4 ms·

If we’re imagining a parallel universe where things make sense, let’s get rid of CSV files altogether and use the ASCII field separator characters. https://en.w

• EvanAnderson 3y ago
  Yes. I did a project ETL'ing data that used the ASCII field and record separators once. It was a joy to deal with compared to CSV.
  • cpeterso 3y ago
    This is definitely the Right Thing, but how well did other software, such as text editors, handle or render the field and record separator characters? That you can’t directly enter these characters on a keyboard would be a minor annoyance.
    • EvanAnderson 3y ago
      The file I used was being generated by a partner company's ERP system so I didn't really have to make any files myself. Having said that, I use a lot of Notepad++ on Windows and using the ALT-029, ALT-028, etc, syntax generated the right codes for direct keyboard entry. They're displayed by Notepad++ as inverse text "RS", "GS", etc.
• mjevans 3y ago
  Is there any reason a 'csv' file can't use E.G. \\002 2 0x02 STX (start of text) OR \036 30 0x1E RS (record separator) as the record separator instead of a comma? The big reason CSV uses commas is to be human readable and editable, but otherwise...
  • ot1138 3y ago
    Ha, we used to do this in the 90s with double pipes || and triple pipes |||.
    • mjevans 3y ago
      IIRC PHP BB used || for data separators. The abstraction often leaked.
• deleted 3y ago
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