Fielded Text C# library

The Fielded Text C# class library allows you to read and write text files with tables of values (eg. CSV files) in the same way as you read from and write to a database table.

The format and structure of the data within the text file is defined by a small XML file called the Meta file. Xilytix.FieldedText uses the Meta file to read from and write to the text file as if it were a database. Typically you would use a Fielded Text Editor to create these Meta XML files.

The format (schema) of this Meta XML file is specified by a standard defined at http://www.fieldedtext.org. In addition to using these Meta XML files, Xilytix.FieldedText can also be used to create them. These XML files can then also be used by any other software component/library which support this standard. Refer to the http://www.fieldedtext.org website for more information about this standard.

Xilytix.FieldedText can be used to parse or generate nearly any type of CSV and Fielded Text file. This includes files which have:

• fields are separated by delimiters (eg CSV files).
• fields which are fixed length.
• fields that are quoted.
• fields that have new lines embedded in them.
• headings.
• substitutions
• lines with different sets of fields based on key fields.
• and more …

It has been release into the public domain so you are free to use the code however you like.

The assembly can be installed¹ from NuGet:
https://www.nuget.org/packages/Xilytix.FieldedText

The source code repository can be viewed¹ at:
https://bitbucket.org/xilytix/fieldedtext

Code Examples can be viewed here.