In this article I will explain with an example, how to read CSV File in jQuery using HTML5 File API.
The CSV file (Comma separated Text file) will be selected in HTML5 FileUpload element and will be read using HTML5 FileReader API.
The read data will be parsed into Rows and Columns and will be displayed in HTML Table.
Reading CSV File in jQuery using HTML5 File API
The HTML Markup consists of a FileUpload control (HTML File Input) and a HTML Button.
The CSV file is selected in FileUpload control (HTML File Input) and Upload button is clicked. The Upload button is wired with a jQuery OnClick event handler.
Inside the event handler, first a check is performed to verify whether the file is a valid CSV or a text file. Then a check is performed to make sure whether the browser supports HTML5 File API.
Once the above checks are cleared then the contents of the CSV file are read as text string and then the string is split into parts using comma and new line characters and finally is displayed as an HTML Table.
<script type="text/javascript" src="https://ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/jquery/1.8.3/jquery.min.js"></script>
<script type="text/javascript">
$(function () {
$("#upload").bind("click", function () {
var regex = /^([a-zA-Z0-9\s_\\.\-:])+(.csv|.txt)$/;
if (regex.test($("#fileUpload").val().toLowerCase())) {
if (typeof (FileReader) != "undefined") {
var reader = new FileReader();
reader.onload = function (e) {
var table = $("<table />");
var rows = e.target.result.split("\n");
for (var i = 0; i < rows.length; i++) {
var row = $("<tr />");
var cells = rows[i].split(",");
if (cells.length > 1) {
for (var j = 0; j < cells.length; j++) {
var cell = $("<td />");
cell.html(cells[j]);
row.append(cell);
}
table.append(row);
}
}
$("#dvCSV").html('');
$("#dvCSV").append(table);
}
reader.readAsText($("#fileUpload")[0].files[0]);
} else {
alert("This browser does not support HTML5.");
}
} else {
alert("Please upload a valid CSV file.");
}
});
});
</script>
<input type="file" id="fileUpload" />
<input type="button" id="upload" value="Upload" />
<hr />
<div id="dvCSV">
</div>
Screenshots
Contents of the CSV file placed on user’s folder
![Read CSV File in jQuery using HTML5 File API]()
The CSV file being displayed in browser as HTML Table
![Read CSV File in jQuery using HTML5 File API]()
Browser Compatibility
The above code has been tested in the following browsers only in versions that support HTML5.
![Internet Explorer]()
![FireFox]()
![Chrome]()
![Safari]()
![Opera]()
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