[Python-Dev] Re: [Csv] csv module TODO list

[Raymond Hettinger]

Would the csv module be a good place to add a DBF reader and writer?  

Dbase's dbf file format is one of the oldest, simplest and more common
database interchange formats.   It can be a good alternative to CSV as a
means of sharing data with pre-existing, non-python apps.

On the plus side, it has a precise spec, can preserve numeric and date
types, has guaranteed round-trip equivalence, and does not have weird
escape rules.  On the minus side, strings are limited to ASCII without
NULs and the fields are fixed length.

I've posted a draft on ASPN.  It interoperates well with the rest of the
CSV module because it also accepts/returns a list of fieldnames and a
sequence of records.

http://aspn.activestate.com/ASPN/Cookbook/Python/Recipe/362715



Raymond Hettinger