Conversions


The steps to a typical conversion/data extraction process

    1. Load the input file by dropping the file on TextConverter or choosing "Load input file" from the file menu
    2. Click on a line of detail information, Right click and choose the green check mark - "Setup fields from selected line"
    3. Make adjustments to the input fields as required 
    4. Right click away from the detail lines and choose "add top level template"
    5. Setup a tag based or other top level template as required
    6. Set the output data source or data file that will receive the extracted data
    7. Save the project and set up any automation for processing additional files
    8. Run the conversion!
Simple Conversion
You can change input and output fields' properties, field and record delimiters (when using a text file), as well as other options. An immediate preview displays real-time results of your changes, allowing for expedited modifications and instant results. Click the Run button () to start the conversion process once satisfied with the preview. View the result of your conversion by pressing the Browse button located in the output pane.
Set the output database table using the Set Output Data Source button and the setup is finished. Click Run () to convert the input text into the output database table. To save the project for future use, click the Save button in the main tool bar.

Custom Conversion
Record delimiter customization
Use the IsNewRecord context method if a record delimiter changes from line to line. This approach allows the use of arbitrary logic to make a decision with regard to whether a new input line is a new record.

Field delimiter customization

If constant field delimiters do not resolve the problem, you can employ positional, tag delimited or logical methods to define the field boundaries.
1. Positional - fields begin from a certain character position in each input record. See Sample 1.3 for details.
2. Tag delimited - each field follows a tag associated with the field.  See Sample 2.1 for details.
3. Logical - script algorithm is needed to separate input fields.  See Sample 2.2 for details.

Input field - output field conversion

Automatically generated input and output fields are connected to each other by default. This connection means that an input value corresponding to an input field from an input record will be transferred to the connected output field in an output record. The conversion of each input value depends on the type and format properties of the corresponding input and output fields (see input and output for details).  The following picture illustrates the default conversion:


There are situations when the default conversion is not enough.  Such cases include, but are not limited to, when an output value is a function of multiple input values or when extraction of an input value from an input record is not supported by the default conversion. The Script customization overrides the default conversion if both are in use for the same input/output pair of fields.

 
See OnRecord context method  to learn more. 

Output records' filtering

You may decide that not all of the output records should be inserted into the output database table.  In such cases you can prevent the current output record from being inserted into the output table by calling the SkipRecord method from your implementation of the OnRecord context method. 
Input records merge

When the input text consists of header-body-footer like text segments you might want to merge header and footer data into body records.  The methods that facilitate such a task are: AddToBuffer, GetBufferCount, GetFromBuffer, AppendRecord. 

Next (Single Line, Positional)

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