Change a comma separated text file and save it

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BristolBloos - 23 Mar 2006 10:19 GMT

Hello All,

I need some help on comma separated text files, changing them and
saving them.

I have got two text files.

The first file "ES_EF_AIG_20141440_105708_d.txt" has employee payment
record exactly like below:
"C0000000519","","","MR STEPHEN AGUTTER","10 COLCOKES
ROAD","BANSTEAD","SURREY","","","","","","SM7
2EW","MAL","AGUTTER","NS686159A","0000153363","CDN","E","EMPLOYEE","29/10/2001","","","","","","","","","AIG
EUROPE (UK) LTD","AIG CLAIMS
EXECUTIVE","","","","","","","","EEE","","GBR","GBR","","","SSS","23B","20030601ES","01/06/2003","01/06/2006",355,+00000942525,0026550000,0000002108,00025000,00000850000,034,000,0,0,0,,"",,"",,"",,"",,"",,"",,"",,"",,"",,"",,"",,"",,"",,"",,"",,"",,"",,"",,"",,"",0026550000,"",,,""

The main fields in this record for me are:
1st field - "C0000000519"
54th field - 00025000
55th field - 00000850000
56th field - 034

The second file "ES_FE_AIG_20143416_142901_d.txt" is a payment file
with record exactly like below:
"C0000000519","","","NS686159A","0000153363","CDN","E","EMPLOYEE","29/10/2001","","","","","","","","AIG
EUROPE (UK) LTD","AIG CLAIMS
EXECUTIVE","","","","","","","","EEE","","GBR","GBR","","","SSS","23B","20030601ES","01/06/2003","01/06/2006",0000002108,"
250.00","
8500.00",034,000,1208,10185844,"T",00001,"01/03/2006","ESPAY",001,034,"
250.00"," 0.00","","","","","CONTRIBSYS","
0.00000000",""

Once again the main fields in this record for me are:
1st field - ("C0000000519")
50th field - " 250.00"

My task is to open the first file and, if there is a corresponding
record in the second file, then update the first file by removing one
payment and decrementing the total no. of payments by 1. In the above
example I want to basically change the 55th and 56th fields to
00000825000 and 033 respectively and save the file in the same format
(that is a csv text file).

I worked manually for the last two days on 60 files that are small
(with upto 20 records). Now there are exactly 60 files that have around
1000 records each.

Can someone please guide me in writing a code or please supply code for
the above. I tried opening both these files from Excel and then I am
haqving problems while saving them. I cannot tamper with the format of
the files as they need to be uploaded onto my system.

I hope I have explained the problem. The solution might be simple but I
am not getting it. Moreover I don't want to mess up the data. Therefore
please someone help me.

Hoping to get an early reply.

Thanks & Regards,
Prasad

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Randy Harmelink - 23 Mar 2006 14:26 GMT

I don't think EXCEL will automatically save the file in your format --
their definition of "comma-delimited" isn't the old LOTUS definition.

How about writing a small subroutine to create the comma-delimited file
yourself? You just have to make sure you have the definition of each
of the 56 fields set up -- a simple case statement inside a loop should
work easily.

Reply to this Message

Martin - 23 Mar 2006 14:28 GMT

Hi Prasad

Perhaps someone else will have time to work out some code for you but I
think I'd need to be there to get this one straight (I'm just down the road
in Dorking but rather busy on another project right now!).
If you haven't done macros before, this is a rather complicated problem to
start with. However, here's the best I can do as a potted lesson and please
forgive me if I've misread your knowledge of VBA...

First bit of advice: make sure you make backup copies of all your text files.
I find the best way to approach this kind of problem is to:
1. Identify the steps that you need to do for one record and jot them down
on a piece of paper to get them straight in your mind.
2. Practice running through these steps.
3. ChooseTools, Macro, Record New Macro (make sure you save the macro to
your Personal Macro Workbook so that you don't lose it - you may want to
close a data file without saving it).
4. Go through the steps (as in point 2) and, when you have finished, click
on Tools, Macro, Stop Recording.
5. Close out of Excel, saying Yes to saving Personal.xls but no to the data
files: you now need to see if the macro works.
6. Go back into Excel and choose Tools, Macro, [your macro], Run to run the
macro from the same starting position as in point 4 - if it works, try it for
another record.
7. Almost invariably there's some sort of problem so try running it again
from the same starting position, this time using Tools, Macro, [your macro],
Step Into.

You can now use the F8 key to step line by line through your code - make the
window smaller so you can see the workbook at the same time. This is really
helpful to try and spot what needs changing in the code.

Best I can do for now and apologies if you're a VBA-whiz and I've just told
you a lot of unnecessarily simple stuff!

> Hello All,
>
[quoted text clipped - 55 lines]
> Thanks & Regards,
> Prasad

Reply to this Message

Tom Ogilvy - 23 Mar 2006 14:44 GMT

this worked for me with the test data you supplied:

copy your files to a test directory and test it on these copies of your files:

Sub ReadStraightTextFile()
Dim sStr As String
Dim LineofText As String
Dim rw As Long, pay As Double
Dim v As Variant, s As String
Dim v1() As Variant
Dim v2() As Variant
Dim lPmt As Long, tot As Double
Dim i As Long, j As Long
ReDim v1(1 To 1)
ReDim v2(1 To 1)
Open "C:\MYFILES\ES_EF_AIG_20141440_105708_d.txt" _
For Input As #1
Do While Not EOF(1)
Line Input #1, LineofText
v = Split(LineofText, ",")
v1(UBound(v1)) = v
ReDim Preserve v1(1 To UBound(v1) + 1)
Loop
'Close the file

Close #1
ReDim Preserve v1(1 To UBound(v1) - 1)

Open "C:\MYFILES\ES_FE_AIG_20143416_142901_d.txt" _
For Input As #1
Do While Not EOF(1)
Line Input #1, LineofText
v = Split(LineofText, ",")
v2(UBound(v2)) = v
ReDim Preserve v2(1 To UBound(v2) + 1)
Loop
'Close the file

Close #1
ReDim Preserve v2(1 To UBound(v2) - 1)

For i = LBound(v1) To UBound(v1)
For j = LBound(v2) To UBound(v2)
Debug.Print v1(i)(0), v2(j)(0)
If v1(i)(0) = v2(j)(0) Then
s = v2(j)(49)
s = Replace(s, """", "")
If Abs(CDbl(s) - _
CDbl(v1(i)(53) / 100#)) < 0.0001 Then
tot = CDbl(v1(i)(54) / 100#)
pay = CDbl(s)
lPmt = CLng(v1(i)(55))
lPmt = lPmt - 1
tot = tot - pay
Debug.Print tot, pay, lPmt
v1(i)(54) = Format(Application.Round(tot * 100#, 0), "00000000000")
v1(i)(55) = Format(lPmt, "000")
Else
MsgBox "Payment Mismatch - stop processing"
Exit Sub
End If
End If
Next j
Next i

Open "C:\MYFILES\ES_EF_AIG_20141440_105708_d.txt" _
For Output As #1
For i = LBound(v1) To UBound(v1)
v = v1(i)
sStr = Join(v, ",")
Print #1, sStr
Next i
'Close the file

Close #1

End Sub

Signature

Regards,
Tom Ogilvy

> Hello All,
>
[quoted text clipped - 55 lines]
> Thanks & Regards,
> Prasad

Reply to this Message

BristolBloos - 23 Mar 2006 14:56 GMT

Will try it Tom and will come back to you.

Thanks
Prasad

Reply to this Message

BristolBloos - 23 Mar 2006 16:12 GMT

Thanks you very much Tom. It works (has to when you have sent).

Saved lot of time.

Regards,
Prasad

Reply to this Message