Anyone good with Text Files

[icemanmt78]

Help!!

I need some help munipulating text files.

I have to write a program that does the following:

I have three text files ( X,Y,Z ). I want to write the data within these files to a new text file. This new text file has three headers. I want the data from X File under the first header, the data from Y file under the second and so on.

I also want to manipulate the format of the text files to comma seperated value before they get placed into my new text file.

I have not done that much coding with text files, so all help will be very much appreciated.

Regards

Mark

[/\/\isanThr0p]

what do you mean by
I also want to manipulate the format of the text files to comma seperated value before they get placed into my new text file.

give an example!

the other stuff seems easy to me.
Just read the X file
put it out to the Final fine dont close the final file
put out the next header
Just read the y file
put it out to the Final fine dont close the final file
...

[icemanmt78]

Could you give me an example of some code to do as you mentioned. I know how to open a file but thats it. With regards to manipulating files. The files ( X,Y,Z ) are going to be delimited and i need to change this to CSV.

[Steven McGarva]

pseudo code like this:


Dim iTextFile As Integer
Dim iNewFile As Integer


iNewFile = FreeFile 'Open new file
Open YourNewFile For Append As #iNewFile 'Open to allow us to append.

'for YourFileX to YourFileZ

iTextFile = FreeFile 'Get handle of Read file.
Open YourFileX For Output As #iTextFile 'Open to allow us to read.

Print #iTextFile, "Header" 'write header to New File

'loop for each line and print to file
'Repost if you need help with this bit.

Close #iTextFile

'next file

Close #iNewFile


Read each line into a string and parse inserting commas where required before writing to new file.

[icemanmt78]

Thanks,

I will go and try this and get back to you

Cheers

[/\/\isanThr0p]

Is the code Steven gave enough? Or do you need some additional explanations?
Stevens Code is really clear.

I think you should use read line and print for your outputs but I'm not really shure. Just explore the MSDN

[icemanmt78]

I am getting there, slowly. How do i write data to a new line of a text file. I am able to read in data line by line but when i try and append a new text file with this data, it will not go onto the next line.

Any ideas

[icemanmt78]

I have sussed the code to take the data from three seperate files and then place it with headers into a single text file.

How do i prevent this process from happening again. I dont want any duplicate data in my final text file. Once it has been populated once i want to get the system to check how this file is populated. I don't know how big the file will be. If there is any data in the file whatsoever i don't want the process to run again. ( That is any data apart from my headers )

Any ideas

Here is my code so far

Private Sub Command1_Click()

Dim iTextFile As Integer
Dim iNewFile As Integer
Dim data As String
Dim count As Integer
Dim i(3) As String
Dim j(3) As String

i(1) = "C:\windows\desktop\x.txt"
i(2) = "C:\windows\desktop\y.txt"
i(3) = "C:\windows\desktop\z.txt"

j(1) = "[One]"
j(2) = "[Two]"
j(3) = "[Three]"

iNewFile = FreeFile

Open "C:\windows\desktop\mark.txt" For Append As #iNewFile

For count = 1 To 3
iTextFile = FreeFile
Open i(count) For Input As #iTextFile
Print #iNewFile, j(count)
Do Until EOF(iTextFile)
Line Input #iTextFile, data
Print #iNewFile, data
Loop
Close #iTextFile
Next count

Close #iNewFile

End Sub

Hey Iceman,

Dunno if this is useful to you, but I made a DLL recently that changes files from one type to another (delimited or fixed width files) and it allows you to re-arrange the fields in the records.

email me if you want the URL

[Zaf Khan]

Do it this way, where:
FileX is your sample file X
FileY is your sample file Y
FileZ is your sample file Z
MyNewFile is your New generated file


Drop a button on a form, and make sure that you edit the file names and click the button to do the stuff.

Declaration Section
Option Explicit
Dim FileXData As String
Dim FileYData As String
Dim FileZData As String
Dim Buffer As String


Sub Form_Load()
'form load event

  'edit these filenames or 
  'create test files in the relavent folder
  FileXData="c:\temp\testfileX.txt"
  FileYData="c:\temp\testfileY.txt"
  FileZData="c:\temp\testfileZ.txt"
  'this is the results file which will be created
  MyNewFile="c:\temp\testresults.txt"

End Sub


Sub Command1_Click()
'command button click event

'init buffers
Open FileX For Output As #1
Open FileY For Output As #2
Open FileZ For Output As #3
Open MyNewFile For Output As #4

'start with file x
FileXData=input#(FileLen(FileX),1)

'do file Y Next
FileYData=input#(FileLen(FileY),2)

'do file Z Next
FileZData=input#(FileLen(FileZ),3)

'--> parse the file so as to comma delimit it
ParseMyFiles()

'-->  now your ready to write it out
'do file x
Msgbox "Writing File X Header"
Write #4,"--> File X Header"
Write #4, FileXData
Write #4,"--> End File X Header"

'do file y
Msgbox "Writing File Y Header"
Write #4,"--> File Y Header"
Write #4, FileYData
Write #4,"--> End File Y Header"

'do file z
Msgbox "Writing File Z Header"
Write #4,"--> File Z Header"
Write #4, FileZData
Write #4,"--> End File Z Header"

'close all buffers
Close #1
close #2
Close #3
Close #4

End Sub


Sub ParseMyFiles()
'does comma delimiting

'the simplest way (as coding goes) is to search each file
'for spaces, and this is where the comma will be placed
'
'so:- Cats Dogs Mice would become
'     Cats,Dogs,Mice etc etc
Dim Counta As Integer

  'file x first
  Buffer=""
  For Counta = 1 to Len(FileXData)
    'test for space
    If Mid$(FileXData,Counta,1)=" " Then
      'make change/delimit
      Buffer = Buffer & ","
    Else 
      Buffer = Buffer & Mid$(FileXData,Counta,1)
    End If
  Next
  'update string
  FileXData=Buffer

  'file y
  Buffer=""
  For Counta = 1 to Len(FileYData)
    'test for space
    If Mid$(FileYData,Counta,1)=" " Then
      'make change/delimit
      Buffer = Buffer & ","
    Else 
      Buffer = Buffer & Mid$(FileYData,Counta,1)
    End If
  Next
  'update string
  FileYData=Buffer

  'file z
  Buffer=""
  For Counta = 1 to Len(FileZData)
    'test for space
    If Mid$(FileZData,Counta,1)=" " Then
      'make change/delimit
      Buffer = Buffer & ","
    Else 
      Buffer = Buffer & Mid$(FileZData,Counta,1)
    End If
  Next
  'update string
  FileZData=Buffer

End Sub

I know the code could be condensed but have kept it longhand so you can decipher what each line of code does.

DocZaf
{;->

[icemanmt78]

Thanks, i will have a go at that today.

Do you have an idea of a solution to my last question about checking if the data has moved correctly into my destination file.

Regards

M

[icemanmt78]

Can Anyone tell me why you would use the WRITE command as apposed to the PRINT command and vise versa

[Steven McGarva]

iceman, this is copied from MSDN Library:

Unlike the Print # statement, the Write # statement inserts commas between items and quotation marks around strings as they are written to the file. You don't have to put explicit delimiters in the list. Write # inserts a newline character, that is, a carriage return–linefeed (Chr(13) + Chr(10)), after it has written the final character in outputlist to the file.

Try them both and see the difference.

[icemanmt78]

I have been using the Print and the Write but both seem to add a blank line to my final file. How do i get rid of this blank line or stop my code putting it there. Can i use the write statement when i am reading in a string already in quotation marks. The other prob i have is if i use write i get the following in my final text file.

"[One]"
"""02/11/1999"",""09:30:00"",1,6,89.94,6,2,59.98,2"

I don't want "" around the header or the date/time or around the whole line

See my code halfway down if you need to see what i am doing

Any ideas

[Steven McGarva]

Try this and see only one method puts quotes around string, as was explained above. Note waht inserts an empt line. Either you are doing this explicitly, or you are reading and writing an empty string.

Sub TestIt4()
    Dim strMine1 As String
    Dim strMine2 As String
    
    strMine1 = "this is test of Write"
    strMine2 = "This is test of Print"
    
    Open "c:\temp.txt" For Output As #1
    Write #1, strMine1
    Write #1,
    Write #1, "this is test of Write line 2"
    Print #1, strMine2
    Print #1,
    Print #1, "This is test of Print line 2"
    
    Close #1

End Sub

[Zaf Khan]

I have been using the Print and the Write but both seem to add a blank line to my final file. How do i get rid of this blank line or stop my code putting it there. Can i use the write statement when i am reading in a string already in quotation marks. The other prob i have is if i use write i get the following in my final text file.

"[One]"
"""02/11/1999"",""09:30:00"",1,6,89.94,6,2,59.98,2"

I don't want "" around the header or the date/time or around the whole line

Here is the answer to your second Q:
Only... theres always a catch... {;->
The code below will parse your string BUT it will display the answer in a msgbox, but the basic script is correct.
You can use the script anyhow you like

NOTE:
Drop a commandbutton a form and use its default name, paste the code below into the button click event.
Also add a text box and name that "Sample" and finally
MAKE SURE TO ENTER YOUR STRING:
DD/MM/YY,n1,n2.n3.n4

Thats the date followed by four numbers each seperated by a comma.

Option Explicit

Private Sub Command1_Click()
'the date
Dim tDate As String * 10
'temporary use
Dim tword As String
Dim Counta As Integer
Dim Countb As Integer
Dim Msg As String
Dim gettingsmaller As String

   'init counter
   Countb = 0
   'assign data
   gettingsmaller = Sample
   Do
      '-->  check for comma
      'if comma exists
      If InStr(gettingsmaller, ",") <> 0 Then
         'inc counter
         Countb = Countb + 1
         'if date
         If Countb = 0 Then
            'extract date from string
            tDate = Left$(gettingsmaller, InStr(gettingsmaller, ",") - 1)
            'make string smaller
            tword = gettingsmaller
            gettingsmaller = Right(gettingsmaller, Len(gettingsmaller) - InStr(gettingsmaller, ","))
            'strore data to show in a msgbox
            Msg = "Date:- " & tDate & vbCrLf
         'if not date but number
         Else
            'extract & store data to show in a msgbox
            Msg = Msg & "Number" & Countb - 1 & ":- " & Left$(gettingsmaller, InStr(gettingsmaller, ",")) & vbCrLf
            'make string smaller
            tword = gettingsmaller
            gettingsmaller = Right(gettingsmaller, Len(gettingsmaller) - InStr(gettingsmaller, ","))
         End If
      Else
         'if comma not exists
         Exit Do
      End If
   Loop
   
   'get last number
   Msg = Msg & "Number" & Countb + 1 & ":- " & gettingsmaller & vbCrLf
   
   'result
   MsgBox Msg, 64, "Wit Woooooo"
   
End Sub

DocZaf
{;->