Data Import - Export List of Categories
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How to Export Data from PAL:
How do I export data from PAL to a file?
You can export your PAL data, panel by panel, by
pressing Shift-F7 from any panel and then pressing the
Enter key on "Built-in Short Reports".
You will then see "Built In Report/Export" menu.
"2" on this menu lets you either create a new file or
append your data to an existing file. Set the file
name to something you can remember easily e.g.,
"C:/mydata" instead of just "mydata". The filename
does not need a 3 character extension if you don't
want one.
"3" on this menu lets you choose the panel index you
want to use for sorting the data in your report. Use
down/up arrow keys to scroll through the indexes. For
example, Index 2 will sort by title, index 3 will sort
by subject heading, etc. Each panel, of course, has
different indexes. Press F4 to choose the index for
your report.
"4" on this menu lets you set search conditions. For
example, option 3 here lets you create a formula for
your search condition. Let's say you want only the
video's in your catalog to be in the report. You can
set the formula so that the "MEDIA" field
P1F4="VIDEO" and then (after F2 to accept the defined
conditions) you are prompted to include or to exclude
what you have defined. Note that in the formula screen
you must press F4 and tab around the screen to the
field you are choosing. You cannot just type P1F4 or
the formula won't work. Also, you must type quotes ""
around the string of characters you are defining for
the field.
"8" on this menu lets you choose the format of the
exported data. WordPerfect merge format is the
default. [The engine which drives PAL is DataPerfect -
a product of the former WordPerfect corporation] If
you select "6" for "Export Dos delimited text" and you
will be prompted for whatever field are record
delimiters you need for the program you intend to
import the data into.
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Importing data:
Can PAL Import Data from Other Programs?
Records in WordPerfect (DOS) 4.2, 5.0, 5.1 merge format (including Notebook files), or a DOS Delimited Text format can be directly imported into the PAL database.
Data from other database programs (MS Access, dBase, etc) must be converted to a format that PAL can recognize (e.g., Comma Delimited Text). For help, see the documentation for the other database program.
Data can be imported into the database panel which you are at, by pressing [Ctrl] + [F5].
The following example may clarify how this is accomplished:
Suppose you have a list of titles, authors, publishers, and subjects, typed in WP 5.1 format, which you wish to import.
The first step is to be sure the appropriate merge codes are inserted in your WP 5.1 document. (At the end of each field, press [F9] (in WP51) to insert the {Field} code. At the end of the last field for each record, press [F9] to end the field, then [Shft] + [F9] and [Enter] to end the record. Now save this file with a name you will remember, and exit WP51.)
In the "Library Catalog" panel of this database, press [Ctrl]+ [F5]. Then type the Supervisor password, which is "0". At the Import screen, press "1" and type in the name of your WP 5.1 file (with the directory path). Press "2" for "WordPerfect Merge" as the "type of import". Press "7" for "Create Import List" (this is necessary to control importing on a field_by_field basis __ because, in this particular example, you are importing only 4 fields of a panel which has many more fields into which data can be imported). Then press "8" to begin the import.
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Importing comma delimited text files:
How do I import Comma Delimited Text files into PAL?
A tilde "~" for end-of-field, and a bar "
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Transaction Log Files:
I want to keep a "running copy" of PAL to have all changes made by my assistant.
You may want to keep a "running copy" of PAL by setting up a
"Transaction Log".
From any panel press Shift-F9 keys. "0" is password for
"System and Recovery Operations" menu. Then press "6"
("Start Transaction Log"). Create a filename like "
c:\10-11-05.log " so that you will recognize that this
log file was begun today and that it can be found
easily.
Now (after you press the Enter key) everything entered
into the database from the creation of the file
forward will be entered into that log file.
Your assistant can then just email you a copy of that
small file and when you import it you will have all
the changes she made in any panel of PAL from that
date forward. When the file starts to get big you can
just create a new one with a new date.
When you get the file you import it by pressing "8" ("Import
Transaction Log") and typing in 10-11-05.log as the
name of the file you are importing.
Your copy of PAL will now be in synch with your assistant's copy.
Don't forget to use option "7" ("Stop Transaction Log") if you don't need it (because of the disk space it's using up).
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How do I copy and paste from a Windows program to PAL or from PAL to a Windows program?
To copy and paste from PAL to a windows program:
Click the PAL icon in the top left hand corner of your
PAL window.
Choose
properties | options, & check the quick edit mode.
When you have done that, you can block text in the PAL
screen with your
mouse, right click, & then paste it into another
windows program.
To Cut and Paste From Windows to PAL:
Similarly, if you have copied text to the Windows
clipboard, if you
right click anywhere in the PAL screen, it will paste
where your active
cursor is.
There are a couple of limits in pasting into PAL. The
most serious is that a tab in the quoted material will
jump you to the next field. Another is that the field
format must allow the text you are pasting. The third
is that in some cases, essentially in text
fields (variable length alphanumeric), you need to
have entered something in the field first - hitting
the left arrow is sufficient to initialize it.
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Windows XP supports a "Quick Edit Mode". To
activate "Quick Edit Mode" do the following:
1) Open your PAL DOS Box under Windows.
2) Access the DOS Box properties by simultaneously
pressing [ALT]+[SPACEBAR]+[P].
3) Click on the "Options" tab if it's not already active.
4) Check both the "Quick Edit Mode" and "Insert Mode"
check boxes.
5) Click "OK", select "Save properties for future windows
with the same title" in the pop-up, click "OK" again.
With this feature active you can easily copy and paste
within a DOS application, between two DOS applications,
or between a DOS and Windows application.
Here are the commands:
Within DOS:
To copy: Select the text in the DOS Box with your left
mouse button, and then right-click (or press [Enter]).
To paste: Right-click again.
Within Windows you can either use the pull down "Edit"
menu or the much faster keyboard shortcuts:
To copy: Select the text with your left mouse button, and
then simultaneously press [Ctrl]+[C].
To paste: Simultaneously press [Ctrl]+[V].
Copy and paste works fine in text fields as well if
you keep three things in mind:
1) You can't paste into a field until it has PAL's
"focus". Moving the cursor right by one character in the
text field will "activate" the text field for pasting.
2) Large amounts of text can be pasted (you're not
limited by the text area's display size).
3) Pasting take place at the cursor position rather than
the mouse pointer location.
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