'This uses a streamreader to find a customer's last name in a textfile.


  Public Function FindCustomer(ByRef name2Find As String, ByRef last As String, ByRef first As String, ByRef tele As String, ByRef fax As String, ByRef foundIt As Boolean) As Boolean
        '---the parameters in this method MUST be declared ByRef so we can change their values since they were defined in another form.

        Dim lineFromFile As String         'the data in each line of the file
        foundIt = False                        'declared in the search form


        Try
            Using myReader As StreamReader = New StreamReader(customerDataFile)

                Do Until myReader.EndOfStream
                    lineFromFile = myReader.ReadLine      'read a line

                    If lineFromFile.ToUpper.Trim = name2Find.ToUpper.Trim Then   'match?
                        last = lineFromFile
                        first = myReader.ReadLine
                        tele = myReader.ReadLine
                        fax = myReader.ReadLine
                        foundIt = True
                        Exit Do                           'no reason to keep looking
                    End If
                Loop
            End Using
        Catch
            MessageBox.Show("An error occurred while searching the data file.", msgTitle, _
                 MessageBoxButtons.OK, MessageBoxIcon.Error)
            Return False
        End Try

    End Function