PRB: Jet Text IISAM Truncates Trailing Spaces

• Microsoft Visual Basic Professional and Enterprise Editions for Windows, version 5.0
• Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications, version 5.0
• Microsoft Access 97

SYMPTOMS

When importing delimited data from a text file into a Jet database, trailing spaces are dropped from fields.

CAUSE

The Text IISAM driver truncates trailing spaces regardless of whether the field is surrounded by quotes.

RESOLUTION

• Write a custom import routine using low-level file I/O and DAO, and parse the line into fields using BASIC.

  -or-

• When creating the text file, use a substitute character for trailing spaces you do not want truncated and then use a SQL statement to "fix" the imported data.

STATUS

This behavior is by design.

MORE INFORMATION

WARNING: Your use or modification of the CODE provided in this article is at your own risk. Microsoft provides this CODE "as is" without warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied, including but not limited to the implied warranties of merchantability and/or fitness for a particular purpose. Microsoft does not support modifications of the CODE to suit specific customer requirements.

Steps to Reproduce Behavior

1. Using Notepad, create a text file with the following data:

         ID,Desc,Field3
         Line1,Description 1  ,Field3-1
         Line2,"Description 2  ",Field3-2
   

2. Save the file as c:\test.txt.

3. In Visual Basic, create a new project and add a reference for Microsoft DAO 3.5 Object Library. In Access, open the Northwind.MDB database.

4. Create a new form with a CommandButton (Command1) and the following code:

         Private Sub Command1_Click ()
         Dim db As Database
           Set db = CurrentDB                               ' Access only
           Set db = DBEngine(0).OpenDatabase("biblio.mdb")  ' Visual Basic
           db.Execute "SELECT * INTO TestImport FROM [test#txt] IN '' " _
                      "'text;database=c:\;FMT=Delimited;HDR=Yes'"
           db.Close
         End Sub
   
   

5. Run the project/form and click the CommandButton to import the data.

6. Examine the contents of the TestImport table, and note that the Desc column has the trailing spaces truncated for both records.

1. The symptoms are also present when using Access' File|Get External Data menu command and via the TransferText macro action and the TransferText method of the DoCmd object, all of which use the Text IISAM driver.

2. The symptoms probably also apply to previous versions of Jet but have not been tested with them.

3. In Visual Basic, you can use the VISDATA sample project to examine the contents of the table.

REFERENCES

Visual Basic and Access help topic: IN CLAUSE

(c) Microsoft Corporation 1998, All Rights Reserved. Contributions by Malcolm Stewart, Microsoft Corporation