Examples for applications:

Example 1:

You have a list of sales that contains - besides from the item numbers - also headers, subtotals, blank lines and so on. However, you are only interested in the item numbers. Furthermore, you have a file that also contains item numbers, e.g. a catalogue of goods for sale in terms of an Excel file. Let's assume you would like to know which items are not found in the list.

Strategy:

1. Save the Excel file in "PRN" format, thus a text file with fixed column widths
2. Start "ASCII Key", choose the "PRN" file as "input file 1", the list of sales as
   "input file 2"
3. Start "Selection of columns"
4. Select the column range for the item number for each file
5. To select only item numbers from your list, you use fact that the item number is e.g. always numerical, 6 digits long: You set a filter with the interval "000000" to "999999", including.
6. Start the program using the option "Compare"
7. You'll find the result in "output file 2":
   All items of your catalogue which are not found in the list of sales

You may write a complete line of your catalogue (e.g. incl. the item name) to the output file or only the item number e.g. for later use in a further run of the program.

Example 2:

You download a catalogue of sales from the internet in terms of a text file containing an item number, name and price. One month later you download the same catalogue again.

Now you whish to know:

Which items are new, which items were deleted, for which items there was a change in price?

Strategy:

1. Start ASCII Key, old version of the catalogue = "input file 1", new version of the catalogue =
"input file 2"

2. Determine the column ranges that are to be compared: column range 1: item number, column range 2: price. Mark the column range "price" in both file as "data columns"

3. Start the program, option: "Compare", all output files activated

4. Result: you find the new items in output file 2, deleted items in output file 1, items whose prices have changed in output file 4

5. You save your settings in a "variant" (only possible with the registered version)

The next time you download the catalogue you only have to use the settings stored in the variant!