Read Text file lines split on Control Characters? ie. [STX], [FS]

[cboshdave]

I have a text file that is essentially a flat XML file. The field separators are Control Characters [STX], [FS], etc.
I have dealt with this before (loops within lines), but not the control characters. I am not sure how to run a SPLIT() function on a control character?
File would be:
[STX]Value1 [FS]Value2 [ETX]
[STX]Value3 [FS]Value4 [ETX]

I run the whole file split on [STX] and then I process each line:
Line1 = [STX]Value1 [FS]Value2 [ETX]

I want to SPLIT the line on [FS] resulting in:
Item(0) = Value1 and Item(1) = Value2

Clearly, there is a lot more detail. But if I could get this basic framework going, I could extend it appropriately.

Thanks!

 

[jmcilhinney]

A control character is still a character so you split on them the same way you do any other characters. There are several overloads of String.Split that will accept one or multiple `char` values so just create appropriate `char` value(s), e.g. using Convert.ToChar to create one from an `int`, and then call Split as you normally would.

 

[cboshdave]

Thanks! I was finally able to create a split function that worked. sSplitOnHL = sLine.Split(new[] { (char) 30 }); //Split on [RS] Control Code
I am still stumped on the replace though. I have tried sLine = sLine.Replace((char) 2, (char) 0 ); thinking that (char) 0 would replace with a null character. It seems to replace the control character with something, but I can't see any of my text file anymore!
I am not sure where I am going wrong on this one.

 

[JohnH]

replace with a null character.
but I can't see any of my text file anymore!

Your viewer understands Null character as "end of a string, often called a null-terminated string".