csvlens

CSV file viewer with search and navigation

TLDR

View a CSV file with column alignment and navigation

$ csvlens [path/to/file.csv]

Search for a specific pattern in the CSV

$ csvlens [path/to/file.csv] -f [pattern]

View with a specific delimiter instead of comma

$ csvlens [path/to/file.csv] -d '[delimiter]'

View only specific columns

$ csvlens [path/to/file.csv] -c [1,3,5]

csvlens is a command-line CSV file viewer designed for efficiently browsing and searching through CSV data. It provides column-aligned display, interactive search filtering, and keyboard navigation similar to less or vim.The tool automatically detects and aligns columns for easy reading, supports various delimiters beyond commas, and allows filtering data without modifying the original file. It's particularly useful for inspecting large CSV files where traditional editors may struggle with performance.

PARAMETERS

-f, --filter PATTERN

Filter rows matching the pattern

-d, --delimiter CHAR

Specify delimiter character (default: comma)

-c, --columns LIST

Show only specified columns (comma-separated indices)

-H, --no-header

Treat the first row as data, not headers

-n, --line-number

Show line numbers

--tab

Use tab as delimiter

--semi

Use semicolon as delimiter

-h, --help

Display help and exit

-V, --version

Display version and exit

KEYBINDINGS

↑/↓ or k/j

Navigate up/down through rows

←/→ or h/l

Scroll horizontally

Search/filter mode

n/N

Next/previous search result

g/G

Go to first/last row

Quit

INSTALL

sudo pacman -S csvlens

brew install csvlens

nix profile install nixpkgs#csvlens

CAVEATS

Very large CSV files may still experience performance limitations depending on available memory. Unicode and special character handling depends on terminal capabilities. Some complex CSV formats with embedded newlines may not render correctly.

HISTORY

csvlens was developed to address the need for a fast, lightweight CSV viewer in the terminal. It draws inspiration from traditional Unix tools like less and grep while adding CSV-specific formatting and navigation features.