* separated values

[Skip Montanaro]

    Robin> I once needed to translate a couple of .csv files to another
    Robin> format, and started out writing my own parser since "it'll be
    Robin> simple, right?" Discovered there are several subtleties that make
    Robin> it not particularly easy, decided someone must have already
    Robin> invented this wheel, and found a csv parser on-line. Not too much
    Robin> time wasted, but if it had been in the standard library, I
    Robin> wouldn't have wasted *any* time at all.

+1.

I'm a bit biased because I use CSV files heavily to both import data to and
export data from the Mojam/Musi-Cal database.  It's not the world's best
data format, but every package I've ever encountered in the database and
spreadsheet worlds supports it.  I suggest Dave Cole's csv module (fast,
easy to use, appears complete) be added to the core:

    http://www.object-craft.com.au/projects/csv/

-- 
Skip Montanaro (skip at pobox.com - http://www.mojam.com/)