Yashotantra Academy logo
← Python theorytheory 0/50 · 0%
level 1
Curious · 0 XP
streak
0d
perfect
0
badges
0

100 XP to Apprentice

Tooling · medium

35. Working with CSV and structured text

Reading/writing tabular data with the csv module.

1 min read3 questionsup to 50 XPtopic 35/50

Read in another language

AI translates the explanation and quiz text while preserving code and answer scoring.

The `csv` module reads and writes comma-separated (or other delimiter) tabular data safely, handling quoting edge cases that naive `.split(",")` would get wrong.

python
import csv
import io

text = "address,balance\n0xabc,5\n0xdef,3"
reader = csv.DictReader(io.StringIO(text))
rows = list(reader)   # [{"address": "0xabc", "balance": "5"}, ...]

output = io.StringIO()
writer = csv.DictWriter(output, fieldnames=["address", "balance"])
writer.writeheader()
writer.writerow({"address": "0xabc", "balance": 5})

All values from `csv.reader`/`DictReader` are strings; convert numeric columns explicitly with `int()`/`float()`.

How to study this topic

  1. 1. Read the explanation once end to end, skipping the code.
  2. 2. Re-read the code snippets and say out loud what each line does.
  3. 3. Answer the quiz without scrolling back — that is the real check.
  4. 4. Read every explanation, even for the answers you got right.

Scoring

  • · Up to 30 XP from quiz accuracy.
  • · +15 XP for a perfect first attempt.
  • · +5 XP while a 3-day streak is running.
  • · 75% or higher marks the topic complete.

Check your understanding

  1. 1. What type are values read by csv.DictReader?

  2. 2. Why use the csv module instead of `.split(",")`?

  3. 3. What does `csv.DictReader` return per row?

Badges

First light
Pass your first topic
Sharp shooter
3 perfect first-try quizzes
On a roll
Study 3 days in a row
Week warrior
Study 7 days in a row
Grinder
Earn 500 XP
Deep diver
Earn 1500 XP