CSV Files

CSV files are a flat file format describing values in a table.

Each record consists of M values, separated by commas. However, the last value is not followed by a comma.

Double quotes are used as escape characters. A string with a comma can be delimited by double quotes so that that comma is not misinterpreted as a field separator.

To de-escape a double quote, that is, to use it literally, use two double quotes.

A final, unmatched, double quote on a line indicates that that line is to be continued on the next line.

Licensing:

The computer code and data files described and made available on this web page are distributed under the GNU LGPL license.

Sample CSV Files:

• addresses.csv, an example file with 6 records. There are 6 fields.
• cities.csv, an example file with 128 records. There are 10 fields.
• example.csv, an example file with 2 records. The first is a header line. There are 78 fields.
• grades.csv, an example file with 16 records and 9 fields: First name, Last Name, SSN, Test1, Test2, Test3, Test4, Final, Grade.

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