
CSV
Comma Semicolon Tab or Pipe and How to Pick a Delimiter
Comma, semicolon, tab or pipe? Measure how often each appears in real text, see what a decimal comma does to a file, and choose a delimiter with a reason.
9 min read
The format everyone exports and nobody specifies. Delimiters, quoting, encodings and loading it into a database intact.

Comma, semicolon, tab or pipe? Measure how often each appears in real text, see what a decimal comma does to a file, and choose a delimiter with a reason.

RFC 4180 is a four page memo, not a standard. Read its seven rules, the grammar quirks that surprise people, and how real files and readers drift from it.

A CSV file promises rows and delimiters and little else. See what six readers did with one awkward file, and how to read CSV without guessing.
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