Removing columns from a text file

I have a text file file ready to go into a Filemaker database. It has over 5000 rows, each containing over 500 columns. If I do a straight import I can only pull in the first 442 colums, but all records. I can't take it in via Excel for the same reason - column limit stops at 'IV' - never got that far before. Is there a way to remove columns from the file using php on a fgets() basis? I can identify which columns I can do without quite easily - certainly enough to pare the file down to a reasonable extent. An alternative would be to create a MySQL Table and drop columns there. Advice on best route would be welcome. Cheers George === George Pitcher HERON Technical Manager Ingenta plc 23-38 Hythe Bridge Street, Oxford, OX1 2ET T +44 (0)1865 799137 direct T +44 (0)1865 799000 switchboard F +44 (0)1865 799134 E george.pitcher@ingenta.com www.ingenta.com Ingenta: Empowering the exchange of academic and professional content online.