FileTables 1.0.6

FileTable

Overview

FileTable is a library of routines implementing tables stored in text files using MessagePack for serialization. It provides a simple way to manage tabular data with columns and rows, and save/load the data to/from text files.

Installation

Install the library from NuGet: FileTables on NuGet

Latest Version

• 1.0.6: Adds Unit Tests for code coverage, copilot rework and optimization found within.
• 1.0.5: Adds SettingsFile, a file-based name-value pair object designed to hold settings for an app.
• 1.0.4: Adds try blocks around load and save, and handles empty values.
• 1.0.2: Updates row to long.

Features

• FileName: Specifies the location of the file.
• Columns: Concurrent dictionary of columns.
• Rows: Concurrent dictionary of rows where each row is a dictionary of fields that match the columns.

Serialization with MessagePack

• Save:
  • Creates a wirepack object with a list of columns and rows.
  • Uses MessagePack to translate the wirepack into a byte array, which is then converted to a Base64 encoded string.
  • Writes the encoded string to a file.
• Load:
  • Reads the encoded string from the file.
  • Decodes the Base64 string to a byte array and deserializes it back to a wirepack object using MessagePack.
  • Copies the list of columns and rows from the wirepack object to the active model.

Usage

Each FileTable can be created from scratch. Setting Active = true loads from the file if one exists. If the table does not exist, the developer needs to add the columns before adding rows. Row Usage: csharp table.Rows[12]["ID"].Value = "12"; where first index is the row and second is the column name.

Example

Checkout AppSmith and Apiary they both use FileTable for data ID.

FileTableViewer

An app to inspect and update FileTable via a standard C# GridView control. The full source is included. It is a work in progress and still needs new row, delete, and filtering functions.

Features

• Grid loading in virtual mode.
• Grid sorting in virtual mode.
• Shows how to handle modifications and save or cancel write to disk.

Main Objects

FileTable

Represents a table stored in a text file.

Properties

• Active: Gets or sets the active state of the table.
• FileName: Gets or sets the file name.
• Package: Gets or sets the table wire package.
• Columns: Gets or sets the columns.
• Rows: Gets or sets the rows.

Methods

• FileTable(string fileName): Initializes a new instance of the FileTable class.
• GetActive(): Gets the active state.
• SetActive(bool value): Sets the active state.
• Load(): Loads the table from the file.
• LoadAsync(): Asynchronously loads the table from the file.
• Save(): Saves the table to the file.
• SaveAsync(): Asynchronously saves the table to the file.
• AddColumn(string columnName, ColumnType columnType): Adds a column to the table.
• AddRow(): Adds a row to the table.

SettingsFile

A file-based name-value pair object designed to hold settings for an app.

Properties

• FileName: Gets or sets the file name.
• Settings: Gets or sets the settings dictionary.

Methods

• SettingsFile(string fileName): Initializes a new instance of the SettingsFile class.
• Load(): Loads the settings from the file.
• LoadAsync(): Asynchronously loads the settings from the file.
• Save(): Saves the settings to the file.
• SaveAsync(): Asynchronously saves the settings to the file.
• Get(string key): Gets the value associated with the specified key.
• Set(string key, string value): Sets the value for the specified key.

Each FileTable can be created from scratch.

• Setting Active = true; loads from file if one exists.
• if your table didn't exist then the developer needs to add the columns before adding rows.
• below is an example of how one could wrap the FileTable.
• see sample output from AppSmith App

FileTableViewer

• App to inspect and update FileTables via standard C# GridView Control.
• Full source included.
• Work in progress, still needs new row, delete and filtering functions.
• Show Grid loading in virtual mode.
• Show Grid Sorting in virtual mode.
• Show how one could show modification and Save or Cancel for write to disk.