This software provides a straightforward Java file parser with support for delimiter and fixed width file formats, compatible with the Mac platform.
One of the key advantages of FlatPack is its ability to parse any delimited or fixed length file using an XML document or database table for column mapping. This allows data to be easily extracted from the column mappings, making the parsing process both quick and efficient.
In addition, FlatPack allows for the mapping and parsing of header and trailer records. With no limit to the number of different header and trailers, each header or trailer type is given a unique id which can be checked for while looping through the parse results, making data analysis even more customizable.
FlatPack's parser can even handle records in delimited files which span multiple lines. The large data set class also makes it possible to handle large text files with very low memory usage for file sizes over 100mb, ensuring that users can work with even the largest datasets with ease.
FlatPack provides numerous features to help manage the parsing process. For example, the ability to sort the file before looping through it is particularly useful, just like an ORDER BY on an SQL statement. The software also handles truncated lines of data and can automatically convert data into upper or lower case. Retrieving columns as Strings, Dates, Doubles, or Ints is also an option.
But that's not all - FlatPack also allows for jumping to the top or bottom of a file, going to an absolute position, next or previous row, and removing rows from the file while processing (only removed out of memory and not from the file itself). Column values can even be changed in memory without altering the actual file.
Finally, any errors that occur during the parsing process are collected in a list, which can be used to report all errors that occurred during file processing. Additionally, FlatPack provides a delimiter parser class in a utility class that can be used for low level parsing.
Overall, FlatPack is a reliable, user-friendly, and comprehensive tool for anyone seeking to parse delimited or fixed length files, and can be downloaded with Java JRE 1.4.
Version 3.1.1: N/A