[Community request for input] Planned removal of `tsv` import/export feature

[vmcj]

We're currently planning to drop the import and export for {accounts,teams,groups}.tsv and results.tsv but are not sure if the community still uses this.

History

The tsv format was in use by CLICS before the current json standard which is more expressive. Keeping this feature makes testing harder and is mostly used by automated tools which have the same notion of information and can easily formulate this in json.

We intend to drop this feature either in the next release with a simple converter from tsv to json or in another major release soon after in the coming year. If your contest uses this we could use the feedback and possibly help with the needed conversion scripts to keep your contest running smooth.

[mpsijm]

For the Freshmen Programming Contest in Delft, we still use the TSV import, the only reason being that we collect registrations in a Google Sheet and have extra tabs in this sheet that help automate the {accounts,teams}.tsv files. 😛 I'd be fine with having a simple TSV-to-JSON converter though, and it also wouldn't be too much work for us to whip up a Python script that converts our registration sheet to JSON files 🙂

The organizations import already happens from JSON (e.g. from https://github.com/WISVCH/icpc-logos or https://github.com/Programming-Contest-Foundation/logo).

[mkfuron]

This member of the community still uses it. :-)

It is easier for me to generate things like passwords and import them from a spreadsheet that I export as a TSV. I also add the judge accounts from a TSV.

Can I use JSON? Of course, but that will mean extra step(s).

I realize that supporting the legacy format is that much more code to maintain.

[cubercsl]

For our contests, organizers often collect information through online documents and organize them into Excel for us (tech team). We also have a script to convert Excel/TSV to JSON, so removing the TSV import does not have much impact on us. But for some contests that issue password strips (w/o IP autologin), the function of generating passwords and exporting TSV seems to be useful.

[as6325400]

I'm currently still using TSV files to import teams and users.

[nickygerritsen]

I'm currently still using TSV files to import teams and users.

What's the (main) reason for using the tsv's?

[as6325400]

I'm currently still using TSV files to import teams and users.

What's the (main) reason for using the tsv's?

I’ve just been using the TSV format because I already had some scripts written for it earlier. I don’t mind switching—removing them wouldn’t be a problem, and I think writing a JSON-based version shouldn’t be too difficult.