Conversion - external program - loading - saving

[fandorin]

I am comparing 2 html files. I know you do have a rule html to text

http://www.scootersoftware.com/downl...oreformats_alt

but I'd like to use my html2txt external program.

All clear with loading field :

html2text %s %t

Temporary files somewhere created and shown from left and right.

However, what is "saving field" after unticking "Disable editing". Is it another external program ( kind of pipe ) which takes %t from loading step and does further conversion ?

So

another_step_exe %s %t

will take %t from html2text as %s and transforms it and then this transformation willl be shown ?

Also what is the the difference between %s and %n

%s source file

%n original file

and how %x - original extension, including '.'
can be used ?

[Zoë]

Hi fandorin,

The "Saving field" is used when saving edits if you have a reversible conversion that can convert the plain text representation back into the original format.

%n is the original path for the file, as shown in BC.

%s is the source file you should convert from. If the original file was on an FTP server or in a zip %s will be a temp file rather than the original.

%x can be used by scripts to perform different conversions based on the original extension. We used to have a format that would handle both .doc and .pdf for example. Since BC3 can load different formats on each side this isn't as necessary as it was in BC2.

[fandorin]

I see. So there is no need for parameters in "Saving field" if external program is used. %s implicitly will be updated after this reversible conversion ? Can you give any example when it may be used . I can hardly imagine reversible conversion back to word or pdf or html from plain text.

[Zoë]

If you did use Saving Field then yes, %s and %t are reversed, so %s is the plain text version and %t is the original that you want to overwrite.

I think there's a FoxPro rule floating around that converts their forms from binary to text and allows edits. You could also us it to convert from binary XML to plain text and back again. It's not common though; none of the conversion formats we distribute (built-in or add-on) support editing. The data view supports editing, so if a spreadsheet were simple enough it could go Excel->CSV and back again.

[Aaron]

We also have a KB article guide (for reference) if you need it:
http://www.scootersoftware.com/suppo...rnalconversion

It contains an example conversion, using an RESX conversion program.