TableModel Data

CSV Manager can load and save your data as a Swing TableModel.

Code Example

File       csvfile  = new File("mydata.csv");
CsvManager csvman   = new CsvManager();
csvman.getCsvSpec().setProperty( "TableModel.dataHasHeaders", true );
TableModel tm       = csvman.loadTableModel( csvfile );
JTable     table    = new JTable();
table.setModel( tm );

This code example loads the data in a CSV file into an object which implements the TableModel interface.

Use this method when...

• you want all the data in memory.
• your data has standard columns.
• you need to pass the CSV data to code that already uses TableModels.
• you want to present your data visually.

What happens when some rows contain more fields than others?

The number of columns in the TableModel expands to the maximum number of data fields found in any one row. This means that all data is included in the TableModel. In the normal case for a well-formatted CSV file, the number of columns is determined by the number of headers in the first row.

What happens when some rows are missing fields?

When a table row contains fewer cells that the column count for the table, CSV Manager returns empty strings as the cell value. This means that the table remains valid even when rows in the CSV file are missing data fields.

OK, how do I get the column headers?

CSV Manager also implements the getColumnName TableModel method, and this returns the name of the specified column. The headers are assumed to be in the first line of the CSV file. If the column names are not in the first line, then they are either in a predefined line (say line 3), so start loading lines from there using setStartLine, 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 TableModel. Use the getModel method of JTable, to get the TableModel object from your JTable object, then hand it over to CsvManager to save as a CSV file. Here's the example code:

File       csvfile = new File("mydata.csv");
CsvManager csvman  = new CsvManager();

JTable myJTable 
  = new JTable( 
      new Object[][] { { "1", "one" }, 
                       { "2", "two" }, 
                       { "3", "three" } },
      new Object[] { "Number", "Name" } );

TableModel tm = myJTable.getModel();
csvman.saveTableModel( csvfile, tm );

CSV Manager uses the TableModel to output column headers. See the save method description for more details.

What other data structures can you handle?

We also support:

• StringArrays
• List of Lists
• ResultSets
• Event-driven Data
• Streaming 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.