How to validate CSV in C#?

Question

Is there a built-in method in .NET that validates csv files/strings?

I would prefer something like this online csv validator but in C#. I have done some research but all I have found are examples of people writing the code themselves (examples were all written a few years ago and might be outdated).

POC:

bool validCSV = CoolCSV_ValidatorFunction(string csv/filePath);

Answer 1

There is! For some reason it's buried in the VB namespace, but it's part of the .NET Framework, you just need to add a reference to the Microsoft.VisualBasic assembly. The type you're looking for is TextFieldParser.

Here is an example of how to validate your file:

using Microsoft.VisualBasic.FileIO;
...
var path = @"C:\YourFile.csv";
using (var parser = new TextFieldParser(path))
{
    parser.TextFieldType = FieldType.Delimited;
    parser.SetDelimiters(",");

    string[] line;
    while (!parser.EndOfData)
    {
        try
        {
            line = parser.ReadFields();
        }
        catch (MalformedLineException ex)
        {
            // log ex.Message
        }
    }
}

Answer 2

The best CSV reader I've found is this one from Lumenworks:

http://www.codeproject.com/Articles/9258/A-Fast-CSV-Reader

Very fast, very full-featured. Recommended.