[Feature request] Linebreaks in the overview

[m8r1us]

Thank you for making this plugin available.

Version?

vs code plugin

Feature

Maybe a bit of a funky feature request, but would it be possible to implement a feature to render line breaks. For example, a csv file uses the pattern &vbLf as a "line break". When the CSV is loaded into the plugins overview, the &vbLf is interpreted and displayed as a line break. When applying changes to the file, the line breaks are changed back to &vbLf.

[janisdd]

Interesting idea but I'm not sure how this can be done...

Maybe you can give an example.

When I think about it, you would end up with a single line in the editor.

file

a b c &vbLf d e f &vbLf
g h i &vbLf j k l &vbLf

as table

a b c
d e f
g h i
j k l

then convert all line breaks to &vbLf

a b c &vbLf d e f &vbLf g h i &vbLf j k l

Alternatively, you could somehow save the original line breaks and try to restore them.
This may not always be possible as the user can remove rows/columns and add new ones.

[cahalu]

It could be done in this way.

diff --git a/src/extension.ts b/src/extension.ts
index 333aadc..5fe3711 100644
--- a/src/extension.ts
+++ b/src/extension.ts
@@ -15,6 +15,8 @@ import { getExtensionConfiguration, overwriteConfiguration } from './configurati
  */
 export const editorUriScheme = 'csv-edit'
 
+// Replacement string for new line
+export const NewLineReplacement = "\\ "
 
 // this method is called when your extension is activated
 // your extension is activated the very first time the command is executed
@@ -448,7 +450,9 @@ function createNewEditorInstance(context: vscode.ExtensionContext, activeTextEdi
 					vscode.workspace.openTextDocument(instance.sourceUri)
 						.then(
 							document => {
-								const content = document.getText()
+								let content = document.getText()
+								// Replacement of new lines for editor
+								if (NewLineReplacement) content = content.replace(new RegExp((NewLineReplacement as string).replace("\\", "\\\\"), "g"), "\n")
 								instance.lastCommittedContent = content
 								// debugLog(`content send`, content.split('\n')[0])
 								funcSendContent(content)
@@ -464,7 +468,9 @@ function createNewEditorInstance(context: vscode.ExtensionContext, activeTextEdi
 					vscode.workspace.openTextDocument(instance.sourceUri)
 						.then(
 							document => {
-								const content = document.getText()
+								let content = document.getText()
+								// Replacement of new lines for editor
+								if (NewLineReplacement) content = content.replace(new RegExp((NewLineReplacement as string).replace("\\", "\\\\"), "g"), "\n")
 								instance.lastCommittedContent = content
 								// debugLog(`content send`, content.split('\n')[0])
 								funcSendContent(content)
@@ -478,7 +484,9 @@ function createNewEditorInstance(context: vscode.ExtensionContext, activeTextEdi
 					//file is still open and synchronized
 					//sometimes the model is not updated fast enough after a change detection, thus we get old content
 					//however, if the user manually triggers the reload, then the model is already synced
-					const content = activeTextEditor.document.getText()
+					let content = activeTextEditor.document.getText()
+					// Replacement of new lines for editor
+					if (NewLineReplacement) content = content.replace(new RegExp((NewLineReplacement as string).replace("\\", "\\\\"), "g"), "\n")
 					// debugLog(`content send`, content.split('\n')[0])
 					instance.lastCommittedContent = content
 					funcSendContent(content)
@@ -613,6 +621,15 @@ function applyContent(instance: Instance, newContent: string, saveSourceFile: bo
 				document.lineCount - 1,
 				lastLine.range.end.character);
 
+			// Replacement of new lines for file
+			if (NewLineReplacement)
+			{
+				// Based on https://stackoverflow.com/questions/26337474/regexp-to-find-replace-newlines-within-double-quotes-not-affecting-newlines-out
+				newContent = newContent.replace(/\r?\n(?!(([^"]*"){2})*[^"]*$)/g, NewLineReplacement)
+				// Remove abundant quotation marks
+				newContent = newContent.replace(/"(([^";]|"")*)"/g, "$1")
+			}
+
 			//don't apply if the content didn't change
 			if (document.getText() === newContent) {
 				debugLog(`content didn't change`)

[janisdd]

Can you please explain what the code should do?

[cahalu]

It replaces newlines in cells by text in NewLineReplacement during read/write operation with file. The result is the one row in table corresponds to one line in csv file.

[janisdd]

Well, maybe that's what you intend, but the code doesn't do that.
First of all, if I set “NewLineReplacement = ‘---’”, the replacement does not replace anything.
The regex searches for \\ in the csv text and replaces it with \n. In fact, it only adds new line characters. Or am I missing something?

Maybe you can explain your idea with language instead of code?

[cahalu]

// No replacement in file (original behaviour, table have 3 lines, csv file have 4 lines)
export const NewLineReplacement = ""

// Example above replacement (Typst format of new line)
export const NewLineReplacement = "\\ "

// Requested replacement example with ---
export const NewLineReplacement = "---"

State in editor is every time the same, diff is only in csv file on left side.

[janisdd]

What would you do if the editor content is

a;b
c;"d
d"
e;f---f
g;h
x;"y
y---y"

with

export const NewLineReplacement = "---"

And what happens when you save it back to the file?

I'm also not sure if this is exactly what the original issue was about. This would just handle different new line strings within cells. But maybe the different new line strings should be considered everywhere?

a;b &vbLf c;"d &vbLf d" &vbLf e;f &vbLf f &vbLf g;h &vbLf

(All or some \n replaced by &vbLf or something like that. I don't know)

[cahalu]

Hello, I thing it is exactly by request "When the CSV is loaded into the plugins overview, the &vbLf is interpreted and displayed as a line break. When applying changes to the file, the line breaks are changed back to &vbLf."

Next example is nonsense because there are mixed two new lines systems together.

a;b
c;"d
d"
e;f---f
g;h
x;"y
y---y"

Next example should be correctly. By &vbLf should be replaced only new lines in cells, but not new lines for next rows.

a;b
c;d &vbLf d
e;f &vbLf f
g;h

Reason for all is that one row in table = one line in csv file.

[cahalu]

Original Request: When the CSV is loaded into the plugins overview, the &vbLf is interpreted and displayed as a line break.

// Replacement of new lines for editor
if (NewLineReplacement) content = content.replace(new RegExp((NewLineReplacement as string).replace("\\", "\\\\"), "g"), "\n")

Original Request: When applying changes to the file, the line breaks are changed back to &vbLf.

// Replacement of new lines for file
if (NewLineReplacement)
{
  // Based on https://stackoverflow.com/questions/26337474/regexp-to-find-replace-newlines-within-double-quotes-not-affecting-newlines-out
  newContent = newContent.replace(/\r?\n(?!(([^"]*"){2})*[^"]*$)/g, NewLineReplacement)
  // Remove abundant quotation marks
  newContent = newContent.replace(/"(([^";]|"")*)"/g, "$1")
}

[cahalu]

2025-04-03.08-56-54.mp4

[janisdd]

By &vbLf should be replaced only new lines in cells, but not new lines for next rows.

This makes it clear, thanks

Next example is nonsense because there are mixed two new lines systems together.

Something must happen when the file content is

a;b
c;"d
d"
e;f---f
g;h
x;"y
y---y"

I'm also not 100% sure when quotes should be added, probably whenever a new line char \n is included in the replacement

NewLineReplacement = "---" //no quotes
NewLineReplacement = "\n" //quotes
NewLineReplacement = "\n\n" //quotes
NewLineReplacement = "-\n-" //no quotes

[cahalu]

Quotes are added when cell contains special character:
new line \n = normally new row, in cell must be with quotes "\n"
semicolon ; = normally new column, in cell must be with quotes ";"

[janisdd]

Just to clarify, if I use your code and start with the following

a,b
c,d---d
e,f

and NewLineReplacement="---"

I get the following in the editor

a	b
c	d
d
e	f

which is expected because when all --- are replaced by \n we have

a,b
c,d
d
e,f

and this is parsed as csv.

So please, can you explain how you managed to get the results in your video (just the direction csv file to the editor)?

From my understand you cannot simply replace all NewLineReplacement with \n because then there is no way to distinct between original line breaks and line breaks inside cells. I think this can only be done at the csv parse level.

As far as I understand it, you can't just replace all NewLineReplacement with \n because then there is no way to distinguish between the original line breaks and the line breaks within the cells. I think this can only be done at the csv parse level.