Convert .Txt File into Image or blob

I have a .txt file as an input in Designer. Is there a way to convert .Txt file into an image or blob to preserve the format?

The text file has a non-standard delimitation so when I try to convert to excel it's messy. I'm thinking to convert the text file into an image to preserve the formats.

Workflow

Designer Cloud

Accepted answers

kcollado

thank you for the inputs, @apathetichell! I will keep this in mind and hopefully I will have a workaround for the text file. Thanks a lot!

All comments

DataNath

Hey @kcollado, have you looked at the Blob Convert tool?

https://help.alteryx.com/20223/designer/blob-convert-tool

kcollado

Hi @datanath, I've tried to use it but it returns a Null Blob.

1.png

2.JPG

apathetichell

Post the configuration of your blob tools - you are probably converting wrong - the first two (of three) blob conversions convert blob to text not vice versa.

kcollado

these are my configurations for converting my text file into an image

blob input.JPG

blob convert.JPG

apathetichell

Sorry - not quite following you here. This is turning your datastream into a blob - but it's not turning it into a specific fileformat,..

like you won't have an actual image(unless you had an image/converted it to text and are then reconverting it) if that's the case - i'd recommend image in the reporting tool palette?

DataNath

@kcollado you don't want to be using the Blob Input tool - this is for when you already have a blob/image and want to convert from that format as @apathetichell mentioned. Also, in your Blob Convert tool you're currently pointing towards the [FullPath] field that comes from your Directory tool. You'll instead want to select the field containing your actual .txt data from that dropdown and convert that into a blob.

apathetichell

yeah - you can convert [FullPath] to a blob - but you are just converting the text in that field (ie the fullpath of the file) to a blob. I guess the question here is:

What are you trying to do - can you sketch out your workflow - if so I'm sure @DataNath or one of us can point you in the proper direction.

kcollado

@DataNath @apathetichell

Thank you both for the prompt responses and inputs!

so generally, I have a .txt file that I want to convert into an image. That image will be attached to the email body in the email output. Would it be possible?

This is an example of the text file:

TEXT FILE.JPG

This is how I want it to show in the email output:

apathetichell

hmmm - not ideal because of formatting - but you can try to shoot it over to a table tool or report text and then a render. render will allow you to output it as a .png.

kcollado

@apathetichell

thank you for the help and prompt response! I tried the table and render tools plus the render tool but it also didn't work, it can't read text. It only gives me the text file name

Perhaps, do you have anyway that alteryx can read the text file that will retain the format? because I try to convert it to .flat file but the formatting has changed because it has a non-standard format in text file.

apathetichell

what you are looking to do is take a screen grab of a text file - that doesn't work in alteryx. UiPath/RPA solutions would be able to do this for you.

kcollado

thank you for the inputs, @apathetichell! I will keep this in mind and hopefully I will have a workaround for the text file. Thanks a lot!

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