The VersaTul Data FileReader is a small library that provides simple, testable file-reading helpers to produce IDataReader instances from common file formats. It focuses on CSV and plain text files and exposes a thin abstraction so callers can easily obtain forward-only readers that integrate with other data-processing or bulk-copy components.
Get Started
$ dotnet add package VersaTul.Data.FileReaderReadme
VersaTul Data.FileReader
VersaTul.Data.FileReader is a small library that provides simple, testable file-reading helpers to produce IDataReader instances from common file formats. It focuses on CSV and plain text files and exposes a thin abstraction so callers can easily obtain forward-only readers that integrate with other data-processing or bulk-copy components.
Features
- Read a single file (CSV or text) and obtain an
IDataReader. - Enumerate and read files from a directory based on extension filters.
- Pluggable readers via
ICsvReaderandITextReaderinterfaces so you can replace or mock readers in tests. - Supports options such as whether CSV files contain a header row via
IOptions/FileOptions. - Returns readers wrapped so underlying streams are disposed when the reader is disposed.
Key types
-
IFileReader- high-level API for reading a single file or all files in a directory:IDataReader? Read(string directoryPath, string filename, IOptions options)IEnumerable<IDataReader> Read(string directoryPath, IOptions options)
-
ICsvReader- CSV-specific reader that returns anIDataReaderfor a given file path and options. -
ITextReader- Plain-text reader that returns anIDataReaderfor a given file path and options. -
IOptions/FileOptions- Options to control reading behavior (for exampleHasHeaderandExtensionFilters). -
DisposableDataReader- wrapper that ensures both the returned reader and its underlying stream are disposed together.
Installation
This project is typically consumed as part of the larger VersaTul solution. If distributed as a NuGet package, install it using:
dotnet add package VersaTul.Data.FileReader
Quick usage
Read a single CSV file:
var fileReader = new DataFileReader(fileUtility, csvReader, textReader);
var options = new FileOptions { HasHeader = true };
using var reader = fileReader.Read("C:\\path\\to", "file.csv", options);
if (reader != null)
{
while (reader.Read())
{
// process columns via reader.GetValue(i) or reader.GetString(i)
}
}
Read all CSV and text files from a directory (respecting options.ExtensionFilters):
var options = new FileOptions { HasHeader = true, ExtensionFilters = new [] { ExtensionFilters.CSV, ExtensionFilters.TEXT } };
var readers = fileReader.Read("C:\\path\\to", options);
foreach (var r in readers)
{
using (r)
{
while (r.Read()) { /* process row */ }
}
}
Notes:
DataFileReaderdelegates actual parsing to the registeredICsvReader/ITextReaderimplementations so you can swap in different CSV parsers or mocks for testing.CsvFileReaderin this project usesLumenWorks.Framework.IO.Csvinternally and returns anIDataReaderthat disposes the underlying stream when the reader is disposed.
Dependency injection
When using an IoC container you can register the concrete types used by the host. Example using Autofac (similar to the AppModule used in the sample host project):
builder.RegisterType<FileUtility>().As<IFileUtility>().SingleInstance();
builder.RegisterType<CsvFileReader>().As<ICsvReader>().SingleInstance();
builder.RegisterType<TextFileReader>().As<ITextReader>().SingleInstance();
builder.RegisterType<DataFileReader>().As<IFileReader>().SingleInstance();
Example using Microsoft.Extensions.DependencyInjection:
services.AddSingleton<IFileUtility, FileUtility>();
services.AddSingleton<ICsvReader, CsvFileReader>();
services.AddSingleton<ITextReader, TextFileReader>();
services.AddSingleton<IFileReader, DataFileReader>();
Extensibility
- To support additional file formats add a reader that implements
IReader(or a format-specific interface) and updateDataFileReaderregistration to include it. FileOptions.ExtensionFiltersdrives directory scanning; add and handle newExtensionFiltersvalues when extending supported formats.
Examples (additional)
1) Print column headings and first N rows (similar to host command)
var options = new FileOptions { HasHeader = true };
using var reader = fileReader.Read("C:\\data", "customers.csv", options);
if (reader != null)
{
// Print column names
var fieldCount = reader.FieldCount;
for (int i = 0; i < fieldCount; i++)
Console.Write(reader.GetName(i) + (i + 1 < fieldCount ? ", " : "\n"));
int row = 0;
while (reader.Read() && row < 25)
{
for (int i = 0; i < fieldCount; i++)
Console.Write(reader.GetValue(i) + (i + 1 < fieldCount ? " | " : "\n"));
row++;
}
}
2) Using DataFileReader with a bulk copy operation
var options = new FileOptions { HasHeader = true };
using var reader = fileReader.Read("C:\\data", "people.csv", options);
var mappings = new List<IBulkCopyColumnMapping> {
new BulkCopyColumnMapping<Person, Person>(p => p.Name, p => p.Name),
new BulkCopyColumnMapping<Person, Person>(p => p.Age, p => p.Age)
};
var copyDetail = new CopyDetail("Persons", reader, mappings);
bulkCopy.DoCopy(copyDetail);
Note:
CopyDetailconstructors in this solution expect anIDataReaderfor source data. Ensure the reader is disposed after the bulk operation completes.
3) Unit test: mock ICsvReader to return a controlled IDataReader
var mockCsv = new Mock<ICsvReader>();
var mockOptions = new FileOptions { HasHeader = true };
// Build a simple DataTable and return its reader
var dt = new DataTable();
dt.Columns.Add("Id", typeof(int));
dt.Columns.Add("Name", typeof(string));
dt.Rows.Add(1, "Alice");
mockCsv.Setup(c => c.Read(It.IsAny<string>(), It.IsAny<IOptions>())).Returns(dt.CreateDataReader());
var fileReader = new DataFileReader(fileUtilityMock.Object, mockCsv.Object, textReaderMock.Object);
var reader = fileReader.Read("C:\\path", "file.csv", mockOptions);
Assert.NotNull(reader);
4) Read a directory but only process CSV files
var options = new FileOptions { HasHeader = true, ExtensionFilters = new[] { ExtensionFilters.CSV } };
var readers = fileReader.Read("C:\\data", options);
foreach (var r in readers)
{
using (r)
{
// process each CSV file returned by the directory scan
}
}
License
This project follows the same license as the VersaTul solution. See the repository LICENSE file for details.