generate a csv file

Question

I have a script that generates a .txt file.

That file have tab-delimited columns. The number of columns vary depending on the input file.

How can I convert that .txt file to csv format? I want to have the columns in the .txt file be in separate columns in the csv file.

sample:

.txt file:

header1    header2   header3            header4
1          B         423.sagd.32        333 
2          A         YXTS.a324.gfd33    555 
3          F         343.asr            222
4          D         cbs.98st.asd       4232  

CSV file (expected output):

       A          B         C                  D 
 1     header1    header2   header3            header4
 2     1          B         423.sagd.32        333 
 3     2          A         YXTS.a324.gfd33    555 
 4     3          F         343.asr            222
 5     4          D         cbs.98st.asd       4232 

Note: The file do not have a fixed number of columns or rows.

Solution

There is nothing magical about a .csv file. It just means comma (occasionally tab) separated values.

mv myfile.txt myfile.csv

done

Comments

[phk]

What do you mean with expected output if that's not clearly not a CSV?

[AlexP]

CSV means Comma-Separated Values. The exemplified output is not a CSV file.

[pinkpostit]

I tried that but when I look at the csv file, all the columns in the .txt file are all in column A when I open the csv file in excel.

[sam]

Are you using spaces or tabs?

[pinkpostit]

i am using tabs

[sam]

Hmm... this seems to be specific to how Excel is choosing to import the data. Im sure you can set the defaults somewhere. I just tried it out and if you import the csv it will delimit properly, but opening it doesn't seem to. This is an excel setting however and not linux related. Just as a side note, LibreOffice Calc seems to parse the delimiters correctly every time for me.