XL97: Input # Statement Does Not Retain Trailing Spaces

• Microsoft Excel 97 for Windows

SYMPTOMS

When you use the Input # statement in a Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications macro to read data in a file, trailing spaces in unquoted data are ignored. For example, when you assign a field to the variable in the Input # statement, the field does not contain trailing spaces even if trailing spaces exist in the source file. This behavior differs from behavior in earlier versions of Microsoft Excel.

CAUSE

The behavior of the Input # statement in Microsoft Excel 97 was changed to more closely match the behavior of the Input # statement that is used in Microsoft Visual Basic 4.0 and later.

WORKAROUND

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   Fred     ,Albert
   Barney   ,Jefferson

   "Fred     ",Albert
   "Barney   ",Jefferson

   Sub ReadFile()

       Open "test.txt" For Input As #1     ' Open file for input.
       Do While Not EOF(1)                 ' Loop until end of file.
           Input #1, str1, str2            ' Read data into variables.
           Debug.Print "[" & str1 & "]"    ' Print variables in Debug
                                           ' window.
           Debug.Print "[" & str2 & "]"
       Loop
       Close #1                            ' Close the file.

   End Sub

   [Fred     ]
   [Albert]
   [Barney   ]
   [Jefferson]

STATUS

This behavior is by design in Microsoft Excel 97.