PSV (Pipe Separated Value) File Format Specification

Example

{#personnel}
| ID [str] [uuid] [unique] [key] {#id} | Name     | Birthday [date] | Want Candy (jellybeans) [bool] | Candy Count [int] |
| ---                                  | ---      | ---             | ---                            | ---               |
| 0b32a75e-e190-4a71-b0e1-45e0d826584f | Alice    | 1994-05-15      | yes                            | 10                |
| 1e6e3e5a-f6cf-4b30-bc42-5365418604a1 | Bob      | 1989-08-20      | no                             |                   |
| 9a7f548f-0854-4c23-bb39-1aefb48b47ae | Charlie  | 1996-12-10      | yes                            | 32                |
| d12cc354-8845-4dc2-91b0-d714f2a33ef3 | David    | 1982-03-25      | yes                            | 42                |
| cf0294f1-8d71-4e01-9619-62ebfdd2a47d | Emma     | 1989-11-02      | no                             |                   |
| e4fcb648-7f80-464d-9a0d-bc00ac9d5f58 | Frank    | 1979-06-30      | no                             |                   |
| b5c79927-5250-4919-848d-68f0c5d2e11d | Grace    | 1993-09-18      | no                             |                   |
| f0d31595-0d11-4f33-b9b1-c8b95eb354a1 | Henry    | 1987-04-11      | yes                            | 42                |
| bfc1db9b-f9e1-4dd9-b1d1-22f74264e0e0 | Isabella | 1991-07-29      | yes                            | 12                |
| 149118b2-08e0-4e6a-bc6a-f56184f7a7fc | John     | 1980-10-05      | no                             |                   |
| b38e1601-60ff-4458-8ae5-6efdfaa69d0f | Mia      | 1997-02-28      | yes                            | 24                |

Table Structure

A PSV table consists of the following components:

1. Table ID (Optional): A table can have an optional ID specified using the Consistent Attribute Syntax, enclosed in curly braces followed by a hash (#) and the desired ID. e.g., {#table-id}

2. Header Row: The first row of the table, containing the column names. Column headers can include data annotations within square brackets to specify the expected data type or format of values in that column. e.g., | Name | Age [int] | City [str] |

3. Delimiter Row: A row consisting of dashes (-) separating the header row from the data rows.

4. Data Rows: The subsequent rows containing the actual data for each column.

Features

Data Annotations

Data annotations within square brackets in the header row specify the expected data type or format of values in that column. The following data annotations are supported:

• string or str: Represents a string value (default if no annotation is provided).
• integer or int: Represents an integer value.
• float: Represents a floating-point number.
• bool: Represents a boolean value. Accepted values: true, false, yes, no, active, inactive.
• hex: Represents a hexadecimal string (encoded using CBOR tag CBOR_TAG_HEXADECIMAL_STRING).
• base64: Represents Base64-encoded binary data (encoded using CBOR tag CBOR_TAG_BASE64).
• datauri: Represents a data URI (encoded using CBOR tag CBOR_TAG_BASE64URL).
• datetime: Represents a date-time value (encoded using CBOR tag CBOR_TAG_STD_DATE_TIME_STRING).
• uuid: Represents a UUID value (encoded using CBOR tag CBOR_TAG_STD_DATE_TIME_STRING).

Additional data annotations can be added in the future to support other data types or formats.

Cell Properties

Cell properties can be specified within square brackets after the data annotation (if present) or after the column name (if no data annotation is provided). These properties provide additional metadata or constraints for the values in that column. The following cell properties are supported:

• unique: Indicates that the values in this column must be unique across all rows.
• key: Marks this column as a key column, which can be used for identifying or grouping rows.
• Custom properties can be defined and used as needed.

Output Formats

The PSV format is designed to be easily converted to other structured data formats, such as JSON or CBOR, following the guidelines outlined in the psv repository.

Limitations and Considerations

• Vertical bars (|) within cell values should be escaped using a backslash (\|).
• Spaces between pipes and cell content are trimmed.
• The number of cells in the header row must match the delimiter row for a table to be recognized.
• Excess table cells beyond the header row are ignored during parsing.