Package smile.io

Class Arff

java.lang.Object
smile.io.Arff
All Implemented Interfaces:
AutoCloseable

public class Arff extends Object implements AutoCloseable
Weka ARFF (attribute relation file format) is an ASCII text file format that is essentially a CSV file with a header that describes the meta-data. ARFF was developed for use in the Weka machine learning software.

A dataset is firstly described, beginning with the name of the dataset (or the relation in ARFF terminology). Each of the variables (or attribute in ARFF terminology) used to describe the observations is then identified, together with their data type, each definition on a single line. The actual observations are then listed, each on a single line, with fields separated by commas, much like a CSV file.

Missing values in an ARFF dataset are identified using the question mark '?'.

Comments can be included in the file, introduced at the beginning of a line with a '%', whereby the remainder of the line is ignored.

A significant advantage of the ARFF data file over the CSV data file is the meta data information.

Also, the ability to include comments ensure we can record extra information about the data set, including how it was derived, where it came from, and how it might be cited.