Using qsv Recipe to Trim Whitespaces from Multiple Columns

This recipe demonstrates how to trim leading and trailing whitespaces from one or more columns in a CSV file using qsv.

Usage:

Trim whitespaces from a single column

Use the following command to trim whitespaces and save the output:

qsv luau map --remap Newcolumn Trim.lua filename.csv -o output_filename.csv

• Replace Trim.lua with the filename of this Lua script.
• Replace filename.csv with the input CSV file.
• The --remap option is used to create a new column with the trimmed values.

Trim whitespaces from multiple columns

To trim whitespaces from multiple columns at once, specify the column names in the --remap option:

qsv luau map --remap col1,col2,col3 Trim.lua filename.csv -o output_filename.csv

Preview the trimmed CSV without saving

You can also preview the trimmed CSV file directly in the terminal without saving the output:

qsv luau map --remap col1,col2,col3 Trim.lua filename.csv | qsv table

Example:

Suppose the CSV file data.csv contains several columns with extra whitespaces. To remove the whitespaces from Name and Address columns, run the following command:

qsv luau map --remap Name,Address Trim.lua data.csv -o data_trimmed.csv

Notes:

Ensure to specify the correct column names when using the --remap option.

If you only need to trim a single column, you can omit additional column names.

Additional Links:

Learn more about Lua command here

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