Translate form data into a text string and output that string into a preformated length

Hello all,

I'm attempting to automate some mainframe admin functions that I'm responsible for. When creating an id in some environments it's necessary to enter a text string at the ready prompt but but each line has to be exactly 80 characters including spaces. Typically the length of the enitre string is on the order of 600 characters and includes letters numbers and symbols, and it's imperative that each element be separated by a single space.

example of the string :

INSERT testid000 NAME(TESTID000) PASSWORD(xxxxxxxx) IMS JOB TSO KERB-VIO(0) MAX DAYS(35) MINDAYS(3) PSWD-DAT(01/12/12)
PSWD-INV(0) PSWD-VIO(0) DFT-PFX(testid000) INTERCOM JCL LGN-ACCT LGN-DEST LGN-MSG LGN-PROC LGN-RCVR LGN-SIZE LGN-TIME MAIL MODE MSGID NOTICES PAUSE PROMPT TSOACCT(loca-HU7001Z) TSOPROC(TSOP) TSOUNIT(SYSDA) VLD-ACCT VLD-PROC WTP CICSCL(404040) CICSID(000) CICSUFLD(00000) IDLE(30) UID01(N) UID02(A) UID03(D) UID04(S) UID05(A) UID06() UID07() UID08() UID09() UID10() UID11()
UID12() DSA(NORTH AMERICAN DSA) DSALID(NADSA) EMPID(123456789) LIDTYPE(E) LOCTN(building) NEWS XEMAIL([email protected])

I'm attempting to do two things here. First is to build a form to allow the elements in brackets in the example to be populated based on user input and second have the entire string output to a text box that is preformated to force each line to wrap at exactly 80 characters regardless of where it falls. The result being I open the excel sheet, enter some data on a form, press a button and the macro preformats the output string into perfect 80 character lines. I want to be able to copy the output all in one shot and simply paste it into the emulator window knowing that each line is already aligned.

I know this is a long post and I'm really most interested in the preformatting part ..I'm fairly confident I can build the form and tranlate the user data into the output string.

Thanks

Originally Posted by DGagnon

i put together a simple excel sheet that should accomplish what you are looking for, it will also add spaces to the end of the last line to make it total 80 characters, please have a look and let me know

this is almost identicle to what I already have and on the surface it looks like this might turn the trick .. however I won't be able to test it until tomorrow ... will advise and thanks for the assist.

ok I had a chance to test it out and it doesn't work quite the way I thought it would. I may have used the wrong words when describing my goal. the resultant output text needs to be 80 characters long regardless of where it falls in the line and then the next 80 characters are put on the second line and so on until all
~600 characters are lined up. I guess what I neglected to mention is the hard return at the end of the line .. I will simplify this greatly but what I want is more like the following

assume this is the entire string and for the sake of demonstration I'll set the wrap at 20 char.

output string = text(variable) text(variable) text(variable) text(variable) text(variable) text() text() text(variable) text(variable) text(variable) text(variable)

resulting preformated block should look like this

text(variable) text(
variable) text(varia
ble) text(variable) t
ext(variable) text()
text() text(variable
) text(variable) text
(variable) text(varia
ble)

above is what I need to copy to clipboard for subsequent paste into the Terminal emulator.

I've tried a hand full of things in VBA to force the line break (hard return - Not sure which is more appropriate in this context) but my VBA kung fu is weak.

hope that clarifies what I'm trying to accomplish a little better.

That is perfect ... thanks a bunch for your help on this ... your solution is fast, efficient and far simpler than I thought it would have to be. Thanks DGagnon, You rock.