Data Link — CSV

TTMSFNCDataLinkCSV loads CSV data into a TTMSFNCDataSet, enabling standard dataset operations (browse, filter, sort, bind) on CSV files without a database.

Key class: TTMSFNCDataLinkCSV

Loading a CSV File

Drop TTMSFNCDataLinkCSV on the form and either:

Set the FileName property at design time — the file loads automatically.
Call LoadFromFile or LoadFromStream at runtime.

Loading a CSV FilePascalC++

TMSFNCDataLinkCSV1.FileName := 'data.csv';
// or
TMSFNCDataLinkCSV1.LoadFromFile('data.csv', TEncoding.UTF8);
TMSFNCDataLinkCSV1.LoadFromStream(MyStream, TEncoding.UTF8);

TMSFNCDataLinkCSV1->FileName = "data.csv";
// or
TMSFNCDataLinkCSV1->LoadFromFile("data.csv", TEncoding::UTF8);
TMSFNCDataLinkCSV1->LoadFromStream(MyStream, TEncoding::UTF8);

Link to a TTMSFNCDataSet:

Loading a CSV FilePascalC++

TMSFNCDataSet1.DataLink := TMSFNCDataLinkCSV1;
TMSFNCDataSet1.Active := True;

TMSFNCDataSet1->DataLink = TMSFNCDataLinkCSV1;
TMSFNCDataSet1->Active = true;

Separator Detection

Property	Description
`AutoSeparator`	When `True`, auto-detects the field separator (comma, semicolon, tab, etc.)
`Separator`	Delimiter character used when `AutoSeparator` is `False`
`HasFieldNames`	When `True`, the first row is treated as a header row with field names

Automatic Saving

Set AutoSaveChanges := True to persist modifications back to the file as they occur, without explicit save calls.

Combining Separator Configuration, Loading, and Saving

Configure the parser before loading the file, connect the data link to the dataset, and enable automatic saving only when every dataset edit should be written back immediately:

Configure, load, and persist a CSV datasetPascalC++

begin
  TMSFNCDataSet1.Close;
  TMSFNCDataSet1.DataLink := TMSFNCDataLinkCSV1;

  TMSFNCDataLinkCSV1.AutoSeparator := False;
  TMSFNCDataLinkCSV1.Separator := ';';
  TMSFNCDataLinkCSV1.HasFieldNames := True;
  TMSFNCDataLinkCSV1.FileEncoding := feUTF8;
  TMSFNCDataLinkCSV1.AutoSaveChanges := True;
  TMSFNCDataLinkCSV1.LoadFromFile('customers.csv', TEncoding.UTF8);

  TMSFNCDataSet1.Open;
end;

TMSFNCDataSet1->Close();
TMSFNCDataSet1->DataLink = TMSFNCDataLinkCSV1;

TMSFNCDataLinkCSV1->AutoSeparator = false;
TMSFNCDataLinkCSV1->Separator = L';';
TMSFNCDataLinkCSV1->HasFieldNames = true;
TMSFNCDataLinkCSV1->FileEncoding = Tms::Tmsfnccustomdatalink::TTMSFNCCustomDataLinkFileEncoding::feUTF8;
TMSFNCDataLinkCSV1->AutoSaveChanges = true;
TMSFNCDataLinkCSV1->LoadFromFile("customers.csv", TEncoding::UTF8);

TMSFNCDataSet1->Open();

Common Pitfalls

Set AutoSeparator, Separator, and HasFieldNames before LoadFromFile; changing them after the load does not reinterpret rows already in memory.
AutoSaveChanges writes each edit back to FileName. Leave it disabled for read-only imports or when several edits must be reviewed before one explicit SaveToFile call.
Keep FileEncoding aligned with the encoding passed to LoadFromFile. Automatic saving uses FileEncoding when it writes the file again.
Activate the dataset only after assigning its DataLink and loading the source, so field definitions are built from the intended CSV structure.

Methods

Method	Description
`LoadFromFile(AFileName, AEncoding)`	Load from a file with the specified encoding
`LoadFromStream(AStream, AEncoding)`	Load from a stream
`SaveToFile(AFileName, AEncoding)`	Save to a file
`SaveToStream(AStream, AEncoding)`	Save to a stream

Properties

Property	Description
`AutoSaveChanges`	Auto-persist changes (default: `False`)
`AutoSeparator`	Auto-detect field separator
`FileEncoding`	Encoding for file operations
`FileName`	CSV file path
`HasFieldNames`	First row contains field names
`QuoteEmptyValues`	Enclose empty values in quotes when saving
`Separator`	Field delimiter when `AutoSeparator` is `False`