How to delete a columns of a CSV file which has cell values with a string enclosed in " , "? Post: 302902088

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Top Forums Shell Programming and Scripting How to delete a columns of a CSV file which has cell values with a string enclosed in " , "? Post 302902088 by drl on Sunday 18th of May 2014 12:40:10 PM

05-18-2014

Registered User

Hi.

Thanks for your extended reply.

Let me review what I've understood so far.

Quote:

How can I delete a columns from a CSV file which has comma separated value with a string enclosed in double quotes or square bracket and a comma in between?

I then supplied a demonstration script to illustrate one solution with a utility called csvtool.

Quote:

Here we have space, carriage return and white spaces in permanent and current location.

You have stated a fact. You have implied that you wish to handle these with the use of awk, cut, and/or sed. You seem to be saying that those commands are OK to use, but that csvtool is not acceptable. I don't understand your basis for that, and it seems to me that it is a distinction without a difference Distinction without a difference - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The csvtool command can, in fact, handle embedded spaces, commas, and newlines. Here's an example of that using exactly the same csvtool command, but with a data file that has an embedded newline in a column that will be kept, and in a column that will be effectively deleted:

Code:

$ ./s1 data2

Environment: LC_ALL = C, LANG = C
(Versions displayed with local utility "version")
OS, ker|rel, machine: Linux, 2.6.26-2-amd64, x86_64
Distribution        : Debian 5.0.8 (lenny, workstation) 
bash GNU bash 3.2.39
csvtool - ( /usr/bin/csvtool, 2008-05-22 )

-----
 Input data file data2:
"a1","b1,c1 d1",e1,"f1 g1,h1","i1"
"a2","b2,c2 
d2",e2,"f2 g2,
h2","i2"
"a3","b3,c3 d3",e3,"f3 g3,h3","i3"

-----
 Results, copy columns 1-2,5, omitting 3,4:
a1,"b1,c1 d1",i1
a2,"b2,c2 
d2",i2
a3,"b3,c3 d3",i3

The output is as I would expect: the column to be kept with an embedded newline is still there, and the column also with an embedded newline to be deleted, is gone.

Because we don't seem to be communicating, I will withdraw and wait for someone else to reply who understands your situation better than I do.

Best wishes ... cheers, drl

drl

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LEARN ABOUT DEBIAN

colrm

COLRM(1)						    BSD General Commands Manual 						  COLRM(1)

NAME

     colrm -- remove columns from a file

SYNOPSIS

     colrm [start [stop]]

DESCRIPTION

     The colrm utility removes selected columns from the lines of a file.  A column is defined as a single character in a line.  Input is read
     from the standard input.  Output is written to the standard output.

     If only the start column is specified, columns numbered less than the start column will be written.  If both start and stop columns are spec-
     ified, columns numbered less than the start column or greater than the stop column will be written.  Column numbering starts with one, not
     zero.

     Tab characters increment the column count to the next multiple of eight.  Backspace characters decrement the column count by one.

ENVIRONMENT

     The LANG, LC_ALL and LC_CTYPE environment variables affect the execution of colrm as described in environ(7).

EXIT STATUS

     The colrm utility exits 0 on success, and >0 if an error occurs.

SEE ALSO

     awk(1), column(1), cut(1), paste(1)

HISTORY

     The colrm command appeared in 3.0BSD.

BSD
								  August 4, 2004							       BSD