Import CSV and force all fields to Text format - ms-access

Question

I am importing a series of CSV files into Access tables. I have the following line that imports each file:
DoCmd.TransferText acImportDelim, , FN, F.Path, True
This import statement works and creates the necessary table. However, it creates the field types from the data, and depending on the first few rows of the data it may create a field as numeric that should be text - and then causes an error when it encounters a text value later in the file.
How can I force the field type to Text for every field in the input file? I've used Import Specifications before, but first the file format (provided by others outside my control) may change from time to time, and second it's a very "wide" file with 200+ column, so this isn't a practical answer.

Answer 1

This is not a great workaround, but I had to go through the process anyway to get around the 255 field limit in tables. In short, the import steps I ended up with are
Read the 1st line of the file as an inputstream
Split the line to get the field names, put them in a data dictionary table and then manually mark the ones I want to import
Use CREATE TABLE to create a new data table (selected fields only) with all of the fields set to TEXT
Read each line of the file as an inputstream
Split the line to get the data for each field
Use INSERT INTO to add the selected fields to the data table
Cumbersome, but it solves both problems - I'm not limited to 255 fields in the input files and I can control the data type of the fields as I create them.
The code, if anyone cares, is
Function Layout()
Set db = CurrentDb()
Folder = DLookup("[data folder]", "folder")
Dim FSO As New FileSystemObject
Set flist = FSO.GetFolder(Folder).Files
db.Execute ("delete * from [data dictionary]")
For Each F In flist
FN = Left(F.Name, InStr(F.Name, ".") - 1)
FT = Mid(F.Name, InStr(F.Name, ".") + 1)
If FT <> "csv" Then GoTo Skip
If TestFile(F.path) = "ASCII" Then
Set instream = FSO.OpenTextFile(F.path, ForReading, , 0)
Else: Set instream = FSO.OpenTextFile(F.path, ForReading, , -1)
End If
header = instream.ReadLine
Data = Split(header, ",")
For i = LBound(Data) To UBound(Data)
SQL = "insert into [data dictionary] ([table], [field], [index]) select "
SQL = SQL & "'" & FN & "','" & Data(i) & "','" & i & "'"
db.Execute SQL
Next i
Skip: Next F
End Function
Function TestFile(ByVal path As String)
Dim buffer As String
Dim InFileNum As Integer
Dim firstByte As Integer
Dim secondByte As Integer
Dim thirdByte As Integer
buffer = String(100, " ")
InFileNum = FreeFile
Open path For Binary Access Read As InFileNum
Get InFileNum, , buffer
Close InFileNum
firstByte = Asc(Mid(buffer, 1, 1))
secondByte = Asc(Mid(buffer, 2, 1))
thirdByte = Asc(Mid(buffer, 3, 1))
If (firstByte = 255 And secondByte = 254) Then
TestFile = "Unicode"
ElseIf (firstByte = 254 And secondByte = 255) Then
TestFile = "Unicode"
ElseIf (firstByte = 239 And secondByte = 187 And thirdByte = 191) Then
TestFile = "Unicode"
Else
TestFile = "ASCII"
End If
End Function
Function import()
Folder = DLookup("[data folder]", "folder")
Set db = CurrentDb()
Dim FSO As New FileSystemObject
Set Tlist = db.OpenRecordset("select [table] from [data dictionary] where ([required]<>'') group by [table]")
Tlist.MoveFirst
Do While Not Tlist.EOF
TN = Tlist.Fields("table").Value
Delete_table (TN)
Set flist = db.OpenRecordset("select * from [data dictionary] where [required]<>'' and [table]='" & TN & "'")
flist.MoveFirst
Text = ""
Do While Not flist.EOF
FN = flist.Fields("Field")
Text = Text & "," & FN & " " & IIf(InStr(FN, "Date") > 0 Or InStr(FN, "_DT") > 0, "DATETIME", "TEXT")
flist.MoveNext
Loop
SQL = "CREATE TABLE " & TN & "(" & Mid(Text, 2) & ")"
db.Execute SQL
path = Folder & "\" & TN & ".csv"
If TestFile(path) = "ASCII" Then
Set instream = FSO.OpenTextFile(path, ForReading, , 0)
Else: Set instream = FSO.OpenTextFile(path, ForReading, , -1)
End If
header = instream.ReadLine
Do While Not instream.AtEndOfStream
Line = parser(instream.ReadLine)
Data = Split(Line, ",")
flist.MoveFirst
Text = ""
Do While Not flist.EOF
n = flist.Fields("index").Value
Text = Text & ",'" & Data(n) & "'"
flist.MoveNext
Loop
SQL = "insert into [" & TN & "] values(" & Mid(Text, 2) & ")"
db.Execute SQL
Loop
Tlist.MoveNext
Loop
x = MultipleCodes()
MsgBox ("done")
End Function
Function parser(S)
parser = S
i = InStr(S, Chr(34))
If i = 0 Then
parser = S
Else
j = InStr(i + 1, S, Chr(34))
T = Mid(S, i + 1, j - i - 1)
T = Replace(T, ",", ";")
parser = Left(S, i - 1) & T & parser(Mid(S, j + 1))
End If
End Function