[Python-ideas] csv.DictReader could handle headers more intelligently.

[Mark Hackett]

On Wednesday 23 Jan 2013, Bruce Leban wrote:
> If there are duplicate column headers, they are probably there for a
> reason. I can't imagine a case where the desired result is to discard one
> of the columns. If DictReader is going to recognize this case, perhaps:
> 

I can't see why there would be duplicate column headers for valid reason.

Someone may have written their CSV export incorrectly, but that's not actually 
valid.

It would therefore be arguable for the program to give at least a WARNING that 
it's throwing data away.

However, since python is mechanising this as a dictionary and since in python 
setting A to 1 then setting A to 3 would throw away the earlier value for A 
and the import function working AS EXPECTED in Python.

Hence a decorator to insist on some formatting issues (e.g. turning A into a 
list of values 1,3 rather than throwing away the 1 or the 3). To do otherwise 
would have someone in the official library have to write their own format 
conversion and shove it in the middle and telling people what they should be 
doing.