XL97: Input # Statement Does Not Retain Trailing Spaces

Last reviewed: February 27, 1998
Article ID: Q159949
The information in this article applies to:
  • Microsoft Excel 97 for Windows

SYMPTOMS

When you use the Input # statement in a Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications macro to read data in a file, trailing spaces in unquoted data are ignored. For example, when you assign a field to the variable in the Input # statement, the field does not contain trailing spaces even if trailing spaces exist in the source file. This behavior differs from behavior in earlier versions of Microsoft Excel.

CAUSE

The behavior of the Input # statement in Microsoft Excel 97 was changed to more closely match the behavior of the Input # statement that is used in Microsoft Visual Basic 4.0 and later.

WORKAROUND

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   http://www.microsoft.com/support/supportnet/refguide/default.asp

To work around this behavior, place quotes around any input strings that have trailing spaces. For example, if a source file contains the following data:

   Fred     ,Albert
   Barney   ,Jefferson

change the source file to the following:

   "Fred     ",Albert
   "Barney   ",Jefferson

When you run the following macro on the file that contains fields that are enclosed in quotation marks, the trailing spaces are retained:

   Sub ReadFile()

       Open "test.txt" For Input As #1     ' Open file for input.
       Do While Not EOF(1)                 ' Loop until end of file.
           Input #1, str1, str2            ' Read data into variables.
           Debug.Print "[" & str1 & "]"    ' Print variables in Debug
                                           ' window.
           Debug.Print "[" & str2 & "]"
       Loop
       Close #1                            ' Close the file.

   End Sub

The results in the Debug window are the following:

   [Fred     ]
   [Albert]
   [Barney   ]
   [Jefferson]

STATUS

This behavior is by design in Microsoft Excel 97.


Additional query words: XL97 8.0 8.00 sequential i/o input#
Keywords : kbcode kbprg xlvbainfo xl97vbmigrate
Version : WINDOWS:97
Platform : WINDOWS
Issue type : kbprb


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Last reviewed: February 27, 1998
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