Web2Py - generic view for csv? - csv

Question

For web2py there are generic views e.g. for JSON.
I could not find a sample.
When looking at the web2py manual 10.1.2 and 10.1.6, its written:
'.. define a "generic.csv" file, but one would have to specify the name of the object to be serialized ("animals" in the example)'
Looking at the generic pdf view
{{
import os
from gluon.contrib.generics import pdf_from_html
filename = '%s/%s.html' % (request.controller,request.function)
if os.path.exists(os.path.join(request.folder,'views',filename)):
html=response.render(filename)
else:
html=BODY(BEAUTIFY(response._vars))
pass
=pdf_from_html(html)
}}
and also the specified csv (Manual charpter 10.1.6):
{{
import cStringIO
stream=cStringIO.StringIO() animals.export_to_csv_file(stream)
response.headers['Content-Type']='application/vnd.ms-excel'
response.write(stream.getvalue(), escape=False)
}}
Massimo is writing: 'web2py does not provide a "generic.csv";'
He is not fully against it but..
So lets try to get it and deactivate when necessary.
The generic view should look similar to (the non working)
(well, this we better call pseudocode as it is not working):
{{
import os
from gluon.contrib.generics export export_to_csv_file(stream)
filename = '%s/%s' % (request.controller,request.function)
if os.path.exists(os.path.join(request.folder,'views',filename)):
csv=response.render(filename)
else:
csv=BODY(BEAUTIFY(response._vars))
pass
= export_to_csv_file(stream)
}}
Whats wrong?
Or is there a sample?
Is there a reson not to have a generic csv?

Answer 1

{{
import os
from gluon.contrib.generics export export_to_csv_file(stream)
filename = '%s/%s' % (request.controller,request.function)
if os.path.exists(os.path.join(request.folder,'views',filename)):
csv=response.render(filename)
else:
csv=BODY(BEAUTIFY(response._vars))
pass
= export_to_csv_file(stream)
}}
Adapting the generic.pdf code so literally as above would not work for CSV output, as the generic.pdf code is first executing the standard HTML template and then simply converting the generated HTML to a PDF. This approach does not make sense for CSV, as CSV requires data of a particular structure.
As stated in the documentation:
Notice that one could also define a "generic.csv" file, but one would
have to specify the name of the object to be serialized ("animals" in
the example). This is why we do not provide a "generic.csv" file.
The execution of a view is triggered by a controller action returning a dictionary. The keys of the dictionary become available as variables in the view execution environment (the entire dictionary is also available as response._vars). If you want to create a generic.csv view, you therefore need to establish some conventions about what variables are in the returned dictionary as well as the possible structure(s) of the returned data.
For example, the controller could return something like dict(data=mydata). The code in generic.csv would then access the data variable and could convert it to CSV. In that case, there would have to be some convention about the structure of data -- perhaps it could be required to be a list of dictionaries or a DAL Rows object (or optionally either one).
Another possible convention is for the controller to return something like dict(columns=mycolumns, rows=myrows), where columns is a list of column names and rows is a list of lists containing the data for each row.
The point is, there is no universal convention for what the controller might return and how that can be converted into CSV, so you first need to decide on some conventions and then write generic.csv accordingly.
For example, here is a very simple generic.csv that would work only if the controller returns dict(rows=myrows), where myrows is a DAL Rows object:
{{
import cStringIO
stream=cStringIO.StringIO() rows.export_to_csv_file(stream)
response.headers['Content-Type']='application/vnd.ms-excel'
response.write(stream.getvalue(), escape=False)
}}

Answer 2

I tried:
# Sample from Web2Py manual 10.1.1 Page 464
def count():
session.counter = (session.counter or 0) + 1
return dict(counter=session.counter, now = request.now)
#and my own creation from a SQL table (if possible used for json and csv):
def csv_rt_bat_c_x():
battdat = db().select(db.csv_rt_bat_c.rec_time, db.csv_rt_bat_c.cellnr,
db.csv_rt_bat_c.volt_act, db.csv_rt_bat_c.id).as_list()
return dict(battdat=battdat)
Bot times I get an error when trying csv. It works for /default/count.json but not for /default/count.csv
I suppose the requirement:
dict(rows=myrows)
"where myrows is a DAL Rows object" is not met.