How to open a comma delimited CSV file in Excel? CSV data format. Learning and writing a review of the CSV format CSV extension

To find out how to open a CSV file, you should go to the list of installed programs on your computer. If there is MS Excel, Microsoft Outlook email client or any text editor, upload the document to it. Since the Microsoft office suite is installed on almost every PC, we named the software from it first. You can also try other applications:

• Microsoft Works
• Notepad
• Corel Quattro Pro
• IBM Lotus Symphony
• KSpread
• LabVIEW

How to open a CSV file in Excel

In order for the table creation program to correctly decrypt this document, you need to do one trick: open the file in any text editor and write “sep=” in the first line. That's it, now the application recognizes the comma delimiter and displays the content correctly!

What's in the CSV file

This is a regular text format for tabular data. Each line is one row in the table. Values ​​in individual columns are separated by commas. Because this extension is supported by many programs, CSV files can be used to import or export tabular data between different computer applications, such as a spreadsheet and a database.

The CSV format (Comma-Separated Values) is a regular text file format that contains a stream of text data separated by semicolons. The purpose of this technology is to present tabular data. Moreover, the format is universal. Using csv files, it is possible to present tables of any database, since the syntax of this format is as simple as possible and will be understandable to almost anyone who comes across it. All table records from the database, when converted to csv format, are converted to strings. Table cells in these lines are separated by commas or semicolons - special characters in the csv format. For example, an entry like this (excluding the quotes):
"Name; a country; language;
Moscow; Russia; Russian;
Berlin; Germany; German;
Tokyo; Japan; Japanese;"
will appear as a table when opened in Microsoft Excel or OpenOffice.org Calc. And in this table there will be three columns from the name of the country, its capital and the state language. Myself CSV format it also consists of three of its branch standards, the use of each of which is indicated by a special character that separates text data. So, if a semicolon is used, as in the example above, then this is SCSV, if just a comma - CSV and tab for TSV. Although often in practice all files of the three formats are summarized in CSV.

This table conversion technology is widely used in practice, even with the availability of many other tools, for example, the xml format. CSV has found its use among both web developers and mobile technology developers. It is used to import/export tables from various database management systems.

Disadvantages of CSV

The versatility and simplicity of this technology has its drawbacks. For example, the main one is a special character that is not uniform in all systems. That is, when importing or exporting, some systems that work with tables may not accept a semicolon and simply accept a comma. Therefore, you need to know which software recognizes which special character.

To others disadvantage of CSV is that in the code of a csv file you cannot use text in a cell, divided into several lines. When converting it, for example, to xls format, this cell will be divided into two lines.

P.S. If you already have your own website and you don’t need to transfer your database anywhere, then the csv format will not be useful to you in the near future. But, of course, knowledge about it will not be superfluous. Just like knowledge on how to make money on your own website. For example, you can learn about how to monetize a website using affiliate programs on the website Partnerskie-Programmy.org.

CSV (Comma-Separated Values) is a text format file that is designed to display tabular data. In this case, the columns are separated by a comma and a semicolon. Let's find out which applications can open this format.

As a rule, spreadsheet processors are used to view CSV content correctly, and text editors can also be used to edit them. Let's take a closer look at the algorithm of actions when opening this type of file with various programs.

Method 1: Microsoft Excel

Let's look at how to run CSV in the popular word processor Excel, which is included in the Microsoft Office package.

There is another method to go to "Text Master".

1. Move to section "Data". Click on an object "From the text", located in the block "Receiving external data".



2. The tool appears "Import a text file". Same as in the window "Opening a Document", here you need to go to the area where the object is located and mark it. There is no need to select formats because objects containing text will be displayed when using this tool. Click "Import".



3. Starts "Text Master". In its first window "Specify data format" put the radio button in position "With delimiters". In area "File format" there should be a parameter "Unicode (UTF-8)". Click "Further".



4. Now you need to perform a very important step, on which the correctness of the data display will depend. You must specify what exactly is considered a separator: a semicolon (;) or a comma (,). The fact is that different countries apply different standards in this regard. Thus, for English-language texts a comma is more often used, and for Russian-language texts a semicolon is used. But there are exceptions when delimiters are used in reverse. In addition, in very rare cases, other characters, such as a wavy line (~), are used as delimiters.

   Therefore, the user must determine for himself whether a particular character in this case serves as a delimiter or is a regular punctuation mark. He can do this by looking at the text that is displayed in the area "Sample of data parsing" and based on logic.

   

   After the user determines which character is the separator, in the group "The separator character is" you should check the box next to the item "Semicolon" or "Comma". All other checkboxes should be unchecked. Then press "Further".



5. After this, a window opens in which, by selecting a specific column in the area "Sample of data parsing", you can assign it a format for the correct display of information in the block "Column Data Format" by switching the radio button between the following positions:
   • skip column;
   • text;
   • date of;
   • general.

   After performing the manipulations, press "Ready".



6. A window appears asking where exactly to place the imported data on the sheet. By switching the radio button, you can do this on a new or existing sheet. In the latter case, you can also specify the exact location coordinates in the corresponding field. In order not to enter them manually, just place the cursor in this field, and then select on the sheet the cell that will become the upper left element of the array where the data will be added. After setting the coordinates, press "OK".



7. The contents of the object will be displayed in the Excel sheet.

Method 2: LibreOffice Calc

Another spreadsheet processor, Calc, included in the LibreOffice build, can also run CSV.

1. Launch LibreOffice. Click "Open file" or use Ctrl+O.

   

   You can also navigate through the menu by pressing "File" And "Open…".

   

   In addition, you can access the opening window directly through the Calc interface. To do this, while in LibreOffice Calc, click on the folder icon or type Ctrl+O.

   

   Another option involves sequential transition point by point "File" And "Open…".



2. Using any of the many options listed will cause a window to appear "Open". Navigate to the location of the CSV, mark it and click "Open".

   

   But you can even do without opening the window "Open". To do this, drag the CSV from "Conductor" at LibreOffice.



3. The tool appears "Import text", which is an analogue "Text Masters" in Excel. The advantage is that in this case you will not have to navigate between different windows when making import settings, since all the necessary parameters are located in one window.

   Go straight to the settings group "Import". In area "Encoding" select value "Unicode (UTF-8)", if it shows otherwise. In area "Language" select the text language. In area "From the Line" you need to indicate which line you should start importing content from. In most cases, you do not need to change this setting.

   Next we move on to the group "Separator Options". First of all, you need to set the radio button to position "Delimiter". Next, using the same principle that was discussed when using Excel, you need to indicate by checking the box next to a certain item what exactly will play the role of a separator: a semicolon or a comma.

   "Other options" leave unchanged.

   You can preview exactly what the imported information looks like when changing certain settings at the bottom of the window. After entering all the necessary parameters, press "OK".



4. The content will be displayed through the LibreOffice Calc interface.

Method 3: OpenOffice Calc

You can view CSV using another spreadsheet processor - OpenOffice Calc.

1. Launch OpenOffice. In the main window, click "Open…" or use Ctrl+O.

   

   You can also use the menu. To do this, go through the points "File" And "Open…".

   

   As when using the method with the previous program, you can get to the object opening window directly through the Calc interface. In this case, you need to click on the icon in the folder image or apply the same Ctrl+O.

   

   You can also use the menu by going through the items "File" And "Open…".



2. In the opening window that appears, go to the CSV placement area, select this object and click "Open".

   

   You can do without launching this window by simply dragging the CSV from "Conductor" in OpenOffice.



3. Any of the many described actions will activate the window "Import text", which is very similar in both appearance and functionality to a tool with the same name in LibreOffice. Accordingly, perform exactly the same actions. In the fields "Encoding" And "Language" exhibit "Unicode (UTF-8)" and the language of the current document, respectively.

   In the block "Separator Options" place a radio button next to the item "Delimiter", then check the box for that item ( "Semicolon" or "Comma"), which corresponds to the delimiter type in the document.

   After completing these steps, if the data in the preview form displayed at the bottom of the window is displayed correctly, click "OK".



4. The data will be successfully displayed through the OpenOffice Calc interface.

Method 4: Notepad

You can use regular Notepad for editing.

Method 5: Notepad++

You can also open it using a more advanced text editor - Notepad++.

Method 6: Safari

You can view the content in text form without the ability to edit it in the Safari browser. Most other popular browsers do not provide this feature.

Method 7: Microsoft Outlook

Some CSV objects represent emails exported from an email client. They can be viewed using Microsoft Outlook by performing the import procedure.

1. Launch Outlook. After opening the program, go to the tab "File". Then click "Open" in the side menu. Next click "Import".



2. Starts "Master of Import and Export". Select from the list provided "Import from another program or file". Click "Further".



3. In the next window, you must select the type of object to import. If we are going to import CSV, then we need to select a position "Comma Separated Values ​​(Windows)". Click "Further".



4. In the next window, click "Review…".



5. A window appears "Review". In it you should go to the place where the letter in CSV format is located. Mark this item and click "OK".



6. There is a return to the window "Masters of Import and Export". As you can see, in the area "File to import" an address has been added to the location of the CSV object. In the block "Options" settings can be left as default. Click "Further".



7. Then you need to mark the folder in your mailbox in which you want to place the imported correspondence.



8. The next window will display the name of the action that will be performed by the program. Just click here "Ready".



9. After this, to view the imported data, move to the tab "Sending and Receiving". In the side area of ​​the program interface, select the folder where the letter was imported. Then a list of letters located in this folder will appear in the central part of the program. Just double-click on the desired letter with the left mouse button.



10. The email imported from the CSV object will be opened in Outlook.

It is worth noting, however, that this method can not run all CSV format objects, but only letters whose structure meets a certain standard, namely containing fields: subject, text, sender's address, recipient's address, etc.

As you can see, there are quite a lot of programs for opening CSV format objects. Typically, it is best to view the contents of such files in spreadsheet processors. Editing can be done as text in text editors. In addition, there are separate CSVs with a specific structure that specialized programs, such as email clients, work with.

The CSV format is a text format designed for presenting tabular data. The first line contains the names of the columns, and the next lines contain the data itself. The contents of the columns are separated by a comma.

The data in the file must be in UTF-8 encoding.

Note.

The data in the example is presented in UTF-8 encoding.

To view the example in LibreOffice, you need to import the text. In this case, select the encoding UTF-8, the delimiter is “comma”, the text separator is " \"(double quotes)".

To view an example in Excel, open the saved file through the menu Data → Receiving external data→ From the text. Select UTF-8 encoding, comma delimiter, line delimiter "\"(double quotes)".

Description of elements

Preparing the file

To set up automatic daily updates of your branch data:

Prepare a file in CSV format. The data must be in UTF-8 encoding.

Upload the file to your website using an updated link.

The data must be accessible via HTTP or HTTPS.

Uploading a file in the interface

On the network page, go to the Branches section. In the block Branch management choose File .

If the file verification was successful, click the button Test results. In the window that opens, check the changes in the branches. The map can show up to 50 branches with changes. Click That's right, start loading into the database. The data from the file will undergo moderation and will be uploaded to the Directory database. If there is a large amount of data, downloading may take several days.forms. Please include your organization's current email address and phone number in your message. If we have any questions about the uploaded file, we will contact you.

New data will appear on Yandex.Maps within seven days after uploading a correctly formatted file.

Exercise. 3

1. Introduction. 4

2. General information. 5

3. Data structure in the file. 6

3.1. Records. 6

3.2. Fields (columns) 6

3.2 Separators. 7

3.3 End of recording marker. 7

4. Record the title. 9

5. Data field protection. 9

5.1 Double quotes for protection... 9

5.2 Double double quotes. 10

6. Example implementation. eleven

7. Libraries for working with the format.. 12

8. Test program. 13

Literature. 14

Exercise

1. Research and write a review of the CSV format.

2. Write a review of freely distributed libraries available on the network that implement reading/writing data in a specified format/description language or sending data for a specified protocol or I/O interface and interface with modules in C/C++.

3. Write a procedure for reading data in the specified format.

4. Write a procedure for recording data in the specified format.

5. Write a function for receiving/transmitting data using the specified protocol or I/O interface.

6. Construct test data sets to test all types of data elements used in the specified format.

1. Introduction

CSV(from English Comma-Separated Values- values ​​separated by commas) is a text format intended for presenting tabular data. Each line of the file is one row of the table. The values ​​of individual columns are separated by a delimiter character - a comma (,).

A CSV file can be thought of as storing data from the producer application to being read by the consumer application. Their main function is to store text data and are not designed for binary data.

2. General information

A CSV file consists of two types of data: payload and tokens. The payload is what is written in the producer's application and read in the consumer's application. Markers are used to organize payloads within a CSV file.

The following rules apply to all files CSV:

1 The file extension must be *.csv, regardless of the type of markers.

This ensures that the file and tokens are read correctly. Three common 8-bit encodings are 1252, ISO/IEC 8859-1, and UTF-8.

3 Apart from markers, nothing should be written in ASCII encoding.

A CSV file is not designed to store binary data. This rule prohibits the use of most ASCII control characters.

4 The CSV file must contain at least one entry.

The CSV file must not be empty (zero length) or contain only the logical end. The minimum number of records a CSV file must contain is one header record, which can be followed by 0 or more data records.

3. Data structure in the file

3.1. Records.

A record in a CSV file consists of two parts: the main data with delimiters and the end of record marker. (Fig.1)

Figure 1. Structure of records in a CSV file.

3.2. Fields (columns)

CSVs are typically used to store uniform tabular data. When viewed in a table, the data within the CSV is visually arranged into multiple rows (records) and columns (fields). Hence the term column field.

With a fixed field length, the relative location of each field within a record must be fixed. However, CSV is a file format that allows variable length records. This allows significant space savings compared to fixed-length formats. To implement this approach, a payload separation marker is used, which indicates the transition from one field to another. The field separator is one character.

There is also a header entry. Therefore, it is very important that the fields in the record appear in the given order.

Figure 2 shows where separating characters (SEPs) are used in a record. The entire record can only consist of delimiters.

Figure 2. Record format in a CSV file.

3.2 Separators

Although the file format name Comma-Separated Values- values ​​separated by commas assumes a comma as a field separator; some applications also use other characters.

The following rules apply for the delimiter:

1 The field separator must be one character.

2 Once a character is selected, the same character must be used throughout the entire file.

3 The application manufacturer must use a comma (ASCII 0x2C) as a field separator.

This rule raises one of the most difficult issues developers face when implementing code to process a CSV file: delimiters embedded in the payload.