Excel text connection string file path invalid [duplicate]

Question

I'm attempting to write a connection string for a .txt file with C#.

I keep getting the error saying that my file path is invalid.

string excelConnectionString = @"Provider=Microsoft.Jet.OLEDB.4.0; Data Source=C:\Users\Josh\Documents\Test.txt;Extended Properties=""text;HDR=YES;FMT=Delimited""";

The file path shouldn't be wrong. So, I'm thinking it's some other problem. Perhaps I'm missing something with the file path though.

Any suggestions would be great.

Try adding double-quotes around the path, as in "C:\Users\Josh\Documents\Test.txt" (and remove the wrong Extended Properties=""text - the text doesn't belong there). — Ken White
– Ken White, Commented Nov 3, 2012 at 4:08
I need to add multiple sets of double quotes to keep the path with the string. Also, should I replace "text" with anything in the Extend Propteries? Or leave it exactly blank? — Josh Jeffers
– Josh Jeffers, Commented Nov 3, 2012 at 4:49
The word text does not belong there at all. It should either be inside the "" or removed entirely. ConnectionStrings is a site you should bookmark if you're going to do much with ADO. — Ken White
– Ken White, Commented Nov 3, 2012 at 5:04
This is the string I've been referencing from the connectionstrings site. Provider=Microsoft.Jet.OLEDB.4.0;Data Source=c:\txtFilesFolder\; Extended Properties="text;HDR=Yes;FMT=Fixed"; I've been using it, but I must be missing something still. This string has "text" in it, it also does not have double quotes around the file path like you suggested. Am I referencing the wrong string from the website? I'm looking in their text file section under microsoft oledb jet delimited column string — Josh Jeffers
– Josh Jeffers, Commented Nov 3, 2012 at 5:20
That new string has double quotes with the "text;HDR=Yes;FMT=Fixed" inside the quotes; your original one had ""text;HDR=Yes;FMT=Fixed, with the text following (after) the quotes. Can't you see the difference? If not, copy and paste each of them into a text editor, each on it's own line, and compare them character by character. The new one should be correct. — Ken White
– Ken White, Commented Nov 3, 2012 at 14:28

Community · Accepted Answer · 2017-05-23 11:43:09Z

2

For text files the data source is a directory not an individual file see: ADODB Connection String for .csv

So the connection string should be

string excelConnectionString = @"Provider=Microsoft.Jet.OLEDB.4.0; 
Data Source=C:\Users\Josh\Documents\;Extended Properties=""text;
HDR=YES;FMT=Delimited""";

Then you would do

SELECT * FROM Test.txt

To get at the data

edited May 23, 2017 at 11:43

CommunityBot

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answered Nov 3, 2012 at 4:16

MaximR

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