(csv) Support writing numbers as quoted Strings with `CsvGenerator.Feature.ALWAYS_QUOTE_NUMBERS`

[trohovsky]

It would be nice to have a CSV feature similar to JSON feature JsonGenerator.Feature.WRITE_NUMBERS_AS_STRINGS. Enabling of the feature by mapper.enable(JsonGenerator.Feature.WRITE_NUMBERS_AS_STRINGS) doesn't work for CSV.

I want to write an object of this class:

data class TestData(
        val integer: Int,
        val float: Float
}

as
"1","1.234"
not as
1,1.234

[cowtowncoder]

Interesting... while semantics are slightly different (in CSV output everything is essentially a String), this could be closed enough.
The only question I guess would be whether existence of

CsvGenerator.Feature.ALWAYS_QUOTE_STRINGS

would suggest that feature belongs here. And there is the question of how to combine these settings: I suspect addition quoting for numbers should be applied if either of these settings was enabled.

[trohovsky]

My idea how should it work is as follows:

Given this class

data class TestData(
        val integer: Int,
        val string: String
}

a) both features are enabled:

mapper.enable(JsonGenerator.Feature.WRITE_NUMBERS_AS_STRINGS)
mapper.enable(CsvGenerator.Feature.ALWAYS_QUOTE_STRINGS)

writes

"1","string"

b) only this feature is enabled

mapper.enable(JsonGenerator.Feature.WRITE_NUMBERS_AS_STRINGS)

writes

1,string

So, it wouldn't make any difference in the final output when not set together with ALWAYS_QUOTE_STRINGS

[cowtowncoder]

Actually, looking into this bit more I realized that WRITE_NUMBERS_AS_STRINGS is moving to JsonWriteFeature (json-specific) and not into StreamWriteFeature (format-agnostic).
Given this, I think I'd then prefer adding CSV-specific addition, CsvGenerator.Feature.ALWAYS_QUOTE_NUMBERS.

[MrBuddyCasino]

I think I need this feature. Is there already some work done? If not maybe I can implement it, thankful for any input.

If CsvGenerator.Feature.ALWAYS_QUOTE_NUMBERS is active, I don't think ALWAYS_QUOTE_STRINGS should have any influence - in what scenarios would that be useful?

EDIT I just got word my consumers can probably still parse the CSV with "smart" quotes, so I might not need that feature.

[cowtowncoder]

@MrBuddyCasino I did not have time to implement this (it was one of top things I'd ideally wanted to have in 2.12 but didn't quite make it), so would be great to get help here. But if not, then maybe someone else has time, would still like this feature either way. :)

As to ALWAYS_QUOTE_STRINGS, agreed; if ALWAYS_QUOTE_NUMBERS is enabled, that would mean quoting regardless.

[achmadafriza]

Hi @cowtowncoder, is this issue still up for grabs? This will be my first issue, and I'm interested in working on it.