Examples

We present a constantly growing collection of examples here, illustrating how to use FlowHeater with practical tips. These range from the simplest "hello world" to some quite powerful Definitions for importing / exporting CSV text files, the dynamic conversion of data between databases and the generation of test data in a variety of forms.

Note: If you cannot locate a specific example for the actual task you are contemplating, refer to some of the other examples. The general methods applied in FlowHeater are always consistent and so by extension one of these examples will be found to approximate your requirements.

It is a tradition to begin by writing a “hello world” program when first learning a new programming language. Have no fear, we are not expecting you to learn programming; we merely wish to demonstrate to you that FlowHeater is just as flexible and capable as custom programming is.

All the examples are explained step by step, so you can easily repeat them yourself and for your convenience they are all included in the FlowHeater download. You will find the examples in the folder "..\Examples\EN". Click here for the download page.

Our recommended approach

You are advised to repeat the "hello world" examples to begin with, step by step. All in all this should not take you longer than 30 minutes and it is really worth your while. The fundamental methods of operation are all explained there. It will not matter whether you later want to export data from an SQL Server database into a CSV file or import data from Excel into an Oracle database; the methods used are always the same. Once you have mastered the general techniques you will soon discover new ways of using the software for your own uses.

Hello World examples

Introductory practical examples of FlowHeater in general use

• Hello World 1, generating test data in CSV format
• Hello World 2, generate CSV test data
• Hello World 3, generating test data with fixed column widths (flat file)

General examples

These illustrate FlowHeater's basic functions

• Format numbers as character strings
• Simple If-Then-Else example
• Complex If-Then-ElseIf example
• Example of filtering and grouping data
• An example of how to filter and group data, as well as how to consolidate grouped values

TextFile Adapter examples

These examples focus especially on the possibilities of the TextFile Adapter

• Convert an MS DOS ASCII CSV to a Windows ANSI flat file
• Convert a Windows ANSI flat file to an MS DOS ASCII CSV file
• Processing of CSV header and footer rows
• Import/Export vCard (line based) text files

MS Excel Adapter examples

Import/export examples of using the MS Excel Adapter

• Advanced MS Excel CSV export example with grouping

MS Access Adapter examples

Import/export examples of using the MS Access Adapter

• CSV text file import into a Microsoft Access database
• Generate MS Access test data
• Automated batch CSV import into MS Access

MS SQL Server Adapter examples

Import/export examples of using the MS SQL Server Adapter

• CSV text file import into SQL Server
• Exporting a flat file (report) from MS SQL Server
• SQL Server Import IDENTITY (Auto Increment) fields
• CSV export divided into several files

XML Adapter examples

Import/export examples of using the XML Adapter

• General example of processing XML files

MySQL Adapter examples

Import/export examples of using the MySQL Adapter

• CSV text file import into MySQL database
• Migrating data to MySQL
• Exporting only new MySQL records to a CSV text file

SQLite Adapter examples

Import/export examples of using the SQLite Adapter

• Merging CSV and Excel data using an SQLite database

PostgreSQL Adapter examples

Import/export examples of using the PostgreSQL Adapter

• CSV text file import into PostgreSQL database
• Import/export of PostgreSQL array fields

OleDB Adapter examples

Import/export examples of using the OleDB Adapter

• Import/Export/Update of Sharepoint lists

DataTable Adapter examples

Import/export examples of using the .NET DataTable Adapter

• General .NET DataTable Adapter example
• MS Excel CSV import using VB.NET
• Simple DataTable XML export