[RESOLVED] Accessing text files

[Giver]

In this program i am making, i want to get information from a text file. but i need to get it from 2 different subs. one sub loops and gets the information every loop and other gets it when a user clicks a button. when they get it at the same time, i get an error saying that it is already being used by another process.

[stanav]

Probably you forget to close the stream after finishing reading the file.
Show us your code.

[Empyreal]

Why do you need to allow the user to get the information manually when one sub is constantly looping and getting the information?

[Giver]

Im not using a stream to access the file. Im just using IO.File.ReadAllText. I need to get the information 2 times because the loop writes the information using graphics.drawstring and the other sub changes the text in the file.

[stanav]

Can you post the relevant code instead of having us trying to guess what the problem is?

[Giver]

If Not IO.File.Exists("C:\Text.txt") Then
                        IO.File.WriteAllText("C:\Text.txt", 10)
                    Else
                        IO.File.WriteAllText("C:\Text.txt", IO.File.ReadAllText("C:\Text.txt") - 1)
                    End If

Do
Me.CreateGraphics.DrawString(IO.File.ReadAllText("C:\Text.txt") , New Font("Microsoft Sans Serif", 8.25), Brushes.Yellow, 150, 15)
Loop

[stanav]

I'm pretty sure the error is on this line:

IO.File.WriteAllText("C:\Text.txt", IO.File.ReadAllText("C:\Text.txt") - 1)

When you call File.WriteAllText, it creates streamwriter internally to write to that file so the file is being locked. You then immediately do a File.ReadAllText on the same file that is being open for write.
What you need to do is read the file first, then wrtie to it.
Try this:

If Not IO.File.Exists("C:\Text.txt") Then
      IO.File.WriteAllText("C:\Text.txt", 10)
Else
     Dim currentValue As Integer = Integer.Parse(IO.File.ReadAllText("C:\Text.txt")
     IO.File.WriteAllText("C:\Text.txt", (currentValue -1).ToString())
End If

End If

[Giver]

thanks, it works!