How to Solve Line Breaks in Address Fields When Reading CSV with Scanner()?

Read CSV with Scanner(): Addressing Line Breaks in Address Fields

When reading a CSV file using the Scanner() class, spaces within text values can cause undesired line breaks, resulting in data being moved to subsequent lines. To address this issue, it's crucial to understand the quirks of CSV parsing.

Common CSV Parsing Issues

CSV parsing poses unique challenges due to its versatility:

• Quoted and unquoted values
• Escape characters and special delimiters
• Varying column counts
• Inconsistent quoting and separators

Mistakes to Avoid with Scanner()

When using Scanner() to parse CSV files, avoid these common pitfalls:

• Assuming consistent spacing: Scanner() treats spaces as delimiters, so fields containing spaces (e.g., addresses) will be split across lines.
• Assuming a single quoting character: CSV files may use different quoting characters (e.g., '"' or ''), leading to incorrect parsing.
• Ignoring escape characters: Escape characters (e.g., '') allow special characters to be used within values without being misinterpreted as delimiters.

Addressing the Line Break Issue

To resolve the line break issue specifically, consider the following:

• Use a CSV library: Utilize established libraries such as OpenCSV, Ostermiller Java Utilities, or Apache Commons CSV, which handle CSV parsing correctly.
• Implement manual parsing: If using Scanner() directly, handle quoted values and spaces explicitly to prevent line breaks.
• Convey CSV specifications clearly: Specify CSV format details (e.g., quoting, delimiting, escaping) when exchanging CSV files to ensure consistent handling.

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