How to Read Text Files Line by Line in the Arduino IDE

Discover how to effectively read text files line by line in the Arduino IDE using the ESP32. This guide provides a step-by-step solution and example code.
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How to Read Text Files Line by Line in the Arduino IDE

Reading data from text files is quite a common task in programming, especially when working with microcontrollers like the ESP32 in the Arduino IDE. If you're struggling to read numeric values line by line from a text file stored in the SPIFFS (Serial Peripheral Interface Flash File System), you’re not alone!

In this guide, we’ll explore how to read files line by line in the Arduino IDE and provide you with a clear, organized solution to efficiently extract that data.

Understanding the Problem

The Solution: Using readStringUntil

To read a file line by line, we can leverage the readStringUntil() function in Arduino. This function reads characters from the file until it encounters a specified delimiter, which in our case will be the newline character \n. Here’s how you can implement this:

Step 1: Setup Your Environment

Make sure to include the necessary libraries at the start of your Arduino sketch.

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Step 2: Create the Function to Read Lines

Next, we define the readLine function that takes the path of the file and the range of lines to read.

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Step 3: Utilize the Function in Your Setup

Call the readLine function in your setup() function to read specified lines and print the results.

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Step 4: Applying it to Larger Datasets

If you have a text file with more than 1000 values, you can loop through to sequentially read chunks of 100 as follows:

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Conclusion

By using the readStringUntil() function, you can effectively read text files line by line in the Arduino IDE, enabling you to handle large datasets more efficiently. This method not only allows for better data management, but it also provides a clearer understanding of how to pull specific data ranges from your files.

Now you can confidently work with your numeric data in Arduino projects, one line at a time!

Feel free to ask questions or share your thoughts on this method in the comments below!