PocketCsvReader is a lightweight library dedicated to the parsing of delimited flat file such as CSV or TSV files. The main function is to read the content of the file and load it into a DataTable.
PocketCsvReader is a highly efficient and lightweight library tailored for parsing delimited flat files like CSV and TSV. With a focus on simplicity and performance, it offers seamless file reading and supports versatile outputs, including DataTables, string arrays, strongly-typed object mapping and an IDataReader interface. Designed for projects requiring rapid data ingestion with minimal configuration, PocketCsvReader is a dependable solution for handling structured flat-file data effortlessly.
The CsvReader class is a flexible and efficient tool for reading and parsing CSV files or streams into various formats, such as DataTable, IDataReader, or strongly-typed objects. This documentation explains the basics of how to use the class, including common use cases and examples.
Features
Read CSV files or streams into a DataTable.
Access CSV data in a forward-only, read-only manner using IDataReader.
Map CSV records to strongly-typed objects.
Map CSV records to array of strings.
Customizable CSV parsing profiles for delimiters, quote handling, and more.
Supports encoding detection through the IEncodingDetector interface.
Initialization
You can create an instance of CsvReader with various configurations:
// Default configuration: comma-delimited, double quotes for escaping, 4 KB buffer size.
var csvReader = new CsvReader();
// Custom CSV profile (e.g., semicolon-delimited, double quotes for escaping).
var csvReaderWithProfile = new CsvReader(CsvProfile.SemiColumnDoubleQuote);
// Custom buffer size for large files.
var csvReaderWithBuffer = new CsvReader(bufferSize: 64 * 1024);
// Both custom profile and buffer size.
var csvReaderCustom = new CsvReader(CsvProfile.SemiColumnDoubleQuote, bufferSize: 16 * 1024);
Reading CSV Data
Reading Into a DataTable
The ToDataTable method reads CSV data and returns a DataTable containing all rows and fields.
using var stream = new FileStream("example.csv", FileMode.Open, FileAccess.Read);
DataTable dataTable = csvReader.ToDataTable(stream);
Accessing Data with IDataReader
The ToDataReader method provides a forward-only, read-only CsvDataReader implementing IDataReader for processing large files efficiently.
using var stream = new FileStream("example.csv", FileMode.Open, FileAccess.Read);
using var reader = csvReader.ToDataReader(stream);
while (reader.Read())
{
Console.WriteLine(reader[0]); // Access the first column of the current row.
Console.WriteLine(reader.GetDateTime(1)); // Access the second column of the current row as an object boxing a DateTime.
Console.WriteLine(reader.GetFieldValue<DateOnly>(2); // Access the third column of the current row as DateOnly.
}
Reading as Arrays
using var stream = new FileStream("example.csv", FileMode.Open, FileAccess.Read);
foreach (var record in csvReader.ToArrayString(stream))
{
Console.WriteLine(string.Join(", ", record));
}
Mapping Records to Strongly-Typed Objects
The To<T> method maps CSV records to objects of a specified type.
public class Person
{
public string FirstName { get; set; }
public string LastName { get; set; }
public int Age { get; set; }
}
using var stream = new FileStream("example.csv", FileMode.Open, FileAccess.Read);
IEnumerable<Person> people = csvReader.To<Person>(stream);
foreach (var person in people)
{
Console.WriteLine($"{person.FirstName} {person.LastName}, Age: {person.Age}");
}
