How to Convert .TXT Data into CSV Rows in Python

Learn how to split a `.TXT` file data into comma-separated rows in Python. This guide provides a clear, step-by-step solution to formatting your data for better readability.
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This video is based on the question https://stackoverflow.com/q/65260740/ asked by the user 'Marco Almeida' ( https://stackoverflow.com/u/1192885/ ) and on the answer https://stackoverflow.com/a/65261102/ provided by the user 'wjandrea' ( https://stackoverflow.com/u/4518341/ ) at 'Stack Overflow' website. Thanks to these great users and Stackexchange community for their contributions.

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How to Convert .TXT Data into CSV Rows in Python: A Step-by-Step Guide

Handling data can sometimes be a daunting task, especially when it comes to converting it from one format to another. If you have a .TXT file containing multiline records and you need to convert them into a CSV format, you may find yourself wondering how to accomplish this. This guide will address the problem directly and provide a simple, effective solution using Python.

The Problem: Unformatted Data in a .TXT File

Imagine you have a .TXT file that looks something like this:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

You want to transform this data into a more usable format, such as a CSV structure. The desired output would look like this:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

This will help you to easily import and analyze the data in various tools that support CSV formats.

The Solution: Step-by-Step Approach in Python

To solve this issue, you will need to read the .TXT file line by line, group the records together, and format them into a CSV-like structure. Follow the steps below to achieve this:

Step 1: Read the File

You will begin by opening the .TXT file and reading its contents. Python’s built-in file handling makes this straightforward.

Step 2: Group Records

To group your data into rows, you can read three lines at a time (one for Name, one for Age, and one for Country) until you reach the end of the file.

Step 3: Format and Print

You will remove any trailing newline characters and then print the grouped records separated by commas.

Here’s a complete code snippet for your solution:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Explanation of the Code

Opening the File: with open('Data.txt') as f: opens the file and ensures it is properly closed after operations are done.

Reading Records: The loop attempts to read three lines (one for each record) at a time. If there are less than three remaining, it will handle the end of the file gracefully.

Removing Newlines: rstrip('\n') helps you clean each line by removing unwanted newline characters.

Output Formatting: The print(*records, sep=',') statement prints the collected lines separated by commas.

Expected Output

After running the code with the provided data, the output will be:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Conclusion

Transforming a .TXT file into a CSV format is achievable with a few lines of Python code. By breaking down the problem into manageable steps — reading the file, grouping the data, and formatting the output — you can easily convert any such file for better utility.

If you have any questions about the process or need further assistance, feel free to reach out or leave a comment below! Happy coding!