Why Should I Use Ricebridge CSV Manager?

OK, well parse this file then:

Name,Address,Born
"Smith, Adam", "Edinburgh
Scotland", 1723
"Hobbes, Thomas", "Paris", 1588

CSV allows commas and newlines inside quoted fields. As a result, it requires more than simply splitting the input on newlines and commas. Open the file in Excel to see how the data should be interpreted.

3. I can get a free CSV parser off the web

Is the software license compatible with your code base? Don't even think about distributing GPL'ed code or you could be up the tata without a tutu*.

By the way, if you can be compliant with the GPL, Ostermiller CSV is the best GPL CSV parser we have found, and we're happy to recommend it (shh, it's free!).

Are you sure there are no memory leaks in your CSV parser? You wouldn't want that large file of transactions to go AWOL during the 3AM batch update, now would you? We've tested our stuff, we pretty damn sure there's no memory leaks. That CSV quick-fix dump-it-on-the-web class that you found on
   www.random-webpage.com/~stuff_I_did_in_uni.html
has not suffered quite the same scrutiny.

What about documentation? You can't just run javadoc on some source code. You need to actually write the documentation for each class, for each method, for each member variable, individually and comprehensively, as a standalone piece. A lot of people code for fun, so that they can give the code away. There aren't too many (good souls that they are) who write documentation for fun so that they can give it away.

4. There's no Source Code so I can't fix it when it breaks

First of all, we do provide source code, it's just more expensive. And we don't obfuscate our bytecode, so you can probably decompile CSV Manager if you are really stuck. Yeah, you heard right, we don't mind if you decompile our stuff for internal use. Remember, we're not selling code, we're turning you into a delivers-on-time coder.

Second, source code is overrated. Really, how often do you relish the thought of reading someone else's code? Trying to figure out what they meant, when they just don't see things the way you do. And then there's coding style - all those braces, on the wrong lines!. Yuck. Don't tell me you look forward to code-review day.

Third, if it breaks, you get your money back. We will give a refund up to 12 months after purchase. But we also want to help you get your work done. If you find a bug, we'll try to help you get back on track, and we'll make every effort to fix it and ship you a working version. We do want to know about bugs, and we document them publicly.

5. But you're a Dog!**

Yes, we are a small company. But that means we really care about what we're doing. We don't have a call-center, we don't have a mission statement and we don't have non-techies running the show. We do have working code and a developer-friendly attitude. Take your pick.

Try the Online Demo Download now for $470.00 More Licensing options

* with apologies to Joel Spolsky.
** On the Internet, nobody knows you're a dog