PowerScript Reference
PowerScript Functions

Description

Inserts data into a DataWindow control, DataStore object, or graph control from data in a file. The data can be tab-separated text, comma-separated text, XML, or dBase format 2 or 3. The format of the file depends on whether the target is a DataWindow (or DataStore) or a graph and on the type of graph.

For DataWindow and DataStore syntax, see the ImportFile method for DataWindows in the section called “ImportFile” in DataWindow Reference.

Applies to

Graph controls in windows and user objects. Does not apply to graphs within DataWindow objects, because their data comes directly from the DataWindow.

Syntax

graphname.ImportFile (  { importtype}, filename {, startrow {, endrow {, startcolumn } } } )

Return value

Long. Returns the number of rows that were imported if it succeeds and one of the following negative integers if an error occurs:

-1 -- No rows or startrow value supplied is greater than the number of rows in the file

-2 -- Empty file or input data does not match number of columns or required column type

-3 -- Invalid argument

-4 -- Invalid input

-5 -- Could not open the file

-6 -- Could not close the file

-7 -- Error reading the text

-8 -- Unsupported file name suffix (must be *.txt, *.csv, *.dbf or *.xml)

-10 -- Unsupported dBase file format (not version 2 or 3)

-11 -- XML Parsing Error; XML parser libraries not found or XML not well formed

-12 -- XML Template does not exist or does not match the DataWindow

-15 -- File size exceeds limit

If any argument's value is null, ImportFile returns null. If the optional importtype argument is specified and is not a valid type, ImportFile returns -3.

Usage

The format of the file can be indicated by specifying the optional importtype parameter, or by including the appropriate file extension.

For graph controls, ImportFile only uses three columns and ignores other columns. Each row of data must contain three pieces of information. The information depends on the type of graph:

You can add data to more than one series by specifying different series names in the first column. To let users select the file to import, specify a null string for filename. PowerBuilder displays the Select Import File dialog box.

Double quotes

The location and number of double quote marks in a field in a tab delimited file affect how they are handled when the file is imported. If a string is enclosed in one pair of double quotes, the quotes are discarded. If it is enclosed in three pairs of double quotes, one pair is retained when the string is imported. If the string is enclosed in two pairs of double quotes, the first pair is considered to enclose a null string, and the rest of the string is discarded.

When there is a double quote at the beginning of a string, any characters after the second double quote are discarded. If there is no second double quote, the tab character delimiting the fields is not recognized as a field separator and all characters up to the next occurrence of a double quote, including a carriage return, are considered to be part of the string. A validation error is generated if the combined strings exceed the length of the first string.

Double quotes after the first character in the string are rendered literally. Here are some examples of how tab-delimited strings are imported into a two-column DataWindow:

Examples

This statement copies all the data in the file D:\EMPLOYEE.TXT to gr_employee starting at the first row:

gr_employee.ImportFile("D:\EMPLOYEE.TXT")

This statement copies the data from the file D:\EMPLOYEE.TXT starting with row 2 column 3 and ending with row 30 column 5 to the graph gr_employee:

gr_employee.ImportFile("D:\EMPLOYEE.TXT", 2, 30, 3)

The following statements are equivalent. Both import the contents of the XML file named myxmldata:

gr_control.ImportFile(myxmldata.xml)
gr_control.ImportFile(XML!, myxmldata)

This example causes PowerBuilder to display the Specify Import File dialog box:

string null_str
SetNull(null_str)
dw_main.ImportFile(null_str)

See also

ImportClipboard

ImportString

Description

Imports a JsonObjectItem item from a JSON file.

Applies to

JSONGenerator objects

Syntax

objectname.ImportFile ( long ParentItemHandle, string FileName )

objectname.ImportFile ( long ParentItemHandle, string Key, string FileName )

objectname.ImportFile ( string ParentItemPath, string FileName )

objectname.ImportFile ( string ParentItemPath, string Key, string FileName )

objectname.ImportFile ( string FileName )

Return value

Long. Returns the handle of the new child item if it succeeds and -1 if an error occurs. If any argument's value is null, the method returns null.

Example 1

This code example loads the string from the JSON file into the array item of the JSONGenerator object:

Long ll_RootArray
String ls_FileName, ls_Json
JsonGenerator lnv_JsonGenerator
lnv_JsonGenerator = Create JsonGenerator

// Creates an array root item
ll_RootArray = lnv_JsonGenerator.CreateJsonArray()

//example.json contains {"id":1001, "name":"evan", "active":true}
ls_FileName = "example.json"
lnv_JsonGenerator.ImportFile(ll_RootArray, ls_FileName)

//Result is [{"id":1001,"name":"evan","active":true}]
ls_Json = lnv_JsonGenerator.GetJsonString()

Example 2

This code example loads the string from the JSON file into the object item of the JSONGenerator object:

Long ll_RootObject
String ls_FileName, ls_Json
JsonGenerator lnv_JsonGenerator
lnv_JsonGenerator = Create JsonGenerator

//Creates an object root item
ll_RootObject = lnv_JsonGenerator.CreateJsonObject()

//example.json contains {"id":1001, "name":"evan", "active":true}
ls_FileName = "example.json"
lnv_JsonGenerator.ImportFile(ll_RootObject, "Import", ls_FileName)

//Result is {"Import":{"id":1001,"name":"evan","active":true}}
ls_Json = lnv_JsonGenerator.GetJsonString()

Example 3

This code example loads the string from the JSON file into the array item of the JSONGenerator object:

String ls_Path
String ls_FileName, ls_Json
JsonGenerator lnv_JsonGenerator
lnv_JsonGenerator = Create JsonGenerator

//Create an array root item
lnv_JsonGenerator.CreateJsonArray()
ls_Path = "/"

// example.json contains {"id":1001, "name":"evan", "active":true}
ls_FileName = "example.json"
lnv_JsonGenerator.ImportFile(ls_Path, ls_FileName)

//Result is [{"id":1001,"name":"evan","active":true}]
ls_Json = lnv_JsonGenerator.GetJsonString()

Example 4

This code example loads the string from the JSON file into the object item of the JSONGenerator object:

String ls_Path
String ls_FileName, ls_Json
JsonGenerator lnv_JsonGenerator
lnv_JsonGenerator = Create JsonGenerator

//Creates an object root item
lnv_JsonGenerator.CreateJsonObject()
ls_Path = "/"

//example.json contains {"id":1001, "name":"evan", "active":true}
ls_FileName = "example.json"
lnv_JsonGenerator.ImportFile(ls_Path, "Import", ls_FileName)

//Result is {"Import":{"id":1001,"name":"evan","active":true}}
ls_Json = lnv_JsonGenerator.GetJsonString()

Example 5

This code example imports the string from the JSON file as the root item of the JSONGenerator object:

String ls_FileName, ls_Json
JsonGenerator lnv_JsonGenerator
lnv_JsonGenerator = Create JsonGenerator

//num.json contains {"value":123.45,"value1":Infinity,"value2":-Infinity,"value3":NaN,"value4":null}
ls_FileName = "num.json"
lnv_JsonGenerator.ImportFile(ls_FileName)

//Result is {"value":123.45,"value1":Infinity,"value2":-Infinity,"value3":NaN,"value4":null}
ls_Json = lnv_JsonGenerator.GetJsonString()

See also

ImportString