[net.micro.att] dBaseIII question

mhs@houxa.UUCP (M.SHERIF) (05/13/86)

How to make up a test statement on a MEMO field?
I would like to do something like that:

If the MEMO field is empty
   skip
else
  print the field

or   
If the first 6 characters of the MEMO field satisfy CONDITION
   do this
else
  do that

I have tried several approaches but none could work.
Could someone help?
Thanks

M.Hashem  Sherif
houxa!mhs

dale@wucs.UUCP (Dale Frye) (05/22/86)

In article <1038@houxa.UUCP>, mhs@houxa.UUCP (M.SHERIF) writes:
> How to make up a test statement on a MEMO field?
> I would like to do something like that:
> 
> If the MEMO field is empty
>    skip
> else
>   print the field
> 
> or   
> If the first 6 characters of the MEMO field satisfy CONDITION
>    do this
> else
>   do that
> 
> I have tried several approaches but none could work.

dBase cannot acess the contents of the
memo field. The only way to do what you
want to do is by using an outside
program. A good source is Data Based
Advisor magazine. The memo field is
poorly handled by dBase. It is a disk
hog. I advise you to read up on the
do's and don'ts found in the various
magazines before you try to seriously
use the memo field.

Good Luck
Dale Frye @ Washington University in St. Louis.