github.com/jlumbroso/comma ↗

About jlumbroso/comma

Comma is a Python library designed to simplify working with CSV files and delimiter-separated data. It aims to provide an intuitive, minimal-syntax interface for loading and manipulating CSV data, inspired by the philosophy of libraries like requests—hiding complexity behind smart defaults and automatic detection.

The library features robust automatic detection of CSV parameters including dialect, delimiters, and file encoding through integration with CleverCSV and chardet. Users can load files with a single function call and interact with data using familiar Python conventions, such as accessing columns by header name or using both list and dictionary-style indexing on rows. Additional capabilities include column slicing by header name, in-place editing of datasets, and the ability to open files directly from URLs.

Comma targets developers who find the standard library's CSV module and even more powerful alternatives like pandas or csvkit overly complex for straightforward file manipulation tasks. It positions itself between simplicity and functionality, offering a more Pythonic approach than the standard library while remaining lighter and more approachable than data science-focused frameworks.