csv: No fields, or one field?

[Tim Roberts]

Neil Cerutti <neilc at norwich.edu> wrote:

>Is there an explanation or previous dicussion somewhere for the
>following behavior? I haven't yet trolled the csv mailing list
>archive, though that would probably be a good place to check.
>
>Python 3.2 (r32:88445, Feb 20 2011, 21:29:02) [MSC v.1500 32 bit
>(Intel)] on win 32
>Type "help", "copyright", "credits" or "license" for more information.
>>>> import csv
>>>> next(csv.reader(['""\r\n']))
>['']
>>>> next(csv.reader(['\r\n']))
>[]
>
>I hoped or assumed that the 2nd invocation should have the same
>result as the first.

Really?  That's not at all what I would have expected.  The first line
contains one field.  The second line contains 0 fields.  It's consistent,
and syntactically valid.

>I admit a blank, one-field csv record just isn't very
>insteresting, but isn't this a special case that ought to be
>documented? 

But that's what you have in the first line, and the reader has returned to
you a list containing one (empty) string.

I just don't see your interpretation.  The results are exactly what I would
have expected.
-- 
Tim Roberts, timr at probo.com
Providenza & Boekelheide, Inc.