Text Encosing Issues in Entourage ??

Scripting Forums AppleScript | Mac OS X
#1

Hi All

I’m a newbie to applescript so please bear with me if i’m being dim :wink:

I’m trying to write a script that backs up Entourage to disk for me - i’ve got most of it working but am having some problems with specific emails. It seems to me that certain emails have a different text encoding which is causing me problems. And I think they have all originated from a Windows machine.

If I grab the subject without coercing it to string or text, it comes over as
a:n:o:t:h:e:r: :p:l:a:c:e: :-: :s:e:v:e:n: :s:i:n: even though to view it in entourage the colons are not there.

however, if I coerce it to string the colons go invisble, but still cause problems (appear to be there) when I do anything to the resulting variable.

Anyone got any ideas how I can coerce the subject to get rid of those colons rather than replace them. Text encoding has always caused me problems, and so I need to get my head round it!!!

Thanks for any help

JD

#2

Hi!

I’ve encountered some times this problem, but never thought the encoding was causing the issue… Hmmm… As you describe it (colons stuff), seems as “Unicode text” (that is, UTF-16, and colons maybe most probably a bunch of ASCII character 0). So, perhaps you can try picking the subject “as Unicode text”, but I’m not sure this will solve the problem… Could you send me an example to julifosATmac.com ???

#3

I was being VERY dim.

I’d actually been converting the string to a list, but had set my text delimiters previously to be a colon, hence it was all screwing up. Notg text encoding at all then.

Sorry to have troubled you all !!!

JD