How to save from a JTable to .CSV file format?

Question

i am building a client sever model in which the client will send the details to the server...
the server will take all the details and display it in a jtable..
now, after sorting it using autorowsorter(..), how can i save the data from table to a .CSV file???
Thanks in advance..

Answer 1

Here is one code from my own my application. It should compile straight away, but if there are any compile time bugs, you can easily fix them. Pls do read the comments at the top.
import java.awt.*;
import java.awt.event.*;
import java.io.*;
import java.net.*;
import java.util.*;
import javax.swing.*;
import javax.swing.event.*;
import javax.swing.filechooser.*;
import javax.swing.table.*;
* This class is now JDK 1.6 Dependent, with the addition of the use of the Desktop
* class instead of the default application launch procedure, and the use of the new
* FileNameExtensionFilter class introduced under javax.swing.filechooser.
* This class can be used in one line of code by passing the appropriate JTable to the
* desired constructor.
public class ExcelExporter extends Object {
    public JTable source;
    public JFileChooser chooser;
    public File csvFile;
    private boolean cancelOp = false, isDefault = true;
    private String topText = "";
    public ExcelExporter(JTable source) {
        this(source, "");
    public ExcelExporter(JTable source, String topText) {
        this(source, topText, true);
    public ExcelExporter(JTable source, String topText, boolean isDefault, File target, JProgressBar bar) {
        super();
        this.source = source;
        this.topText = topText;
        this.isDefault = isDefault;
        new ProgressDialog(source, target, bar);
    public ExcelExporter(JTable source, String topText, boolean isDefault) {
        super();
        this.source = source;
        this.topText = topText;
        this.isDefault = isDefault;
        obtainFileName();
    public void obtainFileName() {
        cancelOp = false;
        FileNameExtensionFilter filter = new FileNameExtensionFilter("Excel Format (CSV)", "csv");
        if(chooser == null) {
            chooser = new JFileChooser();
            chooser.setDialogTitle("Saving Database");
            chooser.setFileFilter(filter);
            chooser.setFileSelectionMode(JFileChooser.FILES_ONLY);
            chooser.setSelectedFile( new File("database.csv") );
            chooser.setAcceptAllFileFilterUsed(false);                     
        int val = chooser.showSaveDialog((Component)null);
        if(val == JFileChooser.APPROVE_OPTION) {
            csvFile = chooser.getSelectedFile();
            boolean fixed = fixExtension(csvFile, "csv");
            if(!fixed && !cancelOp) {
                JOptionPane.showMessageDialog(null,"File Name Specified Not Supported",
                "File Name Error", JOptionPane.ERROR_MESSAGE);
                obtainFileName();
                return;
            if(!cancelOp) {
                //storeTableAsCSV(csvFile, source);
                new ProgressDialog(source, csvFile).setVisible(true);
    public boolean fixExtension(File file, String prefExt) {
        String fileName = file.getName();
        String dir = file.getParentFile().getAbsolutePath();
        String ext = null;
        try {
            ext = fileName.substring( fileName.lastIndexOf("."), fileName.length() );
            System.out.println("Original File Extension: " + ext);
        } catch(StringIndexOutOfBoundsException e) {
            ext = null;
        if(ext != null && !ext.equalsIgnoreCase("."+prefExt)) {
            return false;
        String csvName = null;
        if(ext == null || ext.length() == 0) {
            csvName = fileName + "." + prefExt;
        } else {
            csvName = fileName.substring(0, fileName.lastIndexOf(".") + 1) + prefExt;
        System.out.println("Corrected File Name: " + csvName);
        File csvCert = new File(dir, csvName);
        if(csvCert.exists()) {
            int val = JOptionPane.showConfirmDialog(null, "Replace Existing File?", "File Exists",
                        JOptionPane.YES_NO_CANCEL_OPTION, JOptionPane.WARNING_MESSAGE);
            if(val == JOptionPane.NO_OPTION) {
                obtainFileName();
                cancelOp = true;
                return false;
            } else if(val == JOptionPane.CANCEL_OPTION) {
                cancelOp = true;
                return false;              
        if(!file.renameTo(csvCert)) {
            file = new File(dir, csvName);
            try {
                file.createNewFile();
            } catch(IOException ioe) {}
        System.out.println("Exporting as: " + file.getAbsolutePath() );
        return true;
    public void storeTableAsCSV(File target, JTable src) {
        String csvData = topText + "\n\n";
        for(int i = 0; i < src.getModel().getRowCount(); i++) {
            for(int x = 0; x < src.getModel().getColumnCount(); x++) {
                int col = src.convertColumnIndexToView(x);
                String curVal = (String)src.getModel().getValueAt(i,col);
                if(curVal == null) {
                    curVal = "";
                csvData = csvData + removeAnyCommas(curVal) + ",";
                if(isDefault) {
                    if(x == src.getModel().getColumnCount() - 3) {
                        csvData = csvData + "\n";
                        continue;
                } else {
                    if(x == src.getModel().getColumnCount() - 1) {
                        csvData = csvData + "\n";                      
        try {
            FileWriter writer = new FileWriter(target);
                writer.write(csvData);
                writer.flush();
                writer.close();
            writer = null;
            csvData = null;
        } catch(IOException ioe) {
            JOptionPane.showMessageDialog(source, "Error Writing File.\nFile may be in use by another application."
            + "\nCheck and try re-exporting", "Export Error", JOptionPane.ERROR_MESSAGE);
    public String removeAnyCommas(String src) {
        if(src == null) {
            return "";
        for(int i = 0; i < src.length(); i++) {
            if(src.charAt(i) == ',') {
                src = src.substring(0,i) + src.substring(i+1, src.length());
        return src;
    class ProgressDialog extends JDialog {
        JProgressBar progress;
        JLabel progressLabel;
        javax.swing.Timer timer;
        int rowPoint = -1;
        StringBuffer data;
        JTable srcTable;       
        DefaultTableModel srcModel;
        File targetFile;
        public ProgressDialog(JTable src, File target) {
            super( new JDialog(), "Exporting", true);
            createUI();
            setLocationRelativeTo(null);
            srcTable = src;
            srcModel = (DefaultTableModel)src.getModel();
            targetFile = target;
            exportDataProgressively();
        public ProgressDialog(JTable src, File target, JProgressBar progress) {
            super();
            srcTable = src;
            srcModel = (DefaultTableModel)src.getModel();
            targetFile = target;
            setProgressBar(progress);
            exportDataProgressively();
        public void createUI() {
            progress = new JProgressBar(0, 100);
            progress.setIndeterminate(true);
            progress.setValue(0);
            progress.setBorder( BorderFactory.createCompoundBorder(
                                    BorderFactory.createEmptyBorder(10,10,10,10),
                                UIManager.getBorder("ProgressBar.border") ) );
            progress.setPreferredSize( new Dimension(300, 38) );
            progressLabel = new JLabel("Writing Excel Format. Please Wait...");
            progressLabel.setFont( new Font("Verdana", Font.PLAIN, 11) );
            progressLabel.setBorder( BorderFactory.createEmptyBorder(10,10,10,10) );
            JPanel progressPanel = new JPanel( new BorderLayout() );
                progressPanel.add(progressLabel, BorderLayout.NORTH );
                progressPanel.add(progress, BorderLayout.CENTER);
                progressPanel.setBorder( BorderFactory.createEmptyBorder(10,10,10,10) );
            setContentPane(progressPanel);         
            pack();
        public void exportDataProgressively() {
            //progress.setString("");
            progress.setMaximum(srcModel.getRowCount());
            progress.setIndeterminate(false);
            data = new StringBuffer("Autogenerated Excel Format"
                 + topText + "\n\n");          
            timer = new javax.swing.Timer(15, new ActionListener() {
                public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {                   
                    if(rowPoint > -1 && srcModel.getValueAt(rowPoint,0) == null) {
                        timer.stop();
                    progress.setValue(rowPoint);
                    appendData();
            timer.setRepeats(false);
            timer.start();
        public void appendData() {
            timer.stop();
            for(int j = 0; j < srcModel.getColumnCount(); j++) {
                int col = srcTable.convertColumnIndexToView(j);
                if(rowPoint == -1) {
                    data.append(removeAnyCommas((String)srcModel.getColumnName(col)).toUpperCase());
                } else if(col != -1){
                    String text = (String)srcModel.getValueAt(rowPoint,col);
                    if(srcModel.getColumnName(col).equalsIgnoreCase("Phone Number(s)") && !isPrintableText(text) ) {
                        text = "\'" + getPrintableText(text);
                    } else if( srcModel.getColumnName(col).equalsIgnoreCase("Phone Number(s)") && isPrintableText(text)  ) {
                        text = "\'" + removeAnyCommas(text);
                    } else {
                        text = removeAnyCommas(text);
                    data.append(text);
                if(isDefault) {
                    if(j != srcModel.getColumnCount() - 3 ){
                        data.append(",");
                    } else {
                        data.append("\n");
                        break;
                } else {
                    if(j != srcModel.getColumnCount() - 1 ){
                        data.append(",");
                    } else {
                        data.append("\n");
            rowPoint++;
            if(rowPoint < srcModel.getRowCount()) {
                timer.start();
            } else {
                try {
                    if(!targetFile.exists())
                        targetFile.createNewFile();
                    FileWriter writer = new FileWriter(targetFile);
                        writer.write(data.toString());
                        writer.close();
                        progress.setValue(progress.getMaximum());
                        progress.setStringPainted(true);
                        progress.setString("Done");
                        openFile(targetFile);                      
                        setVisible(false);
                        data = null;
                } catch(IOException ioe) {
                    JOptionPane.showMessageDialog(source, "Error Writing File. Try Resaving",
                    "Save Error", JOptionPane.ERROR_MESSAGE);
                } catch(Exception exc) {
                    System.out.println(exc);
        public void setProgressBar(JProgressBar bar) {
            progress = bar;
        public boolean isPrintableText(String text) {
            return !text.contains("::");
        public String getPrintableText(String text) {          
            try {
                text = text.substring(2);
            } catch(StringIndexOutOfBoundsException sie) {
                System.out.println(sie);
            String generated = "";
            StringTokenizer st = new StringTokenizer(text, ",");
            try {
                for(int i = 0; st.hasMoreTokens(); i++ ) {
                    if(i > 0) {
                        generated = generated + " / ";
                    String token = st.nextToken();
                    generated = generated + token.substring( token.indexOf("-") + 2 );
            } catch(NoSuchElementException nse) {}
            return generated;
        public void openFile(File file) {
            int val = JOptionPane.showConfirmDialog(null, "Would You Like To View The File Right Now?",
            "View File", JOptionPane.YES_NO_CANCEL_OPTION, JOptionPane.INFORMATION_MESSAGE);
            try {
                if(val == JOptionPane.YES_OPTION) {
                    if(Desktop.isDesktopSupported()) {
                        Desktop.getDesktop().open(file);
                    } else {
                        new ExcelExecutor(file.getAbsolutePath());
            } catch(IOException ioe) {
                JOptionPane.showMessageDialog(null, "Failed to Open File", "Error",
                 JOptionPane.ERROR_MESSAGE);
}ICE