Fortran: Read data from a line in a file

In summary, the person is trying to read data from a large text file in matrix format, but is concerned about the cost of performing sequential reads. They are seeking advice on whether there is a way to directly access a specific row in the file without reading the lines before it. It is suggested that storing the data in memory as an actual matrix might be a more efficient solution.
  • #1
sourish_SUNY
1
0
This is my problem:
I would like to read data (saved in a text file) from a file. My data is written in a matrix format (1,000,000 rows x 3 columns).
I want to read a data from a particular line, say row number 90,000.
Since the number of rows is large, it will be very expensive if I have to do an empty read() for 89,999 rows.
Is there a way I can directly go to row number 90,000 (without reading the lines before it) and read the corresponding data? I do have control over how the text file is created.
Will really appreciate any help or advice on this.

Thank You,
SC
 
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  • #2
sourish_SUNY said:
This is my problem:
I would like to read data (saved in a text file) from a file. My data is written in a matrix format (1,000,000 rows x 3 columns).
I want to read a data from a particular line, say row number 90,000.
Since the number of rows is large, it will be very expensive if I have to do an empty read() for 89,999 rows.
Is there a way I can directly go to row number 90,000 (without reading the lines before it) and read the corresponding data? I do have control over how the text file is created.
Will really appreciate any help or advice on this.
I can't imagine that this would work very well for you. You're trying to perform random access on an object whose normal mode of reading is sequential access. Although it might seem that the data in your file is in matrix form, in reality, the data is in 1,000,000 million lines. It might be more realistic to read the data from the file, and store it in memory in an actual matrix (a two-d array). You didn't say what kind of data, so I can't say how much memory the matrix would use. If each line in your file consists of three double precision numbers, (at eight bytes each), the matrix would use about 24,000,000 bytes, or about 24 MB.

It would take a while to read the data into memory, but once there, you could access any element in the 90,000 row pretty quickly.
 

FAQ: Fortran: Read data from a line in a file

What is the syntax for reading data from a line in a file using Fortran?

The syntax for reading data from a line in a file using Fortran is:
READ(unit, fmt, iostat, iomsg) var1, var2, ..., varn
Where "unit" is the file unit number, "fmt" is the format specifier, "iostat" is an optional variable that will contain the error code, "iomsg" is an optional variable that will contain the error message, and "var1, var2, ..., varn" are the variables in which the data will be stored.

How do I open a file for reading in Fortran?

To open a file for reading in Fortran, you can use the OPEN statement with the "status='old'" option. For example:
OPEN(unit, file='filename', status='old')

Can I read data from a specific line in a file using Fortran?

Yes, you can read data from a specific line in a file using Fortran. To do so, you can use the INQUIRE statement to get the position of the desired line, then use the SEEK statement to move the file pointer to that position before using the READ statement to read the data. Alternatively, you can use the BACKSPACE statement to go back to the beginning of the file, then use the READ statement with a loop to read the desired number of lines before reading the data.

How do I handle errors when reading data from a file in Fortran?

You can handle errors when reading data from a file in Fortran by using the "iostat" and "iomsg" variables in the READ statement. If an error occurs, the error code will be stored in the "iostat" variable and the error message will be stored in the "iomsg" variable. You can then check these variables and handle the errors accordingly.

Is it possible to read data from a file with non-numeric values in Fortran?

Yes, it is possible to read data from a file with non-numeric values in Fortran. You can use the "read format" to specify the format of the data you want to read, including non-numeric values such as strings or characters. For example, if the data in the file is in the format "string, integer, character", your read format would be "(A, I, A)".

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