topic Re: problem with .csv file in Application Development and Automation Discussions

problem with .csv file

Former Member — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 07:12:37 GMT

Hi,

I am downloading the contents of my internal table into csv file by separating the contents with a ',' (comma).

But, the problem is that if the data already has a comma, then the system treats it as a separator and causes a problem.

Please let me know how to avoid this.

Regards.

Re: problem with .csv file

Former Member — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 07:46:48 GMT

Hi David,

If it is a .csv file then we cannot have the , (comma) in between the data as it will be always treated as a separator.

Re: problem with .csv file

Former Member — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 07:55:22 GMT

Hi David,

U can achieve it in multiple steps. Firstly u need to have a new itab with a string typed variable like this

Step: 1

DATA: BEGIN OF itab OCCURS 0,

document TYPE string,

END OF itab.

Step: 2

move ur comma seperated data into this itab through a loop and for the field which u feel has already a comma in it

write an if statement for it and move ur data in which u already have a comma to the itab without comma seperation.

Step: 3

Download this new itab as ur .csv file

I hope it will work for u

Cheers

Re: problem with .csv file

Former Member — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 08:56:16 GMT

Hi,

Isn't there any way to handle a character in the data which is the same as the separator used while downloading data to a file?

Regards.

Re: problem with .csv file

Former Member — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 09:28:52 GMT

Hello,

I never use delimiters in text files I always use fixed width.

I know this takes 10 minutes longer to program in the subsystem because you need to define the structure there and is a little bit less flexible but it always works.

Now you have probably already lost more time in finding a work around for the delimiter that is also used in your actual data fields.

Solution -> use fixed width alphanumeric text files.

Wim

Re: problem with .csv file

Former Member — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 10:07:32 GMT

Hi,

My user insists on .csv file.

Please let me know if there is any solution.

Regards.

Re: problem with .csv file

Clemenss — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 17:31:19 GMT

Hi David,

- you may remove all commas or replace with another character

- you may enclose the fields with comma in quotes, like "field, with, comma", like this

field-symbols:
  <rec> type any,
  <fld> type any.
loop at itab assigning <rec>.
  do.
    assign component sy-index of structure <rec> to <fld>.
    if not sy-subrc = 0.
      exit."do loop
    endif.
    if <fld> ca ','.
      concatenate '"' <fld> '"' into <fld>. 
    endif.
  enddo.
endloop.

Excel will ignore the field delimiter , if it is enclosed in quotes.

Regards,

Clemens

Re: problem with .csv file

Sandra_Rossi — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 10:15:22 GMT

David, I have compiled rules to make "universal" CSV files (so that anybody in the world can open them using Excel 2003 and 2007) in this [wiki|http://wiki.sdn.sap.com/wiki/display/ABAP/Excelfiles-CSVformat] (hope it's clear enough) where it shows the solution mentioned by Clemens.

It also shows that comma, as field separator, is not universally recognized.