Convert DAT files to HTML files

juliebd

Any suggestions how I can convert DAT files to HTML files other than online available tools as they are not working for my files? Thanks

Ron Czapala

What program created the DAT files?
I assume you mean files with a .dat file extension which is a pretty nondescript extension - could be any format...

Heater.

What DAT files? How would you like them to look in HTML? What on line tools don't work?

We can't help without some details.

juliebd

It is a big dataset with .dat extension files containing html tags. In each file we have set of documents which I want to extract each as a separate html file. I have no idea what program created the files.

Chris Savage

Assuming each document starts with a unique HTML tag and ends with one as well this would be very easy to do. All you have to do is parse the file looking for the start tag, write the data out to a new file until you reach the end tag, rinse and repeat.

I've done this in QuickBASIC 4.5, PDS 7.0, Visual BASIC and once even using the BASIC Stamp 2 with a Memory Stick Datalogger to exract GPS information from a KML file.

I've also done this to update/upgrade one file set to match another (formatting).

Ron Czapala

Chris Savage wrote: »

Assuming each document starts with a unique HTML tag and ends with one as well this would be very easy to do. All you have to do is parse the file looking for the start tag, write the data out to a new file until you reach the end tag, rinse and repeat.

I've done this in QuickBASIC 4.5, PDS 7.0, Visual BASIC and once even using the BASIC Stamp 2 with a Memory Stick Datalogger to exract GPS information from a KML file.

I've also done this to update/upgrade one file set to match another (formatting).

You could also do this with a .vbs (visual basic script) utilizing the FileSystemObject TextStream object. The script can be created with Notepad. Just double click the .vbs file to execute the script...

Here is a little script to get you started - it lists cookie exceptions from Chrome settings:

option explicit
  Const TemporaryFolder = 2
  Const ForWriting = 2
  Const ForReading = 1
  Const TristateFalse = 0
  Const TristateTrue = -1
  Const TristateUseDefault = -2
  Const pattrn = """pattern_pairs"":{"
'  Const pattrn2 = """automatic_downloads"":{"
  Const pattrn2 = """automatic_downloads"":{},""cookies"":{"


  dim WSHShell, fso, ts, UserProfile, PrefsFldr, ChromePrefs
  dim shell
  set shell = CreateObject("Shell.Application")
  Set WSHShell = WScript.CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
  Set fso = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")

  UserProfile = WSHShell.ExpandEnvironmentStrings("%UserProfile%")
'  PrefsFldr = fso.BuildPath(UserProfile, "\Local Settings\Application Data\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default\Preferences")

  PrefsFldr = fso.BuildPath(UserProfile, "AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default\Preferences")

' "C:\Users\Ron Czapala\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default\Preferences"

  If fso.FileExists(PrefsFldr) Then
    GetPrefs
  else
    msgbox PrefsFldr,vbcritical, "Not found"
   end if

Public Sub GetPrefs()
  dim idx, idy, msg, xcepts, i, mydocs, xfile, xts
  Set ts = fso.OpenTextFile(PrefsFldr, ForReading, False, TristateFalse)
  ChromePrefs = ts.ReadAll
'  msgbox len(ChromePrefs)
  ts.Close

  mydocs = WshShell.SpecialFolders("MyDocuments")
  xfile = fso.BuildPath(mydocs, "Exceptions.htm")
  set xts = fso.CreateTextFile(xfile, True, False)
  HTML1 xts

  xts.writeline PrefsFldr & "<BR><HR>"
  idx = InStr(1,ChromePrefs,  pattrn2, vbTextCompare)
  if idx > 0 then
    ChromePrefs = Mid(ChromePrefs, idx + len(pattrn2)+1)
    idx = InStr(1, ChromePrefs, "}}", vbTextCompare)
    If idx > 0 Then
      ChromePrefs = Mid(ChromePrefs, 1, idx + 1)
    End If
'    msgbox ChromePrefs
    idy = InStr(idx, ChromePrefs, "[*.]")
    xcepts = Split(ChromePrefs, "},""")
    xts.writeline Ubound(xcepts) & " entries<BR>"
'    for i = 0 to 5
'     msgbox xcepts(i)
'   next
'     xts.writeline  UBound(xcepts) & "<BR>"
    For i = 0 To UBound(xcepts)
      If InStr(xcepts(i), "[*.]") > 0 then
'         If InStr(xcepts(i), """cookies"":") > 0 Then
         If InStr(xcepts(i), """setting"":") > 0 Then
          xts.writeline Process_Entry(xcepts(i)) & "<BR>"
        End If
      End If
    Next
  Else
    Msgbox pattrn & " not found",vbCritical,"Error" 
  End If

  HTML2 xts
  xts.close
  shell.Open xfile
End Sub  

Private Sub HTML1(xts)
  xts.write "<HTML><head><title>Chrome Cookie Exceptions</title>" & vbcrlf 
  xts.write "</head>" & vbcrlf
  xts.write "<body>" & vbcrlf 
  xts.write "<font color='navy' style=' FONT-FAMILY: Verdana, Tahoma; FONT-SIZE: 12px'>"
End sub

Private Sub HTML2(xts)
   xts.write "</font>"
   xts.write "</Body>" & vbcrlf & "</HTML>"
End sub

Private Function Process_Entry(entry)
  Dim idx, idy
  Dim retval, cval
  retval = Replace(entry, "[*.]", "")
'  msgbox retval
'  idy = InStr(retval, "cookies" & chr(34) & ":") + 9
  idy = InStr(retval, "setting" & chr(34) & ":") + 9
  cval = mid(retval, idy, 1)
  if cval = "1" then
    cval = "Allow"
  end if
  idx = InStr(retval, ",")

  on error resume next
  retval = Left(retval, idx - 1)
  if err.number <> 0 then
    msgbox entry,,idx
    Process_Entry = entry  
  else
    Process_Entry = cval & " " & retval
  end if 
End Function