From: Maik Schmidt <contact@...>
Date: 2005-06-03T05:05:23+09:00
Subject: Re: Nuby problem w/CSV, tab-delimited files & embedded double-quotes

rpardee@comcast.net wrote:
> Hey All,
> 
> I've got a file of tab-delimited data that I need to read in.  Up until
> today this approach has worked wonderfully:
> 
>    this_file = CSV.open(decrypted_file, "r", "\t")
>    header = this_file.shift
>    this_file.each do |line|
>       # do stuff w/line here
>    end
>    this_file.close
> 
> But today's file has an entry w/a pair of double-quotes around it.  So
> now I get:
> 
> c:/program files/ruby/lib/ruby/1.8/CSV.rb:639:in `get_row':
> CSV::IllegalFormatError (CSV::IllegalFormatError)
> 	from c:/program files/ruby/lib/ruby/1.8/CSV.rb:556:in `each'
> 
> I've looked through the rubydocs on CSV & am not finding a method for
> telling CSV to expect double-quotes in the file.  Is there such a
> thing?
> 
> Thanks!
> 
> -Roy
> 
> P.S. I believe the following illustrates the problem--the "F" street
> entry line does not seem to parse:
> 
> require "CSV"        # Lib for working with comma-separated-values
> files
> 
> somedata = <<END_OF_FILE
> userid	line1
> 1-2700	1313 Mockingbird Lane
> 2-2706	7100 58th Ave SE
> 4-2718	128 S. "F" Street
> 3-2712	45 600th Ave. NE
> END_OF_FILE

The problem is that there's no CSV standard. The Ruby CSV library 
requires you to put values containing quotes into quotes themselves. In 
addition, you have to double the quotes within the quotes, i.e.

4-2718	"128 S. ""F"" Street"

will do it.

Cheers

Maik