How to Create a CSV file Writer

Here's how you create a CSV file that will open in Excel. It is a csv (Comma spaced Value) file with double quotes " as identifiers.

Notice that fileStream.setLength(0) makes it so you will overwrite whatever data is in the file you are saving to.

private void ButtonRunCSV_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
{


if (saveFileDialog1.ShowDialog() == DialogResult.OK)
{
String saveFileName = saveFileDialog1.FileName;

FileStream fileStream = new FileStream(saveFileName, System.IO.FileMode.OpenOrCreate);
fileStream.SetLength(0);

StreamWriter sw = new StreamWriter(fileStream);

sw.WriteLine("Company Name,"
+ "Phone Number,"
+ "Call Date,"
+ "Call Length,"
+ "First Name,"
+ "Last Name,"
+ "Contact Title,"
+ "Gender,"
+ "Address,"
+ "City,"
+ "State,"
+ "Zip,"
+ "Country,"
+ "Email,"
+ "Fax,"
+ "Second Phone Number,"
+ "Website,"
+ "Google Verified,"
+ "Yahoo Verified,"
+ "Indexed Pages Online,"
+ "Site Links,"
+ "Site References,"
+ "Google Reviews,"
+ "Yahoo Reviews,"
+ "Web Reviews,"
+ "Annual Sales,"
+ "Employees,"
+ "SIC Code,"
+ "Industry,"
+ "Company Description,"
+ "Latitude,"
+ "Longitude");

foreach (Lead l in leads)
{
lead = l;

findLeadInfo();

if (!lead.IsClient)
{

string newLine = "";

newLine += (!String.IsNullOrEmpty(lead.CompanyName)) ? ToCSVDelimitedString(lead.CompanyName) + "," : ",";
newLine += (!String.IsNullOrEmpty(lead.PhoneNumber)) ? ToCSVDelimitedString(lead.PhoneNumber) + "," : ",";
newLine += (lead.CallDate != DateTime.MinValue) ? ToCSVDelimitedString(lead.CallDate.ToString("MMM d, yyyy h:mm tttt") + " PST") + "," : ",";
newLine += (lead.SecondsOnPhone != -1) ? ToCSVDelimitedString(TimeSpan.FromSeconds(lead.SecondsOnPhone).Minutes.ToString() + " Min") + "," : ",";
newLine += (!String.IsNullOrEmpty(lead.ContactFirstName)) ? ToCSVDelimitedString(lead.ContactFirstName) + "," : ",";
newLine += (!String.IsNullOrEmpty(lead.ContactLastName)) ? ToCSVDelimitedString(lead.ContactLastName) + "," : ",";
newLine += (!String.IsNullOrEmpty(lead.ContactTitle)) ? ToCSVDelimitedString(lead.ContactTitle) + "," : ",";
newLine += (!String.IsNullOrEmpty(lead.ContactGender)) ? ToCSVDelimitedString(lead.ContactGender) + "," : ",";
newLine += (!String.IsNullOrEmpty(lead.Address)) ? ToCSVDelimitedString(lead.Address) + "," : ",";
newLine += (!String.IsNullOrEmpty(lead.City)) ? ToCSVDelimitedString(lead.City) + "," : ",";
newLine += (!String.IsNullOrEmpty(lead.State)) ? ToCSVDelimitedString(lead.State) + "," : ",";
newLine += (!String.IsNullOrEmpty(lead.ZipCode)) ? ToCSVDelimitedString(lead.ZipCode) + "," : ",";
newLine += (!String.IsNullOrEmpty(lead.Country)) ? ToCSVDelimitedString(lead.Country) + "," : ",";
newLine += (!String.IsNullOrEmpty(lead.Email)) ? ToCSVDelimitedString(lead.Email) + "," : ",";
newLine += (!String.IsNullOrEmpty(lead.FaxNumber)) ? ToCSVDelimitedString(lead.FaxNumber) + "," : ",";
newLine += (!String.IsNullOrEmpty(lead.PhoneNumber2)) ? ToCSVDelimitedString(lead.PhoneNumber2) + "," : ",";
newLine += (!String.IsNullOrEmpty(lead.Website)) ? ToCSVDelimitedString(lead.Website) + "," : ",";
newLine += ((lead.GoogleVerified)) ? "Yes," : ",";
newLine += ((lead.YahooVerified)) ? "Yes," : ",";
newLine += (!String.IsNullOrEmpty(lead.IndexedPages)) ? ToCSVDelimitedString(GetTheNumberWithinTheTag(lead.IndexedPages)) + "," : ",";
newLine += (!String.IsNullOrEmpty(lead.SiteLinks)) ? ToCSVDelimitedString(GetTheNumberWithinTheTag(lead.SiteLinks)) + "," : ",";
newLine += (!String.IsNullOrEmpty(lead.SiteReferences)) ? ToCSVDelimitedString(GetTheNumberWithinTheTag(lead.SiteReferences)) + "," : ",";
newLine += (lead.GoogleReviewsCount > 0) ? ToCSVDelimitedString(lead.GoogleReviewsCount.ToString()) + "," : ",";
newLine += (lead.YahooReviewsCount > 0) ? ToCSVDelimitedString(lead.YahooReviewsCount.ToString()) + "," : ",";
newLine += (lead.WebReviewsCount > 0) ? ToCSVDelimitedString(lead.WebReviewsCount.ToString()) + "," : ",";
newLine += (!String.IsNullOrEmpty(lead.AnnualSales)) ? ToCSVDelimitedString(lead.AnnualSales) + "," : ",";
newLine += (!String.IsNullOrEmpty(lead.Employees)) ? ToCSVDelimitedString(lead.Employees) + "," : ",";
newLine += (!String.IsNullOrEmpty(lead.SICCode)) ? ToCSVDelimitedString(lead.SICCode) + "," : ",";
newLine += (!String.IsNullOrEmpty(lead.Industry)) ? ToCSVDelimitedString(lead.Industry) + "," : ",";
newLine += (!String.IsNullOrEmpty(lead.Description)) ? ToCSVDelimitedString(lead.Description) + "," : ",";
newLine += (!String.IsNullOrEmpty(lead.Latitude)) ? ToCSVDelimitedString(lead.Latitude) + "," : ",";
newLine += (!String.IsNullOrEmpty(lead.Longitude)) ? ToCSVDelimitedString(lead.Longitude) + "," : "";


sw.WriteLine(newLine);
}
}

sw.Close();
}



}


private String ToCSVDelimitedString(String field)
{
return "\"" + field.Replace("\"", "\"\"") + "\"";
}


private String GetTheNumberWithinTheTag(String tag)
{
int last = 0;
last = tag.IndexOf('<', 1);

if (last > 0)
return tag.Substring(tag.IndexOf('>') + 1, last - tag.IndexOf('>') - 1);
else
return tag.Substring(tag.IndexOf('>') + 1, tag.Length - tag.IndexOf('>') - 1);
}

Connecting Two Remote Databases in a single SQL Query

Background

Every Microsoft SQL Server database, there is a folder called Server Objects. Within that folder there is a folder called "Linked Servers". If you right click on that folder and hit New Linked Server, it will open up a new linked server wizard.

New Linked Server Wizard

By following the steps there, you can setup a new linked server.

First, type in the name or IP address of the server where it says "Linked server". For example: "1.0.9.46".

For a remote SQL database choose SQL Server as the server type. Then select the security page from the left, and enter the login credentials under the "Be made using this security context" option: Enter the username where it says remote login, and the password below where it says "With password."


Creating a Query using the Linked server.

Once your linked server is setup, you can execute a query like the following:

SELECT *
FROM
[1.0.9.46].DatabaseName.dbo.tableName t
JOIN users ON user.ID = t.userID;

Enjoy!!!

The Ultimate Phone Number Parsing method

The ToNumbers method basically takes a string and turns it into only numbers using the fact that numbers are characters between 47 and 58.

public static string toDataBasePhoneNumber(string phoneNumber)

{

String cleanPhone = String.Empty;

cleanPhone = ToNumbers(phoneNumber);

if (cleanPhone.StartsWith("1"))

cleanPhone = cleanPhone.Substring(1);

return cleanPhone;

}

public static string UltimateToNumbers(string phone)

{

string str = phone;

str = str.Trim().ToUpper();

string check = toDataBasePhoneNumber(str);

if (check.Length == 10)

return check;

else if (check.Length less than 3)

return str;

if (str.Length less than 10)

return str;

if (str.Contains("/"))

str = str.Substring(0, str.IndexOf("/"));

if (str.Contains(","))

str = str.Substring(0, str.IndexOf(","));

if (str.Contains(" OR"))

str = str.Substring(0, str.IndexOf(" OR"));

check = toDataBasePhoneNumber(str);

if (check.Length == 10)

return check;

if (str.Contains("EXT"))

str = str.Substring(0, str.IndexOf("EXT"));

else if (str.Contains("POSTE"))

str = str.Substring(0, str.IndexOf("POSTE"));

else if (str.Contains(" X"))

str = str.Substring(0, str.IndexOf(" X"));

else if (str.Contains(" #"))

str = str.Substring(0, str.IndexOf(" #"));

check = ToNumbers(str);

if (check.Length == 10)

return check;

if (str.Substring(9).Contains("("))

{

check = toDataBasePhoneNumber(str.Substring(9));

if (check.Length == 10)

return check;

}

str = FromLettersToNumbers(str);

return toDataBasePhoneNumber(str);

}

///

/// Takes any 1 character string and if the character is a letter it will change it to the number

/// that it would be on the keypad e.g. FREE = 3733.

///

/// A string converted

/// a string of all numbers

public static string FromLettersToNumbers(string numberWithUpperCaseCharacters)

{

string s = numberWithUpperCaseCharacters;

s = s.Replace("A", "2");

s = s.Replace("B", "2");

s = s.Replace("C", "2");

s = s.Replace("D", "3");

s = s.Replace("E", "3");

s = s.Replace("F", "3");

s = s.Replace("G", "4");

s = s.Replace("H", "4");

s = s.Replace("I", "4");

s = s.Replace("J", "5");

s = s.Replace("K", "5");

s = s.Replace("L", "5");

s = s.Replace("M", "6");

s = s.Replace("N", "6");

s = s.Replace("O", "6");

s = s.Replace("P", "7");

s = s.Replace("Q", "7");

s = s.Replace("R", "7");

s = s.Replace("S", "7");

s = s.Replace("T", "8");

s = s.Replace("U", "8");

s = s.Replace("V", "8");

s = s.Replace("W", "9");

s = s.Replace("X", "9");

s = s.Replace("Y", "9");

s = s.Replace("Z", "9");

return s;

}

Testing It:

string[] separator = new string[] { "<;>" };

string colonSeparatedNumbers = "866-SYNLawn (866-796-5296)<;>(250) 881-7684 / (250) 361-6121<;>780-818-5919 or 306-468-7044<;>1-888-SILPADA (745-7232)<;>(778)233-1235 / (604) 729-9787<;>Fax: (262) 246-4528<;>678-740-0800<;>+91 80 41571900,+91 98450 08720<;>1-868-638-2633 Ext. 2262<;>(604) 730-0321 / (604) 218-0108<;>1-918-712-RIBS<;>(888) 267-0986 x702<;>514 341-5544 poste 280<;>301-475-2200, Ext 100<;>215-541-3211 X108<;>(512)795-9684 ext.101<;>305-532-LIME (5463)<;>(450) 420-9333 #225<;>1-877-KOKOFIT<;>(800) CORN-COB<;>505-766-KEVA<;>403.207.5850 ext. 232<;>1-800-995-JUNK(5865)<;>1-866-35 JUNGA<;>Fax: 212.851.8198<;>513.831.2100<;>(323)936-3300 Ext. 107<;>(416)291-8551 / (647) 886-6863<;>1-888-Gel-Bedz (435-2339)<;>1-817-4161-INK (465)<;>(888) 64-LASER<;>513-563-8339, ext. 135<;>(877) GET-HSWT<;>(61) 02 9362 4<;>0000000<;>Schiller Park<;>1 905 599 6476<;>800-367-5159<;>(410) 822-8879<;>";

string[] spliter = colonSeparatedNumbers.Split(separator, StringSplitOptions.RemoveEmptyEntries);

foreach (String s in spliter)

{

Console.WriteLine("Number: {0} Converted to: -> {1}", s, Text.UltimateToNumbers(s));

}

Parsing DateTime strings

Here is how to parse a date that is in the format of mm/dd/yyyy:

// Parse string with date but no time component.

string dateString, format;

DateTime result;

CultureInfo provider = CultureInfo.InvariantCulture;

// Parse date-only value with invariant culture.

dateString = "06/15/2008";

format = "d";

try

{

result = DateTime.ParseExact(dateString, format, provider);

Console.WriteLine("{0} converts to {1}.", dateString, result.ToString());

}

catch (FormatException)

{

Console.WriteLine("{0} is not in the correct format.", dateString);

}

Copying Code

The object of copying code is to save time. However, I have discovered by sad and repeated experience that copying code more often than not will result in bugs and hard to catch problems that will cause 10 -12 times loss in time trying to solve it. In other words, every time you copy code, you may be able to write code a lot faster, but you will in the end spend 10 times the amount of time you would have if you had simply written every line essentially from scratch.

That being said, there are a few safe ways to reuse portions of code that is essentially guaranteed not to cause unintended glitches down the road (as opposed to those intended glitches that developers like to put in their code for fun!)

Here are some suggestions to effectively copy code:

1. Copy smaller portions. Instead of copying large blocks of code with many variables logical structures and the like, copy the methods that you will reuse a lot, and paste those whenever needed.

2. Write in example basic types and classes that will cause errors unless given relevant names. This is probably the most effective suggestion. The most common problem that I have found in copying code is when I copy a variable from one portion of the code elsewhere, and then forget to change its name to fit the context.

For example,

Let's say you have a class that parses the html of a web page, called parser.

Parser parser = new Parser(html);

you grab some data

parser.MoveToEndOf("");

parser.ReadToStartOf("

");

string tableData = parser.Selected;

Then you go to another page and want to scrap the same data there;

Parser parser2 = new Parser(newHtml);

Then you paste your code

parser.MoveToEndOf("");

parser.ReadToStartOf("

");

Forgetting that your parser for the new page is called parser2, not parser. Well, you may have saved yourself 2 minutes of time by pasting that code. But, in the end you will spend 20 minutes to a half hour hunting down where your code is going wrong.

Instead if you were to create some code like

exampleParser.MoveToEndOf("");

exampleParser.ReadToStartOf("

");

and then paste that around, the code would not compile until you changed the name. It's the same reason why some people put

while (1 ==2)

in their code to make sure there is never an infinite loop until they have tested their logic.

3. Copy the logic portions of code that have no variables in them . Sometimes copying your logical structure will save you the care of having to rethink how to logically go about doing something, and focus on the details.

Conclusion

This article is designed to make the programmer rethink the way they code, and to take the long path at first so that code is built without bugs. Copying code from one portion to another is a sure way to introduce bugs into your code that will be hard to catch at a glance, since the variables you copy are existing ones. Change the names or don't copy at all. In the end you will be a more efficient coder.

SQL Import Wizard -- Importing .csv and .tab files

This blog is to let you know how to use the SQL import wizard. It is very interesting. The most important thing to remember is that you can change the data length and type of both the file you are importing from and the length of the fields that you want to import to.

When you first enter into the Wizard, go past the Welcome screen and You come to the

Choose Data Source page.

You can choose many types of files to import, including an Access file, Excel file, or from a database or a .net Data Provider Source. If you know the details of you provider source application name, or know the location of the Excel file, or have access to the Access database, following those steps are all pretty easy.

However, if you want to import a comma spaced value (.csv) or a tab spaced value (.tab) file, you must use the "Flat File Source" option. I suggest using a .tab file if you are transferring data that uses any kind of non-numeric data such as a list of companies or clients information. These types of non-numeric data are likely to contain comma's themselves, and will make the import wizard think that some of the data items themselves belong in different rows.

A .tab file is very easily interepreted by the wizard. However, one caution is if you file is known to contain tabs. If it does, you will have the same problem whereever a tab appears in the data. Your columns will be skewed upon import.

If your data itself contains commas and contains tabs together. Your best bet would be to replace the tabs with a single space and use a .tab file. Otherwise, you could use a different delimiter such as a semicolon(;) or a vertical bar (|).

Next Step:

Select you .tab or .csv file source. In the open file dialog box, be sure to select files of all types where it says "Files of type:" at the bottom. This part of the process was not done well, because the file browser has as a default to show you only files of .txt or text files. However, that will not cause your .tab or .csv files to show up unless you saved them as .txt type.

Next, be sure to mark the type of delimiter being used (i.e. a tab for a .tab file and a comma for a .csv file). If you get this wrong you will have another chance to correct this before importing your file.

Important Options:

On the same page that you chose your file, you will see to the left a series of options, including:

General

Columns

Advanced

Preview

These are very important tools. If you learn them, it will save you hours of time. Upon exporting 19 million rows of records, I spent over 20 hours trying to solve import problems because I did not understand what I am about to explain.

General Tab:

This is where you upload the file. Under Locale the default is English (Ireland). That is fine unless the language is in another language or incorporates characters from another language. Consult someone else for that problem.

Code page is where you specify the basic encoding of the page ANSI - Latin I or US ASCII work the best for most files.

Under Format, you should choose "Delimited"for a .csv or .tab file.

Important: If there is a header row with column names in the file, you should set the value where it says "Header Rows to Skip:" to 1, that way you won't be importing the column names as your first row.

Columns Tab:

Specify the Row Delimiter as probably the {CR}{LF} value and the Column delimiter as the tab{t} for .tab files and comma{,} for .csv files. Here you can also select a semicolon or vertical bar{|} as we discussed earlier.

After you have chosen these values, you should click the Reset Columns button to get a preview of how your data will import. With a .csv file, choosing Row Delimiter: {CR}{LF} and Column Delimiter: tab{t} worked perfectly. Check to make sure your data is lined up correctly, and that the number of columns are correct.

Advanced Tab:

Here is the most important part*** under the advanced tab, you can choose the value for OutputColumnWidth. This is a very critical value. If you choose a value that is less than any of the data in that column, your import will fail. For example, if you choose 50, which is the default, and even one piece of data in that column is 51 characters long, then the data will need to be truncated for the import, and the the import will fail.

Solution: Set this value well above the typical data length for the column. 255 is a good number.

Here you can also change the number of columns, and give them the proper names if you didn't include a header row with the column names.

Preview Tab:

Here, you will see a preview of how your data will import just like in the columns tab.

However this has one important function, Data rows to skip. You can use this function to skip any number of rows you don't want to store. If you are having trouble importing a row at a certain position, just insert all the rows before that position by chopping off that portion of your text file (and keeping a backup of the entire file of course), then import all the rows after that position by skipping it.

Also you can use this function to see a preview for what data at a certain row will look like for importing.

Destination Page

Now click next and you must choose a destination SQL location. You should know the location, username and password.

*Select Source Table and Views Page

Click Next and you will have to select the name for the table you want to import to, or you can choose a table to directly insert data into.

I would not suggest ever inserting data into an existing table in a database. The reason is that you don't know how the import will go. Your best option is to import data into a new table, and then use a sql statement like

""INSERT INTO [EXISTING TABLE NAME] (COLUMN1, COLUMN2, COLUMN3, ..., COLUMN10) SELECT

(CORRESPONDINGCOLUMN1,

CORRESPONDINGCOLUMN2,

CORRESPONDINGCOLUMN3, ...,

CORRESPONDINGCOLUMN10)

FROM [NEWTABLE]"

to insert the data into the existing table. It is much faster to insert data with a sql call than with the export wizard. About 100 times faster, literally.

VERY IMPORTANT: Here is another place where detail is key. Click the Edit Mappings... button, and it will show you the data types and length of each column you are going to insert. If you choose to insert into a entirely new table, which is what I suggest, then you will not have trouble about truncating any data. Just make sure the size of each column is as great as the column widths you specified in the Advanced Tab earlier.

Good luck and happy importing!

A solution to buying a home: The Housing Fund

I believe there is one good way to help this countries citizens, as well as people all over the world, buy homes and keep them. The best system to buy a home is to have a fund of capital, of pure cash, that potential home buyers could tap into. Because home sellers often settle for lower terms if the buyer provides up front cash, home buyers could take a discount on their purchase.

Once the home is purchased, the borrowers of course would be indebted to repay their loan in monthly installments. I admit this is much like a loan, but the key difference is that people would not have to pay interest on this loan. Because of the charity involved in this fund, one would hope that others would pay back this loan as quickly as they can. The Housing Fund would act more like a charity than like a bank. Its purpose: to provide the people of America with the ability to find a home they need, without paying ridiculous amounts that cripple them.

It is in the best interests of the government of this country to do all they can to support the home buyers of America. These people represent fledgling or expanding families mainly.

Admittedly, there may be some who would try to abuse this system. However, people would have to show a justified need to use this fund--that is, to buy one house they live in.

We have seen that the government has agreed to pay billions of dollars in the fall of 2008 to save the housing market, and the corporate banks that were much hurt by the sub-prime loans in the housing industry. How much more useful would that money be to make a housing fund that helped people buy homes for 90% of their market value in cash, and then pay back that loan without interest. With enough people paying off their loans, the fund would remain at a relatively level sum. Additionally, it is hoped that kind and charitable people of all sorts, including those who benefit directly from the fund, would contribute more than their required payments in the years once they have payed off their loan.

Simply put, we need a way to help the struggling people of America to buy their home. Imagine the relief that will ensue when thousands of Americans have paid off their mortgages in 5 years instead of 30. This will free up consumer spending in other areas, and it will allow many Americans to see the benefit of such a system. The bottom line is this: it is not simply a good thing for America to subsidize the housing market through a national charity, it is essential.

In order to offset the cost of inflation, and keep the fund at a level that will provide continual benefit to the home buyers of this country, The Housing Fund will need yearly donations from the US government, and other wise individuals (who see the mutual benefits such a system provides to all of us). America needs home owners, families in modestly sized homes that meet their needs, and citizens free from gargantuan burdens. America needs a way to support those who truly need a home here.

Because the people must pay off their loans, even without interest, it will still encourage them to buy a home they can afford and not abuse the system. They are encouraged, and watched, so that they buy a home within their means. This will do more to help America than social security for the families in those homes. Imagine thousands without housing payments to make, but at the same level of income! Imagine parents free from mortgages when their kids are still young! Many will undoubtedly give back to this Fund out of gratitude, and those that don't will wish they had!