Text File Handling [Resolved]

Im making a map editor, and i am saving some variables of the collision objects in a text file, and later loading them in the application.

A few questions, How do i do this? I would have an object array, and i would want to put 5 or so variabled for each object, preferably each objects variables on one line, and then load the line for each object in the app. Any help?

simplest way I can think of is to use a tab delimted files

first thing on line could be object name followed by variable settings.

if your objects don't have names, but but are just in an array, have the first item be the index array.

do you know how to write to files??
if you can post your object description I could probably whip up some code.

I would use Binary file operations (Get and Put).

you could think of something like, to save:

Code:

---

Dim iFreeFile As Integer, outFile As String
Dim mVar(3, 5) As Long, aCount As Long, bCount As Long
Dim tStr As String

'define vars here
mVar(1, 1) = 3
mVar(1, 2) = 45
mVar(1, 3) = 33
mVar(1, 4) = 673
mVar(1, 5) = 2
mVar(2, 1) = 78
'etc

'define output file name
outFile = "mydata.xxx"

iFreeFile = FreeFile

Open App.Path & "\" & outFile For Output As #iFreeFile

For aCount = 1 To 3
    'reset
    tStr = ""
    For bCount = 1 To 5
        tStr = tStr & mVar(aCount, bCount) & Chr(9)
    Next bCount
    'print values
    Print #iFreeFile, tStr
Next aCount

Close #iFreeFile

---

and get back the data in the same way. however, if you do have loads of records i would definitely go the way Disiance suggests: use bytes.

No, i do not know how to read or write from files, which is my main purpose of this thread, i should have stated that.


Alright, ill explain my problem a little more clearly.
I made a map editor for my rpg, and it saves the map as one single .bmp
The editor also includes a collision maker, which adds the collisions on the maps, and i want them printed into a text file.

I want the textbox to have all the data for one collision object in one line.

For example:

the first line of the text file i want to have the number of collobjts and thats it

with collobjt(0)
.left = 16
.top = 16
.width = 48
.height = 32
end with

i want this data above to be in the 2nd line of the text file as follows

index,left,top,width,height
0,16,16,48,32

So the text file with 1 collobjt would be as follows

0
0,16,16,48,32

With 2 collobjts

1
0,16,16,48,32
1,32,48,48,32


I also need to know how to read these files

I hope that explains what i am looking for. Please help...Soon, i am done coding the editor except for this part, so i cant use it for my game until i figure this out.


If someone could make me a simple example where it saves and loads the data from textboxes into this format, i would appreciate it.

Anyone?

Code:

---

Sub WriteFile()
  outFile = "mydata.xxx"
  iFreeFile = FreeFile
  Open App.Path & "\" & outFile For Output As #iFreeFile
  print #iFreeFile, UBound(collobjt)
  For x = 0 To UBound(collobjt)
    with collobjt(x)
      print #iFreeFile, .left, .top, .width, .height
    End with
  Next x
  Close #iFreeFile
End Sub

Sub ReadFile()
  Dim colobj  ', a,b,c,d
  outFile = "mydata.xxx"
  iFreeFile = FreeFile
  Open App.Path & "\" & outFile For Input As #iFreeFile
  read #iFreeFile, colobj
  Dim collobjt(colobj)
  For x = 0 To UBound(collobjt)
    with collobjt(x)
      read #iFreeFile, .left, .top, .width, .height
' You may Not be able To read directly into properties. Might have To use
'      read #iFreeFile, a,b,c,d
'        .left = a
'        .top = b
'        .width = c
'        .height = d
  End with
  Next x
  Close #iFreeFile
End Sub

---

Thank you very much, i think this is doing the trick, the writefile works perfect, but the readfile i dont really understand.... And i dont think that the "Read #ifreefile" is the right function, because the line is displayed in red in vb....

Nevermind, i figured it out, the correct term was "Input" not "Read".

I thank you very much for helping me with my code.