Larry,
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I like the HTML file to export, BUT, the file of messages would be full of Yahoo long text ads, SPAM, porn ads, and mischievousness banned members.? Also, when folks had replied via email to those messages, those FREE emails provides always tacked on 2-liner ads at the trailing end of the message.? Thus, a simple HTML file can be bloated by up to 50% in size.
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Back in the 2003 to 2005 era on YG, the SPAM was horrible.? Doing a direct save from PGOffline to the HTML will retain all of that and more.
The more?? Well, back around 2005, the internet started moving to the HTML-5 code.? Once you export this to an HTML or other format, these weird characters start showing up.? The mapped characters could have been a quote mark, the double-space between sentences, semi-colon, bold text, etc.?
We've taken the PGOffline to export as 'piped csv' file first.? This format can be read into OpenOffice and Excel.? CSV is the comma-separated values file that all spread sheet software can read in.? PGOffline uses the pipe character on the key board as the column separator.? pipe = |? So, when opening the CSV file, Excel or OpenOffice will have a popup window that asks how to separate the columns.? Pick Other and enter that pipe key symbol.?
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With all of the data read into say excel via the CSV file, a simple search for just the terms 'sex' 'wild' girl' 'girlz' 'horny' under the FIND ALL command allow you to click and purge them out of file in no time flat.
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With the end tag ads, it's similar.? Just find a common ad like 'Yahoo! Clubs to Join'.? copy-n-paste into the FIND ALL, then REPLACE all.? You can replace with nothing or a simple single empty space.
In a 31,000+ message file in Excel, the Yahoo ads themselves were in 14,000+ messages alone!?
Sure it takes just a few hours to do a bit of clean up, but for the future reads, it really worth it.?? My file size went from 99Mb down to 30Mb scrubbing out the junk!?? Now, I can save this in our FREE group under a FILE folder called YG Archive Messages.? I had saved the file in a few formats because, not everyone has high speed internet.? Can you still believe folks are still on DIAL-UP in the real rural area of the USA today.?? So, HTML takes 3 mins just to click and load on high speed internet.? BUT, a download of an Excel file or OpenOffice file takes under a 1min.
Our HTML is not divided into 50 messages each either.? It would be very difficult to search that many HTML for a certain topic or key word.? It will make folks frustrated and to give up.?
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Much of what I've talked about here can be read easily on the PGOffline forums.? The software has a good deal of ability to export into other usable formats.? Our groups have been very pleased with it's functionality too.? We have retained everything.?
BMaverick