Split text file Into multiple files when it hits a certain string

Question

I'm fairly new to programming and I got tasked this at work. I need to split the text file every time it hits the string characters {1: and ends with -} and then create a new text file. See example below:

Original Text file:

{1:F01BOF}{2:I940B}{4:dfdfd
:20:06AUG
:25:64
-}{1:F01BO}{2:I940{4:dfdfd
:20:06AUG2
:25:6412
:64:C200806EUR1748473,62
-}{1:F01}{2:I940XN}{4:fvfddf
:20:06AUG81-}

New Text1:

{1:F01BOF}{2:I940B}{4:dfdfd
:20:06AUG
:25:64
-}

New Text2

{1:F01BO}{2:I940{4:dfdfd
:20:06AUG2
:25:6412
:64:C200806EUR1748473,62
-}

New Text3:

{1:F01}{2:I940XN}{4:fvfddf
:20:06AUG81-}

I was using the code below but it doesn't seem to pick up the curly bracket character

Set fso = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")

data = split(fso.OpenTextFile("C:\JustNeeded.txt").ReadAll, "{1")

For i = 1 To UBound(data)
  fso.OpenTextFile("new" & i & ".txt", 2, True).Write "{1" & data(i)
Next

I was reading up on regex, should I be using that instead? Any help would be great thanks.

Answer 1

• Arrays in VBScript are 0-based. It's better to start your loop from 0.
• It's smarter to split at the end delimiter -} , so the first element of the split result is not empty.
• I'm using With blocks to organize the code. "Doing it all on one line" becomes hard to read quickly.
• I'm using Option Explicit so all variables must be properly declared. This prevents hard-to-debug issues with typos in variable names, using Option Explicit with all your VB code a really good habit to get into.
• Creating constants with a speaking name (such as ForWriting ) is much nicer than using opaque "magic numbers" like 2 .
• Note you're writing the file as Unicode, but you're not reading it as Unicode. This may or may not be intentional, it's your call.
• calling .Close on a file handle is not strictly necessary here, but it's good manners.

Improved code:

Option Explicit

Dim FSO, text, parts, i

Const ForReading = 1
Const ForWriting = 2

Set FSO = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")

With FSO.OpenTextFile("C:\JustNeeded.txt", ForReading)
    text = .ReadAll
    .Close
End with

parts = Split(text, "-}")

For i = 0 To UBound(parts) - 1
    If Len(parts(i)) > 0 Then
        With FSO.OpenTextFile("new" & (i + 1) & ".txt", ForWriting, True)
            .Write parts(i) & "-}"
            .Close
        End With
    End If
Next