How to truncat

[Norman Bauman nbauman@xxxxxxxx]

I have a file in XyWrite (3.55) which contains entries like the following,
each one a single line ended by a carrier return. I would like to get a
file in which each of the lines is truncated, after about 12 or 16
characters. (The reason is that I want to sort them and find the unique
journal abbreviations.) I have about 500 lines so it would be tedious to do
it by hand. Is there an easy way to truncate lines like this, using simple
functions of XyWrite, DOS utilities, or the usual programs I'm likely to
have around? I could write a XyWrite macro to define the first few words in
the file, and copy it to a second file, since some of the publication names
are 3 or 4 words. Or I could have a macro start define, cursor over N
spaces, end define, and copy it to a second file. But that sounds clunky.
There should be an easy way.

SciAm, Feb 2002, Down with the bad, up with the good, Thomas Maeder.
Vaccines to enzymes on the cholesterol cascade raise HDL and lower LDL in
rabbits, and are now in phase II trials.

NEJM, 24 Jan 2002, 346(4), CHOP chemotherapy plus rituximab in elderly
patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, B. Coiffier et al.
Cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine and prednisone (CHOP) were used
with and without rituximab. The response with rituximab was significantly
higher.

JAMA, 23/30 Jan 2002, 287(4), Chelation therapy for ischemic heart disease:
a randomized controlled trial, Merril L. Knudtson et al. "There is no
evidence to support a beneficial effect of chelation therapy in patients
with ischemic heart disease, stable angina, and a positive treadmill test
for ischemia."

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Norman Bauman
411 W. 54 St. Apt. 2D
New York, NY 10019
(212) 977-3223
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Alternate address: nbauman@xxxxxxxx
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