How to compare 2 different text file lines and then process information if a match is in both file lines - Please help

User 11833437

I am attempting to build a command line tool that will create shortcuts for an application on the start menu and desktop. I have existing code that I use elsewhere to create the shortcuts. However, the program looks at two different files one file has only the site code and the other has the other information needed to created the shortcut by site for a whole region. The idea is to go through both lines until it finds the 3 letter abbreviation for the site in both files. For example one file only contains BEC (sites2.txt - the city) and the other file (R03Sites2.csv - Region) contains 50 lines with a different cities and all the pertinent information.

Sub Main()
'--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
'Declare Variables
Dim strSiteCode
Dim strVistaFQDN
Dim strPort
Dim arrStr

    '--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    'Start processing

    Using sr As New StreamReader("c:\\dell\\R03Sites2.csv")
        Dim line As String
        ' Read and display lines from the file until the end of
        ' the file is reached.
        Do
            line = sr.ReadLine()
            Dim Sites As String = My.Computer.FileSystem.ReadAllText("c:\\dell\\Sites2.txt")
            If Not (line Is Nothing) Then
                Console.WriteLine("Start processing loop")
                arrStr = Split(sr.ReadLine, ",")
                strSiteCode = arrStr(0)
                strVistaFQDN = arrStr(1)
                strPort = arrStr(2)
                Console.WriteLine("Array populated...  Enter if then statement")
                If Trim(Sites) = Trim(strSiteCode) Then
                    Console.WriteLine(Trim(Sites) & " , " & Trim(strSiteCode))
                    Console.WriteLine("s=" & strVistaFQDN & " p=" & strPort)

                    'build shorcuts here.  Code to build shortcuts is working correctly when ran
                    'statically but it never finds a match so it always moves to the else and writes
                    'Console.WriteLine("Error:  No Matching Information in the Sites and R03sites files!")
                    'There is only 1 line is Sites and an array is created for the data in R03sites.
                    'My intention is to match the line in Sites to the portion of the a

Richard Deeming

You're getting the exception because you've read a line from the file which doesn't contain two commas. That's probably caused by the fact that you're skipping every other line:

line = sr.ReadLine() ' Read a line
If Not (line Is Nothing) Then
arrStr = Split(sr.ReadLine, ",") ' Read another line

You need to change that to re-use the line you've already read. You also need to check that the array returned from Split contains enough elements:

line = sr.ReadLine()
If line IsNot Nothing Then
arrStr = Split(line, ",")
If arrStr.Length >= 3 Then
strSiteCode = arrStr(0)
strVistaFQDN = arrStr(1)
strPort = arrStr(2)
...

You should also move the code that reads the contents of Sites2.txt outside of the loop. As it stands, you're reading the entire file for every line in Sites2.csv, even though you're not changing it.

"These people looked deep within my soul and assigned me a number based on the order in which I joined." - Homer

User 11833437

Thanks for the response. I made the suggested changes and am still having issues. This is what I have now:

Sub Main()
'--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
'Declare Variables
Dim strSiteCode
Dim strVistaFQDN
Dim strPort
Dim arrStr
Dim Sites As String = My.Computer.FileSystem.ReadAllText("c:\dell\Sites2.txt")
'--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
'Start processing

    Using sr As New StreamReader("c:\\dell\\R03Sites3.csv")
        Dim line As String
        ' Read and display lines from the file until the end of
        ' the file is reached.

        Do
            line = sr.ReadLine()
            Console.WriteLine("line = " & line)
            Console.WriteLine("Start processing loop")
            If line IsNot Nothing Then
                arrStr = Split(line, ",")
                If arrStr.Length >= 3 Then
                    strSiteCode = arrStr(0)
                    strVistaFQDN = arrStr(1)
                    strPort = arrStr(2)
                    Console.WriteLine(Trim(Sites) & " , " & Trim(strSiteCode))
                    Console.WriteLine("s=" & strVistaFQDN & " p=" & strPort)
                    Console.WriteLine("Array populated...  Enter if then statement")
                    If Trim(Sites) = Trim(strSiteCode) Then
                        'Console.WriteLine(Trim(Sites) & " , " & Trim(strSiteCode))
                        'Console.WriteLine("s=" & strVistaFQDN & " p=" & strPort)
                        Console.WriteLine("Successfully processed!")
                        Exit Do
                    Else
                        Console.WriteLine("Error:  No Matching Information in the Sitecode and R03sites files!")
                    End If
                End If
            End If
        Loop Until line Is Nothing
    End Using
End Sub

Here is the output (I cut the R03 file down to 2 entries): C:\Dell>bcmass line = BEC,test.beckley.com,19233 Start processing loop BEC,BEC , BEC s=test.beckley.com p=19233 Array populated... Enter if then statement Error: No Matching Information in the Sitecode and R03sites files! line = BIR,test.birmingham.com,19230 Start processing loop BEC,BEC ,

Lost User

The reason you are getting the extra data in the output is because of the line:

Console.WriteLine(Trim(Sites) & " , " & Trim(strSiteCode))

You need to split the Sites data the same as the other lines, so you can compare BEC to BEC. Also, you only read the Sites data once, so how do you expect it to be different on subsequent passes through the loop?

User 11833437

Thanks for the response. You're suggestion helped but the if then statement still doesn't work. Also, Sites data never changes each computer at each site has a Sites data file with the appropriate entry. It only has one line in the file and it is formatted like this: BEC,BEC. Here is the new code:

Do
line = sr.ReadLine()
Console.WriteLine("line = " & line)
Console.WriteLine("Start processing loop")
If line IsNot Nothing Then
arrStr = Split(line, ",")
siteArr = Split(Sites, ",")
Site1 = siteArr(0)
If arrStr.Length >= 3 Then
strSiteCode = arrStr(0)
strVistaFQDN = arrStr(1)
strPort = arrStr(2)
Console.WriteLine(Trim(Site1) & " , " & Trim(strSiteCode))
Console.WriteLine("s=" & strVistaFQDN & " p=" & strPort)
Console.WriteLine("Array populated... Enter if then statement")
If Trim(Sites) = Trim(strSiteCode) Then
'Console.WriteLine(Trim(Sites) & " , " & Trim(strSiteCode))
'Console.WriteLine("s=" & strVistaFQDN & " p=" & strPort)
Console.WriteLine("Successfully processed!")
Exit Do
Else
Console.WriteLine("Error: No Matching Information in the Sitecode and R03sites files!")
End If
End If
End If
Loop Until line Is Nothing

Here is the output: \Dell>bcmass line = BEC,test.beckley.com,19233 Start processing loop BEC , BEC s=test.beckley.com p=19233 Array populated... Enter if then statement Error: No Matching Information in the Sitecode and R03sites files! line = BIR,test.birmingham.com,19230 Start processing loop BEC , BIR s=test.birmingham.com p=19230 Array populated... Enter if then statement Error: No Matching Information in the Sitecode and R03sites files! line = Start processing loop

User 11833437

This line If Trim(Sites) = Trim(strSiteCode) Then is supposed to find the matching entry in both Sites and R03sites files ie. BEC , BEC and then process the shortcut creation and write to console if no match is found. Then loop through the rest of the file. I would like to learn how to make it stop when it finds the match but I can't even make it work the way I need it to yet.

Lost User

If Trim(Sites) = Trim(strSiteCode) Then

That should be

If Trim(Site1) = Trim(strSiteCode) Then ' Site1 contains the first field of the Sites data

You need to slow down, think what you are trying to achieve, and look at exactly what each line is doing. Rather than using Console.WriteLine to see what is going on, you should use the debugger step by step, so you can see exactly what is happening. And in the second loop (as I explained previously) BEC will never be equal to BIR.

User 11833437

That totally makes sense. I just didn't change sites to site1 in all instances. I know that BEC will never equal BIR, R03sites has numerous sites and what I wanted to do was loop through all the sites in R03sites and write an error to the console on non-matching items and process the match. I just don't know how to do what I want a better way. I am sure you could make the loop stop when it finds a match but I don't know how to do it yet. I am still new to programming and have never worked with 2 text files at once, I have mostly just used text files to read computer names or ip addresses and then do something straightforward with it or write text to a log file. I appreciate the help. I left work but will give this a try tomorrow.

User 11833437

Thanks for the help. It worked perfectly.

Lost User

You're welcome.

Lost User

Member 11866893 wrote:

Then loop through the rest of the file. I would like to learn how to make it stop

break;

Bastard Programmer from Hell :suss: If you can't read my code, try converting it here[^][](X-Clacks-Overhead: GNU Terry Pratchett)