Thread: Parsing CSV file

Ok, so I have a basic understanding of how to parse a csv file. My CSV basically looks like this:

date,name,weeks,cost
2012,steve,10,4000
2012,mike,8,2000
2011,cindy,15,5500

I am using this code to read the csv file:

public void readCSV() {
        try {
        BufferedReader CSVFile = new BufferedReader(new FileReader("list.csv"));
 
        // Read first line.
        // The while checks to see if the data is null. If 
        // it is, we've hit the end of the file. If not, 
        // process the data.
        String dataRow = CSVFile.readLine();
 
        while (dataRow != null){
            String[] dataArray = dataRow.split(",");
 
            for (String item:dataArray) { 
                System.out.print(item + "\t");
            }
            System.out.println();
            dataRow = CSVFile.readLine();
        }
 
        CSVFile.close();
        System.out.println();
        }
 
        catch(FileNotFoundException e) {
            e.printStackTrace();
        }
 
        catch(IOException e) {
            e.printStackTrace();
        }
    }

Okay, so the code reads line by line, if there is data on the line, it adds it to the string array, then prints out that string array.

Now here's my question:
Would it be possible to add each individual entry of the csv file to a place in an array list. For example, could I create some arraylist named "list" and add each piece of data to it one by one? So that "date" would be at index 0, "name" would be at index 1, etc.

Originally Posted by copeg

Sure, but java is object oriented so why not use the power of classes - create a class that represents the specific data, as you parse each line you create a new instance of this class with the data of the line, then add that instance to a List.

That is my goal in the end of things. I have already created classes to represent the data I want to handle. Right now I more or less want to understand more about how I am parsing the file. Getting all the data into an arraylist and then iterating through and creating the objects seemed easier in my head, but I guess directly creating the objects makes sense too.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I am parsing line by line, and it is adding that WHOLE line to the string array. What I want to do is parse a line, take "2012", make it a "Date" object, then take "Steve" and make it a "Name" object, and so on.