How it works
- Point it at the text file; it outputs the full text and the lines separately.
- Files are read as UTF-8 unless the file says it uses a different encoding.
- An advanced maximum size, 10 MB by default, stops the step with an error rather than pulling a huge file into memory.
- It only reads, so dry runs behave the same as real runs.
Routines that use it
Search a log
Read a log file, use Find with a pattern to pull out an error line, and Show banner when one turns up.
Speak a reminder
Read a reminders file every morning and have Speak text read it aloud.
Work through a list
Read a file of web addresses and use For each on its lines to open them with Open URLs.
Settings
| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| Path | The text file. |
| Max sizeadvanced | Stop with an error when the file is bigger than this. |
Good to know
- Files bigger than the size limit (10 MB unless you change it) stop the step.
- A cloud "online only" file is not read.
Questions
- Can a routine read a file line by line?
- Yes. Read text file outputs the lines as a list as well as the whole text, so For each can step through them.
- Is there a size limit?
- By default it refuses files over 10 MB. You can change that limit in the step's advanced settings.