datapasta 0.1.1

Paste data as Python DataFrame definitions

datapasta

A Python package inspired by the R datapasta package for pasting tabular data into DataFrame code. datapasta analyzes clipboard content or text input and generates Python code to recreate the data as a pandas or polars DataFrame.

Features

• Automatic detection of delimiters (comma, tab, pipe, semicolon, etc.)
• Smart header detection
• Type inference for columns (int, float, boolean, datetime, string)
• Generates code for both pandas and polars DataFrames
• Command-line interface for easy integration with text editors
• Simple API for programmatic use

Installation

# Install with pip
pip install datapasta

# With Pandas support
pip install datapasta[pandas]

# With Polars support
pip install datapasta[polars]

# For Polars on older CPUs
pip install datapasta[polars-lts-cpu]

The polars dependency is not included in the package by default. It is shipped as an optional extra which can be activated by passing it in square brackets.

Usage

Command Line

# Read from clipboard, generate pandas code
datapasta > dataframe_code.py

# Read from clipboard, generate polars code
datapasta --polars > dataframe_code.py

# Read from file instead of clipboard
datapasta --file data.csv > dataframe_code.py

# Specify a separator (otherwise auto-detected)
datapasta --sep "," > dataframe_code.py

Python API

import datapasta

# Read from clipboard and get pandas code
pandas_code = datapasta.clipboard_to_pandas()
print(pandas_code)

# Read from clipboard and get polars code
polars_code = datapasta.clipboard_to_polars()
print(polars_code)

# Convert text directly to DataFrame code
csv_text = """name,age,city
Alice,25,New York
Bob,30,San Francisco
Charlie,35,Seattle"""

pandas_code = datapasta.text_to_pandas(csv_text)
print(pandas_code)

Controlling Header Detection

datapasta attempts to automatically detect whether your data has a header row, but you can override this behavior when needed:

Command Line

# Auto-detect headers (default behavior)
datapasta --file data.csv

# Force using the first row as a header
datapasta --file data.csv --header yes

# Force no header (generate column names like col1, col2, etc.)
datapasta --file data.csv --header no

Python API

import datapasta

# Auto-detect headers (default)
code = datapasta.text_to_pandas(text)

# Force using the first row as a header
code = datapasta.text_to_pandas(text, has_header=True)

# Force no header
code = datapasta.text_to_pandas(text, has_header=False)

This is particularly useful when:

• The auto-detection logic misidentifies numeric headers as data
• You want to preserve the first row as data but datapasta treats it as a header
• You need consistent column names (col1, col2, etc.) for multiple similar datasets

Examples

From a CSV in the clipboard

name,age,city
Alice,25,New York
Bob,30,San Francisco
Charlie,35,Seattle

datapasta will generate:

import pandas as pd

df = pd.DataFrame({
    "name": ["Alice", "Bob", "Charlie"],
    "age": [25, 30, 35],
    "city": ["New York", "San Francisco", "Seattle"],
})

From a TSV in the clipboard

name	age	city
Alice	25	New York
Bob	30	San Francisco
Charlie	35	Seattle

datapasta will generate similar code, automatically detecting the tab delimiter.

Using in a Jupyter notebook

import datapasta

# Assuming you've copied data to clipboard
code = datapasta.clipboard_to_pandas()
print("Generated code:")
print(code)

# Execute the code to create the DataFrame
exec(code)
# Now 'df' contains your DataFrame
display(df)

How It Works

datapasta works by:

1. Reading text from the clipboard or a file
2. Intelligently guessing the delimiter/separator
3. Detecting if there's a header row
4. Inferring column types (int, float, boolean, datetime, string)
5. Generating code to create a pandas or polars DataFrame

Project Structure

• clipboard.py: Functions for reading from the system clipboard
• parser.py: Functions for parsing text data, detecting delimiters, and headers
• type_inference.py: Functions for inferring column data types
• formatter.py: Functions for generating pandas and polars code
• main.py: Main entry points and CLI functionality

Contributing

Contributions welcome!

1. Issues & Discussions: Please open a GitHub issue or discussion for bugs, feature requests, or questions.
2. Pull Requests: PRs are welcome!
   • Install the dev extra with pip install -e ".[dev]"
   • Run tests with pytest
   • Include updates to docs or examples if relevant

Requirements

• Python 3.10+
• pyperclip (for clipboard access)

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License.

Credits

Inspired by the R package datapasta by Miles McBain.