incomplete, learning to manage csv file

[jarychk]

This come from the other topic I started, "not know how to APPEND,..."

This is an example program, not yet finished, which lets user build a prenamed file, and view the contents of the file in aligned columns, in a texteditor control.  Some problems I needed to watch for and correct were array names misspelling, using wrong variables in loops, and potentially mismatching parentheses.

A reference file, not necessarily the same as the resulting programmatically made file:

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
paco de lucia,1947,2014

paco penya,1942,live

payohumberto,unreport,live

sabicas,1912,1990

ninyo ricardo,1904,1972

melchor de marchena,1907,1980
---------------------------------------------------------------------------


The example program in-progress:
(The extra line spacings here are unintentional.  The actual example program doe not contain them.)

'-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

' VIEW of the file development begins, july 9, 2022

' guitarists_file_study01.bas, the "view" button section





'VARIABLES

dim gtrts$(25,3)    'just want names, year born, year dead, but accepting other data kinds  1 name, 2 bornyear, 3 death year

name$=""

byear$=""

dyear$=""     'year died





   nomainwin



   WindowWidth = 592

   WindowHeight = 555



   UpperLeftX=int((DisplayWidth-WindowWidth)/2)

   UpperLeftY=int((DisplayHeight-WindowHeight)/2)



   button #main.button1, "build", [button1Click], UL, 14, 56, 122, 25

   button #main.button2, "view", [button2Click], UL, 158, 56, 122, 25

   button #main.button3, "make change", [button3Click], UL, 302, 56, 122, 25

   texteditor #main.texteditor4, 14, 121, 440, 325

   menu #main, "Edit"    '<--- Texteditor Menu can be moved but not removed.



   open "flamenco guitarists list" for window as #main

   print #main, "trapclose [quit.main]"



   print #main, "font ms_sans_serif 10"

   print #main.texteditor4, "!font Courier 10"



   wait



[quit.main]

   Close #main

   END





[button1Click]    'Perform action for the button named 'button1'

   'Insert your own code here



   nomainwin



   WindowWidth = 560

   WindowHeight = 355



   UpperLeftX=int((DisplayWidth-WindowWidth)/2)

   UpperLeftY=int((DisplayHeight-WindowHeight)/2)



   statictext #tofile.statictext1, "In order, give name, year born, year dead. button to add one at time", 22, 41, 488, 30

   statictext #tofile.statictext2, "unknown born? say unreported.  Not dead? say live.", 22, 76, 400, 20

   textbox #tofile.textbox3, 22, 126, 192, 30

   textbox #tofile.textbox4, 254, 126, 100, 25

   textbox #tofile.textbox5, 374, 126, 100, 25

   button #tofile.button6, "record to file", [button6Click], UL, 22, 271, 122, 25

   open "guitarists data to file" for window as #tofile

   print #tofile, "trapclose [quit.tofile]"



   print #tofile, "font ms_sans_serif 10"

   WAIT



   [button6Click]

   print #tofile.textbox3,"!contents? name$"

   print #tofile.textbox4,"!contents? byear$"

   print #tofile.textbox5,"!contents? dyear$"

   'APPEND the file

   open "flamguitarists.txt" for APPEND as #g

   print #g,name$;",";byear$;",";dyear$

   close #g

   'clear the text fields

   print #tofile.textbox3,"" : print #tofile.textbox4,"" : print #tofile.textbox5,""

   wait



   [quit.tofile]

   close #tofile

   wait





[button2Click]    'Perform action for the button named 'button2'

   'Insert your own code here

   'read file and assign array elements

   rec=0

   open "flamguitarists.txt" for input as #vu

   while eof(#vu)=0

       input #vu,name$

       input #vu,byear$

       input #vu,dyear$

       rec=rec+1

       gtrts$(rec,1)=name$

       gtrts$(rec,2)=byear$

       gtrts$(rec,3)=dyear$

   wend

   close #vu

   'display on texteditor4 control

   'Use of space$() and len() to control column alignments

   print #main.texteditor4,"These ";rec;" flamenco guitarists found."

   'column length choices 20 10 10

   print #main.texteditor4,"NAME                ";"BORN      ";"DIED"

   for i=1 to rec

   print #main.texteditor4,gtrts$(i,1);space$(20-len(gtrts$(i,1)));gtrts$(i,2);space$(10-len(gtrts$(i,2)));gtrts$(i,3)   'code line not show the year number

   next i

   wait





[button3Click]    'Perform action for the button named 'button3'

   'Insert your own code here

   wait








[honkytonk]

Change n for try


    NOMAINWIN
    mapw=400: maph= 500
   WindowWidth=mapw+15: WindowHeight=maph+40
   UpperLeftX = 10: UpperLeftY = 20
  TEXTEDITOR #w.texedit, 20, 20, 400, 400
  GRAPHICBOX #w.g, 5, 5, mapw, maph
   OPEN "Help" FOR window_nf AS #w
   #w, "TRAPCLOSE [closeHelp]"
  ' #w.m, "when leftButtonDown [scanne]"
   #w.g, "down;fill darkpink;color white;backcolor darkpink"
   a$="abcdefg"
   b$="123456"
   c$="ABCDEF"
' e$ f$ g$.....
   n=17
   while len(a$) < n
     a$=a$+" ": b$=b$+" ": c$=c$+" "
   wend
   d$=a$+b$+c$
   for x=1 to 20
     #w.texedit, d$
   next x
 wait
 [closeHelp]
   CLOSE  #w
   END


[jarychk]

honkytonk
You are showing an example program which gives consistent vertical alignment. But the length of a$ will always be less than 17. I do not understand why the program does not get more than one run through the WHILE loop. Or too, why is more spaces between the columns when your WHILE loop only puts ONE space. I cannot understand how the aligning is working there.


Starting to see some of it.  Each time through WHILE, one more space is added to a$, b$, and c$.

... okay.  I understand better now.   d$ established when the WHILE is finished.  But I expect to find 16 or 17 spaces between each column, but I see (without counting) fewer spaces.

[honkytonk]

There are no "n" spaces between the strings.
Strings are "n" padded.
In the case, therefore, "n" must be greater than the big long string.
You can also do as many "whiles" as there are strings, if the strings are very different in length.