java.util.scanner - Reading in values from a tab delimited .txt file -

i attempting read in values tab delimited text file , store them arraylists. issue values such ethnicity , gang may contain multiple strings separated single space. there way make may read in strings until next tab? thank in advance.

while (file.hasnext()) // creates while loop using scanner, in                             // store values in arraylist until runs out                             // of values     {         // stores values tab delimited file in specified variable each         // time while loop run         serial = file.next();         last = file.next();         middle = file.next();         first = file.next();         soc = file.next();         birth = file.next();         ethnicity = file.next();         height = file.next();         weight = file.next();         gang = file.next();         reason = file.next();         datein = file.next();         dateout = file.next();         parole = file.next();         cell = file.next();          // stores values variables above in defined array list         seriallist.add(i, serial);         lastlist.add(i, last);         middlelist.add(i, middle);         firstlist.add(i, first);         soclist.add(i, soc);         birthlist.add(i, birth);         ethnicitylist.add(i, ethnicity);         heightlist.add(i, height);         weightlist.add(i, weight);         ganglist.add(i, gang);         reasonlist.add(i, reason);         dateinlist.add(i, datein);         dateoutlist.add(i, dateout);         parolelist.add(i, parole);         celllist.add(i, cell);         i++; // increases value each time loop runs     } 

assuming file line-separated. should read file line line.

fis = new fileinputstream("the_file_name"); br = new bufferedreader(new inputstreamreader(fis, charset.forname("utf-8"))); while ((line = br.readline()) != null) {      values = line.split("\t");      serial = values[0];      last = values[1];       ...  } 

if want array of space-separated values, call values[6].split(" ");