There are two ways to read CSV files in C#: one is to use StreamReader to read line by line, which is suitable for simple scenarios; the other is to use the CsvHelper library to process structured data. 1. When using StreamReader, read line by line through ReadLine() method and split fields by delimiter with Split(), but be careful not to correctly parse quoted fields and no type conversion function. 2. CsvHelper supports automatic mapping of class attributes, type conversion, custom mapping, ignoring columns, processing of quoted fields and multiple separators. Notes include: Ensure that the file is UTF-8 encoding; correctly processing the title line; judging null values; it is recommended to read large files line by line to optimize performance.
It is actually not difficult to read CSV files in C#, and it mainly relies on some built-in classes and methods to handle it. If you just want to read the content quickly, using StreamReader
is enough; if you need more structured data processing, you can use a third-party library or parse it yourself.

Read line by line using StreamReader
This is the most basic and direct way, suitable for CSV files with little content and simple format.
You can first open the file stream, then read the contents of each line line by line, and then disassemble each column according to commas (or other separators):

using (var reader = new StreamReader("data.csv")) { While (!reader.EndOfStream) { var line = reader.ReadLine(); var values = line.Split(','); // values[0], values[1]... are the fields in this line} }
This method is simple and effective, but a few points to note:
- If there are fields wrapped in quotes in CSV, such as
"New York, NY"
, a direct Split error will occur. - There is no automatic type conversion, everything is a string.
Simplify operations with CsvHelper (recommended)
If the data you want to process is relatively standardized and even has a corresponding class structure, it is recommended to use the NuGet package CsvHelper .

After installation, you can read it like this:
using (var reader = new StreamReader("data.csv")) using (var csv = new CsvReader(reader, CultureInfo.InvariantCulture)) { var records = csv.GetRecords<MyClass>(); foreach (var record in records) { Console.WriteLine(record.Name); } }
Here MyClass
is the class you define, corresponding to the column name of the CSV. CsvHelper will automatically map fields and convert types for you, which is very convenient.
It also supports:
- Custom field mapping
- Ignore certain columns
- Processing quoted fields
- Supports different delimiters (such as tab characters)
Notes and FAQs
Reading CSVs seems simple, but some details are easy to ignore:
- Coding issues : Make sure your CSV file is UTF-8 encoding, otherwise garbled may appear.
- The first line is the title : Many CSVs The first line is the column name, remember to skip it or handle it correctly.
- Null value processing : Some fields may be empty, please be careful to judge null or empty strings.
- Performance of large files : If the file is particularly large, it is recommended to read by line and do not load it into memory at one time.
Basically that's it. Which method to choose depends on your needs. If you just look at the content simply, StreamReader is enough; if you want to do formal data processing, CsvHelper will save you a lot of trouble.
The above is the detailed content of How to read a CSV file in C#?. For more information, please follow other related articles on the PHP Chinese website!

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