Using CSV file for input - Specific letter being dropped from data

[rjoubert]

I am using VB.NET 2010 and Coded UI Tests. I am using CSV files for input to my test methods. For one particular field in my CSV file, I am passing a string of letters and numbers. For some odd reason, the code is dropping the capital S from this field when it pulls in the value. I have not tested every possible combination of a preceeding number/letter and the capital S, but it only seems to be happening when it is preceeded by a 1 (one). I have tested every other letter in place of the S, and there are no issue with the other letters. The code is only converting the field value to a string.

Does anyone have any ideas?

Thanks...

 

[SkipVought]

hi,

Can you post the string that is being parsed incorrectly?

What method are you using to parse?

Please post the relevent code.

Skip,

_{Just traded in my old subtlety...
for a NUANCE!}

 

[rjoubert]

Here is an example of the string: 19991S12345

With Coded UI Tests, you just select the CSV file through the Data Connection wizard (when setting the Data Connection String property of the test method).

The only thing I do is pass in the values from my CSV file to some custom methods/functions. So I would pass this in:

TestContext.DataRow("MyFieldName").ToString

There is nothing in my custom methods/functions that manipulate the value. When I debug, before I even go into any custom methods/functions, I print the value of the code above to the immediate window, and the S is gone.

A colleague of mine was thinking it could be some weird escape character.

 

[SkipVought]

So this this the ONLY STRING in the row, nothing else to parse and no other rows?

Or are there many rows and other items to parse in the row?

I am particularly interested in the data in this COLUMN that preceeds this row.

Exactly what row is this example from?



Skip,

_{Just traded in my old subtlety...
for a NUANCE!}

 

[rjoubert]

Here is the entire CSV file...the offending value is the VIN field.

TestNumber,TransactionCode,VehicleType,TitleNumber,VIN,VehicleYear,VehicleMake,DateEntered,TitleSearchString,FlagAsJunk
1,TL_JUNK_FLAG,PASSENGER,,19991S12345,,,,,1

 

[SkipVought]

When I parse this string using the COMMA delimiter I get...
[tt]
1
TL_JUNK_FLAG
PASSENGER
[highlight]
19991S12345
[/highlight]



1
[/tt]
So does YOUR parse result in
[tt]
1
TL_JUNK_FLAG
PASSENGER
[highlight]
1999112345
[/highlight]



1
[/tt]
or does it SPLIT that VIN value?



Skip,

_{Just traded in my old subtlety...
for a NUANCE!}

 

[rjoubert]

I am getting back one string, with the S dropped out...
1999112345

 

[SkipVought]

Puzzeling!???

Skip,

_{Just traded in my old subtlety...
for a NUANCE!}

 

[ousoonerjoe]

If you import into Excel, does the "S" stay or does it get dropped there, too?

--------------------------------------------------
“Crash programs fail because they are based on the theory that, with nine women pregnant, you can get a baby a month.” --Wernher von Braun
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[rjoubert]

The S stays there when I import into Excel. The only way we've found to get around this is to make it a lowercase s in the data file and do a .ToUpper on the value. So don't worry about putting too much time and effort into this. I was just hoping someone would know something off the top of their head that would explain this odd behavior. Thank you both for your efforts.

 

[rjoubert]

I figured out the issue, in case anyone else ever runs into the same problem. You have to create a schema.ini file to force every column to be treated as text. I found out it was actually treating one of my columns as currency. Maybe it considered the capital S to be a dollar sign.

More info on the schema.ini...

http://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Forums/pl-PL/vsautotest/thread/e3be0f46-112c-4bfb-9851-c76c1f1de42a