TpsParser

A library for parsing Clarion TopSpeed (TPS) files.

Copyright © 2019 Blake Burgess. Licensed under MIT (see LICENSE).

Based on the previous work by Erik Hooijmeijer, tps-parse. Copyright © 2012-2013 Erik Hooijmeijer. Licensed under Apache 2.

Overview

This library is a C# port of the Java library tps-parse. It is able to open and read both unencrypted and encrypted TPS files. It is not able to write to TPS files.

Unlike the original library, this version does not include a CSV exporter, and thus does not function as a standalone program.

Clean Table Objects

The Table class abstracts away the low-level file structures for easier manipulation.

using (var parser = new TpsParser("contacts.tps"))
{
    // Currently only supports one table per file
    Table contactsTable = parser.BuildTable();

    Row firstContactRow = contactsTable.Rows.First();

    // Look up values by case-insensitive column names
    string firstName = firstContactRow.GetValueCaseInsensitive("fname");
    
    // Throws an exception if the field is not present in the row
    string lastName = firstContactRow.GetValueCaseInsensitive("lname", isRequired: true);
    
    // MEMO fields are mapped, too
    string notes = firstContactRow.GetValueCaseInsensitive("notes");
}

Deserializer

This library includes a deserializer that allows you to read fields--including MEMOs and BLOBs--into POCO objects marked with the appropriate attributes.

class Contact
{
    // Use this to include the TPS record number.
    [TpsRecordNumber]
    public int Id { get; set; }

    // Special attribute for string properties. Trims ending whitespace by default.
    [TpsStringField("fname")]
    public string FirstName { get; set; }

    // Throw an exception if the field is not present in all rows.
    [TpsStringField("lname", IsRequired = true)]
    public string LastName { get; set; }

    // Column names are case-insensitive.
    [TpsStringField("addrStreet")]
    public string Street { get; set; }

    [TpsStringField("addrCity")]
    public string City { get; set; }

    // Field values can be automatically converted to booleans in accordance with Clarion expression rules.
    [TpsField("addrCity")]
    public bool HasCity { get; set; }

    // Fields, string fields especially, might encode booleans with specific values for true/false.
    [TpsBooleanField("validated", TrueValue = "Y", FalseValue = "N")]
    public bool IsValidated { get; set; }

    // Conversions from the internal LONG type to DATE/TIME are handled automatically when necessary.
    [TpsField("entry")]
    public DateTime EntryDate { get; set; }

    // TpsStringField lets you specify a StringFormat when reading from non-string fields -- in this case, a DATE.
    [TpsStringField("modified", StringFormat = "MM - dd - yyyy")]
    public string LastModified { get; set; }

    // Reads from MEMO fields too.
    [TpsField("notes")]
    public string Notes { get; set; }
}

using (var parser = new TpsParser("contacts.tps"))
{
    var contacts = parser.Deserialize<Contact>();
}