erro messge that the source file could not be found, even though I could plainly see it sitting right there! Grrrr!
After renaming the file to under 8 characters, it worked fine.

There is another bug that I cannot figure out - maybe someone else has: The last field I extract repeats at the end of the line, say I have Date as my last fiuled before the -111 carriage return, it wil put the dat there twice.
I can just ignore it, but it would nice to correct this.

This is a really handy prgram.

That program and the "File Joiner" program you pointed me to has greatly influenced the way I keep up my data base.

I don't seem to have that problem with the last field.
I use a "," after each field i.e.
251, returns the bris_power fig.

[Tom]

Joe,

Glad they were useful. I have saved 100's of hours already using them.

Happy New Year!

[GameTheory]

What does Infotran do? Just maps a .csv file from one format to another, doesn't it? I downloaded it, but I can't figure it out.

If you guys want, I'll make a more modern version. Shouldn't be much to it. I've been dealing with .csv files for so long I've got all the routines I would probably need written already...

[JulieKrone]

What does Infotran do? Just maps a .csv file from one format to another, doesn't it? I downloaded it, but I can't figure it out.

If you guys want, I'll make a more modern version. Shouldn't be much to it. I've been dealing with .csv files for so long I've got all the routines I would probably need written already...

OOoohhhh! With a module to run automated custom queries?? Pretty please??!!

[GameTheory]

Queries? Again, doesn't it just reshuffle fields to a new format so you can get what you want out of file in a consistent manner or allow you to take one file format and make it compatible with another?

[Tom]

GT,

Yes, it extacts specified filed from a comma-delimited file. You write a control files, tell it the source file, and then name an export to file.

You write a control file such as:

12,
23,
45,
55,
56,
57,
-111,

That will extract the felds 12,23,45, etc. and the -111 is like a typewriter carriage return - it send one line to you export file.

I use it on BRIS PP files, HTR export files, and Formulator export files. The file I end with is a text file, but only with specified fields, so I can import into Access or other programs. The simplest one I use is the date, tack, race number, horse, and Prime Power. Other ones get me the numbers that Michicken used in his examples he has posted.


Tom

[DJofSD]

Tom, ever since MS extended the old 8.3 file naming convention to 256 (254?) characters, they also provided an alias for the same file that aligned to the 8.3 naming rules. Usually, it will be the same first 6 characters with a ~1 appended then the 'dot-extension'. This applies to directory names too. In my experience, using the mangled name works for any program that is not NTFS literate. Typically you'll only see the mapped names when using the DOS command prompt.

[DJofSD]

About 8.3 names (MSKB). (http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;Q142982)

How to disable 8.3 when using NTFS (MSKB). (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/121007/en-us)

[rokitman]

What does Infotran do? Just maps a .csv file from one format to another, doesn't it? I downloaded it, but I can't figure it out.

If you guys want, I'll make a more modern version. Shouldn't be much to it. I've been dealing with .csv files for so long I've got all the routines I would probably need written already...
Hey buddy, please do. And make it download TSN HTML charts and parse them while you're at it :cool:

[Tom]

Tom, ever since MS extended the old 8.3 file naming convention to 256 (254?) characters, they also provided an alias for the same file that aligned to the 8.3 naming rules. Usually, it will be the same first 6 characters with a ~1 appended then the 'dot-extension'. This applies to directory names too. In my experience, using the mangled name works for any program that is not NTFS literate. Typically you'll only see the mapped names when using the DOS command prompt.

The problem was that the file name was 9 characters, and the program could not read it. As soon as I renamed if to under 9, it would accept it.
Infotran is an old program.

[Donnie]

Tom-
So basicly we can point this program at a number of different files to create one text file that can then be imported into a db....correct?

What other (inexpensive) data files are out there that hold the owner info? That is the only thing missing from my db and would love to import that data as well...but don't need anything else....HTR has everything else.

Thanks in advance!

[Tom]

Donnie,

I use Infotran on one comma delimited file at a time, but I can put them into Access as tables and join them, thanks to your tutorials.:D

Owner data - I think the only places I got owner data was TrackMaster charts and the equibase charts using the old parser prgram. TM charts not cheap. Not sure about BRIS...will check it out.
http://www.brisnet.com/cgi-bin/static.cgi?page=resultdata#impcht

Yes...field 42 is the owner.

Two other possibilities - Ken is working on a new chart export for us, maybe we could persuade him to include that info. The other is he made me a personal export for race conditions from the PP lines in the files, like "C04," nw1,6". I get every paceline in the file, but when I import, the repeats just get filtered out.

One thing I found out using the owner data, is that it varies, but if you sort by "horse" you see which owners can be considered a group.

[Donnie]

Thanks Tom...that bris file would do splendidly, until Ken/Ron Tiller get the new trainer stats file done. Something tells me we are pretty close since his last 2 newsletters have had much more trainer intense researches! Hope so!

I may have some questions for you concerning Infotran. Will try to look at it tonight. Thanks again!

[Donnie]

Tom-
Do you already have a Control file for the Bris import chart file format for Infotran? I thought I could get away with not needing to use Infotran, but they have quotes around all their text entries....thought if you have this already done I can save an hour or two...

[Donnie]

...duh...never mind Tom...got it to click first time thru....thanks anyway...thought it was gonna take longer!