PROBLEM

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

Last Published: April 26, 2020

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

The following two methods have multiple options for removing the null characters or avoiding them when converting a coverage to a shapfile.
  • 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.

Article ID:000003495

Software:
  • Legacy Products

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