[SOLVED] Help with getting open CSV to work

Hey guys,

I posed this on the sourceforge.net site forum, but I think my problem may not be specific to the open CSV code.

I am having a problem with the code samples provided on: Java CSV - java code samples

I assume that these should work with the following files in the same directory:

CsvReader.java
CsvWriter.java
csv_test.java
products.csv


my csv_test.java file contains:
--------------
public class cvs_test {
CsvReader reader = new CsvReader("products.csv");

reader.readHeaders();

while (reader.readRecord())
{
String productID = reader.get("ProductID");
String productName = reader.get("ProductName");
String supplierID = reader.get("SupplierID");
String categoryID = reader.get("CategoryID");
String quantityPerUnit = reader.get("QuantityPerUnit");
String unitPrice = reader.get("UnitPrice");
String unitsInStock = reader.get("UnitsInStock");
String unitsOnOrder = reader.get("UnitsOnOrder");
String reorderLevel = reader.get("ReorderLevel");
String discontinued = reader.get("Discontinued");

// perform program logic here

}

reader.close();
}
--------------





The response I get is:

--------------
>javac csv_test.java
csv_test.java:4: <identifier> expected
reader.readHeaders();
^
csv_test.java:6: illegal start of type
while (reader.readRecord())
^
csv_test.java:6: <identifier> expected
while (reader.readRecord())
^
csv_test.java:6: ';' expected
while (reader.readRecord())
^
csv_test.java:6: illegal start of type
while (reader.readRecord())
^
csv_test.java:6: <identifier> expected
while (reader.readRecord())
^
csv_test.java:7: ';' expected
{
^
csv_test.java:8: <identifier> expected
String productID = reader.get("ProductID");
^
csv_test.java:23: class, interface, or enum expected
reader.close();
^
csv_test.java:24: class, interface, or enum expected
}
^
10 errors
>Exit code: 1
--------------

Any ideas on getting this code to work?

I am using windows XP and the SciTE IDE.

Eventually I will need to be writing to about 10 different CSV tables.

Unless you're cutting out critical code, you appear to be making method calls outside of a constructor or method.

OK, I looked at your link and it appears that you blindly pasted the code into a class without putting it into a method. Try putting it into a method or constructor.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Fubarable

Try putting it into a method or constructor.

---

That's just the thing: you don't understand how much of a beginner I am.

I've made constructors for my own code before, but you are going to have to point me to an example of what you mean. I don't understand everything in the open CSV code.

One more thing, does anyone know how to take a new constructed data type, for example a "date" variable, and turn it into something that could be written to a CSV file?

I will have variables called "start_date" and "end_date" and I will need to save them to a CSV eventually. I would rather not make methods like "to_string" and "from_string" if there is a way to go straight from a variable of type "date" to some kind of binary or string sequence that I coudl write to a file.

Accordingly, is there a way to turn an entire object into a binary type that could be stored in a file without resorting to making my own "to_binary" method that does this operation?

Thanks,

Just create a very simple constructor for your class and put this code in it. If you don't know how to do that, you need to back up a bit, forget this current project and review your text / tutorials a bit. The "trial-and-error" method doesn't work when trying to learn programming. You have to start from the beginning of a text or tutorial and work your way through it.

OK, my understanding of a constructor is that you can make a new construct by doing something like:

Code:

---

Scanner contents = new Scanner(new File(products.csv));

---

within a class. I have certainly done that before and it works.

I have made my own constructors. For example, I have made a binary tree construct:

Code:

---

binarytree dictionary_tree = new binarytree(dictionary);

---

which makes a construct from a class called binarytree (dictionary was an ArrayList<String>), another class that I wrote.

NOW, I come to this new code, I have a line that runs:

Code:

---

CsvReader reader = new CsvReader("products.csv");

---

and you tell me, "create a very simple constructor for your class and put this code in it".

I thought I just constructed a CsvReader using a constructor. Am I wrong?

How is the CsvReader construct different from every other construct that I have made?

OK, I forgot the

Code:

---

public static void main (String[] args){

---

It still doesn't work though:

Code:

---

csv_test.java:3: cannot access CsvReader
bad class file: .\CsvReader.java
file does not contain class CsvReader
Please remove or make sure it appears in the correct subdirectory of the classpath.
      CsvReader reader = new CsvReader("products.csv");
      ^
1 error
>Exit code: 1

---

Even when I download the whole package of javacsv code from sourceforge.net ( https://sourceforge.net/project/show...ease_id=470782 ) and just run the "AllTests.java" that is given, I get about 100 errors:

Code:

---

AllTests.java:20: package org.junit does not exist
import org.junit.After;
                ^
AllTests.java:21: package org.junit does not exist
import org.junit.Assert;
                ^
AllTests.java:22: package org.junit does not exist
import org.junit.Before;
                ^
AllTests.java:23: package org.junit does not exist
import org.junit.Ignore;
                ^
AllTests.java:24: package org.junit does not exist
import org.junit.Test;
                ^
AllTests.java:136: cannot find symbol
symbol  : class Test
location: class AllTests
        @Test
...

---

I tried to get my code to the right spot on my hard disk and checked out the "bad class file" error I was getting at this page: compile time error messages : Java Glossary but after checking and re-checking the location I still cannot see what I am doing wrong.

I have these files in the same directory (as before):
CsvReader.java
CsvWriter.java
csv_test.java
products.csv

My code is now:

Code:

---

import CsvReader;
public class csv_test{
  public static void main (String[] args){
      CsvReader reader = new CsvReader("products.csv");
      reader.readHeaders();
      while (reader.readRecord()){
        String productID = reader.get("ProductID");
        System.out.println("productID = " + productID);
        String productName = reader.get("ProductName");
        System.out.println("productName = " + productName);
        String supplierID = reader.get("SupplierID");
        String categoryID = reader.get("CategoryID");
        String quantityPerUnit = reader.get("QuantityPerUnit");
        String unitPrice = reader.get("UnitPrice");
        String unitsInStock = reader.get("UnitsInStock");
        String unitsOnOrder = reader.get("UnitsOnOrder");
        String reorderLevel = reader.get("ReorderLevel");
        String discontinued = reader.get("Discontinued");
        // perform program logic here
      }
      reader.close();
  }
}

---

The error I get from that is:

Code:

---

>javac csv_test.java
csv_test.java:1: '.' expected
import CsvReader;
                ^
csv_test.java:1: ';' expected
import CsvReader;
                ^
2 errors
>Exit code: 1

---

But if I run this code (note commented out line):

Code:

---

//~ import CsvReader;
public class csv_test{
  public static void main (String[] args){
      CsvReader reader = new CsvReader("products.csv");
      reader.readHeaders();
      while (reader.readRecord()){
        String productID = reader.get("ProductID");
        System.out.println("productID = " + productID);
        String productName = reader.get("ProductName");
        System.out.println("productName = " + productName);
        String supplierID = reader.get("SupplierID");
        String categoryID = reader.get("CategoryID");
        String quantityPerUnit = reader.get("QuantityPerUnit");
        String unitPrice = reader.get("UnitPrice");
        String unitsInStock = reader.get("UnitsInStock");
        String unitsOnOrder = reader.get("UnitsOnOrder");
        String reorderLevel = reader.get("ReorderLevel");
        String discontinued = reader.get("Discontinued");
        // perform program logic here
      }
      reader.close();
  }
}

---

gives:

Code:

---

>javac csv_test.java
csv_test.java:4: cannot access CsvReader
bad class file: .\CsvReader.java
file does not contain class CsvReader
Please remove or make sure it appears in the correct subdirectory of the classpath.
      CsvReader reader = new CsvReader("products.csv");
      ^
1 error
>Exit code: 1

---

Does anyone know how to fix this? Where should I have put those files? Do I have to use an import if my code files are all in the same directory? How can I specify a different directory to the CsvReader.java and CsvWriter.java?

Cheers,

The code in the two files:

Code:

---

CsvReader.java
CsvWriter.java

---

had:

Code:

---

package com.csvreader;

---

which confused my efforts.