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Groups > comp.lang.python > #90069

Re: Writing list of dictionaries to CSV

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On 2015-05-06 12:27, Ian Kelly wrote:
> On Wed, May 6, 2015 at 12:22 PM, Tim Chase
> <python.list@tim.thechases.com> wrote:
> > On 2015-05-06 19:08, MRAB wrote:
> >> You could tell it to quote any value that's not a number:
> >>
> >>       w = csv.DictWriter(f, pol_keys,
> >> quoting=csv.QUOTE_NONNUMERIC)
> >>
> >> It looks like all of the values you have are strings, so they'll
> >> all be quoted.
> >>
> >> I would hope that Excel will then treat it as a string; it would
> >> be stupid if it didn't! :-)
> >
> > Sadly, Excel *is* that stupid based on the tests I tried just
> > now. :-(
> >
> > Regardless of whether "Mar 2015" is quoted or unquoted in the
> > source CSV file, Excel tries to outwit you and mangles the
> > presentation.
> 
> Quoting a value in csv doesn't mean it's a string; it just means
> that it's a single field.
> 
> You *can* force Excel to treat a value as a string by prefixing it
> with an apostrophe, though.

Excel takes the apostrophe in the CSV file and puts it in the
content, rather than stripping it as an escape/formatting character:

  c:\temp> type test.csv
  "'Mar 2015",Mar 2015,3,2015
  "Apr 2015",Apr 2015,4,2015
  "2015-12",2015-12,12,2015
  c:\temp> start test.csv

A1 has the unformatted text, but includes the apostrophe in the
value.  B1, A2, and B2 get munged like the OP described to the form
"Apr-15".  The items in row #3 come through untouched.

At least on Excel 2003 on WinXP which is what I happen to have on
hand.

-tkc

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Thread

Writing list of dictionaries to CSV Kashif Rana <kashifrana84@gmail.com> - 2015-05-05 10:09 -0700
  Re: Writing list of dictionaries to CSV MRAB <python@mrabarnett.plus.com> - 2015-05-05 19:11 +0100
  Re: Writing list of dictionaries to CSV Skip Montanaro <skip.montanaro@gmail.com> - 2015-05-05 13:25 -0500
  Re: Writing list of dictionaries to CSV Cecil Westerhof <Cecil@decebal.nl> - 2015-05-05 20:44 +0200
  Re: Writing list of dictionaries to CSV Matthew Ruffalo <mmr15@case.edu> - 2015-05-05 15:43 -0400
  Re: Writing list of dictionaries to CSV Tim Chase <python.list@tim.thechases.com> - 2015-05-05 12:34 -0500
  Re: Writing list of dictionaries to CSV Kashif Rana <kashifrana84@gmail.com> - 2015-05-05 22:32 -0700
    Re: Writing list of dictionaries to CSV Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2015-05-06 16:34 +1000
    Re: Writing list of dictionaries to CSV Cecil Westerhof <Cecil@decebal.nl> - 2015-05-06 08:50 +0200
    Re: Writing list of dictionaries to CSV Dennis Lee Bieber <wlfraed@ix.netcom.com> - 2015-05-06 09:14 -0400
    Re: Writing list of dictionaries to CSV MRAB <python@mrabarnett.plus.com> - 2015-05-06 19:08 +0100
    Re: Writing list of dictionaries to CSV Tim Chase <python.list@tim.thechases.com> - 2015-05-06 13:22 -0500
    Re: Writing list of dictionaries to CSV Ian Kelly <ian.g.kelly@gmail.com> - 2015-05-06 12:27 -0600
    Re: Writing list of dictionaries to CSV Tim Chase <python.list@tim.thechases.com> - 2015-05-06 13:37 -0500
    Re: Writing list of dictionaries to CSV Denis McMahon <denismfmcmahon@gmail.com> - 2015-05-06 23:31 +0000
      Re: Writing list of dictionaries to CSV Tim Chase <python.list@tim.thechases.com> - 2015-05-06 20:22 -0500
      Re: Writing list of dictionaries to CSV Jon Ribbens <jon+usenet@unequivocal.co.uk> - 2015-05-07 01:55 +0000
      Re: Writing list of dictionaries to CSV [correction] Tim Chase <python.list@tim.thechases.com> - 2015-05-06 20:52 -0500

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