csv_export

CsvExport is a simple opinionated class for easily making CSV exports in Rails apps. You can easily render CSV exports from model collections or add rows via raw data insertion.

It uses ; as column separator.

Usage

Every export you create with CsvExport must have headings that you set on initialization. Depending on the type of render method you use, it will require the headings to be present on the objects you pass in or not.

For example:

customers = Customer.all
export = CsvExport.new :id, :name
export.render_collection(customers)

Samples

Providing a CSV export of an ActiveRecord collection

class CustomersController < ApplicationController

  def index
    @customers = Customer.all

    respond_to do |format|
      format.html
      format.csv do
        export = CsvExport.new :id, :name
        send_data export.render_collection(@customers), type: "text/csv"
      end
    end

  end

end

This assumes that the records in the collection @customers have columns or virtual attributes id and name available. If a given heading is not available CsvExport will raise a CsvExport::Error.

This would return a file with contents:

Id;Name
1;Michiel
2;John

Export some raw data

csv_export = CsvExport.new :something_neat, :something_cool
csv_export << %w(neat_thing cool_thing)
csv_export << %w(something_nice something_awesome)
csv_export.render

This will render a raw CsvExport with given headings and passed in data.

This would render a string like:

Something Neat;Something Cool
neat_thing;cool_thing
something_nice;something_awesome