DevInt: WCNVASCV

Tabs3/ASCII Interface Program
(Variable Length ASCII Records)
WCNVASCV.EXE

Overview

The Tabs3/ASCII interface program (WCNVASCV.EXE) is used to convert fee and cost transactions from an ASCII file to be compatible with the Merge Tabs3 Remote Data program.

The ASCII data must be in a file named TABS3.ASC and must reside in the Tabs3 program directory.

Installation

The WCNVASCV interface program is provided on a floppy disk and must be transferred to a hard disk. This is done by using the SETUP program supplied on the program disk.

To install the WCNVASCV program on your hard disk:

Insert the WCNVASCV program disk into your floppy disk drive.
Click the Start button, and then click Run...
Type A:SETUP or B:SETUP (depending on the floppy drive used), and then click OK.
Follow the on-screen instructions to run the SETUP program.

Note: The Tabs3/ASCII interface program (WCNVASCV.EXE) must be installed in the same directory where the Tabs3 program resides.

Executing the WCNVASCV Interface Program

From the Software Technology folder, double-click the ASCII to Tabs3 Conversion icon. Click OK to proceed. The program will look for the TABS3.ASC file containing the ASCII data. If the TABS3.ASC file is found to contain data, the program will read transactions from the file and increment the Processed count for every transaction that is read. All transactions that are successfully converted will increment the Added count and will be written to the Tabs3 Remote data files (RMT*.*).

When the process is complete, the following files will have been created: RMTFEE.DAT, RMTFEE.IDX, RMTCOST.DAT, RMTCOST.IDX, RMTFEEID.DAT, and RMTCSTID.DAT. These files must then be merged into Tabs3 using the Merge Tabs3 Remote Data program. To merge the files, start Tabs3. From the Integration Task Folder, select Merge Tabs3 Remote Data. This program will merge the remote data files created by the WCNVASCV program (RMT*.*) with your main Tabs3 data files. The Tabs3 online help includes complete details regarding the Merge Tabs3 Remote Data program.

Notes

If any transactions in the TABS3.ASC file are found to have invalid timekeepers, invalid dates, or the wrong number of fields, they will be rejected by the WCNVASCV program and will be recorded in the WCNVASCV.LOG file.

The TABS3.ASC file will automatically be deleted when the conversion is complete to avoid double-posting of the data (unless you are using a demo version).

Unattended Operation

A command line parameter named “UNATTENDED” can be used to eliminate user interaction. This startup parameter can be useful when implemented as part of a batch file. When the “UNATTENDED” startup parameter is used and the TABS3.ASC input file is present, the program will complete automatically and write any errors to the WCNVASCV.LOG file. If no errors were encountered, the WCNVASCV.LOG file will be created as a zero byte file. If the TABS3.ASC file is missing, a message will be displayed indicating that the TABS3.ASC input file was not found.

To use the “UNATTENDED” startup parameter, simply enter the WCNVASCV.EXE command followed by a space followed by UNATTENDED.

TABS3.ASC File Layout
Field	Name	Format
1	Client ID	Up to 12 characters
2	Timekeeper	Up to 3 characters (can either be timekeeper number or timekeeper initials)
3	Transaction Code	Up to 3 digits preceded by a "$" for costs or payments (trans code cannot be greater than 999 in value)
4	Phase/Task Code	Must be in the format XNNN, where X is any upper case letter (excluding A and E) and NNN is 3 digits
5	Activity Code	Must be in the format XNNN, where X is either the letter A (for fees) or E (for costs), and NNN is 3 digits
6	Date	Must be in the mm/dd/yy or the mm/dd/yyyy format.
7	Hours Worked (fees) Units (costs)	Decimal format up to 9999.99 maximum (i.e. 1.25 is 1 hr. 15 min.)
8	Hourly Rate (fees) Rate (costs)	Dollar format up to 9999.99
9	Amount	Billable dollar amount up to 9999999.99
10	Description	Up to a maximum of 5000 characters
	CrLf	Carriage return/line feed

Notes

Each field is delimited by a comma. The quotation marks at the beginning and end of each field are optional with the exception of the Description field. The Description field should begin and end with quotes (i.e., "text") so that commas in the Description field are not mistaken for a field delimiter. Also, embedded quotes in the Description text should be single quotes so they are not mistaken for boundary quotes (i.e. "this is a sample of ‘quoted’ text, with a comma within the text").

The Client ID can be up to 12 characters in length. It must precisely match Client IDs that are entered into Tabs3.

Fields 7 and 8 are ignored for payment transactions.

If the Tabs3 client is not a Task Based Billing Client, the transaction code is converted and the Phase/Task Code and Activity Code fields are ignored. If the Tabs3 client is a Task Based Billing Client, the transaction code field is ignored (except for the "$" necessary to denote cost and payment transactions) and the Phase/Task Code and Activity Code fields are converted instead.

If the Hourly Rate field is zero, then the Tabs3 Merge program will supply the default rate assigned in the Tabs3 client record.

If both Hourly Rate and Amount fields are zero, then the Tabs3 Merge program will supply a default Rate and calculate the Amount automatically.

When the data is merged into Tabs3, the Client ID, Timekeeper, and Transaction Code fields are verified as being valid. If the Tabs3 client is a Task Based Billing Client, the Phase/Task Code and Activity Code fields are also verified as being valid. Transactions with invalid fields are rejected and a list of rejected transactions can be printed along with an error code indicating why it was rejected.

Sample TABS3.ASC Data File:

Please note that lines with too much description text were wrapped to the next line and indented. "Actual" lines in a real data file will have one line per transaction entry no matter how long they are.

101.00,RJB,,L110,A101,02/19/03,1.50,60.00,90.00, "Office conference with Karen Barrett and all 
        of the apartment managers concerning the unpaid rents at the new apartments."
200.01,1,$23,,,02/15/03,0.00,0.00,15.00, "court filing fee."
101.00,MLJ,$,L110,E101,02/15/03,0.00,0.00,1.25, "photocopies."
101.00,MLJ,,L120,A106,02/19/03,1.22,0.00,73.20, "Telephone conference with Ms. Barrett."
200.01,2,$21,,,02/19/03,0.00,0.00,2.50, "Photocopy originals."
200.02,2,$23,,,02/19/03,0.00,0.00,25.00, "Pay County Court filing fee in advance on behalf 
        of Client."

12/05/2003