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csv(n)                                         CSV processing                                         csv(n)



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NAME
       csv - Procedures to handle CSV data.

SYNOPSIS
       package require Tcl  8.3

       package require csv  ?0.7.1?

       ::csv::iscomplete data

       ::csv::join values {sepChar ,} {delChar "}

       ::csv::joinlist values {sepChar ,} {delChar "}

       ::csv::joinmatrix matrix {sepChar ,} {delChar "}

       ::csv::read2matrix ?-alternate? chan m {sepChar ,} {expand none}

       ::csv::read2queue ?-alternate? chan q {sepChar ,}

       ::csv::report cmd matrix ?chan?

       ::csv::split ?-alternate? line {sepChar ,} {delChar "}

       ::csv::split2matrix ?-alternate? m line {sepChar ,} {expand none}

       ::csv::split2queue ?-alternate? q line {sepChar ,}

       ::csv::writematrix m chan {sepChar ,} {delChar "}

       ::csv::writequeue q chan {sepChar ,} {delChar "}

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DESCRIPTION
       The csv package provides commands to manipulate information in CSV FORMAT (CSV = Comma Separated Val-ues). Values).
       ues).

COMMANDS
       The following commands are available:

       ::csv::iscomplete data
              A predicate checking if the argument data is a complete csv record. The result  is  a  boolean
              flag indicating the completeness of the data. The result is true if the data is complete.

       ::csv::join values {sepChar ,} {delChar "}
              Takes a list of values and returns a string in CSV format containing these values. The separa-tor separator
              tor character can be defined by the caller, but this is optional.  The  default  is  ",".  The
              quoting character can be defined by the caller, but this is optional. The default is '"'.

       ::csv::joinlist values {sepChar ,} {delChar "}
              Takes  a  list  of lists of values and returns a string in CSV format containing these values.
              The separator character can be defined by the caller, but this is  optional.  The  default  is
              ",".  The quoting character can be defined by the caller, but this is optional. The default is
              '"'.  Each element of the outer list is considered a record, these are separated  by  newlines
              in the result. The elements of each record are formatted as usual (via ::csv::join).

       ::csv::joinmatrix matrix {sepChar ,} {delChar "}
              Takes a matrix object following the API specified for the struct::matrix package and returns a
              string in CSV format containing these values. The separator character can be  defined  by  the
              caller,  but this is optional. The default is ",". The quoting character can be defined by the
              caller, but this is optional. The default is '"'. Each row  of  the  matrix  is  considered  a
              record, these are separated by newlines in the result. The elements of each record are format-ted formatted
              ted as usual (via ::csv::join).

       ::csv::read2matrix ?-alternate? chan m {sepChar ,} {expand none}
              A wrapper around ::csv::split2matrix (see below) reading CSV-formatted lines from  the  speci-fied specified
              fied channel (until EOF) and adding them to the given matrix. For an explanation of the expand
              argument see ::csv::split2matrix.

       ::csv::read2queue ?-alternate? chan q {sepChar ,}
              A wrapper around ::csv::split2queue (see below) reading CSV-formatted lines from the specified
              channel (until EOF) and adding them to the given queue.

       ::csv::report cmd matrix ?chan?
              A  report command which can be used by the matrix methods format 2string and format 2chan. For
              the latter this command delegates the work to ::csv::writematrix. cmd is expected to be either
              printmatrix or printmatrix2channel. The channel argument, chan, has to be present for the lat-ter latter
              ter and must not be present for the first.

       ::csv::split ?-alternate? line {sepChar ,} {delChar "}
              converts a line in CSV format into a list of the values contained in the line.  The  character
              used  to  separate  the  values from each other can be defined by the caller, via sepChar, but
              this is optional. The default is ",". The quoting character can be defined by the caller,  but
              this is optional. The default is '"'.

              If  the  option -alternate is spcified a slightly different syntax is used to parse the input.
              This syntax is explained below, in the section FORMAT.

       ::csv::split2matrix ?-alternate? m line {sepChar ,} {expand none}
              The same as ::csv::split, but appends the resulting list as a new row to the matrix  m,  using
              the method add row. The expansion mode specified via expand determines how the command handles
              a matrix with less columns than contained in line. The allowed modes are:

              none   This is the default mode. In this mode it is the responsibility of the caller to ensure
                     that  the  matrix  has enough columns to contain the full line. If there are not enough
                     columns the list of values is silently truncated at the end to fit.

              empty  In this mode the command expands an empty matrix to hold all columns of  the  specified
                     line,  but  goes  no further. The overall effect is that the first of a series of lines
                     determines the number of columns in the matrix and all following lines are truncated to
                     that size, as if mode none was set.

              auto   In  this mode the command expands the matrix as needed to hold all columns contained in
                     line. The overall effect is that after adding a series of lines the  matrix  will  have
                     enough columns to hold all columns of the longest line encountered so far.

       ::csv::split2queue ?-alternate? q line {sepChar ,}
              The  same  as  ::csv::split, but appending the resulting list as a single item to the queue q,
              using the method put.

       ::csv::writematrix m chan {sepChar ,} {delChar "}
              A wrapper around ::csv::join taking all rows in the matrix m and writing  them  CSV  formatted
              into the channel chan.

       ::csv::writequeue q chan {sepChar ,} {delChar "}
              A wrapper around ::csv::join taking all items in the queue q (assumes that they are lists) and
              writing them CSV formatted into the channel chan.


FORMAT
       The format of regular CSV files is specified as

       [1]    Each record of a csv file (comma-separated values, as exported e.g. by  Excel)  is  a  set  of
              ASCII values separated by ",". For other languages it may be ";" however, although this is not
              important for this case as the functions provided here allow any separator character.

       [2]    If and only if a value contains itself the separator ",", then it (the value) has  to  be  put
              between "". If the value does not contain the separator character then quoting is optional.

       [3]    If a value contains the character ", that character is represented by "".

       [4]    The output string "" represents the value ". In other words, it is assumed that it was created
              through rule 3, and only this rule, i.e. that the value was not quoted.


       An alternate format definition mainly used by MS products specifies that the output string ""  is  an
       representatation of the empty string. In other words, it is assumed that the output was generated out
       of the empty string by quoting it (i.e. rule 2), and not through rule 3. This is the only  difference
       between the regular and the alternate format.

       The alternate format is activated through specification of the option -alternate to the various split
       commands.

EXAMPLE
       Using the regular format the record


       123,"123,521.2","Mary says ""Hello, I am Mary""",""


       is parsed into the items


       a) 123
       b) 123,521.2
       c) Mary says "Hello, I am Mary"
       d) (the empty string)


       Using the alternate format the result is


       a) 123
       b) 123,521.2
       c) Mary says "Hello, I am Mary"
       d) "

       instead. As can be seen only item (d) is different, now a " instead of the empty string.

BUGS, IDEAS, FEEDBACK
       This document, and the package it describes,  will  undoubtedly  contain  bugs  and  other  problems.
       Please   report   such   in   the   category   csv   of   the   Tcllib  SF  Trackers  [http://source-
       forge.net/tracker/?group_id=12883].  Please also report any ideas for enhancements you may  have  for
       either package and/or documentation.

SEE ALSO
       matrix, queue

KEYWORDS
       csv, matrix, package, queue, tcllib

COPYRIGHT
       Copyright (c) 2002-2008 Andreas Kupries <andreas_kupries@users.sourceforge.net>




csv                                                 0.7.1                                             csv(n)