Use comma separator instead of semi-colon

[mandrejko1]

Could you please switch in CSV files to comma separator? All standard tool usually expect coma in CSV(Comma separated values).

[mkaj35]

Could you please switch in CSV files to comma separator? All standard tool usually expect coma in CSV(Comma separated values).

not a good idea. Comma is decimal separator in Slovakia. If you combine data from multiple sources from SK systems (as they do here), it's safer to use semicolon. Unless you want to format numbers as text, of course ...

[freedomlives]

It is more surprising to me that github doesn't support the semicolon in CSV files for online display. Every continental European country uses the comma as a decimal separator, so I'd say it isn't just Slovakia that uses semicolons in CSV files. If a comma is really necessary, it is possible to simply open in Calc or Excel and then export into the desired CSV format.

[juniorUniv]

I miss an added value in this request, because any “standard tool” for working with CSV import allows you to define/process the semicolon as separator, naturally.

[neisor]

If you look at columns like "Pozitivita_Ag" or "7d_Incidencia_aktual" and some other ones, you can immediately notice that those columns have decimal numbers in them as values (decimals being separated by comma [,]). As others have pointed out, the comma separator for decimal numbers is the de facto standard in Slovak numbering system. Having said that, if the CSV separator would be switched from semicolon to comma, it would cause issues with reading and representing the data correctly when the CSV text would be transformed to table (for example, with the "Text to Columns" feature in Microsoft Excel).

This issue should be closed as it is not relevant and would not bring any enhancements to this project.

[hanecak]

With "dot vs comma" in decimal numbers and "comma vs. semicolon" as separator in CSV, we're running into the issue of "CSV specification" being not very strict.

I as programmer prefer stuff like:

• item,1,2.1

Main rationale: so that stuff works "by default" as much as possible, with maximum simplicity and interoperability.

Current Slovak eGov IT standard permits:

• item,1,2.1
• item,1,"2,1"

and does not permit:

• item;1;2.1
• item;1;2,1

References:

• https://www.slov-lex.sk/pravne-predpisy/SK/ZZ/2020/78/20200501#prilohy.priloha-priloha_c_2_k_vyhlaske_c_78_2020_z_z
• https://www.slov-lex.sk/pravne-predpisy/prilohy/SK/ZZ/2020/78/20200501_5232307-4.pdf

That being said, two more points:

1. If data pushed to this repo is prepared by automated process, making results conformant to the SK eGov spec should be quite easy and one time adjustment.
2. Remember the times when nearly all websites were "Internet Explorer 6 only"? Well, who would have thought at that time, but those times are (mostly) gone now. At the end it did a lot of damage, even the creator of that browser is pushing hard to get rid of it. And that's one of the reason why we're setting the standards by consensus, not by "what one tool is doing". Tools come and go, files persist.