VB2010: Dealing with CSV files

Hi,

I have a two column CSV file embedded in a VB2010 project. I'd like the user to enter some text into a text box which matches with column A of the CSV file - the code should then return the corresponding text in Column B of the cvs file.

I'm a little confused on the best method of dealing with the CSV file..an array? convert to some sort of DB? etc etc.

The only proviso is that as the CSV files change frequently, I need a method that can act 'on the fly' rather than laborious first time job.

Can anyone suggest a good method with code example please?

Thanks
David

You could use the TextFieldParser class, designed for this sort of thing. Once you read in the file, save the filedate/size into a variable and put it into a datatable. Each time you need to process the data, check if the filedate/size has changed, if so reimport, or use the existing datatable.

If there are only the two columns and you want the data in one to point to the data in the other column, then I'd think a Dictionary(Of T, T) would be the best data storage for what you need. In a Dictionary, the items are set up as Key-Value pairs that you can easily get the data you need using the Key to retrieve the associated value:

Code:

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myValue = myDictionary(myKey)

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