Excel CSV files delimiter change - excel

Question

I'm creating in Excel a sub-folder in a directory and save there multiple CSV-files from a Excel Workbook
My problem is that I need to do this on a system where the list separator is a ','. The CSV files are getting read from a system where the default list separator is a ';'. I cannot change this
So I need to change the ',' in the CSV files into a ';'. My idea is to achieve this using PowerShell.
My first attempt was to change the delimiter of the CSV immediately after creating it in excel by passing to a script the file-name. I manage to change the delimiter for a certain file but I struggle to pass the pathname to the script (no error but also no change in the file):
Script Code:
param([string]$path)
$content = [IO.File]::ReadAllText($path) #readParameter
Import-CSV -Path $content -Delimiter ','|Export-CSV -Path C:\Users\Desktop\temp.csv -Delimiter ';' -NoTypeInformation #Export a CSV-File with ;
(Get-Content C:\Users\Desktop\temp.csv) | % {$_ -replace '"', ""} | out-file -FilePath C:\Users\Desktop\temp.csv -Force -Encoding ascii #remove " from file
Remove-Item -Path $content #remove old CSV-file
Rename-Item -Path C:\Users\Desktop\temp.csv -NewName $content #change file name
Excel Call:
Call Shell("powershell.exe -ExecutionPolicy Unrestricted -File C:\Users\Desktop\delimiterChange.ps1 -path """ & location & """", 1)
Thank You

Answer 1

If you want to use PS, this is the easy quick and dirty. Works like a charm.
$csv = Import-csv "C:\initial.csv"
$csv | Export-Csv "C:\converted.csv" -NoClobber -NoTypeInformation -Delimiter ";"

Answer 2

param([string]$path)
$content = [IO.File]::ReadAllText($path) #readParameter
Import-CSV -Path $content -Delimiter ','|Export-CSV -Path C:\Users\Desktop\temp.csv -Delimiter ';' -NoTypeInformation
Your code reads the content of the CSV (assuming that the path to the CSV is passed via the parameter -Path) and tries to pass that as the path to Import-Csv. Change the above to this:
param([string]$path)
Import-CSV -Path $path |
Export-CSV -Path C:\Users\Desktop\temp.csv -Delimiter ';' -NoType
You can even replace the content of the file if you run Import-Csv in an expression:
(Import-Csv -Path $path) |
Export-Csv -Path $path -Delimiter ';' -NoType
I'd recommend keeping the double quotes, but if you must remove them you can do that in the pipeline like this:
(Import-Csv -Path $path) |
ConvertTo-Csv -Delimiter ';' -NoType |
% { $_ -replace '"', '' } |
Set-Content -Path $path

Answer 3

In Control Panel > Regional Settings > Additional Settings
Set the List Separator to the semi-colon:
Then, in Excel SaveAs CSV

Answer 4

I would take a different approach.
In a Macro enabled Excel workbook:
1) Create a routine which will import a semi-colon-delimited file. It should take a filename as a parameter and return a workbook.
2) Create a routine which will export a workbook as a CSV. It should take a workbook as a parameter, a file name as a parameter, and export/close the workbook
3) Create a routine which reads a file list from the directory and then runs 1) and 2) on each file.
Additionally, I would not name the semi-colon delimited files CSV if you have any control over the original file names. By definition, CSV means Comma Separated Values. Name them something else. Then your routine only has to find the semi-colon files and can skip the CSVs because those have already been converted to comma separated.