Formats for Text Files

Some common formats for text files are listed in Table 18-1.

Table 18-1. Common Text File Formats 

Format	Description
Comma-separated values	Commas separate column values, and each line is a separate record. Column values can vary in length. These files often have the .CSV extension.
Tab-separated values	Tabs separate column values, and each line is a separate record. Column values can vary in length.
Character-separated values	Any printable character except single and double quotes can separate column values, and each line is a separate record. Column values can vary in length.
Fixed	No character separates column values. Instead, values start at the same position and have the same length in each line. The values appear in fixed columns if you display the file. Each line is a separate record.
Stream	No character separates column values nor records. The table is one long stream of bytes.

Comma-, tab-, and character-separated files are called character-delimited files because values are separated by a special character.