in reply to csv to flat-file

It just struck me that Perl already knows how to deal with csv data without needing any modules or clever regexes. 

C:\test>type junk.txt
1, 1.2, -3000, fred, "bill & ben", "there's no business like show busi
+ness", 'stuff, with, commas'

C:\test>perl -ne "my @a; eval qq[\@a = ($_);];print qq[@a],$/" junk.tx
+t
1 1.2 -3000 fred bill & ben there's no business like show business stu
+ff, with, commas

C:\test>

[download]

A list assignment is a very proficient parser for csv data.

Update:Having seen the update that you want the fields newline delimited, this should handle most forms of csv file. 

C:\test>perl -ne "my @a; eval qq[\@a = ($_);];print $_, $/ for @a" jun
+k.txt
1
1.2
-3000
fred
bill & ben
there's no business like show business
stuff, with, commas

C:\test>

[download]

Okay you lot, get your wings on the left, halos on the right. It's one size fits all, and "No!", you can't have a different color.
Pick up your cloud down the end and "Yes" if you get allocated a grey one they are a bit damp under foot, but someone has to get them.
Get used to the wings fast cos its an 8 hour day...unless the Govenor calls for a cyclone or hurricane, in which case 16 hour shifts are mandatory.
Just be grateful that you arrived just as the tornado season finished. Them buggers are real work.

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Re^2: csv to flat-file
by diotalevi (Canon) on Nov 28, 2002 at 16:23 UTC

    That's just scary. If you're going to solve things that way then just use something like perl -naF, -e 'INIT{ $, = $/ } print @F'. It's going to be more direct and not make tons of eval STRING calls.

    Update: There aren't any quoted commas in the original example - this still works fine for normal comma delimited data anyway. (no quoting/escaping allowed)

    __SIG__
use B;
printf "You are here %08x\n", unpack "L!", unpack "P4", pack
  "L!", B::svref_2object(sub{})->OUTSIDE;

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[select]

      Then main reason is because your version doesn't work. Given this file 

      C:\test>type junk.txt
1, 1.2, -3000, fred, "bill & ben", "there's no business like show busi
+ness", 'stuff, with, commas'

      [download]

      Your version does this. 

      C:\test>perl -naF, -e"INIT{ $,=$/} print @F" junk.txt
1
  1.2
  -3000
  fred
  "bill & ben"
  "there's no business like show business"
  'stuff
  with
  commas'

      [download]

      Note

      • the extra space at the beginning of every line except the first.
      • the unstripped quotes
      • the quoted string with embedded commas split into seperate fields.

      Whereas my version does this. 

      C:\test>perl -ne "my @a; eval qq[\@a = ($_);];print $_, $/ for @a" jun
+k.txt
1
1.2
-3000
fred
bill & ben
there's no business like show business
stuff, with, commas

      [download]

      I'm not sure what you have against using eval? Your exercising the very same parser everytime you do a list assignment in your program code.

      Okay you lot, get your wings on the left, halos on the right. It's one size fits all, and "No!", you can't have a different color.
      Pick up your cloud down the end and "Yes" if you get allocated a grey one they are a bit damp under foot, but someone has to get them.
      Get used to the wings fast cos its an 8 hour day...unless the Govenor calls for a cyclone or hurricane, in which case 16 hour shifts are mandatory.
      Just be grateful that you arrived just as the tornado season finished. Them buggers are real work.

[reply]
[d/l]
[select]

        I suppose. You are still counting on there not being any perl key words being present in the data which was my primary objection.

        __SIG__
use B;
printf "You are here %08x\n", unpack "L!", unpack "P4", pack
  "L!", B::svref_2object(sub{})->OUTSIDE;

        [download]
[reply]
[d/l]

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