📊CSV Import Templates

CSV Quoting & Escaping Rules

Comprehensive guide to CSV field quoting, escaping, and special character handling.

Explanation

Understanding when and how to quote CSV fields is crucial for correct parsing.

Examples

Quoting Examples

Output

name,description,tags
Simple Name,No special chars,tag1
"Name, With Comma",Contains comma in middle,"tag1,tag2"
"Quote ""Example""",Has internal ""quotes"",tag3
"Line
Break","Multi
line value",tag4

Code Examples

JavaScript

// Proper CSV field escaping
function escapeCSVField(field) {
  const str = String(field);
  
  // Quote if contains comma, quote, or newline
  if (str.includes(',') || str.includes('"') || str.includes('\n')) {
    // Double internal quotes
    return '"' + str.replace(/"/g, '""') + '"';
  }
  
  return str;
}

// Generate CSV row
function toCSVRow(fields) {
  return fields.map(escapeCSVField).join(',');
}

// Example usage
const row = toCSVRow([
  'John Doe',
  'Description with, comma',
  'Has "quotes" inside'
]);
// Result: John Doe,"Description with, comma","Has ""quotes"" inside"

Try it Now

Open in CSV/JSON Converter

💡 Tips

Quote fields containing: comma, quote, newline
Double internal quotes (not backslash)
Don't quote unless necessary
Be consistent with line endings (\n vs \r\n)
Trailing commas indicate empty fields

⚠️ Common Pitfalls

Backslash escaping is NOT standard CSV
Excel may handle quotes differently
Some parsers don't support multiline fields
Missing closing quote breaks entire file
Different libraries have different quirks