Extracting Vars from a Text File [RESOLVED]

[Madwacker]

Hi-
Right now I'm writing the following to a text file:
Client Name, Project Name,Today's Date, Hours and Mins

with the method Open blah for Append as fileNum

Print #1, Client, Project, cDate, cHour, cMin

When I want to extract those variables back out of the text file so that I can format them and print them out in a nice fashion, I don't know how to grab and seperate them back into variables.

[ae_jester]

Well, if the data in the file is seperated by commas you can do the following. (Avoid using CDate as a variable name as its a command in vb!)

Dim strLine as String
Dim lineValues() as String
 
'Input a line from the file
Line Input #fileNum, strLine
 
'Put all values into an array
lineValues = Split(strLine, ",")
 
strClient = lineValues(0)
strProject = lineValues(1)
myDate = CDate(lineValues(2))
myHour = CInt(lineValues(3))
myMin = CInt(lineValues(4))

[Madwacker]

Cool, I shall try that out and let ya know how it goes.

And yea, I knew about "cDate" ....I just changed my VarNames for posting and randomly stuck a letter in there, happend to be a 'c'

[Madwacker]

Whoops, looked past that. No the data isn't seperated by commas, just by huge tab spaces. Not sure how to make it seperated by commas (I knew once, but it's been a while).

[ae_jester]

Can you change the way the data is saved to the text file in the first place? Or is that not an option?

[Madwacker]

I can do whatever needs to be done to make it right. I'm the only programmer and it's my project

[techgnome]

Originally posted by Madwacker
Whoops, looked past that. No the data isn't seperated by commas, just by huge tab spaces. Not sure how to make it seperated by commas (I knew once, but it's been a while).

Don't use the Print # statement... .try using the Write # instead.....

see This page on MSDN for more details

[Madwacker]

Ok using Write# this is my new output

client Name, Project, Today's Date, Hours Mins

"test","test2",#2002-10-10#,0,0

whats up with the # sign?

[techgnome]

Originally posted by Madwacker
Ok using Write# this is my new output

client Name, Project, Today's Date, Hours Mins

"test","test2",#2002-10-10#,0,0

whats up with the # sign?

Signifies a date ..... the variable must have been dimmed as Date ..... try using the FORMAT$ function or converting to a string somehow..... or leave it... just make sure to use a DATE variable to read it back in....

[Madwacker]

Ok so far so good. I changed where I set my var to format Date as Date$

When I get down to ae_jester's code of:

myDate = CDate(lineValues(2))

my program breaks with a Run-time Error '13'; type mismatch. I highlighted that line and it shows:

lineValues(2) = ""10-10-2002""

This line has double quotes, which is what I think is crashing it. I commented out this line and the program is smooth.

[Madwacker]

*bump* i think everyone is at lunch...

[peet]

myDate = CDate(Replace(s, """", ""))

[ae_jester]

When outputting to file, try 'writing' like this for the date

Write #1, CStr(myDate)

This is just a guess i dont have vb where im at right now

[Madwacker]

ae_jester: Thanks, that worked great.

1 problem left. The variables that are strings, when I put them back into variables, and print them out they print such as:

CLIENT NAME PROJECT
"microsoft" "website setup"


do I need to convert it to a non-string..or?

[ae_jester]

That's what happens when you use Write instead of print

You could still use print if you wanted like this, which would get rid of all of the """"""""""""""""""""""'s everywhere

Print #fileNum, strClient & "," & strProject & "," & myDate & "," & myHour & "," & myMin

this adds commas which act as hte delimiter and t hen you don't get " surrounding the data when you input it

[Madwacker]

You know I was gonna try that yesterday, but wasn't sure it would work correctly. I'll give THAT a whirl and see how it goes.


Thankyou Thankyou guys

[techgnome]

Originally posted by ae_jester
That's what happens when you use Write instead of print

You could still use print if you wanted like this, which would get rid of all of the """"""""""""""""""""""'s everywhere

Print #fileNum, strClient & "," & strProject & "," & myDate & "," & myHour & "," & myMin

this adds commas which act as hte delimiter and t hen you don't get " surrounding the data when you input it

Which will work fine until there's a comma in the middle of one of the fields.... then things get all mucked up....