SONS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION

Submitting Your Application Data Files

Data File Processing Instructions | Email Format Instructions

SAR Compatriots can now make a direct contribution to the productivity of the Patriot Index Committee volunteer effort by submitting computer generated primary and supplemental application data files to the committee. By providing your data files, you will enable the use of software which will automatically convert the data into the format used for inclusion in the Patriots Index CDs and other publications. This automatic conversion process will be a significant time saver as otherwise the data has to be re-typed into a computer in it’s entirety.

Data files from any of the four approved application software packages can be accepted for this process (SAR16, SARApAid, Segraves PDF Form Filler (online and Acrobat data files), and the Bristor MSWord template). Some of these data file types will need to be saved in a special format so the conversion software will be able to read them. See the Data File Processing Instructions paragraphs for details.

Data files should be emailed to the Patriots Index committee via file attachment at: pidata@sar.org. For organizational purposes, there are specific formats that the committee would prefer for the attachment (data) file name, the subject line of your email message, and for information in the body of the email message. Adherence to these preferences will help the volunteers organize and administer the volume of email that is expected. See the Email Format Instructions paragraphs for details.

The Patriots Index committee has completed data conversion on applications which were approved through November 2002. It is requested that all data files for applications which were approved after that time frame or which have not yet been approved be emailed to the PI committee for direct conversion. The more files you provide, the less typing the committee has to do. This should also help reduce the backlog of data entry and speed the processing of future issues of the Patriot Index CD.

This process does not replace the submission of your printed application to the society for processing and approval. Your data file(s) should be submitted only after your printed application is submitted.

If your printed application is returned for corrections and/or additions after it has been submitted and you have already emailed your data file, please submit a corrected data file after you have resubmitted your printed application. If you have to submit a corrected data file, please include the appropriate comment as outlined in the Email Format Instructions.

If you have any problems with or questions about processing your data files or formatting your data email messages, please send a clear text message to the appropriate Patriots Index committee person at pidata@sar.org.

Data File Processing Instructions:
SARApAid | SAR16 | Bristor MSWord Template | Segraves pdf Form Filler

SARApAid -
No special save format is required. All application types and versions can be read directly.

SAR16 -
No special save format is required.

Caution: The SAR16 file format will not tolerate "hard returns" in Reference (or any) fields. Hard returns result in a single field being stored in multiple lines (separated by the hard return) in the saved file, removing any predictability of position for following fields (files with hard returns cannot be correctly re-read by SAR16 either).

Bristor MSWord Template -
The Word Template is available in three versions. Version 1.00 uses a separate Word document for each side of the application page (2 documents required per application). Version 1.10 uses a single Word document containing both sides of the application page (1 document required per application). Both of these versions are for the Combined application form. Version 2.00 is an update of the template to the Universal application form.

Data must be saved as follows for conversion from Word97/2000+:

Open the Word document that was filled in as a form.

On the (Word) Tools menu, click Options, and then click the Save tab (you may need to activate extended menus to see this tab).

Select the Save data only for forms check box.

On the File menu, click Save Copy As.

In the Save as type box, select Text Only.

Type an appropriate file name in the File Name box (also indicating page 1 or 2 - see file name note below), leave .txt as the file name suffix and Save.

After saving your template data as a text file (will require 2 separate files for version 1.00), the Save data only for forms box can be unchecked as above.

Ensure that your completed application (both pages, if using version 1.00) are saved in normal Word document format so as not to loose this correlated form/data combination.

Check the size of your new .txt file(s)...if it's 100K or greater, you didn't get the format right. A correctly formatted file will never be any larger than 15K.

Note: File Naming - when naming your version 1.00 Word template .txt files, indicate the "page 1" and "page 2" files as follows: in the last character position prior to the "dot" place the appropriate page number for that file.

Example: If you name your page one file as "MY Patriot1.txt" then name your page 2 file exactly the same except for the number, i.e. "MY Patriot2.txt".

Segraves PDF Form Filler -
Data files from this method can only be saved if you are using Adobe Acrobat or if you are doing your application using the interactive online version with Adobe Reader/Acrobat.

Instructions for saving files if using Adobe Acrobat:

Open the Adobe document that was filled in as a form.

On the (Adobe) File menu select Export, then click on Form Data.

Type an appropriate file name in the Object Name (file name) box, ensure that "Acrobat fdf files *.fdf" is selected in the Save as type box and Save.

If saved in the correct format, the Universal Form (#0915 2003), Combined Form (#0915 1998) and Youth Form (0915Y 2000) files created with Adobe Acrobat can correctly be processed.

Instructions for saving files if using the Interactive Online Version:

When you are finished using your browser to fill in the application form, click on the Submit Data button at the bottom of page 2. You will see one of the following:

1. (Usual Netscape scenario) - The FDF (data only) from your PDF "should" be returned to you as File Download that gives you the opportunity to "Open ..." or "Save ..." the file. Save the file with a filename extension of ".fdf" e.g., "myfile.fdf", enclosing the entire filename and extension in double quotes like the example.

2. Some users of MSIE may now see a new page in the browser which contains the coded data from the application. On the display, it will begin with "%FDF-1.2" and end with "%%EOF". If this is your case, preceed as follows:

On your browsers File menu, click Save As and a Save Web Page (or something similar) dialog box should appear.

Enter a File Name for your data file which follows the requested format in the Email Format Instructions paragraphs.

Enter a File Name Suffix (Save as type) of "fdf" if you are allowed to. If not, use "txt" as the suffix.

If you had to use a File Name Suffix of "txt" in the above step, rename the file using the "fdf" suffix after you have Saved it.

Email Format Instructions:
File Name | Subject Line | Message Body

Data File Naming Conventions - In order to easily search and sort a file list of numerous data file submissions, it is requested that you name your data files as follows for submission to the Patriots Index committee:

Supplemental - (National number) PatriotsLastName_A_B [where "A" and "B" are your patriot's initials].
Example: if your national number is 123456 and your patriot's name is Joseph Edwin Lautzenhizer, you would name your file 123456 Lautzenhizer_J_E (use the underscores to separate the initials please).

Primary - (Applicant'sLastName_A_B PatriotsLastName_A_B [where "A" and "B" are your and your patriot's initials].
Example: if this is your primary application (you have no national number yet), your name is Raymond Allen Wilson, and your patriot's name is Joseph Edwin Lautzenhizer, you would name your file Wilson_R_A Lautzenhizer_J_E (use the underscores to separate the initials please).

Subject Line Formatting Conventions - In order to easily search and sort a message list of numerous data file submissions, it is requested that you format your email subject line as follows:

Enter a Subject line in your email message starting with "PIData", a space, and then enter information in the same format as requested above for the attachment file name. By consistently starting the subject line with "PIData" email program sorting and automation features can be used to handle incoming data files.
Example: with information as in the Supplemental data file shown above, your subject line for that message would be PIData 123456 Lautzenhizer_J_E.

Email Message Body Formatting Conventions - In the world of email, names of file attachments often get truncated and even subject lines can be truncated, thus eliminating what may be essential identification information about a data file. In order to provide a complete set of (possibly redundant) information about the data file being submitted, please include the following information in the body of any email containing a data file being submitted for PI committee use (include the data label as well as the data requested):

National Number: (5 or 6-digit format, or "New" for primary application)
Applicant's Name: (Last, First Middle)
Patriot's Name: (Last, First Middle)
Attachment File Name: (full name as saved for this message)
Attachment File Format: (SARApAid/SAR16/Bristor/Segraves)
Comments: (would include information as necessary, such as "corrected data file - 2nd submission")

Example: with information as in the Supplemental data file shown above and a data file created with SARApAid, the message body should read as follows:

National Number: 123456
Applicant's Name: Wilson, Raymond Allen
Patriot's Name: Lautzenhizer, Joseph Edwin
Attachment File Name: 123456 Lautzenhizer_J_E
Attachment File Format: SARApAid
Comments:

pidata.htm
4/10/2004