Question

This is extension to another question (Loop through CSV file with batch – Space issue)

I have csv file content like this

name,sex,age,description,date
venu,m,16,test mesg,2012-05-01
test,f,22,"He is good guy
and
brilliant",2012-05-01

I am looping this file using this command.

For /F "usebackq tokens=1-3 delims=" %%x in (test.csv) Do (

But since there is line break in second row, I am getting 3 records even though there are two records in the file.

How to fix this? Thanks in advance.

Answer 1

The main problem seems to be to count the quotes in a line.
If the count of quotes is odd then you need to append the next line and count again the quotes.

Counting of characters in a string is a bit tricky, if you won’t iterate through all charachters.
I used here the delayed reduction technic, each quote will be effectivly replaced by a +1 and all other characters are removed.
To begin and terminate the line in a proper way there is always one extra +1 at the beginning, which will be compensated by a -1 in front.

The main trick is to replace the complete text from one quote to the next with exactly one +1 by replacing each quote with !!#:#=.
This works as !#:#=...<some text>...! will always be expanded to +1, as the content of the variable # is +1 and so the search pattern # can’t be found.
The other replacements are only necessary to avoid problems with exclamation marks and carets int the text.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
:CountQuotes <stringVar> <result>
setlocal EnableDelayedExpansion
set "line=!%~1!"
set "#=+1"

rem DelayedExpansion: double all quotes
set "line=!line:"=""!"

rem DelayedExpansion: remove all carets ^
set "line=!line:^=!"

rem PercentExpansion: Remove all !
set "line=%line:!=%"

rem PercentExpansion: Replace double quotes to !!#:#=
set "line=-1^!#:#=%line:""=^!^!#:#=%"

for /F "delims=" %%X in ("!line!") do (
    set /a count=%%X!
)

(
    endlocal
    set %~2=%count%
    exit /b
)

And the logic for appending lines and inserting linefeeds

@echo off
setlocal DisableDelayedExpansion
set "lastLine="
set LF=^


rem Two empty lines
for /F "delims=" %%A in (test.csv) do (
    set "line=%%A"
    setlocal EnableDelayedExpansion
    set "line=!line:\=\x!"
    if defined lastLine (
        set "line=!lastLine!\n!line!"
    )

    call :CountQuotes line quoteCnt
    set /a rest=quoteCnt %% 2
    if !rest! == 0 (
        for %%L in ("!LF!") DO set "line=!line:\n=%%~L!"
        set "line=!line:\\=\!"
        echo Complete Row: !Line!
        echo(
        set "lastLine="
    ) ELSE (
        set "lastLine=!line!"
    )

    for /F "delims=" %%X in (""!lastLine!"") DO (
        endlocal
        set "lastLine=%%~X"
    )
)
exit /b

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
:CountQuotes <stringVar> <result>
setlocal EnableDelayedExpansion
set "line=!%~1!"
set "#=+1"

rem DelayedExpansion: double all quotes
set "line=!line:"=""!"

rem DelayedExpansion: remove all carets ^
set "line=!line:^=!"

rem PercentExpansion: Remove all !
set "line=%line:!=%"

rem PercentExpansion: Replace double quotes to !!#:#=
set "line=-1^!#:#=%line:""=^!^!#:#=%"

for /F "delims=" %%X in ("!line!") do (
    set /a count=%%X!
)

(
    endlocal
    set %~2=%count%
    exit /b
)