AppleWorks
J
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Reading Tab Delimited Text Files into AppleWorks 1.x and 2.x
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Note:  AppleWorks 3.0 can read text files in either tab delimited 
or return delimited format.  This new capability eliminates the 
need for the workarounds described below.  

Some database programs export text files that have fields 
separated by tabs and records by carriage returns.  AppleWorks 
imports a database file from a text file when all fields and 
records are separated by carriage returns. To convert the tabbed 
export format to the format AppleWorks imports, you must use a 
word processing application or a programming language, such as 
BASIC or Pascal, to replace the tab delimiters with carriage 
returns.

Using a word processing application, open the document and change 
the tabs to carriage returns with a Replace command.  

A programming language can also be used.  Below is example created 
in AppleSoft BASIC under ProDOS.

 

10 ONERR GOTO 130

20 O$="<OLD FILE NAME>"

30 N$="<NEW FILE NAME>"

40 D$=CHR$(4)

50 PRINT D$"OPEN"O$

60 PRINT D$"OPEN"N$

70 PRINT D$"READ"O$

80 GET A$

90 PRINT D$"WRITE"N$

100 IF A$=CHR$(9) THEN A$=CHR$(13)

110 PRINT A$;

120 GOTO 70

130 PRINT D$"CLOSE"

140 END

 

Save this program along with the exported text file to a ProDOS  
disk.  After substituting appropriate names in lines 20 and 30, 
run the program. Tabs will be replaced with carriage returns.  The 
new text file can be read correctly into the AppleWorks database.

 

Below is a MacPascal program that replaces tabs with carriage 
returns in a Macintosh text file. 

program Convert;

 type

  text = file of char;

 

 var

  infile, outfile : text;

  c : char;

 

begin

 {an example pathname could be 'HD:MS Works:ExportFile'}

 open(infile, 'export file pathname');

 open(outfile, 'AppleWorks format file pathname');

 while not (eof(infile)) do

  begin

   read(infile, c);

   if ord(c) = 9 then

    begin

    c := chr(13);

    end;

   write(c);   {echo to screen}

   write(outfile, c);

  end;

 close(infile);

 close(outfile);

end.

 

Substitute appropriate names for "export file pathname" and 
"AppleWorks format file pathname". After transferring the output 
file to the Apple II (with Microsoft Works or MacTerminal), save 
the captured file as a text file. The AppleWorks database should  
read the new text file correctly.