Convert Avid ALE files to CSV

ale2csv.py

#!/usr/bin/env python
from collections import OrderedDict
from itertools import dropwhile
import csv
import argparse
import os.path

argparser = argparse.ArgumentParser()
argparser.add_argument("ale_file", metavar="ALE", type=argparse.FileType(mode="r"), nargs="+")


def main():
    args = argparser.parse_args()

    for f in args.ale_file:
        columns, data = convert_ale_to_dict(f)
        f.close()
        if columns is not None:
            pre, ext = os.path.splitext(f.name)
            csv_path = pre + ".csv"
            csv_file = open(csv_path, mode="wb")
            dump_csv(csv_file, columns, data)
            csv_file.close()


def convert_ale_to_dict(f):
        try:
            f_iter = f.read().splitlines()
            f_iter = dropwhile(lambda line: "Column" not in line.rstrip(), f_iter)
            column_line = next_or_none(f_iter)
            if column_line is None:
                raise Exception("No columns found " + f.name)

            column_names_line = next_or_none(f_iter)
            if column_names_line is None:
                raise Exception("No values for columns " + f.name)

            columns = column_names_line.replace("\n", "").split("\t")

            f_iter = dropwhile(lambda line: "Data" not in line.rstrip(), f_iter)
            data_line = next_or_none(f_iter)
            if data_line is None:
                raise Exception("No data found " + f.name)

            data = []
            for data_values_line in f_iter:
                values = data_values_line.replace("\n", "").split("\t")
                values_dict = OrderedDict(zip(columns, values))

                data.append(values_dict)

            return columns, data
        except Exception as e:
            print(e)
            return None, None


def dump_csv(f, columns, data):
    dw = csv.DictWriter(f, fieldnames=columns)
    dw.writeheader()
    dw.writerows(data)


def next_or_none(iter_obj):
    try:
        return next(iter_obj)
    except StopIteration:
        return None


if __name__ == "__main__":
    main()

Use awk '(NR == 1) || (FNR > 1)' file*.csv > bigfile.csv to combine all csv in terminal.