# Having problems with importing data in .dat format

I have a .dat file from FORTRAN output and I am trying to plot the results. The dat file is a series of rows with the row number as the first column. Now, every other row is empty, that may be problematic. I am trying to plot the second column vs the third column (not the row nr that is, but the actual data). I can´t get the second and third column into an individual array. This is what I am trying to do

data = Import["C:\\Users....file.dat","Table"]
Grid[data]
1 1 0

2 0.999398 -0.000086244

3 0.997592 -0.000344186

4 0.994588 -0.000772091


Every other row in the table is empty, that is:

{}, {1, 1., 0.}, {}, {2, 0.999398, -0.000086244}, {},

I am trying to do

x = data[[ALL, 2]]


But I receive an error informing me that ALL is not an integer

Part::pspec: Part specification ALL is neither an integer nor a list of integers


How can I take all the values in the column 2 and 3 and store them in an individual arrays. If the empty rows will be problematic, how can I get rid of them?

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Have a look at "IgnoreEmptyLines" here reference.wolfram.com/mathematica/ref/format/Table.html – Ajasja Feb 8 '13 at 19:26
All right, thanks guys, I got it. – l3win Feb 8 '13 at 19:38
@l3win make sure to upvote and accept the answer if it helped you. – Ajasja Feb 8 '13 at 19:43
Check your spelling: It is All, not ALL – Thomas Feb 8 '13 at 20:11
Do you have spaces between the entries in each row? Fortran doesn't do that by default, I know. – Szabolcs Feb 8 '13 at 20:48

A few possibilities:

data = {{1, 2, 3}, {}, {4, 5, 6}, {}, {7, 8, 9}, {}}


And then any of these should work:

Cases[data, Except[{}]]

Select[data, # =!= {} &]

DeleteCases[data, {}]

data[[1 ;; -1 ;; 2]]

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