How To Edit Note Blobs Using @EDIT

Collect!'s report writer can modify or delete contents of the various blob files. This includes, but is not limited to, Client and Debtor Notes and Letter Metafiles.

The report writer uses @EDIT to modify blobs. Since a blob is not a normal field or record but a file stream, there are three variations to the @EDIT command that may be used to manipulate them.

The three @EDIT commands for blob fields are:

Delete Blob

.bldel = 1
This command DELETES the contents of the blob. BUT it does NOT shrink the size of the blob file.

EXAMPLE:

@EDITde.no.bldel = 1
This command DELETES the Debtor Notes blob. The assignment is necessary for @EDIT to work.

Replace Blob

.blrep = {value}
This command REPLACES the contents of the blob with {value}.

EXAMPLES:

@EDITde.no.blrep = "STUFF"
This command REPLACES the existing Debtor Notes blob with the text "STUFF".

@EDITcl.no.blrep = "Notes removed for auditing purposes."

Append To Blob

.bladd = {value}
This command ADDS {value} to the blob. If you are adding to the contents of Notes, this command will prepend a valid date stamp to {value}.

EXAMPLES:

@EDITde.no.bladd = "MORE STUFF"
This command APPENDS the text "MORE STUFF" to the end of the existing Debtor Notes blob with a valid date stamp.

@EDITde.no.bladd = It's a great day!

Editing Contact Data

Only blrep and bldel are enabled on contacts.

Adding new lines to contact blobs using @EDITco.bl.bladd = "MORE STUFF" is currently disabled because contact blobs can contain binary stuff in them.

@EDITco.bl.bldel = 1
The number doesn't have to be "1" but you have to assign the bldel to a value and 1 works fine.

Remove Metafiles From Contacts

@cl no total where ( @cl.cl = 104 .. 115 )
@cl.de no total
@de.con where ( @co.ty = Letter ) where ( @co.dda = 01/01/2008 .. 12/31/2008 )
@EDITco.bl.bldel = 1
@EDITco.da = " " // This deletes the word "[METAFILE]"
@de.con
@cl.de
@cl

This will not shrink the size of the blob file. It is still necessary to do a database export and upgrade to shrink the contact blob. In the near future, we hope to enable the external dbdefrag utility so that you can shrink the contact blob file without the export/upgrade steps.