Question 1

How to compile fast-cpp-csv-parser with GCC and pthread?

Accepted Answer

Enable C++11 support with -std=c++11 or -std=c++0x, and link -lpthread as the last item (e.g., g++ -std=c++11 main.cpp -o prog -lpthread). The README warns that the linking order is crucial for proper thread support.

Question 2

Does fast-cpp-csv-parser handle multi-line CSV fields?

Accepted Answer

No, it does not support string fields that span multiple lines. The FAQ states that quoted strings may not contain unescaped newlines, and this feature is not implemented due to design constraints, limiting compatibility with some CSV variants.

Question 3

How to parse custom data types with fast-cpp-csv-parser?

Accepted Answer

Read columns as char* pointers, which point directly to the buffer without memory copy, then parse the string manually. The README notes that this approach has no inherent performance penalty and allows full control over parsing logic.

Question 4

Fast-cpp-csv-parser vs rapidcsv: which is better for performance?

Accepted Answer

fast-cpp-csv-parser uses threaded I/O overlap and compile-time optimizations for speed on large files, while rapidcsv may offer more features but potentially lower throughput. For raw parsing speed on fixed-schema data, fast-cpp-csv-parser often excels, but benchmarks are recommended for specific use cases.

Question 5

How to disable threading in fast-cpp-csv-parser?

Accepted Answer

Define CSV_IO_NO_THREAD before including the header file. This is useful if your compiler has broken std::thread support or in thread-constrained environments, though it may reduce performance, especially for large files where I/O overlap is beneficial.

Question 6

Can fast-cpp-csv-parser read CSV files with variable columns?

Accepted Answer

It can read a fixed number of columns from files with variable columns by using headers to match names, but it cannot dynamically adapt to changing column counts at runtime. The README explains this as similar to a SQL select statement with predefined columns.

Fast C++ CSV Parser

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