Searching Framemaker Files

Report · Jun 30, 2009

I run Framemaker files 6.0 on a Sun Ultra5.

I have a set of about 100 framemaker files that contain purchase orders.

I need to find certain text strings (part numbers) in those files.

Is there some simple utility, say fmgrep, that would work the same as

grep but would search framemaker files?

The only alternative I have come up with is

using fmbatch to open each file and save the file as .txt so that the

normal grep will process it. With about 100 frame files, just

creating the fmbatch control file becomes a chore.

Thanks in advance for your help.

Rod Miller

[personal info deleted by host]

Report · Jun 30, 2009

I don't have fmbatch documentation, so I did a Google search for fmbatch documentation that turned up this item:

http://jackkansas.livejournal.com/86682.html

It's probably far more complex than is necessary to do what you need for the basics.

It sounds as if you're thinking that you'd have to type in all the file names, which isn't necessary. fmbatch documentation, IIRC, has some examples of how to combine a unix script that uses a for...each command with fmbatch to iterate through a bunch of .fm files and convert them to MIF or text. You can specify a wildcard model like *.fm for the script. Shouldn't take more than a few lines.

Another approach is to create an FM book file and add all the files to it. I can't remember if FM 6 can search across book component files, or if that began in FM 7. If 6 will do it, you can go ahead. If 7 or later is needed, you can download an FM 9 Windows trial and open the book and its files with it. You'll need to use Shift+File > Open All Files in Book and repeatedly click OK to convert the files to FM 9. Alternatively, you could use one of these free DOS command-line fmbatch-like utilities: dobatc or dzbatcher, or the free trial version of mif2go. Search Google for these terms, or variations like fmbatch windows dobatch, fmbatch windows dzbatcher, fmbatch windows mif2go, or fmbatch documentation.

HTH

Regards,

Peter Gold

KnowHow ProServices

Report · Jun 30, 2009

Rod,

If you're just looking for the files that contain those part numbers, then any grep tool that can search binary files should be able to find them in a .fm file.

Report · Jun 30, 2009

Yow! -a option! RTFM....

Thanks

Rod