This goes out to all you programming types out there.  I need some help and hope that one of you can provide me some assitance.  I haven't done any real serious coding for longer than I care to admit... let's just say that back in the day when I was real active Bill Gates hadn't even conceived of VB and he was still freinds with Steve Jobs <g>.  Anyway, here's what I'm looking for... I need a piece of software that has powerful string handling abilities that will allow me to parse out components of similar-looking textfiles into recognizable HTML code.  For example, I receive a textfile that has a long set of similar labels that are attached to and identify each segment of the text. I need to strip out the labels, take the text associated with them and insert the strings into a pre-determined set of HTML statements.  The textfiles always show up in the same order, but all the possible labels may or may not be included.  Consequently this can be handled by a simple top-down set of conditionals that build up the HTML code as the program steps through the lines of text, each closed with a CRLF.

Way back then I would have used a high-level program like dBase3 or 4 (does that suggest a time line? <G>) to do this kind of thing, as I was pretty proficient with it back before and through the period when it was refined into FoxPro and other simplified relational data handlers.  I don't have the time or desire presently to attempt to learn all the complexities of VB, so am hoping one of you might know of something I could relate to that would allow me to do this job.

If you're wondering what it's for, it's for the LML.  I have been receiving updates to the Builders' List pages on a regular basis but haven't had the energy to hand-code the pile of emails into their relative bits of HTML.  It's not that it's difficult, it's just tedious and time consuming so I've been putting it off longer than I care to admit. The emails contain the output data from the HTML form on the submission page so each field is clearly identified. I need to convert those emails.  Once they'be been converted, inserting those newly created segments of HTML into each Builders' List page becomes a simple copy/paste operation, and one that won't take up tons of time.  Rob and I have discussed updating the Builders' List into a self-sustaining database format, but that's simply more coding than I care to take on at the moment.  I'd like to retain the current format for the time being, but one of these days we'll revisit the idea of an interactive and searchable Builders' List database.

Think it over, let me know what you come up with.  I'd really like to get the Builders' List back on track and I apologize to all of you who have submitted data recently [and even not so recently 8-( ] but haven't seen your entries materialize.  As soon as I get this little project handled we'll get all those pages back up to snuff.

TIA for your help.

  <marv>

PS... I finally managed to get through all the equipment manuals that have been submitted, have identified and relabelled them correctly and documented all the revision numbers and dates.  I've got the web page mostly put together, I just need to get all this new data loaded up and it'll be ready for publication.  I know I promised I'd get it done last night, but I'm afraid the sandman beat me into submission so the leg work didn't get completed until this morning.  Hang in there, it shouldn't be long now.  <M>