Handling Special Characters in CSV Imports

To ensure a smooth import process, it's essential to understand how special characters are handled in your CSV files. This article provides guidance on the use of special characters in various fields within your CSV files.

File Format Requirement

• Save as CSV-UTF-8: All CSV files must be saved in the UTF-8 format. This ensures that special characters are properly recognized. You can review the full list of UTF-8 characters here.

General Rule for Special Characters

• Allowed Special Characters: Most fields in your CSV files can include special characters listed in the UTF-8 character set. This provides flexibility in your data entries.

Exceptions to the General Rule

• Certain fields have specific restrictions on the use of special characters. Below are the exceptions and their corresponding rules:

1. terms.csv

• Term Name: Only the following characters are allowed:
  • A-Z - capitalized letters A through Z
  • A-z - lower case letters a through z
  • 0-9 - digits
  • ␣ - space character
  • _ - underscore
  • - - dash
  • \ - backslash
  • | - vertical bar (aka pipe)
  • . - period or full stop
  • : - colon
  • ; - semicolon
  • / - slash

2. courses.csv

• Course Catalog Code: Only the following characters are allowed:
  • A-Z - capitalized letters A through Z
  • A-z - lower case letters a through z
  • 0-9 - digits
  • ␣ - space character
  • _ - underscore
  • - - dash
  • \ - backslash
  • | - vertical bar (aka pipe)
  • . - period or full stop
  • : - colon
  • ; - semicolon
  • / - slash
• Subject Code: Only the following characters are allowed:
  • A-Z - capitalized letters A through Z
  • A-z - lower case letters a through z
  • 0-9 - digits
  • ␣ - space character
  • _ - underscore
  • - - dash
  • \ - backslash
  • | - vertical bar (aka pipe)
  • . - period or full stop
  • : - colon
  • ; - semicolon
  • / - slash

3. people.csv

• Email:
  • @ Symbol: The @ symbol can only be used once in an email address.
  • Domain Part Restrictions: Special characters are not allowed in the domain part (the part after @) of the email address.
  • Allowed Characters Before @: A majority of special characters listed from the UTF-8 character set shown below are allowed before the @ symbol listed here. For more information about acceptable email formats, please refer to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Email_address, or contact Watermark with any questions.