Using integers/characters as bookmarks in rtf document

Question

first of all, i am self taught (ie i know practically nothing)
i am trying to write an application which includes a database and produces standard letters with individual clients' details inserted. it is driving me insane.
i am using rtf files and the code below (part of which i stole off the internet) copies everything just fine
the code below works ok for a limited number of 'fields' - the integers in the 'switch' apply to characters such as # $ [ and they seem to be the integers the code uses.......(the code inserts my fields as it should)
and this is where my ignorance kicks in big-time - i have tried everything, putting the character itself into the switch instead of the integer, using Unicode symbols - to expand the range so i can use more 'fields' - but i have to confess i am really out of my depth, i don't really understand Unicode........
for example, i have tried using 'à' as an example, but no matter whether i use the integer (the default one recovered from the rtf document by this code), the character itself, or the Unicode value........the code just ignores it, does not insert the field i require, instead just re-types the à in the copy document.
tall order, but is there any simple way for me to have a much wider range of 'bookmarks' so i can insert fields?
void doLetter(String lettCode, Client client, Defendant defendant)
FileReader in = null;
out = null;
currClient = client;
currDefendant = defendant;
lett = lettCode;
try
File inputFile = new File("C:\\testBill\\" + lett + ".rtf");
in = new FileReader(inputFile);
out = new FileWriter(createPath(lett));
int c;
while ((c = in.read()) != -1)
System.out.print(" " + c);
if (insertField(c)) continue;
out.write(c);
catch (Exception io)
System.out.println(io.getMessage());
finally
try
in.close();
out.close();
catch (Exception ex)
System.out.println(ex.getMessage());
private boolean insertField(int d) throws Exception
int a = d;
switch(a)
case 35: doField(currClient.getTitle());
return true;
case 36: doField(currClient.getFirstName());
return true;
case 91: doField(currClient.getLastName());
return true;
case 93: doField(currClient.getFirstAddress());
return true;
case 126: doField(currClient.getSecondAddress());
return true;
case 95: doField(currClient.getThirdAddress());
return true;
case 94: doField(currClient.getFourthAddress());
return true;
case 124: doField(currClient.getPostCode());
return true;
case 33: doField(currDefendant.getPPI());
return true;
case 64: doField(currDefendant.getLastName());
//System.out.println(currDefendant.getLastName());
return true;
return false;
private void doField(String champ) throws Exception
String whatever = champ;
char cbuf[] = whatever.toCharArray();
out.write(cbuf);
}

Answer 1

hi mel
first of all thanks for taking the trouble to answer my query. i am rather embarrassed on two counts - first for the mistake in my code (i did admit to ignorance after all) and secondly that i seem to have found an answer to my problem - after about 3 months of tearing out what hair i have, perhaps posting here galvanised me, i don't know.
re your solution, yes i could switch happily between the characters themselves, the integers the rtf document seemed to be using (cp1252 or something like that?) and unicode symbols, but the problem was the code was only recognising certain symbols, such as $ and [, but it steadfastly refused to recognise (and therefore act upon) the accented a character (and every other character which was not a letter or a number), which effectively left me with about 12 fields to play with in my standard letters.
anyway, this seems to be working!:
int c;
while ((c = in.read()) != -1)
System.out.print(" " + c);
if (c == '%')
char cbuf[] = new char[3];//in my rtf document i am using %001, %002 etc
cbuf[0] = (char)in.read();
cbuf[1] = (char)in.read();
cbuf[2] = (char)in.read();
if (insertField(Integer.parseInt(new String(cbuf)))) continue;
out.write(c);
catch (Exception io)
System.out.println(io.getMessage());
finally
try
in.close();
out.close();
catch (Exception ex)
System.out.println(ex.getMessage());
private boolean insertField(int d) throws Exception
int a = d;
switch(a)
case 1: doField(currClient.getTitle());//35 - these are integers i was using previously
return true;
case 2: doField(currClient.getFirstName());//36
return true;
case 3: doField(currClient.getLastName());//91
return true;
case 4: doField(currClient.getFirstAddress());//93
return true;
etc
i just have to make sure i have no %s in my standard letters, otherwise i should use some other symbol. i will now worry until i am sure you are not going to point out why this will not work long term, but it seems to have worked so far and has helped expand my armoury of fields..........
thanks once again for your help
ant