CSV like file format featured recently in Daily Python URL?

[EP]

I'm trying to track down the name of a file format and python module,
that was featured in the Daily Python URL some time in the last month
or
two.

The format was ASCII with a multiline header defining types for the
comma seperated column data below. It may have had the capability to
store multiple tables in one file. There was news on the homepage that
an alternate 'no data here' syntax was also supported.

An example file had vaguely this structure:

columnname as datatype
columnname as datatype
columnname as datatype
columnname as datatype

data,data,data,data
data,"other data",data,data
data,data,"",data

Was it something like ARFF? http://www.cs.waikato.ac.nz/~ml/weka/arff.html

Google "ARFF Python": http://www.google.com/search?q=arff+python

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

% 1. Title: Iris Plants Database
%
% 2. Sources:
% (a) Creator: R.A. Fisher
% (b) Donor: Michael Marshall (MARSHALL%[email protected])
% (c) Date: July, 1988
%
@RELATION iris

@ATTRIBUTE sepallength NUMERIC
@ATTRIBUTE sepalwidth NUMERIC
@ATTRIBUTE petallength NUMERIC
@ATTRIBUTE petalwidth NUMERIC
@ATTRIBUTE class {Iris-setosa,Iris-versicolor,Iris-virginica}


The Data of the ARFF file looks like the following:

@DATA
5.1,3.5,1.4,0.2,Iris-setosa
4.9,3.0,1.4,0.2,Iris-setosa
4.7,3.2,1.3,0.2,Iris-setosa
4.6,3.1,1.5,0.2,Iris-setosa
5.0,3.6,1.4,0.2,Iris-setosa
5.4,3.9,1.7,0.4,Iris-setosa
4.6,3.4,1.4,0.3,Iris-setosa
5.0,3.4,1.5,0.2,Iris-setosa
4.4,2.9,1.4,0.2,Iris-setosa
4.9,3.1,1.5,0.1,Iris-setosa


Lines that begin with a % are comments. The @RELATION, @ATTRIBUTE and @DATA declarations are case insensitive.

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

 

[Alex Willmer]

I'm trying to track down the name of a file format and python module,
that was featured in the Daily Python URL some time in the last month or
two.

The format was ASCII with a multiline header defining types for the
comma seperated column data below. It may have had the capability to
store multiple tables in one file. There was news on the homepage that
an alternate 'no data here' syntax was also supported.

An example file had vaguely this structure:

columnname as datatype
columnname as datatype
columnname as datatype
columnname as datatype

data,data,data,data
data,"other data",data,data
data,data,"",data

Can anyone remember this file format/python module?

With thanks

Alex

 

[Fredrik Lundh]

I'm trying to track down the name of a file format and python module,
that was featured in the Daily Python URL some time in the last month or
two.

http://www.netpromi.com/kirbybase.html ?

</F>

 

[Alex Willmer]

http://www.netpromi.com/kirbybase.html ?

No I don't think that was it. Although KirbyBase looks like a nice
project, particularly the alternative to SQL it uses to specify queries.

I remember the webpage presenting the format as fairly established and
in active use as an export/import medium, the python module was a
binding to an existing library. It's very possible I've combined the
memories of KirbyBase (for instance) and HDF. My recollection is to say
the least, foggy.

Thankyou for replying and thankyou for Daily Python-URL. I'll put this
on a backburner for now. I may remember it or come across it again by
fortune.

Alex

 

[Alex Willmer]

Was it something like ARFF? http://www.cs.waikato.ac.nz/~ml/weka/arff.html

Yes that was it thankyou. Although it would seem there isn't a general
python module, rather a Cookbook script to perform conversion to SQL. I
must have confused ARFF with HDF.

Google "ARFF Python": http://www.google.com/search?q=arff+python

Curiously, when I just performed that search, this thread was on the
first page of results as a supplemental result.