String Array Data

CSV Manager can load and save your data as a List of String[] arrays.

Code Example

CsvManager cm      = new CsvManager();
List       csvData = cm.load( "/path/to/file.csv" );
for( int line = 0; line < csvData.size(); line++ ) {
  String[] lineData = (String[]) csvData.get( line );
  // do stuff with lineData
}

This code example loads the data in a CSV file into a simple List of String[] arrays. This is the simplest and most direct way of using CSV Manager.

Use this method when...

• you just want to read all the data into memory quickly.
• your data has standard columns.
• you just want Strings.

What happens when some rows contain more fields than others?

Don't worry, String[] arrays are dynamically created that will hold all the data fields that occur in every row. You'll never loose data.

What happens when some rows are missing fields?

CSV Manager keeps track of the default number of data fields that you expect in your CSV file (you can set the default number of fields, or let CSV Manager automatically use the number of fields in the first row), and makes sure that the String[] arrays returned always contain at least the default number of elements, even if they are empty Strings. Yeah, we really hate ArrayIndexOutOfBoundsException too!

OK, how do I get the column headers?

Assuming the headers are in the first line of the CSV file, you have them directly in the first row. You don't need to do anything special. If they are not in the first line, then they are either in a predefined line (say line 3), or you can set CSV Manager to ignore empty lines, until you find them.

But my data isn't in a file!

You are not restricted to loading CSV data only from files. You can also load data from Strings (loadFromString(String) method) and from InputStreams (load(InputStream) method). This means that you can use CSV Manager in a completely dynamic way within your application.

What about saving data to a CSV file?

You can also save data to a CSV file using a List of String[] arrays. Just create a List, and add some String[] arrays to it. The arrays can be different sizes and can contain empty Strings. Here's the example code:

List data = new ArrayList();
data.add( new String[] {"Color","Code"} );
data.add( new String[] {"red","ff0000"}  );
data.add( new String[] {"green","00ff00"}  );
data.add( new String[] {"blue","0000ff"} );

CsvManager csvManager = new CsvManager();
File csvFile = new File("mydata.csv");
csvManager.save( csvFile, data );

What other data structures can you handle?

We also support:

• List of Lists
• ResultSets
• TableModels
• Streaming Data
• Event-driven Data

I need to see something working.

Sure, no problem. Head on over to our online demo and try out CSV Manager on your own data.

I have another question...

If you have a particular question you need answered, just ask! We're happy to explain exactly how CSV Manager works and show you how to use it.