6.3. Using Foods Text files
Prev | Chapter 6. Plain text Foods files, and choosing which type of Foods file to use | Next

## 6.3. Using Foods Text files

After you have completed your Foods Text file, you can use it just as you would any other Pantry file. Here is an example:

Example 6.2. Using a Foods Text file

    $ pantry --print traits-units-blank foods.txt
    Milk, reduced fat, fluid, 2% milkfat, with added vitamin A
    Group: Cereal and Milk
    Date: 2007-06-30 Meal: Breakfast Order: 0006
    1.0 cup (244g)
       quart
       fl oz
       cup

    Blueberries, raw
    Group: Fruits and Fruit Juices
    Order: 0008
    Refuse: 5 percent Stems and green or spoiled berries
    5 oz (142g)
       pint as purchased, yields
       cup

    Papayas, raw
    Group: Fruits and Fruit Juices
    Order: 0007
    Refuse: 33 percent Seeds and skin
    1 medium (5-1/8" long x 3" dia) (304g)
       small (4-1/2" long x 2-3/4" dia)
       medium (5-1/8" long x 3" dia)
       cup, mashed
       cup, cubes
       large (5-3/4" long x 3-1/4" dia)

The nice thing about Foods Text files is that although you can edit them with your text editor, you can also manipulate them using ordinary Pantry commands. For example:

Example 6.3. Changing a Foods Text file

    $ pantry --name "Apples, raw, with skin" --c-date "April \
    > 15" --c-qty 1 --c-unit medium --add foods.txt master

    $ cat foods.txt
    # Sample foods.txt file.
    # The first column indicates the source file. It is best to use an absolute pathname
    # here.
    #source:name:qty:unit:date:meal:group:comment:options
    #Options: x=exact match; i=ignore case
    /home/massysett/pantry-data/master:Milk, reduced fat, fluid, 2% milkfat, with added vitamin A:1.0:cup:2007-06-30:Breakfast:Cereal and Milk::x
    /home/massysett/pantry-data/master:Papayas:1:medium
    /home/massysett/pantry-data/master:blueberries, raw:5:oz:::::i
    /home/massysett/pantry/sandbox/master:Apples, raw, with skin:1:medium (3" dia):April 15::Fruits and Fruit Juices::x

As you can see, when you add foods to a Foods Text file using pantry, appropriate text is added to the end of the file. However, beware that if you change the name of the food using the `--c-name` option, Pantry will not be able to locate the food in the source file. You can, however, change any of the other traits, although Pantry will override any changes you make to the `order` trait because the `order` trait is automatically set to the line number of the food. Thus the `--auto-order` option has no effect when using Foods Text files.

Prev | Up | Next
6.2. Foods Text files: an example | Home | 6.4. Which sort of file should I use?