CsvReader Next function

Question

i am given a csv file but i want to skip the first row of data and move on to the next. Here is my code:

def read_csv(inputfile):
    return list(csv.reader(inputfile)) #<-----

def generate_xml(reader,outfile):
    root = Element('Solution')
    root.set('version','1.0')
    tree = ElementTree(root)        
    head = SubElement(root, 'DrillHoles')
    description = SubElement(head,'description')
    current_group = None
    i = 1
    for row in reader.next(): #<-----
        x1,y1,z1,x2,y2,z2,cost = row
        if current_group is None or i != current_group.text:
            current_group = SubElement(description, 'hole',{'hole_id':"%s"%i})

            collar = SubElement(current_group,'collar')
            toe = SubElement(current_group,'toe')
            cost1 = SubElement(current_group,'cost')
            collar.text = ','.join((x1,y1,z1))
            toe.text = ','.join((x2,y2,z2))
            cost1.text = cost
        i+=1
    head.set('total_holes', '%s'%i)
    indent.indent(root)
    tree.write(outfile)

As you can see, i return the csv file as a list then i pass it onto the generate_xml function. However when i run the complete program there is an

error: 'list' object has no attribute 'next'

Answer 1

For python 2.x, the code is:

data = []
with open('xxx.csv') as f:
    r = csv.reader(f)
    name = r.next()[1] # assume the first 2 rows are name and unit
    unit = r.next()
    for row in r:
        data.append(row)

For python 3.x, use next(r) instead of r.next()

Answer 2

You have a list, not an iterator. Just slice it instead:

for row in reader[1:]:

or skip that first row when you still have an actual csv.reader() object:

def read_csv(inputfile):
    reader = csv.reader(inputfile)
    next(reader)
    return list(reader)

You'd be better off returning the reader object instead of reading all rows into memory there; unless you absolutely need random access to the rows.

You also should really use the next() function instead as it works for Python 2.6+ and 3, where the iterator .next() method has been renamed to .__next__().

You'd otherwise never use for row in reader.next(), because .next() on a csv.reader() iterator returns one row.