asked on

Opening and reading a csv file created in any editor

Hi EEE:
I have a problem. I am loading a csv file to the database in .NET. By definition a csv file is a comma seperated file which can be created in a simple text editor like notepad or also in excel and saved as a csv. Now, when I read in the file (see code below) I will get the following error because the file is expected as an excel sheet. How can I make it generic to open a csv regardless of its file origin - text or excel.

Code:

                  // Read into dataset the first sheet of Excel
                  //
                  string connectionString;
                  string commandText;
                  System.Data.OleDb.OleDbConnection conn;
                  System.Data.OleDb.OleDbCommand command;

                  connectionString = "Provider=Microsoft.Jet.OLEDB.4.0;Data Source=" + filePath + ";Extended Properties='Excel 8.0;HDR=Yes;IMEX=1'";
                  commandText = "select * from [sheet1$]";

                  conn = new System.Data.OleDb.OleDbConnection (connectionString);
                  command = new System.Data.OleDb.OleDbCommand (commandText, conn);

                  conn.Open ();

                  System.Data.OleDb.OleDbDataAdapter da = new System.Data.OleDb.OleDbDataAdapter (commandText, conn);
                  DataSet ds = new DataSet ();

                  da.Fill (ds, "FileData");

Error:

[OleDbException (0x80004005): External table is not in the expected format.]
System.Data.OleDb.OleDbConnectionInternal..ctor(OleDbConnectionString constr, OleDbConnection connection) +1059617
System.Data.OleDb.OleDbConnectionFactory.CreateConnection(DbConnectionOptions options, Object poolGroupProviderInfo, DbConnectionPool pool, DbConnection owningObject) +53
System.Data.ProviderBase.DbConnectionFactory.CreateNonPooledConnection(DbConnection owningConnection, DbConnectionPoolGroup poolGroup) +27
System.Data.ProviderBase.DbConnectionFactory.GetConnection(DbConnection owningConnection) +47
System.Data.ProviderBase.DbConnectionClosed.OpenConnection(DbConnection outerConnection, DbConnectionFactory connectionFactory) +105
System.Data.OleDb.OleDbConnection.Open() +37

ASKER CERTIFIED SOLUTION

Daniel Junges

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LuckyLucks

ASKER

I have changed my code as per your suggestion but I get the following error. I have gone to the relevant folder on the server and the file was correctly saved there. However it is causing an error as below:-

Code:
------------------------
string connectionString;
string commandText;
System.Data.OleDb.OleDbConnection conn;
System.Data.OleDb.OleDbCommand command;

connectionString =
@"Provider=Microsoft.Jet.OLEDB.4.0;Data Source=" + filePath +
@";Extended Properties=""Text;HDR=Yes;FMT=Delimited\""";

commandText = "Select * from " + brwUploadFile.FileName;
conn = new System.Data.OleDb.OleDbConnection (connectionString);
command = new System.Data.OleDb.OleDbCommand (commandText, conn);

conn.Open ();

System.Data.OleDb.OleDbDataAdapter da = new System.Data.OleDb.OleDbDataAdapter (commandText, conn);
DataSet ds = new DataSet ();

da.Fill (ds, "FileData");

Error:
-------------------------
'c:\inetpub\wwwroot\myApplication\Uploads\testfile0.csv' is not a valid path. Make sure that the path name is spelled correctly and that you are connected to the server on which the file resides.
Description: An unhandled exception occurred during the execution of the current web request. Please review the stack trace for more information about the error and where it originated in the code.

Exception Details: System.Data.OleDb.OleDbException: 'c:\inetpub\wwwroot\myApplication\Uploads\testfile0.csv' is not a valid path. Make sure that the path name is spelled correctly and that you are connected to the server on which the file resides.

Source Error:

Line 11771: DataSet ds = new DataSet ();
Line 11772:
Line 11773: da.Fill (ds, "FileData");
Line 11774:
Line 11775:

Stack Trace:

[OleDbException (0x80004005): 'c:\inetpub\wwwroot\myApplication\Uploads\testfile0.csv' is not a valid path. Make sure that the path name is spelled correctly and that you are connected to the server on which the file resides.]
System.Data.OleDb.OleDbConnectionInternal..ctor(OleDbConnectionString constr, OleDbConnection connection) +1059617
System.Data.OleDb.OleDbConnectionFactory.CreateConnection(DbConnectionOptions options, Object poolGroupProviderInfo, DbConnectionPool pool, DbConnection owningObject) +53
System.Data.ProviderBase.DbConnectionFactory.CreateNonPooledConnection(DbConnection owningConnection, DbConnectionPoolGroup poolGroup) +27
System.Data.ProviderBase.DbConnectionFactory.GetConnection(DbConnection owningConnection) +47
System.Data.ProviderBase.DbConnectionClosed.OpenConnection(DbConnection outerConnection, DbConnectionFactory connectionFactory) +105
System.Data.OleDb.OleDbConnection.Open() +37
System.Data.Common.DbDataAdapter.FillInternal(DataSet dataset, DataTable[] datatables, Int32 startRecord, Int32 maxRecords, String srcTable, IDbCommand command, CommandBehavior behavior) +121
System.Data.Common.DbDataAdapter.Fill(DataSet dataSet, Int32 startRecord, Int32 maxRecords, String srcTable, IDbCommand command, CommandBehavior behavior) +137
System.Data.Common.DbDataAdapter.Fill(DataSet dataSet, String srcTable) +83
myApplication.page1.UploadFile(String fileName, String fileExtension, String filePath) in c:\Inetpub\wwwroot\myApplication\page1.aspx.cs:11773
myApplication.page1.btnDBUpload_Click(Object sender, EventArgs e) in c:\Inetpub\wwwroot\myApplication\page1.aspx.cs:11650
System.Web.UI.WebControls.Button.OnClick(EventArgs e) +105
System.Web.UI.WebControls.Button.RaisePostBackEvent(String eventArgument) +107
System.Web.UI.WebControls.Button.System.Web.UI.IPostBackEventHandler.RaisePostBackEvent(String eventArgument) +7
System.Web.UI.Page.RaisePostBackEvent(IPostBackEventHandler sourceControl, String eventArgument) +11
System.Web.UI.Page.RaisePostBackEvent(NameValueCollection postData) +33
System.Web.UI.Page.ProcessRequestMain(Boolean includeStagesBeforeAsyncPoint, Boolean includeStagesAfterAsyncPoint) +5102

LuckyLucks

ASKER

The connection string value looks like :-
Provider=Microsoft.Jet.OLEDB.4.0;Data Source=c:\inetpub\wwwroot\myApplication\Uploads\input_text.csv;Extended Properties=Text;HDR=Yes;FMT=Delimited

And my syntax is :-
connectionString = "Provider=Microsoft.Jet.OLEDB.4.0;Data Source=" + filePath + ";Extended Properties=Text;HDR=Yes;FMT=Delimited";

LuckyLucks

ASKER

Apparently the problem was the filePath should not include the full physical path to the file.Instead it should include the full physical path only upto the folder in which the file resides.