> [!tldr] Tab-delimited [[CSV]]
I think `.tsv` is superior to `.csv`
...which is saying something because `.csv` has long been my favorite file format.
Benefits of tabs over commas, **in practice**:
- correctly parsed by copy/paste in [[Spreadsheet|excel]]
- tabs occur in actual data **way less often** than commas, so parsing errors are rarer
- actually slightly easier to parse when looking in [[Plain Text Superpowers|Plain Text]]
```tsv
Benefits Drawbacks
Easier to parse visually. Hard to type on mobile.
Copy/pastes better. Sometimes tabs resolve as single spaces (like this drawback did).
English rarely contains tabs. Less name recognition.
```
```csv
Benefits, Drawbacks
The de facto standard people expect.,Parsing idiosyncrasies.
You can write commas on your phone.,Use of commas IN the data.
,"More frequent need for wrapping quotes, like this."
```
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# More
## Source
- self