Possibly you could open it in excel and get all the data in a single column.
Then do the replace with Edit=Replace (using the code equivalent). Then do
Data=Text to Columns to get your data spread out into separate columns (the
code/VBA equivalent).

You could get the basic code for each operation by turning on the macro
recorder and doing it manually. The Text to columns takes you through the
Text import wizard, but it records a single command (with many options).

--
Regards,
Tom Ogilvy


"Matthew =}" wrote in message
...
Happy Monday!

{{No reply repost from Friday...with clarifications
added, 'cause I guess this is more challenging than I
first anticipated.}}

={

I receive an HTML page from the county, and I save it as
a .prn (csv text) file to preserve columnar allignment.
Recently however, they have changed their HTML editor,
and now I get misinterpreted ampersands in the file.
Consequently, when the "&" is present, the HTML editor
creates "&" from it, and kills the columnar
allignment in the .txt document for the row containing
the ampersand.

Are you with me so far?

If I open the .prn file with Notepad, I simply can Find:
"_&_" and Replace this string with "_&_", then all is
right with the world.

The problem is that this is a very small part of a large
macro that interprets the county's file, digests it,
formats it, archives it as an .xls file, and runs some
other MSO formatting macros against it to produce instant
website posting of the data. I need it to remain
automated completely, as the file size is considerable.

(How) Can I perform the Find & Replace solution on
the .prn file using MSO VB code? I tried Word, but that
jacks up the column formatting when Word opens
the 'Story', interpreted as a webpage document. I tried
Excel, but the HTML file enters Excel as entire rows of
data in single cells (the first cell in each column
contains the entire concatenated record), and that won't
do at all.

Is there a simple, non-formatting, text editor in my
Office Suite? Is there a mode or method (like Open As...
or OpenAs()) that I can apply via VB to the text within
this file (without actually opening it)? I can run an
Excel import from .csv text, but I need to manipulate the
columns first to justify them.

If you want samples, email above.

Thanks in advance, as always,

Matthew

=}
.