Never EVER suggest using split to parse a CSV file. That is an extremely reckless and stupid thing to do.

I have to say that I think that is somewhat overstating the case. I can't see any problem whatsoever with processing character separated data with split when the data is from a known source and is consistent in its format - say:

FOO,1,2
BAR,2,3
BARG,29,38
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/J\

Text::CSV, Text::CSV_XS, Text::xSV, and DBD::CSV and all extremely good solutions

So is Text::ParseWords. And that's a standard Perl module.

Are you saying that Text::ParseWords can handle every case that Text::xSV can? Why hasn't anyone ever mentioned this module? As in I've read nearly every node to do with parsing on this site for the past 3 years and I've never heard of it.

Would I be correct in thinking that the following are equivalent?

use Text::ParseWords;

my @lines = do { open FH, $filename; <FH> };

foreach my $line (@lines)
{
    my @parsed_out = quotewords(',', undef, $line);
    # Do stuff here
}

---------------

use Text::CSV;

my $parser = Text::CSV->new;

my @lines = do { open FH, $filename; <FH> };

foreach my $line (@lines)
{
    $parser->parse( $line );
    my @parsed_out = $parser->fields;
    # Do stuff here
}

---------------

use Text::xSV;

my $parser = Text::xSV->new;

$parser->open_file( $filename );

while (my $parsed_out = $parser->get_row)
{
    # Do stuff here
}
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------
We are the carpenters and bricklayers of the Information Age.

Then there are Damian modules.... *sigh* ... that's not about being less-lazy -- that's about being on some really good drugs -- you know, there is no spoon. - flyingmoose

I shouldn't have to say this, but any code, unless otherwise stated, is untested