# Tab Separated Value parser to supplement CSV? **URL:** \ **Category:** Help\ **Tags:** data-import\ **Created:** [September 15, 2021, 3:23pm UTC](https://gramps.discourse.group/t/tab-separated-value-parser-to-supplement-csv/1829 "2021-09-15T15:23:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![emyoulation](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/gramps.discourse.group/emyoulation/32/67_2.png) [@emyoulation](https://gramps.discourse.group/u/emyoulation)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2021, 3:23pm UTC](https://gramps.discourse.group/t/tab-separated-value-parser-to-supplement-csv/1829/1 "2021-09-15T15:23:20Z")
I was experimenting with transferring my Place hierarchy using the [CSV view export](https://www.gramps-project.org/wiki/index.php/Gramps_5.1_Wiki_Manual_-_Settings#Export_View) & the [Import Text](https://www.gramps-project.org/wiki/index.php/ImportGramplet) Gramplet. But one common step is to clean up the data a bit in Excel. I was _hoping_ to be able to just copy filtered chunks of spreadsheet & have it be parsed in a variant of the **Import Text Gramplet** … _without_ messing with double-quoting Place Titles & names. And _without_ applying an Excel formula to concatenate each row with comma delimiters or having to write the rows to a subsequently importable CSV file. But the the **Import Text Gramplet** chokes on tab separated text. And our importer doesn’t recognize `.tsv` file extensions nor tab delimited content. There’s a [thread on StackOverflow](https://stackoverflow.com/questions/42358259/how-to-parse-tsv-file-with-python/42362801#42362801) that says the python [csv module](https://docs.python.org/3/library/csv.html) can delimit on tabs instead of commas. ```python with open("file.tsv") as fd: rd = csv.reader(fd, delimiter="\t", quotechar='"') for row in rd: print(row) ``` Is there a way to support a different delimiter in our text parser? ---
**Author:** ![prculley](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/gramps.discourse.group/prculley/32/41_2.png) [@prculley](https://gramps.discourse.group/u/prculley)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2021, 2:40pm UTC](https://gramps.discourse.group/t/tab-separated-value-parser-to-supplement-csv/1829/2 "2021-09-17T14:40:46Z")
It looks like you have found such a way. Since the Import Text Gramplet is apparently an addon, why don’t you try modifying it to work the way you want, and then submit the changes as a PR? ---
**Author:** ![emyoulation](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/gramps.discourse.group/emyoulation/32/67_2.png) [@emyoulation](https://gramps.discourse.group/u/emyoulation)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2021, 4:08pm UTC](https://gramps.discourse.group/t/tab-separated-value-parser-to-supplement-csv/1829/3 "2021-09-17T16:08:43Z")
Thanks for the encouragement. (That’s genuine, not sarcasm.) I’ve been slogging through doing that since posting. Forked the add-on and doing a first pass as brute force… with a dedicated TSV version that ignores commas as the delimiter. Then I’ll try to figure out how to integrate a delimiter selector. I _think_ I’ve gotten most of the way to having Gramps recognize a .tsv mime type for import too. If I get REALLY ambitious, I’ll find a way to have the Text Importer apply a selected Tag or Citation too. I really found those features useful for cleaning up a GEDCOM import. Then discover how to interface that too. (Arrghh!) ---
**Author:** ![emyoulation](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/gramps.discourse.group/emyoulation/32/67_2.png) [@emyoulation](https://gramps.discourse.group/u/emyoulation)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2021, 8:13pm UTC](https://gramps.discourse.group/t/tab-separated-value-parser-to-supplement-csv/1829/4 "2021-09-17T20:13:17Z")
I did discover that the CSV header labels from the [Export View](https://gramps-project.org/wiki/index.php/Gramps_5.1_Wiki_Manual_-_Settings#Export_View) and what the Import Text will accept are slightly different. (The labels are more compatible when Exporting a Tree than a View.) Gramps exports views the ID columns labeled as ‘ID’ whereas the [CSV exporter, importer](https://gramps-project.org/wiki/index.php/Gramps_5.1_Wiki_Manual_-_Manage_Family_Trees:_CSV_Import_and_Export) and Import Text Gramplet all expect the Column label for ID to be labeled with the primary object type (Person, Marriage, Event) instead. I wonder which should be the preferred. But it seems like they should be compatible. ---
**Author:** ![emyoulation](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/gramps.discourse.group/emyoulation/32/67_2.png) [@emyoulation](https://gramps.discourse.group/u/emyoulation)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2023, 7:01pm UTC](https://gramps.discourse.group/t/tab-separated-value-parser-to-supplement-csv/1829/7 "2023-01-07T19:01:43Z")
Patching eight 5.1.x files with Serge’s changes for Gramps 5.2 gave the TSV functionality for the Text Import Gramplet and CSV Import. See: > [@CSV import problem](https://gramps.discourse.group/t/csv-import-problem/2112/4): > > Excel was doing bad things to my data. Gramps names & places can include quotes & commas. Either the Excel export was not adding the right Escape codes or the Gramps import wasn’t parsing it correctly. Ether way, CSV was not working well for me. > > @SNoiraud just did [enhancements for Tab Separated Values](https://github.com/gramps-project/gramps/pull/1314) instead using Commas. (Thanks Serge !) > > The enhancements are targeted for release with the 5.2 version. But you may want to try patching a 5.1.x version. ---
**Author:** ![emyoulation](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/gramps.discourse.group/emyoulation/32/67_2.png) [@emyoulation](https://gramps.discourse.group/u/emyoulation)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2024, 3:36pm UTC](https://gramps.discourse.group/t/tab-separated-value-parser-to-supplement-csv/1829/9 "2024-09-02T15:36:24Z")
The labelings on the CSV dialect options are ambiguous to me. - excel - excel-tab - unix - Custom – , – ; – : – | – Tab Here are some more explicit labels. But are they correct/accurate? And can we use a MS branded product name without Trademark infringement? - Excel comma separated values (CSV) - Excel tab separated values (TSV) - Unix (CSV with LF end-of-line) - Custom – , (Comma; aka CSV) – ; (Semi-colon) – : (Colon) – | (Vertical Bar aka pipe-delimited) – Tab (TSV) ![image](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/free1/uploads/gramps/original/2X/5/5c7ab44d1bc633ead3746a53731488f0a0bae003.png) As for the Unix option, here’s what **Perplexity ai** describes as the difference: > The main differences between a CSV file created by Microsoft Excel on Windows and a Unix CSV file are: > > 1. Line endings: > > - Windows Excel CSV files typically use CRLF (\r\n) for line endings > - Unix CSV files typically use just LF (\n) for line endings > > 1. Default field delimiter: > > - Windows Excel often uses semicolon ( ; ) as the default field delimiter, especially in regions that use comma as the decimal separator > - Unix CSV files typically use comma ( , ) as the field delimiter > > 1. Character encoding: > > - Windows Excel CSV files are often saved with Windows-1252 or UTF-8 with BOM encoding > - Unix CSV files typically use UTF-8 without BOM encoding > > 1. Quoting: > Excel may add quotes around fields containing commas or line breaks inconsistently > Unix CSV files tend to follow RFC 4180 more strictly for quoting > 2. Handling of special characters: > > - Excel may handle certain special characters differently than standard Unix tools > > 1. Metadata: > > - Excel CSV files may contain hidden metadata or formatting information > - Unix CSV files are typically plain text without extra metadata > > 1. Decimal separator: > > - Excel CSV files may use comma or period as decimal separator depending on regional settings > - Unix CSV files typically use period as decimal separator > > To ensure compatibility when working with CSV files across platforms, it’s often recommended to use a standardized format like RFC 4180 and explicitly specify encoding, delimiters, and line endings when creating or processing CSV files.