[Python-Dev] Re: [Csv] csv module TODO list (original) (raw)

Raymond Hettinger python at rcn.com
Wed Jan 12 01:27:09 CET 2005

Would the csv module be a good place to add a DBF reader and writer?

Dbase's dbf file format is one of the oldest, simplest and more common database interchange formats. It can be a good alternative to CSV as a means of sharing data with pre-existing, non-python apps.

On the plus side, it has a precise spec, can preserve numeric and date types, has guaranteed round-trip equivalence, and does not have weird escape rules. On the minus side, strings are limited to ASCII without NULs and the fields are fixed length.

I've posted a draft on ASPN. It interoperates well with the rest of the CSV module because it also accepts/returns a list of fieldnames and a sequence of records.

http://aspn.activestate.com/ASPN/Cookbook/Python/Recipe/362715

Raymond Hettinger

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