Table of Contents

EXPORT INTO DELIMITED TEXT FILE

Category: Export / File


Description

This action exports a table into a delimited text file. The file name can use either a full or relative path.


Use cases

Create a plain-text, unformatted data file (such as CSV file) to exchange data with a wide variety of applications and services.


Action settings

Setting Description
File*Enter a fully-qualified file name for the output file (includes relative or absolute path).
SeparatorSelect the delimiting character used to define columns in the exported file. Options: Comma, Semicolon, Tab, Pipe,
Tilde, Space, Custom (and select from the editor window), or No separator.
DecimalSelect the character used within numeric values to define decimal places. Options: Point or Comma.
Export modeSelect whether this action will create a new file, or append to an existing file. See the table below for details.
File already existsWhen selecting to "Create new file" in the option above, choose whether to overwrite the existing file, rename the
existing file, or halt the action's execution. See the "File already exists options" table below for details.

* Setting can be specified using a parameter.

Export mode options

Option Description
Create new fileCreate a new file or overwrite an existing file with the same name. See the "File already exists options" table
below for additional details.
Append to file (or create)Append the dataset to an existing file (the header row will not be appended) or create a new file if it does not
already exist. See the "Remarks" section below for additional details.


File already exists options

Option Description
OverwriteThe new file replaces the original file.
RenameThe original file will be renamed with "backup" and a serial number appended to the file name. The new file will
possess the name specified in the File setting.
Halt project executionThe project will stop processing and this action will display a warning symbol.



Advanced options

Setting Description
EncodingSelect the encoding format to use for the exported file. If you're not sure what to choose, try UTF-8 as it's
the most common Unicode encoding.
Don't write BOMWhen checked, the byte order mark is not written to the output file. See Wikipedia - Byte order mark for details.
Wrap in quotesSelect which values are wrapped in quotation marks in the export file. See the table below for details.
Don't write column headersColumn headings are not written into the exported file.
Preserve formatting Export number values (including dates) using the currently selected column format.


Wrap in quotes options

Option Description
AutoOnly values that contain the chosen separator or a line break, or numeric values data-typed as text, will be wrapped in double-quotes. Other value types will not be.
EverythingAll values will be wrapped in double-quotes.
NothingNo values will be wrapped in double quotes, even if they contain spaces, separators, or line breaks. Use this option with care.


Remarks

By default, when the file name has no extension, the action automatically appends the extension ".csv" to it.

The "Append to file" operation doesn't change the order of the columns in the appended dataset, even if columns in the existing file are in a different order. If the file doesn't exist, it will be created automatically (the row with headers will be inserted first, in this case).

Use caution when selecting "Nothing" for the Wrap in quotes Advanced option. Values containing the selected delimiter, line breaks, or numbers that should be considered text may be incorrectly parsed by applications or systems accessing the file.


Examples

Source table:

RecID FName LName Address City RegionState Zip
1001Meghan Monroe P.O. Box 748, 8176 Lectus Rd. Gary IN 52188
1002Demetria Chang 5913 Elit Rd. Jefferson City MO 79008
1003Karyn Meyer 153-2405 Arcu Road Lexington KY 46663
1004Steel Wynn 634-8310 Ante Avenue Essex VT 86255
1005Mohammad Gillespie 890-4447 Orci. Ave St. Petersburg FL 65929
1006Lance Christian Ap #999-2401 Cubilia Rd. Jackson MS 36778


Action parameters:

Separator is "Comma"
Wrap in quotes is "Auto"


Result data:

RecID,FName,LName,Address,City,RegionState,Zip
1001,Meghan,Monroe,"P.O. Box 748, 8176 Lectus Rd.",Gary,IN,"52188"
1002,Demetria,Chang,5913 Elit Rd.,Jefferson City,MO,"79008"
1003,Karyn,Meyer,153-2405 Arcu Road,Lexington,KY,"46663"
1004,Steel,Wynn,634-8310 Ante Avenue,Essex,VT,"86255"
1005,Mohammad,Gillespie,890-4447 Orci. Ave,St. Petersburg,FL,"65929"
1006,Lance,Christian,Ap #999-2401 Cubilia Rd.,Jackson,MS,"36778"

The first record's Address is enclosed in quotes since it contains a comma, which is the designated delimiter.
All Zip values are quoted as they are numeric values that have been re-typed as text.


Community examples


See also