For more detailed information, see the Visual Basic topic TextFieldParser.ReadFields Method.
In order to allow users to parse text files in multiple formats, the ReadFields method examines the values of TextFieldType, Delimiters, and FieldWidths, if they are specified, each time it is called. Users need to correctly configure the TextFieldType and FieldWidths or Delimiters properties, as appropriate. If TextFieldType is set to Delimited, and Delimiters is not set, or if TextFieldType is set to FixedWidth and FieldWidths, an exception is thrown.
If ReadFields encounters blank lines, they are skipped and the next non-blank line is returned.
The following table lists examples of tasks involving the ReadFields method.