# csv and delimited

> The csv and delimited formats: options and quoting.

Comma-separated and other delimited text: the `csv` format and `delimited` format, from the `csv` package. Declare the package once in `dependencies.yml`; DRE installs it on demand:

dependencies.yml

```yaml
plugins:
  - csv
```

### `csv` format: options

Set in a report’s `output:` (or `format_options.csv` in `dre_project.yml`).

Option

Type

Default

Notes

`delimiter`

char

`,`

Separates fields.

`quote`

char

`"`

Wraps quoted fields; doubled inside them.

`quoting`

string

`minimal`

Which fields are quoted: only where needed, all, text columns, or none. One of `minimal`, `all`, `strings`, `none`.

`header`

boolean

`true`

Write the column names first.

`line_ending`

string

`"\r\n"`

Ends each line. One of `"\n"`, `"\r\n"`.

`encoding`

string

`utf-8`

Text encoding, e.g. utf-8, latin1, windows-1252.

`null`

string

`""`

Written for a null value.

`byte_order_mark`

boolean

`false`

Start a UTF-8 file with a byte order mark.

### `delimited` format: options

Set in a report’s `output:` (or `format_options.delimited` in `dre_project.yml`).

Option

Type

Default

Notes

`delimiter`

char

`,`

Separates fields.

`quote`

char

`"`

Wraps quoted fields; doubled inside them.

`quoting`

string

`minimal`

Which fields are quoted: only where needed, all, text columns, or none. One of `minimal`, `all`, `strings`, `none`.

`header`

boolean

`true`

Write the column names first.

`line_ending`

string

`"\r\n"`

Ends each line. One of `"\n"`, `"\r\n"`.

`encoding`

string

`utf-8`

Text encoding, e.g. utf-8, latin1, windows-1252.

`null`

string

`""`

Written for a null value.

`byte_order_mark`

boolean

`false`

Start a UTF-8 file with a byte order mark.

## Writing

-   `quoting` (csv, delimited) picks which fields are wrapped in `quote`:
    
    -   `minimal` (the default): only fields holding the delimiter, the quote or a line break;
    -   `all`: every field but nulls;
    -   `strings`: every value of a text, date, time or timestamp column, and the header; numbers, booleans and nulls stay bare unless they hold the delimiter;
    -   `none`: no field. A value that can’t be written without quotes fails the run, naming the row and column.
    
    A doubled quote escapes a quote inside a quoted field. For tab- or pipe-separated text, use `delimited` with `delimiter: "\t"` and, say, `extension: tsv`.
    
-   `null: "NULL"` (csv, delimited) writes that marker for nulls instead of an empty field. It can be written unquoted as above: DRE reads a YAML `null:` key as the option `null`.
    

## Export for a downstream importer

Use CSV for a standard table export, or `delimited` for a receiver requiring tabs, pipes or a different extension. Starting with the [tutorial project](https://github.com/get-dre/dre/blob/v0.5.1/examples/tutorial/), replace its report output with:

```yaml
output:
  format: delimited
  extension: tsv
  delimiter: "\t"
  header: true
  quoting: minimal
  quote: '"'
  null: "NULL"
  encoding: utf-8
  line_ending: "\n"
  byte_order_mark: false
```

Declare `csv` in dependencies for either format. `dre run <report> --preview 5` writes a sample without delivery. Check the importer with a null, an embedded delimiter and a quoted value, not only plain numbers. Use `byte_order_mark: true` when a receiver needs a UTF-8 BOM; use `encoding: windows-1252` only when every required character fits that encoding.

With `quoting: none`, the actual error is `row <row>, column <col>: the value contains the delimiter, quote or a line break, which quoting: none can't represent` (the message quotes the column and option with backticks). Restore `minimal` rather than removing characters silently. An unsupported option yields `invalid-output-option`; move a destination option out of the output map if it belongs to delivery. See [output keys](https://getdre.com/docs/reference-report/#output), [error codes](https://getdre.com/docs/reference-error-codes/), and [format](https://getdre.com/docs/glossary/#format) and [output](https://getdre.com/docs/glossary/#output).

[Edit page](https://github.com/get-dre/dre/edit/master/docs/plugin-csv.md)

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