Re: to csv or not to csv

[Rex Couture <rex wustl edu>]

On 10/4/20 9:02 PM, John Denker via gnumeric-list wrote:
> In another forum  Morten Welinder commented:
>
> > The first rule of csv files is "don't use csv files".
> That scares me.  In just one of my directories, I just now counted
> two dozen .csv files created in the last 24 hours.  A total of 12
> megabytes today, just in this one directory.  There are others.
>
> My professional life depends on .csv files that I get from various
> sources. Data is available to me in that format, and often no other.


    For what it's worth, I routinely output .csv files from FORTRAN or 
Pascal programs, for automatic import and export from spreadsheets.  I 
was never able to import consistently into Excel.  As I recall, the main 
problem was due to interpretation of text fields that happen to contain 
separators.  For my application, reliability is essential, but I never 
managed to find a set of rules that worked consistently.

    Consequently, I standardized on Gnumeric.  With a little 
experimentation, the rules seemed simple and consistent, and I have 
never had a problem with import or export.  I have not had experience 
with files from outside my lab, however.

--

Rex Couture, Ph. D.
Dept. of Earth and Planetary Sciences
Campus Box 1169
Washington University in St. Louis
1 Brookings Dr.
St. Louis MO 63130

Voice:  (314) 935-4194
Fax:  (314) 935-7361
rex levee wustl edu