CsvHelper getting just the headers row

Question

I am trying to read an uploaded CSV file and before doing anything with the data I need to check the first header name to be sure it is the correct file. I have been trying to find a way to do it but the reader skips to the second row instead. Is there a direct way of selecting one of the headers and checking its value?

Does this answer your question? [What is the best way to get the list of column names using CsvHelper?](https://stackoverflow.com/questions/48307466/what-is-the-best-way-to-get-the-list-of-column-names-using-csvhelper) — JumpingJezza, Feb 16 '21 at 01:38

score 21 · Answer 1 · edited Oct 23 '19 at 11:50

21

You can use the CsvReader to get the header row strings as described in this answer:

using (var csv = new CsvReader(reader))
{
    csv.Read();
    csv.ReadHeader();
    string[] headerRow = csv.Context.HeaderRecord;
}

edited Oct 23 '19 at 11:50

Jeankowkow

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answered Apr 25 '18 at 16:12

Rick Jolly

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Important note on this method is that if you read the HeaderRecord, it seems to push the cursor down a row, which will result in a later call to GetRecords() having 1 fewer rows. To get around this I had to GetRecords().ToList(), then read the csv.HeaderRecord. Everything is fine if you do it like that. Also, if you don't call ToList(), the issue will persist. – Don Rolling Mar 11 '22 at 21:19

score 9 · Answer 2 · answered Oct 01 '14 at 21:29

You can use the parser directly if you want to just check the first row.

var parser = new CsvParser( textReader );
var row = parser.Read();
if( row[0] == "MyColumn" ) { /* do something */ }

If you're using a Stream, you will need to reset it to the beginning if you're going to use it again.

CsvHelper getting just the headers row

2 Answers2