INFODBASE and ARCSHAPE add a null character to the end of text fields in the output files

Description

This problem is addressed in ArcGIS 8.1 Service Pack 1. See Related Information section below.

The INFODBASE and ARCSHAPE commands are adding a null character at the end of each value in text fields. This shows up as a box in Excel, and as a vertical line in Foxpro . For example:

OID TXTFIELD
101 Blue|
102 Green|

Cause

This is a known issue at version 8.1.

Solution or Workaround

• Remove the null characters from the output dBase file:
  1. Manually remove the null characters from all output text fields.
  2. In Access, import the dBASE table, then export it back.
  3. In Excel, use the following formula in a new column:

     =left, B1,((len(B1)-1)
     

     Where B is the text column which contains the null values.
• Avoid the creation of the null characters when exporting a coverage to a shapefile:
  1. Use the LAYERDEFINE and LAYEREXPORT commands in ArcInfo Workstation to export the coverage to a shapefile.
  2. Use the Coverage to Shapefile tool in ArcCatalog or ArcToolbox. These tools execute the LAYERDEFINE and LAYEREXPORT commands.