limiting number of characters - pad

[Brock]

Thanks in advance... I have a string that I'm building that needs to
write to a file the last name, first name and middle initial in this
format with a maximum of 20 characters. Two examples:

Brenda J Lanier
Lanier,Brenda J

' note that this name is only 15 characters, with the space and
comma, after formatting so I'm safe

Edward M Berksweller:
Berksweller,Gar rett M

' note that this name has 21 characters, with the space and comma,
so to stay within the 20 char limit it needs to write as:
Berksweller,Gar rett
with the space being the 20th character... it's OK for me to loose the
middse initial

My best guess is this for the code:

FieldString = (emp.LastName & "," & emp.FirstName & "
" & emp.MI)
EmpList.Write(F ieldString.PadR ight(20, " "c))

But I don't think this will work. Any ideas? thanks!!!

[Jack Jackson]

Re: limiting number of characters - pad

On Wed, 15 Oct 2008 12:56:56 -0700 (PDT), Brock <wade.brock@yah oo.com>
wrote:

>Thanks in advance... I have a string that I'm building that needs to
>write to a file the last name, first name and middle initial in this
>format with a maximum of 20 characters. Two examples:
>
>Brenda J Lanier
>Lanier,Brend a J
>
' note that this name is only 15 characters, with the space and
>comma, after formatting so I'm safe
>
>Edward M Berksweller:
>Berksweller,Ga rrett M
>
' note that this name has 21 characters, with the space and comma,
>so to stay within the 20 char limit it needs to write as:
>Berksweller,Ga rrett
>with the space being the 20th character... it's OK for me to loose the
>middse initial
>
>My best guess is this for the code:
>
FieldString = (emp.LastName & "," & emp.FirstName & "
>" & emp.MI)
EmpList.Write(F ieldString.PadR ight(20, " "c))
>
>But I don't think this will work. Any ideas? thanks!!!

Your explanation of what you want is confusing, and it didn't help
that you used an example in which the middle initial just put you over
the 20 character limit.

If your requirement is to use the first 20 characters of
"lastname,first name m" regardless of where the break occurs in the
name (what if the last name is 20 chars, or if the 20 character
limit is in the middle of the first name?), then:

FieldString = (emp.LastName & "," & emp.FirstName & " " & emp.MI)
EmpList.Write(F ieldString.PadR ight(20).SubStr ing(0, 20))