FILE HANDLING USING VISUAL BASIC 6.

0
PART I - SEQUENTIAL FILES

- Sanchit Karve
born2c0de
printf("I'm a %XR",195936478);

CONTACT ME : born2c0de AT dreamincode DOT net

CONTENTS

• I. ASSUMPTIONS

• II. BASIC RELATIONSHIPS

• III. INTRODUCTION

• IV. SEQUENTIAL FILE HANDLING

• IV.1) PRINT# AND THE PROBLEM WITH HANDLING STRINGS

• V. SEQUENTIAL FILE HANDLING FUNCTIONS

• VI. SEQUENTIAL FILE HANDLING EXAMPLES

• VII. FILE-HANDLING ERRORS

• VIII. CONTACT ME

• *New* UPDATES

I. ASSUMPTIONS

The reader is expected to have a basic working knowledge of Visual Basic Data
Types, Arrays, Loops and Library Functions.
II. BASIC RELATIONSHIPS

You might have heard several terms in File Handling such as Fields, Records etc.
but may not know what they mean.
To understand it simply remember this set of relationships:
8 Bits = 1 Byte/Character
Many Bytes/Characters = 1 Field (or String)
Many Fields = 1 Record
Many Records = 1 File
Many Files = 1 Database

III. INTRODUCTION

As far as Visual Basic 6 is concerned, there are three modes in which a file can
be accessed.

• 1) Text Mode (Sequential Mode)

• 2) Random Access Mode

• 3) Binary Mode

In the Text Mode, data is ALWAYS written and retrieved as CHARACTERS.

Hence, any number written in this mode will result in the ASCII Value of the
number being stored.
For Example, The Number 17 is stored as two separate characters "1" and "7".

Which means that 17 is stored as [ 49 55 ] and not as [ 17 ].

In the Binary Mode, everything is written and retrieved as a Number.

Hence, The Number 17 Will be stored as [ 17 ] in this mode and

characters will be represented by their ASCII Value as always.

One major difference between Text Files and Binary Files is that Text Files
support Sequential Reading and Writing. This means that we cannot read or write
from a particular point in a file. The only way of doing this is to read through
all the other entries until you reach the point where you want to 'actually'
start reading.
Binary Mode allows us to write and read anywhere in the file. For example we can
read data directly from the 56th Byte of the file, instead of reading all the
bytes one by one till we reach 56.

Just like the Binary Mode, the Random Access Mode allows us to gain
instant access to any piece of information lying anywhere in the file at a cost.
In this case, we must standardize each piece of information.
For example, if we need to store a few names in the file Random Access Mode
requires us to mention the length of the 'Names' Field.

Some Names might not fit and for the shorter names the space is inefficiently
used. Random Access Mode allows us to read or write data at a particular
record position rather than a byte position like in Binary Mode.

A Good Example of Sequential Mode is the Audio Cassette. If we have to

listen to a particular Song in the cassette, we have to play the tape right from
the beginning until we reach the beginning of the song.
And so obviously, CDs, DVDs etc. are examples of Binary Mode ( and even Random
Access Mode )

Part-I deals with Sequential Files, Part-II with Binary Files and [url=about:Tutorial Coming
Soon!]Part-III[/url] with Random Access Files.

You should read Part-II of the VB6 File Handling tutorial series if you wish to read about Access
Permissions and Locks. Read Section VII : ACCESS-LOCKS for more information on Locks and
Access Permissions for Sequential Files.

III. SEQUENTIAL FILE HANDLING

To open a File in Sequential Mode, we need to use the Open Command like this:

CODE
Open <FILENAME> For <MODE> As <FILE#>

FILENAME : Contains the Path of the File to be opened.

MODE : Can be INPUT, OUTPUT or APPEND
FILE# : Any number from 1 to 255 preceded by a #

Each File irrespective of its mode requires a file handle(FILE#). All operations
on the file are done using the File Handle. The File Handle can be any number
from 1 to 255, and this number is preceded by the # character.

Files can be opened in three modes in Sequential File Handling Mode and they are
used in different situations as shown.

INPUT -> Used to Read From a File.

OUTPUT -> Used to Write to a File.
APPEND -> Used to Write to a File.

Hence, to open a file Contacts.txt in Input Mode we use the Open Command like
this:
vb

Open "C:\Contacts.txt" For Input as #1

Notice that the path of the file is mentioned. If the path is not mentioned,
Visual BASIC assumes the file to be in the current directory.

To close the file we use the CLOSE Command like this:

vb

Close #1

This Closes the File referred to by File Handle 1. The Close Command can also be
called with no arguments, but in this case it would close all open Files.

NOTE: Closing a File is mandatory after your I/O operations are completed. Not
closing a file can lead to loss of data.

For the rest of this section, assume the Contacts.txt file to contain the
following data:

CODE

"Sanchit",9811122233
"Friend",9812345634
"Enemy",9821630236

Now let us try to read from this file. We can read each line separately into a
string by using the Line Input Command. Take a look at this snippet:

vb

Dim tmp as String Open "C:\Contacts.txt" For Input as #1 Line Input #1, tmp
Close #1 Msgbox tmp

As you can see, the MessageBox displays: "Sanchit",9811122233

The Line Input Command extracts the line currently pointed to by the File
Pointer (this happens internally) into a string.

If we add another Line Input Command after the first, the MessageBox will
display: "Friend",9812345634

We can now write a Program that displays the entire contents of a file in a
MessageBox, using the Line Input Command.

vb

Dim tmp as String, contents as String Open "C:\Contacts.txt" For Input as #1

While Eof(1) = 0 line input #1,tmp contents = contents + tmp Wend
Close #1 Msgbox contents

The Output is: "Sanchit",9811122233"Friend",9812345634"Enemy",9821630236

The Eof() Function (Discussed in Section V.) determines if the End of the
specified file has been reached.

If you look at the original file, there are newline characters after every entry.
But when we use Line Input or any other Sequential Mode Function, the Newline
character is never considered. Hence the Output shown is without the Newline
Characters.
Now what if we wanted to separate the two fields and store the Name and Phone
Number into two variables?
We certainly can, with the help of the Input #<File> Command.

To separate the two fields into two variables we can use it like this:
vb

Input #1, strname, lngphone Msgbox "Name = "+strname Msgbox "Phone =

"+Str(lngphone)

SYNTAX :Input #<file_handle> , <var1>, [var2], ... , [varN]

To use the Input# Command, we must know the exact number and type of fields
present in a data file. Remember that in case the argument types are mismatched,
it results in an Error.

That's all there is to read a file in Sequential Mode. Now let us turn our
attention to writing data into a file.

As we have seen earlier, there are two modes for writing data into a file,
OUTPUT mode and APPEND mode.

The OUTPUT Mode creates a new file irrespective of whether a file with the same
name exists or not. In other words, If no file by the specified filename is
present, a new file is created else the previous file is overwritten (rather
deleted and a new file with the same name is created).

The APPEND Mode does exactly what the OUTPUT Mode does but with a difference. It
can also create a file if it doesn't exist in the directory. But if the file is
present, it adds data (provided by the programmer) to the end of the file. This
means that we can add new information without destroying the information that
was present before.
This mode can be used in a Web-Access Logger Program. Everytime a User accesses
a webpage, the program can add the visitor's IP Address to a given file. If the
OUTPUT Mode was used in this case, only the most recent visitor's IP Address
would be stored in the file.

Unlike Reading from Files which is done by using only the Input# Command,
Writing to a File can be accomplished by using two commands, Print# and Write#.
Their Syntax is exactly like that of the Input# Command.

Consider the following code snippet:

vb

Open "C:\names_database.txt" For Output As #1 Print #1, "My Phone number is

12345678", 910 Write #1, "My Phone number is 12345678", 910 Close #1 End

If you open the names_database.txt file in a Text-Editor you will see the
contents of the file as follows:

CODE
My Phone number is 12345678 910
"My Phone number is 12345678",910

With Print#, what appears in the file would be the exact image of what
would appear on the screen (i.e. No quotes around strings and no commas)
In this case the file will contain the string:"My Phone number is 12345678"
followed by 2 spaces, numeral 9, numeral 1, numeral 0, another space followed by
two characters (0xD 0xA) That make up the Carriage Return/Line Feed Combination.

The Write# Command Writes Strings into the File with the Quotes, Numbers
as they are and separates different fields by using a comma.
It is good practice to use this command instead of Print# since the Input#
Command is able to separate Records into Fields from Records that are written by
the Write# Command. (It can work with Print# too, but it requires additional
code and yet may not work as expected)

We must remember one important thing about Print# and Write#. After every Print#
or Write# Command, the respective command automatically inserts a Carriage
Return/Line Feed Characters (0xD 0xA) and hence every subsequent Write# or Print#
Command will write data to the next line in the file. If you wish to write data
on the same line in the file, add it to the same Print#/Write# Command.
Example:
vb
Write #1,"ABCD" Write #1,123 Write #1,"ABCD",123

OUTPUT:

CODE
"ABCD"
123
"ABCD",123

Write# has a major advantage over Print# when it comes to Storage of Strings.
In the previous example, the string:"My Phone number is 12345678" was stored as
"My Phone number is 12345678 " (with two additional spaces) by using Print#.
Sometimes 7 Additional Spaces are stored, at times 3 or 5 and the number varies
with each string. Hence it becomes difficult to figure out if the 'additional'
spaces are actually a part of the string or are added by VB itself. This also
makes it difficult to separate a record into different fields.
The Write# Command on the other hand stores the entire string within
quotes, so there is no doubt about the content as well as the length of the
string.
MSDN offers the same advice.

QUOTE

If, at some future time, you want to read the data from a file using the Input#
statement, use the Write # statement instead of the Print # statement to write
the data to the file. Using Write# ensures the integrity of each separate data
field by properly delimiting it, so it can be read back in using Input#.
Using Write# also ensures it can be correctly read in any locale.

But incase you are wondering why the number of additional spaces keep changing
each time, here is the reason why it happens.

IV.1) PRINT# AND THE PROBLEM WITH HANDLING STRINGS

[KNOWLEDGE OF THIS ABNORMALITY IS NOT REQUIRED FOR UNDERSTANDING FILE HANDLING.
YOU MAY SKIP THIS SECTION IF YOU WISH]

Unlike Languages such as C/C++,Java etc. where the length of a string has to be
specified beforehand, Visual Basic does not force the Programmer to do this.
If the Programmer does not specify the length of the string at compile time,
Visual Basic has its own way of allocating memory based on the strings contents.
Click here to see how Strings are internally stored in VB6.

As a result, extra memory may get allocated which results in the additional
spaces in the data files.
You can remove this shortcoming by either using Write# or by providing the
length of the string at compile time. The Syntax to do this is:

CODE
Dim <variable_name> As String * <Length_of_String>

V. SEQUENTIAL FILE HANDLING FUNCTIONS

• FreeFile()
DESCRIPTION : Returns an Integer representing the nextfile number available
for use by the Open statement.

SYNTAX : FreeFile[(rangenumber)]
The optional rangenumber argument is a Variant that specifies
the range from which the next free file number is to be
returned. Specify a 0 (default) to return a file number in the
range 1 – 255, inclusive. Specify a 1 to return a file number
in the range 256 – 511.

USE : FreeFile() is used to avoid using a file handle that is already

in use.

• EOF()
DESCRIPTION : Returns anInteger containing the Boolean value True when the
end of a file opened for sequential Input has been reached.

SYNTAX : EOF(filenumber)
 The required filenumber argument is an Integer containing any
valid file number.

USE : EOF() is occasionally used in loops to process a file until the

End of File is reached.

• FileLen()
DESCRIPTION : Returns a Long specifying the length of a file in bytes.

SYNTAX : FileLen(pathname)
The required pathname argument is a string expression that
specifies a file.

USE : FileLen() is Used to find the length of a file that has not
been opened using the Open Command.

• LOF()
DESCRIPTION : Returns a Long representing the size, in bytes, of a file
opened using the Open statement.

SYNTAX : LOF(filenumber)
The required filenumber argument is an Integer containing a
valid file number.

USE : LOF() is used to find the length of a file when a file is

currently open.

• Seek()
DESCRIPTION : Returns a Long specifying the current read/write position
within a file opened using the Open statement.

SYNTAX : Seek(filenumber)
The required filenumber argument is an Integer containing a
valid file number.

USE : Seek() is used to get the Byte Position where the Next
Operation will take place.

VI. SEQUENTIAL FILE HANDLING EXAMPLES

That is all you need to know about Sequential File Handling.

I shall now mention few examples which use File Handling Techniques to help
you understand it better.

1) Getting the Number of Lines in a File.

vb

Dim counter As Long, tmp As String counter = 0 Open "c:\names_database.txt" For

Input As #1 While Not EOF(1) Line Input #1, tmp counter = counter + 1 Wend
Close #1 MsgBox counter ' Outputs the Number of Lines in a File.

2) Deleting a Record From a File (Using Delete...Rename Method)

ASSUMPTION : The File test.txt contains:
"Sanchit", "Karve"
"ABCD", "PQRS"
"Steve", "Jackson"
"XYZ", "DEF"

vb

Dim delFirstName As String ' String that contains Record to be Deleted Dim
fName As String, lName as String delFirstName = "Sanchit" Open "c:\test.txt"
For Input As #1 Open "c:\test.tmp" For Output As #2 While Not EOF(1) Input #1,
fName, lName If fName <> delFirstName Then Write #2, fName, lName End If Wend
Close #1, #2 Kill ("c:\test.txt") ' Deletes the Original File Name
"c:\test.tmp" As "c:\test.txt" ' Renames the New File

3)Deleting a Record From a File (Using Arrays Only Method)

ASSUMPTION : The File test.txt contains:
"Sanchit"
"ABCD"
"Steve"
"XYZ"
vb

Dim strdelstring As String, tmp As String Dim file_length As Long, i as Long

strdelstring = "Steve" file_length = 0 Open "C:\test.txt" For Input As #1 '
First We Find the Number of Records so that we can allocate an Array ' To
Accomodate all records While Not EOF(1) Line Input #1, tmp file_length =
file_length + 1 Wend Close #1 ' Now allocate the Array ReDim
arrdata(file_length) As String ' And Store the Entire File's Contents into the
Array Open "c:\test.txt" For Input As #1 For i = 1 To file_length Input #1,
arrdata(i) Next i Close #1 ' Now Open the Same File Again in Output Mode and
Write the Contents ' Back into the File except that which is supposed to be
deleted. Open "c:\test.txt" For Output As #1 For i = 1 To file_length If
arrdata(i) <> strdelstring Then Write #1, arrdata(i) End If Next i Close #1

4) Storing/Reading a User Defined Type in a String

STORING:
vb

Dim x As Student, y As Student x.name = "Nerd" x.age = 18

x.grade = "A+" y.name = "Dunce" y.age = 18 y.grade = "F"
Open "c:\test.txt" For Output As #1 Write #1, x.name, x.age, x.grade
Write #1, y.name, y.age, y.grade Close #1

READING:
vb

Dim x As Student, y As Student Open "c:\test.txt" For Input As #1

Input #1, x.name, x.age, x.grade Input #1, y.name, y.age, y.grade
Close #1 MsgBox x.name + " " + Str(x.age) + " " + x.grade MsgBox
y.name + " " + Str(y.age) + " " + y.grade

VII. FILE-HANDLING ERRORS

The following table lists the errors most common to file-handling operations,
along with their error codes and likely causes.

QUOTE

ERROR CODE MESSAGE (CAUSE)

52 Bad file name or number. (File Handle already in use)
53 File not found. (File may not exist or probably a typo)
54 Bad File Mode. (Using Input# when File open in Output/Append Mode
or using Print#/Write# when File open in Input Mode)
55 File Already Open. (You have forgotten to close the file before
opening it again.)
57 Device I/O Error. (Hardware fault. Check your Hard disk.)
58 File already Exists.
59 Bad Record Length. (Only for Random Access Files)
61 Disk Full (No free space on disk drive)
62 Input past end of file. ( A file is being read even after the EOF
has been reached. Check if the Eof()
Condition is placed and used correctly.)
63 Bad Record Number. (Only for Random Access Files)
67 Too many files at the same time. (Too many files are currently open)
68 Device unavailable.
70 Permission Denied. (Disk is write-protected.)
71 Disk not Ready.
74 Can't rename files across different drives
75 Path/File Access Error
76 Path Not Found.

You can use an Error Handler to check for these errors using the Err.Number
Property like this:
vb

On Error Goto err_handler 'code that may result in an error err_handler: Select
Case Err.Number Case 53: Msgbox "File Not Found" Case 55: Msgbox "File Already
Open" Case 71: Msgbox "Disk Not Ready" End Select Resume Next

VIII. CONTACT ME
You can download the second part of this tutorial that deals with Binary File Handling here and
the third part which discusses Random Access Files [url=about:Tutorial Coming Soon!]here[/url].

Keep Checking the Tutorials Section for Updates.

You can email me suggestions/mistakes or anything else that you would like to
add to born2c0de AT dreamincode.net

To clarify doubts and ask questions you can also PM me or Post a Reply by
clicking:"Add Reply" below.
*New* UPDATES
Part-II of the Tutorial is finally here.

I advise you to read it, because it includes a section on Access Permissions and Locks for
networked environments, which also applies to sequential files.

FILE HANDLING USING VISUAL BASIC 6.0

PART I - SEQUENTIAL FILES

- Sanchit Karve
born2c0de
printf("I'm a %XR",195936478);

CONTACT ME : born2c0de AT dreamincode DOT net

CONTENTS

• I. ASSUMPTIONS

• II. BASIC RELATIONSHIPS

• III. INTRODUCTION

• IV. SEQUENTIAL FILE HANDLING

• IV.1) PRINT# AND THE PROBLEM WITH HANDLING STRINGS

• V. SEQUENTIAL FILE HANDLING FUNCTIONS

• VI. SEQUENTIAL FILE HANDLING EXAMPLES

• VII. FILE-HANDLING ERRORS

• VIII. CONTACT ME

• *New* UPDATES
I. ASSUMPTIONS

The reader is expected to have a basic working knowledge of Visual Basic Data
Types, Arrays, Loops and Library Functions.

II. BASIC RELATIONSHIPS

You might have heard several terms in File Handling such as Fields, Records etc.
but may not know what they mean.
To understand it simply remember this set of relationships:
8 Bits = 1 Byte/Character
Many Bytes/Characters = 1 Field (or String)
Many Fields = 1 Record
Many Records = 1 File
Many Files = 1 Database

III. INTRODUCTION

As far as Visual Basic 6 is concerned, there are three modes in which a file can
be accessed.

• 1) Text Mode (Sequential Mode)

• 2) Random Access Mode

• 3) Binary Mode

In the Text Mode, data is ALWAYS written and retrieved as CHARACTERS.

Hence, any number written in this mode will result in the ASCII Value of the
number being stored.
For Example, The Number 17 is stored as two separate characters "1" and "7".

Which means that 17 is stored as [ 49 55 ] and not as [ 17 ].

In the Binary Mode, everything is written and retrieved as a Number.

Hence, The Number 17 Will be stored as [ 17 ] in this mode and

characters will be represented by their ASCII Value as always.

One major difference between Text Files and Binary Files is that Text Files
support Sequential Reading and Writing. This means that we cannot read or write
from a particular point in a file. The only way of doing this is to read through
all the other entries until you reach the point where you want to 'actually'
start reading.
Binary Mode allows us to write and read anywhere in the file. For example we can
read data directly from the 56th Byte of the file, instead of reading all the
bytes one by one till we reach 56.

Just like the Binary Mode, the Random Access Mode allows us to gain
instant access to any piece of information lying anywhere in the file at a cost.
In this case, we must standardize each piece of information.
For example, if we need to store a few names in the file Random Access Mode
requires us to mention the length of the 'Names' Field.

Some Names might not fit and for the shorter names the space is inefficiently
used. Random Access Mode allows us to read or write data at a particular
record position rather than a byte position like in Binary Mode.

A Good Example of Sequential Mode is the Audio Cassette. If we have to

listen to a particular Song in the cassette, we have to play the tape right from
the beginning until we reach the beginning of the song.
And so obviously, CDs, DVDs etc. are examples of Binary Mode ( and even Random
Access Mode )

Part-I deals with Sequential Files, Part-II with Binary Files and [url=about:Tutorial Coming
Soon!]Part-III[/url] with Random Access Files.

You should read Part-II of the VB6 File Handling tutorial series if you wish to read about Access
Permissions and Locks. Read Section VII : ACCESS-LOCKS for more information on Locks and
Access Permissions for Sequential Files.

III. SEQUENTIAL FILE HANDLING

To open a File in Sequential Mode, we need to use the Open Command like this:

CODE
Open <FILENAME> For <MODE> As <FILE#>
FILENAME : Contains the Path of the File to be opened.
MODE : Can be INPUT, OUTPUT or APPEND
FILE# : Any number from 1 to 255 preceded by a #

Each File irrespective of its mode requires a file handle(FILE#). All operations
on the file are done using the File Handle. The File Handle can be any number
from 1 to 255, and this number is preceded by the # character.

Files can be opened in three modes in Sequential File Handling Mode and they are
used in different situations as shown.

INPUT -> Used to Read From a File.

OUTPUT -> Used to Write to a File.
APPEND -> Used to Write to a File.

Hence, to open a file Contacts.txt in Input Mode we use the Open Command like
this:
vb

Open "C:\Contacts.txt" For Input as #1

Notice that the path of the file is mentioned. If the path is not mentioned,
Visual BASIC assumes the file to be in the current directory.

To close the file we use the CLOSE Command like this:

vb

Close #1

This Closes the File referred to by File Handle 1. The Close Command can also be
called with no arguments, but in this case it would close all open Files.

NOTE: Closing a File is mandatory after your I/O operations are completed. Not
closing a file can lead to loss of data.
For the rest of this section, assume the Contacts.txt file to contain the
following data:

CODE

"Sanchit",9811122233
"Friend",9812345634
"Enemy",9821630236

Now let us try to read from this file. We can read each line separately into a
string by using the Line Input Command. Take a look at this snippet:

vb

Dim tmp as String Open "C:\Contacts.txt" For Input as #1 Line Input #1, tmp
Close #1 Msgbox tmp

As you can see, the MessageBox displays: "Sanchit",9811122233

The Line Input Command extracts the line currently pointed to by the File
Pointer (this happens internally) into a string.

If we add another Line Input Command after the first, the MessageBox will
display: "Friend",9812345634

We can now write a Program that displays the entire contents of a file in a
MessageBox, using the Line Input Command.

vb

Dim tmp as String, contents as String Open "C:\Contacts.txt" For Input as #1

While Eof(1) = 0 line input #1,tmp contents = contents + tmp Wend
Close #1 Msgbox contents

The Output is: "Sanchit",9811122233"Friend",9812345634"Enemy",9821630236

The Eof() Function (Discussed in Section V.) determines if the End of the
specified file has been reached.

If you look at the original file, there are newline characters after every entry.
But when we use Line Input or any other Sequential Mode Function, the Newline
character is never considered. Hence the Output shown is without the Newline
Characters.

Now what if we wanted to separate the two fields and store the Name and Phone
Number into two variables?
We certainly can, with the help of the Input #<File> Command.

To separate the two fields into two variables we can use it like this:
vb

Input #1, strname, lngphone Msgbox "Name = "+strname Msgbox "Phone =

"+Str(lngphone)

SYNTAX :Input #<file_handle> , <var1>, [var2], ... , [varN]

To use the Input# Command, we must know the exact number and type of fields
present in a data file. Remember that in case the argument types are mismatched,
it results in an Error.

That's all there is to read a file in Sequential Mode. Now let us turn our
attention to writing data into a file.

As we have seen earlier, there are two modes for writing data into a file,
OUTPUT mode and APPEND mode.

The OUTPUT Mode creates a new file irrespective of whether a file with the same
name exists or not. In other words, If no file by the specified filename is
present, a new file is created else the previous file is overwritten (rather
deleted and a new file with the same name is created).

The APPEND Mode does exactly what the OUTPUT Mode does but with a difference. It
can also create a file if it doesn't exist in the directory. But if the file is
present, it adds data (provided by the programmer) to the end of the file. This
means that we can add new information without destroying the information that
was present before.
This mode can be used in a Web-Access Logger Program. Everytime a User accesses
a webpage, the program can add the visitor's IP Address to a given file. If the
OUTPUT Mode was used in this case, only the most recent visitor's IP Address
would be stored in the file.

Unlike Reading from Files which is done by using only the Input# Command,
Writing to a File can be accomplished by using two commands, Print# and Write#.
Their Syntax is exactly like that of the Input# Command.

Consider the following code snippet:

vb

Open "C:\names_database.txt" For Output As #1 Print #1, "My Phone number is

12345678", 910 Write #1, "My Phone number is 12345678", 910 Close #1 End

If you open the names_database.txt file in a Text-Editor you will see the
contents of the file as follows:

CODE
My Phone number is 12345678 910
"My Phone number is 12345678",910

With Print#, what appears in the file would be the exact image of what
would appear on the screen (i.e. No quotes around strings and no commas)
In this case the file will contain the string:"My Phone number is 12345678"
followed by 2 spaces, numeral 9, numeral 1, numeral 0, another space followed by
two characters (0xD 0xA) That make up the Carriage Return/Line Feed Combination.

The Write# Command Writes Strings into the File with the Quotes, Numbers
as they are and separates different fields by using a comma.
It is good practice to use this command instead of Print# since the Input#
Command is able to separate Records into Fields from Records that are written by
the Write# Command. (It can work with Print# too, but it requires additional
code and yet may not work as expected)
We must remember one important thing about Print# and Write#. After every Print#
or Write# Command, the respective command automatically inserts a Carriage
Return/Line Feed Characters (0xD 0xA) and hence every subsequent Write# or Print#
Command will write data to the next line in the file. If you wish to write data
on the same line in the file, add it to the same Print#/Write# Command.
Example:
vb

Write #1,"ABCD" Write #1,123 Write #1,"ABCD",123

OUTPUT:

CODE
"ABCD"
123
"ABCD",123

Write# has a major advantage over Print# when it comes to Storage of Strings.
In the previous example, the string:"My Phone number is 12345678" was stored as
"My Phone number is 12345678 " (with two additional spaces) by using Print#.
Sometimes 7 Additional Spaces are stored, at times 3 or 5 and the number varies
with each string. Hence it becomes difficult to figure out if the 'additional'
spaces are actually a part of the string or are added by VB itself. This also
makes it difficult to separate a record into different fields.
The Write# Command on the other hand stores the entire string within
quotes, so there is no doubt about the content as well as the length of the
string.
MSDN offers the same advice.

QUOTE

If, at some future time, you want to read the data from a file using the Input#
statement, use the Write # statement instead of the Print # statement to write
the data to the file. Using Write# ensures the integrity of each separate data
field by properly delimiting it, so it can be read back in using Input#.
Using Write# also ensures it can be correctly read in any locale.
But incase you are wondering why the number of additional spaces keep changing
each time, here is the reason why it happens.

IV.1) PRINT# AND THE PROBLEM WITH HANDLING STRINGS

[KNOWLEDGE OF THIS ABNORMALITY IS NOT REQUIRED FOR UNDERSTANDING FILE HANDLING.

YOU MAY SKIP THIS SECTION IF YOU WISH]

Unlike Languages such as C/C++,Java etc. where the length of a string has to be
specified beforehand, Visual Basic does not force the Programmer to do this.
If the Programmer does not specify the length of the string at compile time,
Visual Basic has its own way of allocating memory based on the strings contents.
Click here to see how Strings are internally stored in VB6.

As a result, extra memory may get allocated which results in the additional
spaces in the data files.
You can remove this shortcoming by either using Write# or by providing the
length of the string at compile time. The Syntax to do this is:

CODE
Dim <variable_name> As String * <Length_of_String>

V. SEQUENTIAL FILE HANDLING FUNCTIONS

• FreeFile()
DESCRIPTION : Returns an Integer representing the nextfile number available
for use by the Open statement.

SYNTAX : FreeFile[(rangenumber)]
The optional rangenumber argument is a Variant that specifies
the range from which the next free file number is to be
returned. Specify a 0 (default) to return a file number in the
range 1 – 255, inclusive. Specify a 1 to return a file number
 in the range 256 – 511.

USE : FreeFile() is used to avoid using a file handle that is already

in use.

• EOF()
DESCRIPTION : Returns anInteger containing the Boolean value True when the
end of a file opened for sequential Input has been reached.

SYNTAX : EOF(filenumber)
The required filenumber argument is an Integer containing any
valid file number.

USE : EOF() is occasionally used in loops to process a file until the

End of File is reached.

• FileLen()
DESCRIPTION : Returns a Long specifying the length of a file in bytes.

SYNTAX : FileLen(pathname)
The required pathname argument is a string expression that
specifies a file.

USE : FileLen() is Used to find the length of a file that has not
been opened using the Open Command.

• LOF()
DESCRIPTION : Returns a Long representing the size, in bytes, of a file
opened using the Open statement.

SYNTAX : LOF(filenumber)
The required filenumber argument is an Integer containing a
valid file number.

USE : LOF() is used to find the length of a file when a file is

currently open.

• Seek()
DESCRIPTION : Returns a Long specifying the current read/write position
within a file opened using the Open statement.
 SYNTAX : Seek(filenumber)
The required filenumber argument is an Integer containing a
valid file number.

USE : Seek() is used to get the Byte Position where the Next
Operation will take place.

VI. SEQUENTIAL FILE HANDLING EXAMPLES

That is all you need to know about Sequential File Handling.

I shall now mention few examples which use File Handling Techniques to help
you understand it better.

1) Getting the Number of Lines in a File.

vb

Dim counter As Long, tmp As String counter = 0 Open "c:\names_database.txt" For

Input As #1 While Not EOF(1) Line Input #1, tmp counter = counter + 1 Wend Close
#1 MsgBox counter ' Outputs the Number of Lines in a File.

2) Deleting a Record From a File (Using Delete...Rename Method)

ASSUMPTION : The File test.txt contains:
"Sanchit", "Karve"
"ABCD", "PQRS"
"Steve", "Jackson"
"XYZ", "DEF"

vb

Dim delFirstName As String ' String that contains Record to be Deleted Dim fName
As String, lName as String delFirstName = "Sanchit" Open "c:\test.txt" For Input
As #1 Open "c:\test.tmp" For Output As #2 While Not EOF(1) Input #1, fName,
lName If fName <> delFirstName Then Write #2, fName, lName End If Wend Close #1,
#2 Kill ("c:\test.txt") ' Deletes the Original File Name "c:\test.tmp" As
"c:\test.txt" ' Renames the New File

3)Deleting a Record From a File (Using Arrays Only Method)

ASSUMPTION : The File test.txt contains:
"Sanchit"
"ABCD"
"Steve"
"XYZ"
vb

Dim strdelstring As String, tmp As String Dim file_length As Long, i as Long

strdelstring = "Steve" file_length = 0 Open "C:\test.txt" For Input As #1 '
First We Find the Number of Records so that we can allocate an Array ' To
Accomodate all records While Not EOF(1) Line Input #1, tmp file_length =
file_length + 1 Wend Close #1 ' Now allocate the Array ReDim
arrdata(file_length) As String ' And Store the Entire File's Contents into the
Array Open "c:\test.txt" For Input As #1 For i = 1 To file_length Input #1,
arrdata(i) Next i Close #1 ' Now Open the Same File Again in Output Mode and
Write the Contents ' Back into the File except that which is supposed to be
deleted. Open "c:\test.txt" For Output As #1 For i = 1 To file_length If
arrdata(i) <> strdelstring Then Write #1, arrdata(i) End If Next i Close #1

4) Storing/Reading a User Defined Type in a String

STORING:
vb

Dim x As Student, y As Student x.name = "Nerd" x.age = 18

x.grade = "A+" y.name = "Dunce" y.age = 18 y.grade = "F"
Open "c:\test.txt" For Output As #1 Write #1, x.name, x.age, x.grade
Write #1, y.name, y.age, y.grade Close #1

READING:
vb

Dim x As Student, y As Student Open "c:\test.txt" For Input As #1

Input #1, x.name, x.age, x.grade Input #1, y.name, y.age, y.grade
Close #1 MsgBox x.name + " " + Str(x.age) + " " + x.grade MsgBox
y.name + " " + Str(y.age) + " " + y.grade
VII. FILE-HANDLING ERRORS

The following table lists the errors most common to file-handling operations,
along with their error codes and likely causes.

QUOTE

ERROR CODE MESSAGE (CAUSE)

52 Bad file name or number. (File Handle already in use)
53 File not found. (File may not exist or probably a typo)
54 Bad File Mode. (Using Input# when File open in Output/Append Mode
or using Print#/Write# when File open in Input Mode)
55 File Already Open. (You have forgotten to close the file before
opening it again.)
57 Device I/O Error. (Hardware fault. Check your Hard disk.)
58 File already Exists.
59 Bad Record Length. (Only for Random Access Files)
61 Disk Full (No free space on disk drive)
62 Input past end of file. ( A file is being read even after the EOF
has been reached. Check if the Eof()
Condition is placed and used correctly.)
63 Bad Record Number. (Only for Random Access Files)
67 Too many files at the same time. (Too many files are currently open)
68 Device unavailable.
70 Permission Denied. (Disk is write-protected.)
71 Disk not Ready.
74 Can't rename files across different drives
75 Path/File Access Error
76 Path Not Found.

You can use an Error Handler to check for these errors using the Err.Number
Property like this:
vb

On Error Goto err_handler 'code that may result in an error err_handler: Select
Case Err.Number Case 53: Msgbox "File Not Found" Case 55: Msgbox "File Already
Open" Case 71: Msgbox "Disk Not Ready" End Select Resume Next

VIII. CONTACT ME

You can download the second part of this tutorial that deals with Binary File Handling here and the
third part which discusses Random Access Files [url=about:Tutorial Coming Soon!]here[/url].

Keep Checking the Tutorials Section for Updates.

You can email me suggestions/mistakes or anything else that you would like to
add to born2c0de AT dreamincode.net

To clarify doubts and ask questions you can also PM me or Post a Reply by
clicking:"Add Reply" below.

*New* UPDATES
Part-II of the Tutorial is finally here.

I advise you to read it, because it includes a section on Access Permissions and Locks for
networked environments, which also applies to sequential files.

Click here for the next part on Binary File Handling.

Hi I have to solve the following problem

I have a text file say file1.txt

I have to give this file as input & i need to search for particular text.

For exmaple I have to search for the lines starting with ">150" & I need to read the line & i need to
find & display the text after the symbol "/" in those lines in the output window.
Could anyone plz send me the full code & steps for this.

I am a fresher so plz explain me in detail.

jakerma
n999

7 Aug, 2008 - 08:01 AM

Post #7

I'm trying to have a program that let's the user determine where to save a file(containing a lot of
variables) that can be read the next time the program is opened. both screens have drive,directory,
and file listboxes for choosing the location.

currently, my save code reads:

CODE
Private Sub filSave_DblClick()
'check if there is an older save version'
If filSave.Path = intPlayerType & strPlayerName & ".dat" Then
'yes, overwrite old file'
Open filSave.Path & intPlayerType & strPlayerName & ".dat" For Output As
#1
Save
End
Else
'no, create a new file'
Open dirSave.Path & intPlayerType & strPlayerName & ".dat" For Output As
#1
Save
End
 End If
End Sub

Function Save()
Write #1, intlevelCount
Write #1, intHP
Write #1, intAP
Write #1, intFP
Write #1, intMP
Write #1, intStP
Write #1, intIntelligence
Write #1, intAgility
Write #1, intStamina
Write #1, intConstitution
Write #1, intAPR
Write #1, intDexterity
Write #1, intLevel
Write #1, intExp
Write #1, intAttack
Write #1, intExpNeeded
Write #1, intStaminaP
Write #1, intHealth
Write #1, intFaith
Write #1, intMana
Write #1, intTurn
Write #1, intPlayerType
Write #1, strPlayerName
Write #1, intGold
Write #1, intBlackBonus
Write #1, intWhiteBonus
Close #1
End Function

Private Sub cmdSave_Click()

Open dirSave.Path & intPlayerType & strPlayerName & ".dat" For Output As #1
Save
End
End Sub