How to count columns

Hi Dan, thanks for helping. Here is what I did and did not quite working as expected because the end of list row got included as an empty element in my array

For this test, so that I can see the result on my cfdump, I replaced tab delimiters with bar (|) delimiters.

John|Bates| | |123 test Road|Catonsville |MD|21212 | || | | || |X

Betty|Smith| | |345 My Road|Baltimore|MD|21218 | || | | || |X

Here is what I did: 

<cffile action="READ" file="/www/fileLocation/#session.userid#/#FileName#" variable="MyFile">

<CFSET fileContents = #Replace(MyFile,chr(9),"|", "ALL")#>

<cfset arr_Rows = #ListToArray(fileContents,crlf,TRUE)#>

<cfdump var="#arr_Rows#"> ------------> I saw extra array elements with blank value after array element X

                                                         So it looks like: 

| John|Bates| | |123 test Road|Catonsville |MD|21212 | || | | || |X  

|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

| blank value element

|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

|| Betty|Smith| | |345 My Road|Baltimore|MD|21218 | || | | || |X

|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

|| blank value element

|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------



I'm looping each of the above element to count the column. (See below)

and when it reach blank element, it throw error because there is no column.



<CFLOOP index="i" array="#arr_Rows#">  </CFLOOP>

        <cfdump var="#ArrayLen(ListToArray(i,"|",TRUE))#> ----------> In here the count and array looks correct                                                        

                                                         -----------------

                                                         John

                                                         ------------------

                                                         Bates

                                                         ------------------

                                                         123 test Rd

                                                         ------------------

                                                         Catonsville

                                                         ------------------

                                                         MD

                                                         ------------------

                                                         21212

                                                         ------------------

                                                         ------------------

                                                         ------------------

                                                         ------------------

                                                         ------------------

                                                         ------------------

                                                         ------------------

                                                         ------------------                                                                                                       

                                                         X

                                                         ------------------                                                 

  <CFELSE>

        <cfdump var="#ArrayLen(ListToArray(i,"|",TRUE))#> -------> this is where it caught the blank element, which is the last element that should not be there.

    </CFIF>