Reading between blank lines in external data files

Question

I have an external data file with several columns and thousands lines of data. For the sake of this question, let's assume that we use

I1 = Import["data.out","Table"];

to import a sample data file which is the following

data = {{2,-1,0},{-4,0,2},{7,5,-1},{},{8,1,-3},{-5,2,-3},{},{-4,-1,3},{3,7,2},{0,0,2},{}}

We see, that there are empty sub-lists {} corresponding to blank lines to the external data file. Also, at the end there is always a blank line. Each blank line acts as a separator distinguishing between different piles in the data file. So, my question is the following: how can plot using ListPlot like

S1 = ListPlot[Flatten[List /@ data[[All, {2, 3}]], 1], Joined -> True,
              Frame -> True, Axes -> False, AspectRatio -> 1, 
              PlotStyle -> {Black, PointSize[0.001]}]

all the different sets of data? In other words, how can I plot only the first sequence until the first blank line ({2,-1,0},{-4,0,2},{7,5,-1} according to the sample), or the data between let's say, 4rd and 5th blank lines, the last set, etc?

Answer 1

Since you have so much data I think something based on Position will give adequate speeds:

splitWhere[l_List, e_: {}] := Module[{
   pos = Flatten@{0, Position[l, e, 1, Heads->False]},
   spans},
  If[Last@l =!= e, AppendTo[pos, Length@l + 1]];
  spans = Span @@@ (# + {1, -1} & /@ Partition[pos, 2, 1]);
  l[[#]] & /@ spans
  ]
splitWhere[data];
(* {{{2, -1, 0}, {-4, 0, 2}, {7, 5, -1}},
    {{8, 1, -3}, {-5, 2, -3}},
    {{-4, -1, 3}, {3, 7, 2}, {0, 0, 2}}} *)

Here is an example plotting parts of the data:

(* Generate some data *)
data = RandomReal[1, {10000, 3}];
splitpos = RandomInteger[{1, 10000}, 200];
data[[splitpos]] = {};

(* Split and plot *)
splitData = splitWhere[data];//AbsoluteTiming  (* 0.003s *)
ListPlot[splitData[[{2, 5, 8}, All, {2, 3}]]]