Visual Basic - saving/loading data from file

I think the problem is because VB strings are unicode, so when loaded into the byte array like that, it only gets half of it. Or something like that, I''d never seen a Byte array used as a string like that before, so I''m playing around with it now.

For a function which loads a file to a string, here is a known working one:

Dim Data As String

''Load the file
FileNum = FreeFile
Open "C:\Andy''s Stuff\Pictures\thumbnail.gif" For Binary As FileNum
        
Do Until EOF(FileNum)
    Get FileNum, , Temp
            
    Data = Data & Chr$(Temp)
Loop
        
Close FileNum
 

It is not very well written (the string is put together one byte at a time, which will make it slow for larger files), but it works. To speed it up, use LOF to get the length of the file, and then make enough room to store the entire string, then put the data in.

I might have more to say on this in a few moments.


Trying is the first step towards failure.

Using a bit of your code, I modified this to read every other byte. It works for this example, but I''m afraid to rely on this workaround. Eventually I''m going to read the data using C++... would I have to skip every other byte?

Dim buf As Byte
Dim data As String

Open "test.txt" For Binary As #1
For i = 0 To 22
Get #1, , buf
If (i Mod 2) = 0 Then
data = data & Chr$(buf)
End If
Next
Close #1

A better way to load the whole thing would be like this:

Dim Data() As Byte
Dim FileNum As Long

FileNum = FreeFile
Open FileName For Binary As FileNum


Redim Data(LOF(FileNum) - 1)

For i = 0 To LOF(FileNum) - 1
 Get FileNum, i + 1, Data(i)
Next

Close FileNum
 

Now, while that will read everything just fine, if you then choose to use that Byte array as a string, you will need to write another function:

Function ByteArrayToString(ByteArray() As Byte) As String
 ''Takes a byte array and interprets it as an ASCII string
 Dim i As Long

 ByteArrayToString = Space$(UBound(ByteArray) + 1)

 For i = 0 To UBound(ByteArray)
  Mid$(ByteArrayToString, i, 1) = Chr$(ByteArray(i))
 Next
End Function
 

Again, this only builds it one byte at a time (which is unavoidable), but the line:

ByteArrayToString = Space$(UBound(ByteArray) + 1)

Will make the string big enough to fit the whole string all without being resized. (I was writing this code from my head, so if Space$ isn''t a function, then sorry... I think there is a function which will fill a string with n characters... try finding that)

Taking a step back though, here are some more simple ways to do it:

Dim Blah As String
    
Open "c:\test.txt" For Binary As #1
    
Blah = Space$(LOF(1))
    
Get #1, 1, Blah
    
Close #1
   
Debug.Print Blah
 

Again, note the Space$, it makes the string so it can fit the file, because otherwise, the Get statement doesn''t know how much to read... update, Space$ is a function , and this code works fine, even with carriage returns.

Or, if you want, you could use text mode:

Dim Blah As String
Open "c:\test.txt" For Input As #1

Line Input #1, Blah

Close #1
 

That will read a single line and put it into Blah. Use this one with EOF to read an entire file.

So yeah, my recommendation would be to use the last binary mode method I showed, it will be the fastest of all the methods.

Trying is the first step towards failure.

One final thing: don't be lazy like I was with those last few examples... the "best" code should not assume that the file handle 1 is available, and it should also be written as a proper function:

Function ReadFile(FileName As String) As String
 On Error Goto ErrorHandler
 Dim FileNum As Long
 FileNum = FreeFile
 
 Open FileName For Binary Access Read Lock Read Write As FileNum

 ReadFile = Space$(LOF(FileNum)) 
 Get FileNum, 1, ReadFile

 Close ReadFile

 Exit Function
ErrorHandler:
 'Whatever makes you happy here
End Function
 

Trying is the first step towards failure.

Edited by - ragonastick on January 1, 2002 10:28:09 PM

Thanks dude, I appreciate the help. Another look at MSDN helped me come up with the solution I''ll probably be using in the practical application that led me to this problem:

Open the file as binary
ByteArrayBuffer = InputB(2 * length of string, FileNum)
Close

It''s still a little weird, I really think Unicode is unnecessary.

Especially since you cant actually use the extra characters you get, unless you use a dynamic array of bytes that is. So really, there is not much point.

Trying is the first step towards failure.