Working with csv files in Python

A CSV (Comma Separated Values) file is a plain text file where each line represents a data record, and fields within each record are separated by commas. It's commonly used for spreadsheets and databases due to its simplicity and readability.

Below are some operations that we perform while working with Python CSV files in Python

Reading a CSV file

Reading from a CSV file is done using the reader object. The CSV file is opened as a text file with Python’s built-in open() function, which returns a file object. In this example, we first open the CSV file in READ mode, file object is converted to csv.reader object and further operation takes place. Code and detailed explanation is given below.

Output

The above example uses a CSV file aapl.csv which can be downloaded from here .

Explanation:

• with open(...) opens the CSV file in read mode safely using a context manager.
• csv.reader(csvfile) turns the file into a CSV reader object.
• next(csvreader) extracts the first row as column headers.
• Loop through csvreader to append each row (as a list) to rows.
• Print total rows, headers and first 5 data rows in a formatted view.

Reading CSV Files Into a Dictionary With csv

We can read a CSV file into a dictionary using the csv module in Python and the csv.DictReader class. Here's an example:

Suppose, we have a employees.csv file and content inside it will be:

name,department,birthday_month
John Smith,HR,July
Alice Johnson,IT,October
Bob Williams,Finance,January

Example: This reads each row as a dictionary (headers as keys), then appends it to list .

Output:

{'name': 'John Smith', 'department': 'HR', 'birthday_month': 'July'}
{'name': 'Alice Johnson', 'department': 'IT', 'birthday_month': 'October'}
{'name': 'Bob Williams', 'department': 'Finance', 'birthday_month': 'January'}

Explanation:

• with open(...) opens the file using a context manager.
• csv.DictReader(file) reads each row as a dictionary using headers as keys.
• data_list.append(row) stores each dictionary in a list.

Writing to a CSV file

To write to a CSV file, we first open the CSV file in WRITE mode. The file object is converted to csv.writer object and further operations takes place. Code and detailed explanation is given below.

Explanation:

• fields defines the column headers and rows contains the data as a list of lists.
• with open(..., 'w') opens the file in write mode using a context manager.
• csv.writer(csvfile) creates a writer object for writing to the CSV.
• writerow(fields) writes the header row to the file.
• writerows(rows) writes all data rows to the CSV at once.

Writing a dictionary to a CSV file

To write a dictionary to a CSV file, the file object (csvfile) is converted to a DictWriter object. Detailed example with explanation and code is given below.

Output

Consider that a CSV file looks like this in plain text:

Explanation:

• with open(...) opens file safely using a context manager.
• csv.DictWriter(...) maps dictionary keys to CSV columns.
• writeheader() writes column headers.
• writerows(mydict) writes all dictionaries as CSV rows.

Reading CSV Files With Pandas

We can read a Python CSV files with Pandas using pandas.read_csv() function. Here's an example:

Suppose, we have a employees.csv file and content inside it will be:

name,department,birthday_month
John Smith,HR,July
Alice Johnson,IT,October
Bob Williams,Finance,January

In this example, pd.read_csv() reads the CSV file into a Pandas DataFrame. The resulting DataFrame can be used for various data manipulation and analysis tasks.

Output:

name department birthday_month
0 John Smith HR July
1 Alice Johnson IT October
2 Bob Williams Finance January

We can access specific columns, filter data, and perform various operations using pandas DataFrame functionality. For example, if we want to access the "name" column, we can use df['name'].

Output :

0 John Smith
1 Alice Johnson
2 Bob Williams
Name: name, dtype: object

Writing CSV Files with Pandas

We can use Pandas to write CSV files. It can done by using pd.DataFrame() function. In this example, the Pandas library is used to convert a list of dictionaries (mydict) into a DataFrame, representing tabular data. The DataFrame is then written to a Python CSV file named "output.csv" using the to_csv method, creating a structured and readable data file for further analysis or sharing.

Output CSV File:

branch,cgpa,name,year
COE,9.0,Nikhil,2
COE,9.1,Sanchit,2
IT,9.3,Aditya,2
SE,9.5,Sagar,1
MCE,7.8,Prateek,3
EP,9.1,Sahil,2

Storing Emails in CSV files

We start by importing the csv module and use it to store names and emails as comma-separated values. Using the open() function, we create a CSV file, and then write each row using a writer object, with separate columns for names and emails.

Output: