Open a Text File or URI

To Create a New Extract

Follow these steps to open a text file, report file, or URI in the Data Extractor.

1. Click the New Extract icon image\newscr.gifin the toolbar, or select New Extract from the File menu.
2. In the Select the Text File window, choose your source file in one of three ways:
1. Type the drive, directory path, and filename directly in the Source File text box and click OK.
2. Click the arrow and browse to build the path and file name for the source file.
3. Type the complete URI addressing scheme (e.g., http://www.yahoo.com/) in the Source File text box.

When the file or URI is selected, the text displays in the Data Panel section of the Data Extractor main window.

All file types that the Data Extractor can open appear in the Files of Type box in the Select Report/Text File window. Because the Data Extractor supports so many different types, not all extensions are visible within the Files of Type box. However, all available file types appear in the selection window, including those files with extensions not viewable in the Files of Type box.

Note: A minimum of v1.4.0 of Sun Java Runtime must be installed for the URI support to work. Without this component, you will receive the error message: "Unable to load Java virtual machine."

Note: Extract scripts (.CXL files) derived from a URI source connection are now stored in the default workspace directory called Extracts. For more information, see URI Support.

3. Scroll through your file and locate a page or record that best represents the perfect record; i.e., one that is most representative of all the records. In the Source Options window, set the Sample Size to include this portion of the file. (See Source Options Window.)

Also, study the overall formatting of the information you want to extract, looking for any tagged or columnar data in the report. Pay special attention to the tag separators, field separators, and column separators. Again, in the Source Options Window, make appropriate selections from the list of available options.

You are now ready to begin defining line styles and data fields.

If you need to quit the Data Extractor and come back to your work at another time, save the extract. This also saves your work in a database file called extractor800.mdb in your \Common800 directory.

To open an existing extract with the same report:

If you have already defined some line styles and data fields in a report and saved that work, you can open the extract and report in another session and continue your work or make modifications to it.

If you have created and saved a complete extract, you can open the saved Extract and run an export.

To open an existing extract and report, double-click it with the mouse in the Extract Manager, or select it then select File > Open Extract.

Note: Extract scripts (.CXL files) derived from a URI source connection are stored in the default workspace directory called Extracts.

To open an existing extract with a different report:

You can open a previously-designed script with a different report or text file to check on script compatibility.

1. Open the extract normally, either by double clicking on it, clicking Open Extract, or by selecting File > Open Extract.
2. Select Source > Options.
3. Click the File Properties tab.
4. Click the Text File arrow and browse to choose the new report.