CSV Import
Load a CSV file from disk as a collection of rows and columns.
What it does
CSV Import reads a CSV file from disk and turns it into a table collection for any node that works with tables: filter rows, drive an Iterator, plot values, or pull individual columns as attributes. The file is parsed once, returning the table alongside row count, column count, the column names, and any parse error.
Column names come from the header row when it is present, otherwise columns get default names. With type detection on, each column is read as numbers, true/false, or text, so downstream maths and comparisons work without extra conversion.
When to use it
A spreadsheet export or data dump as rows to loop over, filter or plot
Parameters or instancing driven from external data: positions, colours, labels read straight from a file
A row/column count or an error check before trusting a file further downstream
| Parameter | Type | Default |
|---|---|---|
path | String | "" |
has_header | Boolean | true |
delimiter | String | "comma" |
auto_type | Boolean | true |
max_rows | Number | 0 |
skip_rows | Number | 0 |
Gotchas
Auto Type inspects each column's values and guesses number, true/false or text. A column that is mostly numbers with a few blanks or typos can come in as text; turn Auto Type off to treat everything as plain text instead.
Skip Rows handles extra title or metadata lines before the real header. Skipping happens after the header row is read, so point Has Header at the actual column-name row first.
If the file cannot be found or fails to parse, the table output is empty. Check the Error output rather than assuming the table is just short.
Worked example
Add a CSV Import node and set Path to your CSV file.
Leave Has Header on if row one contains column names; turn it off for headerless files.
Check Delimiter matches your file. Comma is the default; tab, semicolon, pipe, and space are also available.
Wire Table into a node that consumes a collection, and check Row Count, Column Count, and Error if something looks off.