Advanced VBA | Working with text files exercise | Reading in a text file to draw a house

This exercise is provided to allow potential course delegates to choose the correct Wise Owl Microsoft training course, and may not be reproduced in whole or in part in any format without the prior written consent of Wise Owl.

You can learn how to do this exercise if you attend one of more of the courses listed below!

Software ==> Advanced VBA  (33 exercises)
Version ==> Any MS Office versions
Topic ==> Working with text files  (2 exercises)
Level ==> Average difficulty
Classroom ==> Fast track Excel VBA  /  Advanced VBA
Online ==> Fast track Excel VBA  /  Advanced VBA
Before you can do this exercise, you'll need to download and unzip this file (if you have any problems doing this, click here for help).

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The folder above contains two files: an empty Excel worksheet, and the specification for how to fill it.  This is what the file GridSpec.txt looks like:

Advanced VBA exercise - Working with text files (image 1)

This shows, for example, that row 1 column 8 (ie cell H1) should be coloured in.

Write a macro which opens this text file as a read-only text stream, then reads through it line by line, using the coordinates specified for each line to colour in a single cell in the Excel worksheet.  For example, the lines shown would colour in:

  • Row 1 column 8
  • Row 2, column 3
  • Row 2, column 4

When you've finished, run your macro: you should be looking at an easily identifiable household object (so to speak), if badly drawn.

If you have time, try writing the macro to recreate the text file!

Save this file as Make a piccie, then close it down.

You can unzip this file to see the answers to this exercise, although please remember this is for your personal use only.
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