Delete Line Function

'VBScript does not have a simple function for removing a line from a file.
'After doing a search and not finding anything decent, I wrote this function.

'Examples
option explicit

'DeleteLine "c:\test.txt", "qwerty", 0, 0
'If script finds text qwerty on any line in text file c:\text.txt it will delete that line

'DeleteLine "c:\test.txt", "", 17, 0
'Script deletes line 17 in text file c:\text.txt

DeleteLine "c:\test.txt", "qwerty", 17, 0
'If script finds text qwerty on line 17 in text file c:\text.txt it will delete that line

 Function DeleteLine(strFile, strKey, LineNumber, CheckCase)
 'DeleteLine Function by TomRiddle 2008
 
 'Remove line(s) containing text (strKey) from text file (strFile)
 'or
 'Remove line number from text file (strFile)
 'or
 'Remove line number if containing text (strKey) from text file (strFile)
 
 'Use strFile = "c:\file.txt" 	(Full path to text file)
 'Use strKey = "John Doe"     	(Lines containing this text string to be deleted)
 'Use strKey = ""             	(To not use keyword search)
 'Use LineNumber = "1"        	(Enter specific line number to delete)
 'Use LineNumber = "0"        	(To ignore line numbers)
 'Use CheckCase = "1"         	(For case sensitive search )
 'Use CheckCase = "0"         	(To ignore upper/lower case characters)
 
 
    Const ForReading=1:Const ForWriting=2
    Dim objFSO,objFile,Count,strLine,strLineCase,strNewFile
    Set objFSO=CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
    Set objFile=objFSO.OpenTextFile(strFile,ForReading)
    Do Until objFile.AtEndOfStream
       strLine=objFile.Readline
       If CheckCase=0 then strLineCase=ucase(strLine):strKey=ucase(strKey)
       If LineNumber=objFile.Line-1 or LineNumber=0 then
          If instr(strLine,strKey) or instr(strLineCase,strkey) or strKey="" then
             strNewFile=strNewFile
          Else
             strNewFile=strNewFile&strLine&vbcrlf
          End If
       Else
          strNewFile=strNewFile&strLine&vbcrlf
       End If
    Loop
    objFile.Close
    Set objFSO=CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
    Set objFile=objFSO.OpenTextFile(strFile,ForWriting) 
    objFile.Write strNewFile 
    objFile.Close 
 
 End Function
 

You know that there is a Line property that shows you the line number right?  objFile.Line 
Also, since this may come in useful to some....maybe add the ability have it be case-sensitive or not.

Thanks for those tips dm_4ever, I updated the script with those suggestions

Cheers

can you repost the new code??
 
 
thanks
 
k

The original code posted has the revisions suggested by dm_4ever.
Not sure if you can see the revisions link or not but the previous version does not have the ability to check or ignore case and the line number was found by incrementing a counter instead of objFile.Line 
Cheers,
 
Let me know if you have any problems with it.  

Hi,
 
I have problems with this script and can´t figure why.
Nothing happens when I try to run it.
 
I have copy the code and created a file called deleteline.vbs
Then I run deleteline "c:\test.txt", "", 3, 0 in a CMD prompt
but my test.txt file is intact.
Even if I run deleteline and point it to a made-up file, the script runs without any error
 
My OS are Microsoft Windows XP [Version 5.1.2600] SP2 and Microsoft Visual Basic 6.3
 
/RS

You need to put the line that runs the function within the vbs file and then run the vbs file
 
ie
 
deleteline3.vbs

 DeleteLine "c:\test.txt", "", 3, 0
  
 Function DeleteLine(strFile, strKey, LineNumber, CheckCase)
 'DeleteLine Function by TomRiddle 2008
 'Remove line(s) containing text (strKey) from text file (strFile)
 'or
 'Remove line number from text file (strFile)
 'or
 'Remove line number if containing text (strKey) from text file (strFile)
 'Use strFile = "c:\file.txt"  (Full path to text file)
 'Use strKey = "John Doe"      (Lines containing this text string to be deleted)
 'Use strKey = ""              (To not use keyword search)
 'Use LineNumber = "1"         (Enter specific line number to delete)
 'Use LineNumber = "0"         (To ignore line numbers)
 'Use CheckCase = "1"          (For case sensitive search )
 'Use CheckCase = "0"          (To ignore upper/lower case characters)
 
    Const ForReading=1:Const ForWriting=2
    Dim objFSO,objFile,Count,strLine,strLineCase,strNewFile
    Set objFSO=CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
    Set objFile=objFSO.OpenTextFile(strFile,ForReading)
    Do Until objFile.AtEndOfStream
       strLine=objFile.Readline
       If CheckCase=0 then strLineCase=ucase(strLine):strKey=ucase(strKey)
       If LineNumber=objFile.Line-1 or LineNumber=0 then
          If instr(strLine,strKey) or instr(strLineCase,strkey) or strKey="" then
             strNewFile=strNewFile
          Else
             strNewFile=strNewFile&strLine&vbcrlf
          End If
       Else
          strNewFile=strNewFile&strLine&vbcrlf
       End If
    Loop
    objFile.Close
    Set objFSO=CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
    Set objFile=objFSO.OpenTextFile(strFile,ForWriting) 
    objFile.Write strNewFile 
    objFile.Close 
 End Function
 
 

Fantastic,
I´m a newbie with VBS, and couldn't figure out that ;-)
 
This is a wonderful script and with some more features like
delete from line x to line y  (example line 5-10)
or delete line x, line y, line z (example line 5,8,10)
delete line, lines who begins with xxx

delete line, lines who ends with xxx
you should have a very powerful Delete Line Script.
 
Thanks for great work, time and support.
 
Cheers
/RS

No worries. Most scripts you need to splice bits together out of other scripts or modify one that nearly does what you want.
It is rare you will find one that does exactly what you want without the need of modification.
If you post what have and what you have tried etc in this particular forum http://www.visualbasicscript.com/forumid_2/tt.htm people will surely help you get it right.

On this note, I was wondering if one of you can help me.

I have a code that displays a line in a host file,
Once I run the .vbs file, the new line is added.


Now, I need a code to delete that very line that I just added on the same host file.

Here is the code I have that displays the new line and im trying to figure a way to delete that line that was added on the host file:

strFile = InputBox ("Enter File Name",,"C:\Documents and Settings\t15GOY\Desktop\IDW\hosts")
Const ForAppending = 8
 
set objFSO = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
set objFile = objFSO.OpenTextFile(strFile, ForAppending, true)
 


objFile.WriteLine("10.08.24.19 bi-reports.newyorklife.com")
MsgBox "Mo>Henry"

Try this function with the following syntax:-

DeleteLine "C:\Documents and Settings\t15GOY\Desktop\IDW\hosts", "10.08.24.19 bi-reports.newyorklife.com", 0, 0