Reading only one field from CSV file using TextFieldParser.ReadFields Method

I am trying to read a particular field of a CSV file using ReadFields Method of TextFieldParser class. I will use the example at Microsoft to to show what I want to do.

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/dotnet/api/microsoft.visualbasic.fileio.textfieldparser.readfields?view=netcore-3.1#Microsoft_VisualBasic_FileIO_TextFieldParser_ReadFields

Code:

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Using MyReader As New Microsoft.VisualBasic.FileIO.TextFieldParser("C:\ParserText.txt")
    MyReader.TextFieldType = Microsoft.VisualBasic.FileIO.FieldType.Delimited
    MyReader.Delimiters = New String() {","}
    Dim currentRow As String()
   
    While Not MyReader.EndOfData
        Try
            currentRow = MyReader.ReadFields()
   
            'How to read only one field instead of a row in this section?

            For Each currentField As String In currentRow
                My.Computer.FileSystem.WriteAllText(
                    "C://testfile.txt", currentField, True)
            Next
        Catch ex As Microsoft.VisualBasic.FileIO.MalformedLineException
            MsgBox("Line " & ex.Message & " is invalid.  Skipping")
        End Try
    End While
End Using


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From Microsoft's example, how do I get to retrieve, for example, only the second field of a 3-fields CSV file? :ehh:

this should help

Code:

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    Private Sub Button5_Click(sender As System.Object, e As System.EventArgs) Handles Button5.Click
        Dim Dateiname As String = "D:\TestFolder\Users.txt"
        Using csvParser As New TextFieldParser(Dateiname)
            With csvParser
                .SetDelimiters(";")
                .HasFieldsEnclosedInQuotes = False ' or True

                'my File has a Header
                Dim Header As String = .ReadLine()
                Dim FieldData() As String
                Do While Not .EndOfData
                    FieldData = .ReadFields()
                    ' Debug.Print(FieldData(0))  ' 1st Field
                    Debug.Print(FieldData(1))  ' 2nd Field
                    'Debug.Print(FieldData(2))  ' 3rd Field
                Loop
            End With
        End Using
    End Sub

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ReadFields returns a String array. How would you usually get a specific element from an array?

One of the main reasons that beginners have trouble solving problems is that they don't know what problem they're trying to solve. Your problem really has nothing to do with TextFieldParsers. You already know how to read data using a TextFieldParser so that's done. What you have is an array and all arrays are the same, regardless of where they come from. Getting a specific element from this array is the same as getting a specific element from any other array, so that's the problem you actually need to solve. If you already know how to work with arrays then you already know the answer to your question. If you don't, you should go an learn about arrays and then you will know the answer to your question. I would suggest that anyone who is trying to read data from a file using a TextFieldParser should have learned about arrays already, given that they are one of the fundamentals of programming.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ChrisE

this should help

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Thank you, ChrisE.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by jmcilhinney

ReadFields returns a String array. How would you usually get a specific element from an array?

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Thank you.