Reading a Delimited File Using ASP.Net and VB.Net

The following article will detail how to read a delimited text file using ASP.Net or VB.Net, which will explain various aspects of a delimited file, code explanation and source code.

We must be aware of importing data into a database.  Data which is used for importing is normally in the form of a text file.  These files are also called  comma separated value files, which will normally have a .csv extension.

In either case, whether it’s a text file or a .csv file, all the values are delimited using a character.  This particular character, which is used for separating the values, is called the delimiter. This delimiter may be a word, a letter, a tab, or a space.

Let us have a look at an example of how these delimited files may be laid-out:

Example: Comma-Delimited File:

Value1, Value2, Value3, Value4, Value5

In the above example, we can see a comma between the words Value1 Value2 until Value 5.

Example: Tab-Delimited File

Value1    Value2    Value3    Value4    Value5

In the above example we are able to see a tab between all the values.