ascsv

ascsv, also known as the "Arbitrary String Conversion and Streaming Viewer," is a command-line utility designed for processing and displaying text data, particularly comma-separated values (CSV) files. Its primary function is to allow users to view, filter, and manipulate large text-based datasets directly from the terminal without needing to load the entire file into memory. This makes it efficient for working with files that might exceed the capacity of typical text editors or GUI-based spreadsheet programs.

The tool supports a range of operations, including selecting specific columns, filtering rows based on defined criteria, and reordering fields. It's particularly useful in scripting and automation scenarios where data needs to be transformed or extracted programmatically. The "arbitrary string conversion" aspect refers to its flexibility in handling various text encodings and its ability to perform simple transformations on the string data it processes.

ascsv aims to provide a lightweight and fast alternative for common data manipulation tasks on delimited text files. Its command-line interface allows for intricate operations to be chained together, enabling complex data processing pipelines to be constructed with relative ease. It is often used by system administrators and data analysts working with log files, configuration data, or any tabular text data.