Using VBA to read a certain line from a text file

[Jaymond Flurrie]

So the situation is that I have a text file with a million lines. I need to read a certain line from there. How do I do it so that I don't read every single line from the beginning, but instead, say, line #431278 without reading the lines 1 to 432177 first?

The idea is that since the file is more than huge (over 4 GB), I need to avoid the massive delay that I expect to get if I read the lines in order like 1-1-2-1-2-3-1-2-3-4-1-2-3-4-5 (to get the five first ones) and so on would cause when I need to take a line, process it, pass it forward and take a new line.

Here's a code I use to read lines right now:

    sFileName = "C:\textfile.txt"

    If Len(Dir$(sFileName)) = 0 Then
        Exit Function
    End If

    iFileNum = FreeFile()
    Open sFileName For Input As iFileNum
    
    Do While Not EOF(iFileNum)
        Line Input #iFileNum, sBuf
        ' now you have the next line of the file in sBuf
        ' do something useful:
        vLine = Split(sBuf, Chr(9)) 'Split on tabs
    Loop
    ' close the file
    Close iFileNum

but that has the problem that when I get to any later lines, it most likely shoots the processing time thru the roof.

 

[tweedle]

Possibly Random Access may assist you:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/150700


Neither Open for Input, nor Line Input use this retreival pattern:
1-1-2-1-2-3-1-2-3-4-1-2-3-4-5
They go straight through: 1-2-3-4-5.
(Line Input is actually collecting the bytes between the CR/LFs.)

 

[Jaymond Flurrie]

I think this part:

Get #1, 2, P

is the answer.

Thanks!