(Resolved) How to read each line from multiline textbox?

Hey All,

I use the following code to read each line from a text file (.txt).

VB Code:

Private Const NUMOFTXTBOXES = 6
 
 
Private Sub Command1_Click()
    Dim strArray(0 To NUMOFTXTBOXES - 1) As String
    Dim i As Long
    Dim FileHandle%
    Dim strFileName As String
 
    strFileName = "C:\Testtext.txt"
 
    FileHandle% = FreeFile
    i = 0
 
    Open strFileName For Input As #FileHandle%
        Do While Not EOF(FileHandle%)
            Line Input #FileHandle%, strArray(i)
            i = i + 1
        Loop
 
    Text1.Text = strArray(0)
    Text2.Text = strArray(1)
    Text3.Text = strArray(2)
    Text4.Text = strArray(3)
    Text5.Text = strArray(4)
    Text6.Text = strArray(5)
 
    Close FileHandle%
End Sub

My question is...how can I do the same thing, but read each line from a
multiline textbox instead of a text file?

Thanks in advance,
Ron

The easy way is to do this:

Assuming textbox is txtText, the array this would be stored in is txtarray()

VB Code:

txtarray = split(txtText,VbCrLF)

Yup, it's that simple. split will split the textbox at every VbCrLf (which is a carriage return, at the end of every line) and make an array of the variable you give it (it has to be a unique variable, not one already used)

I get an error "Can't assign to array"

dim txtarray as string

Yeah, sorry...I forgot that bit :-)

I don't know what I'm doing.....now it says "Expected array"

I'm not looping through the textbox correctly.........any help?

in your case it might be "strArray = split..." and "dim strArray as string"...paste new code here if not, and someone will help :-)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by rdcody

I'm not looping through the textbox correctly.........any help?

---

For the record

VB Code:

strFileName = "C:\Testtext.txt"
 
    FileHandle% = FreeFile
    i = 0
 
    Open strFileName For Input As #FileHandle%
        Do While Not EOF(FileHandle%)
            Line Input #FileHandle%, strArray(i)
            i = i + 1
        Loop

Is replaced totally by my split line :-)

Are saying this is all I need...

VB Code:

Private Sub Command1_Click()
    Dim strArray As String
    
    strArray = Split(txtText, vbCrLf)
 
    Text1.Text = strArray(0)
    Text2.Text = strArray(1)
    Text3.Text = strArray(2)
End Sub

VB Code:

Dim txtarray() As String
txtarray = Split(txtText, vbNewLine)

:)

I get the first error "Can't assign to array"

Knew I could see a problem with that dim line...no () after the string...sorry. And for the record, both vbNewLine and VbCrLf are the same thing so either is valid :-)

Cody, re-paste the (updated) code snippet

Don't I need to loop thru something :-)

As I said above, there's NO LOOP with a split. Re-paste your code if you want people to be able to easily assist you

ok smUX ..........

VB Code:

Private Sub Command1_Click()
    Dim strArray As String
    
    strArray = Split(txtText, vbCrLf)
 
    Text1.Text = strArray(0)
    Text2.Text = strArray(1)
    Text3.Text = strArray(2)
End Sub

strArray is an array (not a variable) so declare it with ()

VB Code:

Dim strArray() As String

(RobDog888 had already pointed that out)

some people are saying to do it this way....

VB Code:

Dim strArray() As String

others, this way...

VB Code:

Dim strArray As String

neither one seems to work

You could instead make the textboxes an array and use less code

VB Code:

Private Sub Command1_Click()
    Dim strArray() As String
    strArray = Split(txtText, vbCrLf)
 
    for cur = 0 to 2
    Text1(cur).Text = strArray(cur)
    next cur
End Sub

Just delete text2 and text3 then copy/paste text1...when it asks if you want to make an array say yes and paste again...you'll have 3 textboxes indexed 0 to 2 :-)

My code works as does others. Can you state the error message your getting and with what code?

VB Code:

'Works and declares a string array
Dim strArray() As String

I'll see if that works in a second, but I don't really want to create an array
out of the textboxes because it would be confusing with the rest of the
code. You know what I mean....now what was Text1(4)?

I have started a new project, put this in the source:

VB Code:

Private Sub Command1_Click()
    Dim strArray() As String
    strArray = Split(txtText, vbCrLf)
 
    For cur = 0 To 2
    Text1(cur).Text = strArray(cur)
    Next cur
End Sub
 
Private Sub Form_Load()
txtText = "a" & vbCrLf & "b" & vbCrLf & "c"
End Sub

and added a textbox called "txtText" and the 3 arrayed text1(0) to text1(2) plus the command1 button and it works fine. Be aware that if your input string doesn't have 2 vbcrlf in you are GOING to have errors as there isn't 3 strings to put in...in this case, change "Text1(cur).Text = strArray(cur)" to "if cur <= ubound(strArray()) then Text1(cur).Text = strArray(cur)"

You dont need to make the textboxes an array, just your string variable that receives the text file contents.

Hey RedDog888

VB Code:

Private Sub Command1_Click()
    Dim strArray() As String
    
    strArray = Split(txtText, vbCrLf)
 
    Text1.Text = strArray(0)
    Text2.Text = strArray(1)
    Text3.Text = strArray(2)
End Sub

I get the error "Can't assign to array"

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by rdcody

I get the error "Can't assign to array"

---

after the split line put "debug.print ubound(strArray())" and tell us what it puts in your "immediate" window

Thats because your variable "txtText" or is it a textbox is not populated so its a nullstring value.

reddog888 :-) .........sorry about that RobDog888

you can't populate it in design mode?

line 1
line 2
line 3

Yes, but is it a textbox then?

i don't understand.....

it's a textbox with multiline set to true and this text...

line 1
line 2
line 3

Here is a very basic example using the code and a prepopulated multiline textbox.

well, that's the same thing I just posted, and I get the same error

Did you run my project? It runs fine and populates textbox 1 - 3 with the multiline textbox contents.

yes.....same error


I'm using VB5, and I have Split function in a module....maybe that's
why it won't work

when you say module, do you mean a module WITHIN the form or outside of it...if outside, you need to reference the form in the name as in form1.txtText.text =...

Module1 in Project1 with Form1

VB Code:

Public Function Split(ByVal sIn As String, _
    Optional sDelim As String = " ", _
    Optional nLimit As Long = -1, _
    Optional bCompare As VbCompareMethod = vbBinaryCompare) _
    As Variant
 
    Dim nC As Long, nPos As Long, nDelimLen As Long
    Dim sOut() As String
    
    If sDelim <> "" Then
        nDelimLen = Len(sDelim)
        nPos = InStr(1, sIn, sDelim, bCompare)
        Do While nPos
            ReDim Preserve sOut(nC)
            sOut(nC) = Left(sIn, nPos - 1)
            sIn = Mid(sIn, nPos + nDelimLen)
            nC = nC + 1
            If nLimit <> -1 And nC >= nLimit Then Exit Do
            nPos = InStr(1, sIn, sDelim, bCompare)
        Loop
    End If
 
    ReDim Preserve sOut(nC)
    sOut(nC) = sIn
 
    Split = sOut
End Function

Yes thats the problem. If you have the code in a module then you need to fully qualify the textboxes with the form name like Form1.Text1.Text etc.

So you didnt run my project then or is that VB 5 doesnt support the Split function? Split is a built in function in VB6 so not sure about VB 5.

Looks to me like split() isn't supported if he had to use that bit of code above :-)

Just making sure as the function was not posted yet. Perhaps we need to see the entire project as things are not exactly as stated.

geeeeeezzzzz guys...

the textbox code is in Form1

the split function is in Module1

vb5 does not support the split function that's built into vb6
that's why i'm using the split function i posted.

Even if we saw the project we probably couldn't help much as we couldn't send him the fixed version unless we had VB5 ourselves. I think we've given him the answer he needs to fix it though, so hopefully he'll make the changes and resolve/rate :-)

Edit: Maybe not...split function is fine in module1, but if the code you posted is in the main form adding the form name won't make a difference...there must be something else causing the issue

Form1

VB Code:

Private Sub Command1_Click()
    Dim strArray() As String
    
    strArray = Split(txtText, vbCrLf)
 
    Text1.Text = strArray(0)
    Text2.Text = strArray(1)
    Text3.Text = strArray(2)
End Sub

Module1

VB Code:

Public Function Split(ByVal sIn As String, _
    Optional sDelim As String = " ", _
    Optional nLimit As Long = -1, _
    Optional bCompare As VbCompareMethod = vbBinaryCompare) _
    As Variant
 
    Dim nC As Long, nPos As Long, nDelimLen As Long
    Dim sOut() As String
    
    If sDelim <> "" Then
        nDelimLen = Len(sDelim)
        nPos = InStr(1, sIn, sDelim, bCompare)
        Do While nPos
            ReDim Preserve sOut(nC)
            sOut(nC) = Left(sIn, nPos - 1)
            sIn = Mid(sIn, nPos + nDelimLen)
            nC = nC + 1
            If nLimit <> -1 And nC >= nLimit Then Exit Do
            nPos = InStr(1, sIn, sDelim, bCompare)
        Loop
    End If
 
    ReDim Preserve sOut(nC)
    sOut(nC) = sIn
 
    Split = sOut
End Function

When you run the code and it crashes, can you find out what line it crashes at? I've never used VB5 but in VB6, it gives you the option to debug which will show you the line where the error is

You need to place error handling in your Split function as if it errors code execution will be thrown back to the calling procedure - Command1_Click().

it highlights the following

strArray =



and gives me the error "Can't assign to array"

Tell you what, here's what I'll do....I'll write a custom function you can use instead of using split...it's a simple matter to do a little parsing. I'll edit this post with it if no-one replies :-)

The error could be because in the Split function your second argument is a string whereas vbCrLF is a combination of these two characters Chr$(13)+Chr$(10).

Change it to this...

VB Code:

strArray = Split(txtText, "vbCrLf")

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by RobDog888

Change it to this...

---

Tell me if that works...if not, I'll code the function :-)

Actually I dont think it will work still as it gets evaluated later in the procedure.

no it doesn't work.....same error

thanks smUX


edit:
thanks to all you guys for helping :-)

This code relies on instr() and mid() and this is my test code as before with modifications...took a bit of tweaking but it works. Hopefully other people will read and comment on a better way to do it in VB5 or perhaps point out stuff that could be changed/tweaked :-)

VB Code:

Private Sub Command1_Click()
    Dim strArray() As String, startof(2) As Single, endof(2) As Single
    startof(0) = 1: endof(0) = InStr(1, txtText, vbCrLf)
    startof(1) = endof(0) + 2: endof(1) = InStr(startof(1), txtText, vbCrLf)
    startof(2) = endof(1) + 2: endof(2) = InStr(startof(2), txtText, vbCrLf)
 
    Text1.Text = Mid(txtText, startof(0), endof(0) - startof(0))
    Text2.Text = Mid(txtText, startof(1), endof(1) - startof(1))
    Text3.Text = Mid(txtText, startof(2), Len(txtText) - startof(2) + 1)
End Sub
 
Private Sub Form_Load()
txtText = "a" & vbCrLf & "b" & vbCrLf & "c"
End Sub

Hey thanks smUX.....that works! :)

Good to hear... :-)

Hey smUX,

You ought to post this code in the codebank.....both versions VB5, and VB6,
and maybe how to load the multiline textbox from the textboxes.

VB Code:

txtText = Text1.Text & vbCrLf & Text2.Text & vbCrLf & _
                  Text3.Text & vbCrLf & Text4.Text

Thanks again,
Ron