Formats for Text Files Some common formats for text files are listed in the following table. Table 53. Text File Formats Format Description Comma-separated values Commas separate column values, and each line is a separate record. Column values can vary in length. These files often have the .CSV extension. Tab-separated values Tabs separate column values, and each line is a separate record. Column values can vary in length. Character-separated values Any printable character except single and double quotes can separate column values, and each line is a separate record. Column values can vary in length. Fixed No character separates column values. Instead, values start at the same position and have the same length in each line. The values appear in fixed columns if you display the file. Each line is a separate record. Stream No character separates column values nor records. The table is one long stream of bytes. Comma-, tab-, and character-separated files are called character-delimited files because values are separated by a special character.