Retrieving records from database and writing them to a file in a specific format

Question

I am not really familiar with asp-classic functions, though i am now working with a .asp file that displays records from a SQL database upon a java-script onChange event in a drop-down menu. What I'm trying to achieve is to display these records in the format below, and for all of them to be written to a text file without being called through java-script even from the drop-down menu.

Here's what I'm working with so far:

<!--#include virtual="/includes/functions.asp" -->
<%
intBusiness_Catagory = Request("select_catagory")

Set thisConn    = Server.CreateObject("ADODB.Connection")
thisConn.Open CreateAfccDSN()

SelectSQL   = "SELECT * FROM BusinessInfo WHERE ((CatID = " & intBusiness_Catagory & ") or (CatID2 = " & intBusiness_Catagory & ") or (CatID3 = " & intBusiness_Catagory & ")) and (intStatusCodeID = 1) and (intOnWeb = 1) Order By vcBusinessName"
Set SelectRs = thisConn.Execute(SelectSQL)


If SelectRs.EOF Then
    Response.Write("No members found for selected category.<br> Please search <a href='javascript:history.back()'>again</a>.")
Else
%>
<b>Member Search Results:</b>
<p>

<%
End If

    If Not SelectRs.BOF AND Not SelectRs.EOF then
        SelectRs.MoveFirst
        Do Until SelectRs.EOF
%>
            <b><%=SelectRs("vcBusinessName") %></b><br>
            <%=SelectRs("vcPhone") %><br>
            <%=SelectRs("vcPAddress") %><br>
            <%=SelectRs("vcPCity") %>, <%=SelectRs("vcPState") %>&nbsp;&nbsp;<%=SelectRs("vcPZipCode") %><br>
            <%
            If isNull(SelectRs("vcURL")) then

            Else
            %>
                <b>Website: </b><a href="http://<%=SelectRs("vcURL") %>" target="_blank"><%=SelectRs("vcURL") %></a>
            <%
            End If
            %>
            <p>
            <hr>
<%
            SelectRs.MoveNext
        Loop
%>

<%
    End If

SelectRs.Close
Set SelectRs = Nothing
%>

<p style="text-align: right"><small><a href="business_directory_framed.asp">Back to directory index</a></small></p>

Anyone can assist with a solution to this? Thanks.

Answer 1

You'd simply dump the results of your SQL into an adodb recordset as you already have, then loop through the recordset and write the csv file using the fso com object.

Example Code (untested)

    dim fs, HeadersRow, TempRow, objFolder, DateStr

'#### Buld a NTFS safe filename based on Date
    DateStr = now()
    DateStr = Replace(DateStr, "/", "_")
    DateStr = Replace(DateStr, ":", "_")   

'#### Initalise FileSystemObject
    Set fs = Server.CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject") 

'#### Delete any old Report_ files (optional
    Set objFolder = fs.GetFolder(Server.MapPath("Reports"))

    For Each objFile in objFolder.Files
        FileName = objFile.Name
        if left(FileName,7) = "Report_" then
            if fs.FileExists(Server.MapPath("Reports") & "/" & FileName) then
                on error resume next
                    fs.DeleteFile(Server.MapPath("Reports") & "/" & FileName)
                on error goto 0
            end if
        end if
    Next
    Set objFolder = Nothing

'#### Create a Uniquqe ID for this report
    NewFileName = "Report_" & DateStr & ".csv"

'#### next, get the Query and Populate RS
    SQL = "SELECT * FROM whatever"
    SET RS = db.Execute(SQL)

'#### WE now have a RS, first we need the column headers:
    For fnum = 0 To RS.Fields.Count-1
        HeadersRow = HeadersRow & "," & RS.Fields(fnum).Name & ""
    Next

'#### The loop will have made a string like: ,"col1", "col2", "col3", "col4"
'#### Remove the leading comma ,
    dim LengthInt
    LengthInt = len(HeadersRow)
    HeadersRow = right(HeadersRow, LengthInt - 1)

'#### Dump the headers to the CSV Report
    OutputToCsv HeadersRow, NewFileName
    TempRow = ""

'#### now loop through all the data and dump in CSV report too
    Do Until RS.EOF

        TempRow = ""

        For fnum = 0 To RS.Fields.Count-1
            TempRow = TempRow & "," & RS.Fields(fnum).Value & ""
        Next

        '#### Again, remove the leading comma, then send to CSV
            LengthInt = len(TempRow)
            TempRow = right(TempRow, LengthInt - 1)
            OutputToCsv TempRow, NewFileName

        RS.MoveNext
    Loop

'#### Functions
function OutputToCsv (strToWrite, FileName)
    '#### Simple function to write a line to a given file
    '#### Not the most efficent way of doing it but very re-usable
    dim fs
    Set fs=Server.CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject") 
    If (fs.FileExists(server.MapPath("\") & "\Reports\" & FileName))=true Then
        set fname = fs.OpenTextFile(server.MapPath("\") & "\Reports\" & FileName, 8, True)
    Else
        set fname = fs.CreateTextFile(server.MapPath("\") & "\Reports\" & FileName,true)
    End If        
    fname.WriteLine(strToWrite)
    fname.Close
    set fname=nothing
    set fs=nothing
end function