Re: query tool csv/txt output file extension choice and encoding

Dave,

I concur with Alain.

On Fri, Feb 5, 2021 at 3:22 PM Dave Caughey <caugheyd(at)gmail(dot)com> wrote:

> Always naming the file as ".csv", regardless of the delimited used, was a
> bug that was fixed.
>
> In my case it was a bug that was created.

> The problem with always naming a file as ".csv" is that Excel then blindly
> assumes that the file actually does contain comma-delimited fields, and
> bypasses the Import From Text Wizard, so if you use anything other than
> commas (e.g., you want TAB separators), then Excel won't split your file
> into multiple columns correctly. Therefore, before the bug was fixed, you
> had to manually rename all of pgAdmin's "export to file" outputs to
> ".txt". (Exactly what you don't want to have to do, too!)
>
> No, both Alain and myself *now* have to rename the .txt files to .csv
files. In my case it's because LibreOffice won't open it in Calc with a
txt extension, but instead try to open it in Write. If I leave it .txt I
have to; manually start Calc, then select the file, then try to import it.
If it's named .csv a simple double-click opens the file in Calc and in the
CSV import wizard that correctly handles files delimited by comma, tab, ~,
|, ;, or anything else you like.

> Note, if your file is ends with ".txt", then simply doing a "File" |
> "Open" in Excel will automatically/correctly invoke the Import from Text
> Wizard, and let you pick the delimiter you want (and it does a good job of
> auto-detecting). Easy!
>
> And, if you don't want to use commas as your delimiter (for any number of
> reasons), then you can change that in pgAdmin by going to "File" |
> "Preferences" | "CVS/TXT Output" and choose your preferred delimiter (e.g.,
> Tab, "|", etc.), and thereafter that's what pgAdmin will always use when
> you do an "export to file", but will give it an ".txt" extension so Excel
> won't screw up opening the file because it's expecting commas as delimiters.
>
> Currently the *only* options pgAdmin4 gives me are; semicolon, comma,
vertical bar, or tab. I can apparently just type whatever I want, but
that's hardly obvious. And comma is a very bad choice for European
countries where sixteen hundred point fifty-two would be written as 1600,52
as opposed to 1600.52 on this side of the pond. You might be suffering
from just a touch of Americentric bias.

> Cheers,
> Dave
>
>
> On Fri, Feb 5, 2021 at 1:25 PM Alain Dupeyron <adupeyron(at)yahoo(dot)fr> wrote:
> >
> > Hi,
> >
> > I'm using frequently the download file function in the query tool. In
> previous version of PgAdmin4, I select field separator ";" and file was
> always generated with extension .csv and can be opened directly by Excel in
> one click with correct columns !
> >
> > Now I have always .txt extension (since 4.28 or before, I'm in PgAdmin
> 4.29 for now) but the .txt file do not open directly in excel
> > I Have to launch excel and open it but colums are not detected in my
> French excel, I have to convert data...(idem with TAB
> separator)...fastidious !
> > Or I have to save the file from the browser, then navigate to file, then
> I change its extension to .csv, confirm and then the file is opened
> correctly...fastidious !
> >
> > When I choose field separator "," in PgAdmin, then file is generated
> with extension .csv but colums are not detected in French Excel (comma is
> the decimal number separator in France...)
> >
> > => How can I "force" or choose in Pgadmin to always generate file with
> extension .csv independently of selected field separator ?
> >
> >
> > 2nd point: Can we choose file encoding of generated file too ? it's in
> UTF-8 now (was plateform dependant in PgAdmin 3?)
> > accentuated characters are not detected corretly by french excel
> (expecting by default my Windows-1252 plateform encoding), I have to import
> file in excel and to select the right utf8 encoding in a huge encoding
> list...
> >
> > Other approach : copy from query result then paste in excel and save the
> file myself...
> > accent are ok but column header are missing, I need to select the option
> on each new query tab "copy with header" => there is no pgAdmin preferences
> for that point ? (was in PgAdmin 3)
> >
> >
> > Yes we can blame Excel/Windows and csv format but it's the only download
> format proposed here for spreadsheet tool and only theses 2-3
> configurations are missing to parametrize it as expected by end user
> platform...
> >
> > Thanks
>