Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!samsung!munnari.oz.au!diemen!lin
From: lin@diemen.utas.edu.au (Zhen Jie Lin)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.hypercard
Subject: Re:Pasting text with tabs into a field:  How is it done?
Message-ID: <1781@diemen.utas.edu.au>
Date: 10 Oct 90 05:50:10 GMT
Reply-To: lin@diemen.utas.edu.au (Zhen Jie Lin)
Organization: Computing Centre, University of Tasmania, Australia.
Lines: 59

Bjorn Levidow write:

>I'm trying to use the FileToField XCMD in the Dartmouth 3.1 collection
>to put a text field with tab in it into a field.  The problem is that
>all of the tabs get stripped out and I'm left with one long line of data.
>I'd like to be able to replace the tabs with spaces or commas if possible.
>I've tried to write a TabKey handler in the field, but that produces some
>strange results.  Any and all help would be appreciated.  Thanks in advance.

The following is one way to copy data with tabs from external file into a text
field in HC, by replacing comma (or anything else) with tabs:

on doMenu x
  global finishDoMenu
  put false into finishDoMenu
  if x is "paste text" then tabToComma
  if finishDoMenu then exit doMenu
  pass doMenu
end doMenu

on tabToComma
  global finishDoMenu
  send "doMenu paste text" to hyperCard
  
  if the visible of the message then  --check whether pasting into msg box
    put the rect of the message into box
    put item 1 of box into x1
    put item 3 of box into x2
    put item 2 of box into y1
    put item 4 of box into y2
    
    put item 1 of the clickLoc into x
    put item 2 of the clickLoc into y
    if x>=x1 and x<=x2 and y>= y1 and y<=y2 then
      put true into finishDoMenu  --skip pasting data into msg box
      exit tabToComma
    end if
  end if
  
  put the Number of the selectedField into fldNo
  get the name of the selectedField
  if word 1 of it is "card" then           --paste data into cd fld
    repeat until offset(tab,cd fld fldNo) = 0
     put "," into char offset(tab,cd fld fldNo) of cd fld fldNo
    end repeat
  else                                     --paste data into bg fld
    repeat until offset(tab,fld fldNo) = 0
      put "," into char offset(tab,fld fldNo) of fld fldNo
    end repeat
  end if
  put true into finishDoMenu
*****

Hope this helps.

Zhenjie Lin
University of Tasmania
Australia
.