---
name: "Catmandu::Importer::CSV"
section: "3pm"
platform: "linux"
package: "libcatmandu-perl"
version: "1.2024-1"
release: "Debian 13 (Trixie)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/Catmandu::Importer::CSV"
---

# Catmandu::Importer::CSV(3pm)

Package that imports CSV data

## NAME

Catmandu::Importer::CSV - Package that imports CSV data

## SYNOPSIS

```
    # From the command line
    # convert a CSV file to JSON
    catmandu convert CSV to JSON < journals.csv
    # set column names if CSV file has no header line
    echo '12157,"The Journal of Headache and Pain",2193-1801' | \
      catmandu convert CSV --header 0 --fields 'id,title,issn' to YAML

    # set field separator and quote character
    echo '12157;$The Journal of Headache and Pain$;2193-1801' | \
      catmandu convert CSV --header 0 --fields 'id,title,issn' --sep_char ';' --quote_char '$' to XLSX --file journal.xlsx
    # In a Perl script
    use Catmandu;
    my $importer = Catmandu->importer('CSV', file => "/foo/bar.csv");
    my $n = $importer->each(sub {
        my $hashref = $_[0];
        # ...
    });
```

## DESCRIPTION

The package imports comma-separated values (CSV).  The object fields are read from the CSV header line or given via the `"fields"` parameter. Strings in CSV are quoted by `"quote_char"` and fields are separated by `"sep_char"`.

## CONFIGURATION

- file

  Read input from a local file given by its path. Alternatively a scalar reference can be passed to read from a string.

- fh

  Read input from an IO::Handle. If not specified, Catmandu::Util::io is used to create the input stream from the `"file"` argument or by using STDIN.

- encoding

  Binmode of the input stream `"fh"`. Set to `":utf8"` by default.

- fix

  An ARRAY of one or more fixes or file scripts to be applied to imported items.

- fields

  List of fields to be used as columns, given as array reference, comma-separated string, or hash reference. If `"header"` is `0` and `"fields"` is `"undef"` the fields will be named by column index ("0", "1", "2", ...).

- header

  Read fields from a header line with the column names, if set to `1` (the default).

- sep\_char

  Column separator (`","` by default)

- quote\_char

  Quotation character (`"""` by default)

- escape\_char

  Character for escaping inside quoted field (`"""` by default)

- allow\_loose\_quotes

  - allow\_loose\_escapes

  Allow common bad-practice in CSV escaping

## METHODS

Every Catmandu::Importer is a Catmandu::Iterable all its methods are inherited.  The methods are not idempotent: CSV streams can only be read once.

## SEE ALSO

Catmandu::Exporter::CSV, Catmandu::Importer::XLS