How to populate data from .txt file into Excel in VBA? - excel

Question

I'm trying to create something to read data from a .txt file, then populate data into .xls, but after open the .txt file, how do I get the data out? Basically I'm trying to get the the third column of the lines dated '04/06/2010'. After I open the .txt file, when I use ActiveSheet.Cells(row, col), the ActiveSheet is not pointing to .txt file.
My .txt file is like this (space delimited):
04/05/10 23 29226
04/05/10 24 26942
04/06/10 1 23166
04/06/10 2 22072
04/06/10 3 21583
04/06/10 4 21390
Here is the code I have:
Dim BidDate As Date
BidDate = '4/6/2010'
Workbooks.OpenText Filename:=ForecastFile, StartRow:=1, DataType:=xlDelimited, Space:=True
If Err.Number = 1004 Then
MsgBox ("The forecast file " & ForecastFile & " was not found.")
Exit Sub
End If
On Error GoTo 0
Dim row As Integer, col As Integer
row = 1
col = 1
cell_value = activeSheet.Cells(row, col)
MsgBox ("the cell_value=" & cell_value)
Do While (cell_value <> BidDate) And (cell_value <> "")
row = row + 1
cell_value = activeSheet.Cells(row, col)
' MsgBox ("the value is " & cell_value)
Loop
If cell_value = "" Then
MsgBox ("A load forecast for " & BidDate & " was not found in your current load forecast file titled '" + ForecastFile + ". " + "Make sure you have a load forecast for the current bid date and then open this spreadsheet again.")
ActiveWindow.Close
Exit Sub
End If
Can anyone point out where it goes wrong here?

Answer 1

In the example below, I set the variable ws equal to the sheet I want and I'm able to use that variable to refer to the sheet later. The keyword ActiveWorkbook should point to the newly opened text file. I could tell what you wanted to do with the info, such I just made some stuff up.
Sub GetBidData()
Dim dtBid As Date
Dim ws As Worksheet
Dim rFound As Range
Dim sFile As String
dtBid = #4/6/2010#
sFile = Environ("USERPROFILE") & "\My Documents\ForecastFile.txt"
Workbooks.OpenText Filename:=sFile, _
StartRow:=1, _
DataType:=xlDelimited, _
Space:=True
Set ws = ActiveWorkbook.Sheets(1)
Set rFound = ws.Columns(1).Find( _
Format(dtBid, ws.Range("A1").NumberFormat), , xlValues, xlWhole)
If Not rFound Is Nothing Then
MsgBox rFound.Value & vbCrLf & _
rFound.Offset(0, 1).Value & vbCrLf & _
rFound.Offset(0, 2).Value
End If
End Sub

Answer 2

You should generally avoid using the ActiveWorkbook object unless you're positive that the workbook you want to reference will always be active when your code is run. Instead, you should set the workbook you're working with to a variable. Theoretically, you should be able to use the OpenText method to do this, but VBA doesn't like that. (I'm pretty sure it's a bug.) So right after you open your text file, I would do this:
Workbooks.OpenText Filename:=Forecastfile, StartRow:=1,
DataType:=xlDelimited, Space:=True
Dim ForecastWorkbook As Workbook, book As Workbook
Dim ForecastFileName As String
ForecastFileName = "YourFileNameHere.txt"
For Each book In Application.Workbooks
If book.Name = ForecastFileName Then
Set ForecastWorkbook = book
Exit For
End If
Next book
Then, instead of this...
cell_value = activeSheet.Cells(row, col)
...do this...
cell_value = ForecastWorkbook.Sheets(1).Cells(row, col).Value

Answer 3

Below code will read the text file and paste the values in the cell of Sheet2. However if you put a formatting in the Date column that will do the trick
Public Sub Read_text()
Sheet2.Activate
Set fso = New FileSystemObject
Fname = Application.GetOpenFilename
x = 1
y = 1
Set Stream = fso.OpenTextFile(Fname, ForReading, True)
Do While Not Stream.AtEndOfStream
Str_text = Stream.ReadLine 'Perform your actions
rdtext = Split(Str_text, " ")
Sheet2.Cells(x, y) = rdtext(0)
Sheet2.Cells(x, y + 1) = rdtext(1)
Sheet2.Cells(x, y + 2) = rdtext(2)
x = x + 1
y = 1
Loop
Stream.Close
End Sub
For example : Below code will change the format in '05/04/2010'
Sheet2.Cells(x, y) = Format(rdtext(0), "mm/dd/yyyy;#")