CSV
Previewing a CSV in the Terminal With column and less
Look at a CSV in the terminal with head, column -t, less -S, csvlook, qsv table and Miller, and learn where each one misleads you on quotes and encodings.
8 min read
Topic
Tooling
Clients, formatters, linters and CLIs worth installing. Small tools that save hours.
XMLGuide
XSLT and XQuery for Real Transformations Step by Step
A working guide to XSLT 1.0, 3.0 and XQuery on the same files: templates, grouping, enrichment, JSON output, parameters, debugging, speed and which to pick.
19 min read
Editor's pick
CSVGuide
Working With CSV Files in the Shell Without Opening Excel
A practical guide to CSV in the shell: coreutils, awk, csvkit, Miller, qsv and DuckDB compared on 2,000,000 rows, with the quoting rule and a triage script.
22 min read
XMLGuide
Parsing XML in Java C Sharp and Other Typed Languages
One XML file and one task in eight languages, with each output, the defaults that change your data, and how each treats absent, empty and bad values.
17 min read
XMLGuide
Handy Command Line Tools for XML Work in Daily Practice
The command-line tools that cover daily XML work: xmllint, xmlstarlet, xsltproc, xq and yq, with tested commands, timings, exit codes and the traps of each.
19 min read
XMLGuide
Common XML Formats You Will Meet in Real Work Reference
A reference to the XML formats you meet in practice: how to recognize each by root and namespace, what to extract, and the trap each one carries.
19 min read
XML
XPath Basics Selecting Nodes by Path in XML Documents
XPath basics on a small library document: absolute and relative paths, //, *, @ attributes, text(), the parent step and the node-set versus value results.
6 min read
XMLGuide
XPath Queries That Cover Most Real Needs in XML Work
A tested XPath guide: the twenty expressions that cover most needs, the traps (namespaces, positions, units, injection), tools, timings on 200,000 records.
18 min read
PostgreSQLGuide
Getting Fast With psql and Habits That Save Hours a Week
Get fast with psql: meta commands, a psqlrc, expanded output and pagers, scripts, variables, timing, editor integration, output to files and pgpass.
18 min read
PostgreSQLGuide
Setting Up PostgreSQL for Development Without Fighting It
Set up PostgreSQL for development: choose native or Docker, pick a version, create a user, connect, find the config files and fix common errors.
18 min read
YAMLGuide
YAML Syntax You Need to Stop Guessing At and Start Knowing
A complete guide to everyday YAML syntax: indentation, scalars, quoting, collections, block strings, anchors, null and versions, tested with real parsers.
19 min read
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