Choosing a Method for Converting Input Files

The best method of conversion will depend on the input text file layout/type and any features you find necessary. The table below will help you quickly choose. If you are not sure which method would be best, send us an input file. The input file need not contain proprietary data, dummy data is sufficient. Email us at: Support@SoftInterface.COM (Our response time will impress you).

 

Method

Input File Format

Benefits/Features

How to implement method using TXL Wizard

Profile

Fixed Width Text File. Usually a single table.

 

File type may be ASCII or UNICODE.

 

Supports both Windows/Unix style text files.

Excel not required for conversion to CSV, XLS and XLSX!
 
Extremely fast.
 
Text files with data beginning with zeroes (e.g."00214123") can be processed without losing the leading zeroes.
 

If converting to CSV you may choose the delimitation character.

 If you have the specification for your fixed width text file, using this method is very simple. Use the built in Profile Editor to tell TXL Wizard the width of each column.
 
Additional properties may be specified for each column such as: Padding character to use, Alignment (which side to pad), Remove column from output, Reorder column in output.

Recipe

1 to many tables of varying format can be within this file.

 

Typically a unique marker denotes the start and end of the table(s). Ending marker not required for the last table.

 

Text file can contain TAB characters.

 

Supports both Windows/Unix style text files.

Excel not required for converting to CSV.
 
Input text file can have multiple tables of varying format/size.
 
Output Excel files can optionally be pre-existing which will allow for the preservation of previously saved formatting information. That means you can transfer text file data directly into a pre-formatted Excel file.
 
If converting to CSV you may choose the delimitation character.
 

Essentially, you will write a recipe using the recipe editor. This recipe tells TXL Wizard the position and format of each table you want to convert. The format for the recipe is quite simple.

Once mastered this method is extremely powerful.

File Marking

 Same as Recipe. Same as Recipe. This method requires that you modify the input file with special character sequences typed directly into the original document. This may be easiest choice if you only expect to process a given text file once.

 

The Profile and Recipe File method can be used to process similar text files and requires specifying a profile/recipe only once. This profile/recipe can then be applied to multiple documents.

If you anticipate having many files with similar layout, the Profile or Recipe method may be the appropriate choice. Keep in mind, similar layout does not mean each input text file must be exactly the same. The number of rows in a given table can be different for example, and the same profile/recipe will work. For the recipe method what must be similar between files are specific text strings that the program uses to denote the start and end of a table. For the profile method, the specific widths, padding, and alignment used for each input file must be identical.

 

TXL Wizard was built as a very focused application. However, if you find you need additional features for manipulating/converting please check out 'Convert XLS'. 'Convert XLS' comes free with  'TXL Wizard' and is a comprehensive Excel/CSV/Text file conversion tool. As an example, 'Convert XLS' can be used to copy data from a CSV/Excel file directly into a pre-existing Excel workbook (Sheet name and range can be specified).

 

See Also:

    Example Files

    Choosing a Conversion Method

    The User Interface

    Options