Setting txt file columns delimiter

Hi all,

I have a method to read a txt file with comma separated columns

Code:

---

public void importToArray(){
        int rows = 0;
        bin = new String[numberOfLines()][6];
        try {
            FileReader fr = new FileReader(fileToImport);
            BufferedReader br = new BufferedReader(fr);
            String line = null;

            while((line = br.readLine())!= null){
                StringTokenizer stk = new StringTokenizer(line, ",");
                while(stk.hasMoreTokens()){
                    for (int cls = 0;cls<6; cls++){
                        bin[rows][cls]= stk.nextToken();
                    }
                    rows++;
                }//end inner while loop
            }//end outer while loop
            br.close();
        }//end try
        catch(Exception e){
            System.out.println(e);
        }
    }

---

I main class I have set a GUI where to choose different columns separators, as the attached picture.

Radio buttons are grouped in a group button so that only one button can be selected.

How should I modify my method so I can have the selected delimiter from the GUI?

Thanks.

Susanna

I think this is the key

Code:

---

StringTokenizer stk = new StringTokenizer(line, ",");

---

Maybe you should say something like:

Code:

---

StringTokenizer stk = new StringTokenizer(line, userChoice);

---

Where user choice is a string. Then before you start reading the file, you can do a check:

if (commaRadioButton.isSelected()){
userChoice =","

}
else if (SemiColonRadioButton.isSelected()){
userChoice =";"

}

else if (TabRadioButton.isSelected()){
userChoice ="\t";

}

else if (SpaceRadioButton.isSelected()){
userChoice =" ";

}

And in this way you make your tokenizer dynamic. Maybe one of the seniors can take a look, thats my guess.

Why not have the method accept a String parameter which will be your delimiter. Then the method that calls this method can pass in the appropriate delimiter depending on the JRadioButton that has been selected. But again, you should not have GUI specific code in this method, and again, I think that the method should have the file name passed in so that the file name is not hard-coded and the method is more flexible.

Hi, thank you both for your replies: I've modified the code with the if else statements as follow

Code:

---

public void importToArray(){
        int rows = 0;
        bin = new String[numberOfLines()][6];
        try {
            FileReader fr = new FileReader(fileToImport);
            BufferedReader br = new BufferedReader(fr);
            String line = null;
            String radioColumnSelect = null;
           
            if (jCommaRadioButton.isSelected()){
radioColumnSelect =",";
}
else if (jSemiColonRadioButton.isSelected()){
radioColumnSelect =";";
}
else if (jTabRadioButton.isSelected()){
radioColumnSelect ="\t";
}
else if (jSpaceRadioButton.isSelected()){
radioColumnSelect =" ";
}
        while((line = br.readLine())!= null){
                StringTokenizer stk = new StringTokenizer(line, radioColumnSelect);
                while(stk.hasMoreTokens()){
                    for (int cls = 0;cls<6; cls++){
                        bin[rows][cls]= stk.nextToken();
                    }
                    rows++;
                }//end inner while loop
            }//end outer while loop
            br.close();
        }//end try
        catch(Exception e){
            System.out.println(e);
        }
    }

---

First thing I declare a String field

String radioColumnSelect = null;

then I pass this as argument in

StringTokenizer stk = new StringTokenizer(line, radioColumnSelect);

The problem is that all RadioButtons are in main class and are all declared as private, so I get error because it can't see in this class all RadioButtons variables.

Susanna

May be instead of checking isSelected in this class, in your main class itself apply a listener for the radio buttons and call the importToArray() method in a little different way.

//comma radio button clicked
importToArray(',');

and others

your imporToArray method may go somewhat like this
public void importToArray(char delimit){
//the delimit variable contains the delimiting character
}

Quote:

---

The problem is that all RadioButtons are in main class and are all declared as private, so I get error because it can't see in this class all RadioButtons variables.

---

I think you can reference the buttons if you put them into an array which is public like this:

Code:

---

public JRadioButton[] myRadioButtons = new JRadioButton[4];
myRadioButtons[0] = commaRadioButton;
myRadioButtons[1] = SemiColonRadioButton;
myRadioButtons[2] = TabRadioButton;
myRadioButtons[3] = SpaceRadioButton;

---

And then in your other class reference them from the array:

Code:

---

for (JRadioButton jrb:myMainClass.myRadioButtons) {
  if (jrb.isSelected()) {
    //your code
  }
  ...
}

---