# DataFrames/CSV.read: error on different machines

**URL:** <https://discourse.julialang.org/t/dataframes-csv-read-error-on-different-machines/53211>\
**Category:** General Usage\
**Created:** [January 12, 2021, 2:39pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/dataframes-csv-read-error-on-different-machines/53211 "2021-01-12T14:39:21Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![mike\_k](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/mike_k/32/211864_2.png) [@mike\_k](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/mike_k)\
**Post date:** [January 12, 2021, 2:39pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/dataframes-csv-read-error-on-different-machines/53211/1 "2021-01-12T14:39:21Z")

</div>

Dear folks,  
I work on one and the same project on two different machines (both Ubuntu, Julia 1.4). The project-related `Project.toml` and `Manifest.toml` are in the project folder and I activate them before running my script. The `DataFrames` and `CSV` packages are pinned to:

```julia
[336ed68f] CSV v0.6.1 ⚲
[a93c6f00] DataFrames v0.20.2 ⚲

```

Here is an ME:

```julia
using DataFrames
using CSV
df = CSV.read( "myfile.csv"; copycols=true, delim=';' )   

```

On one machine it works, and on the other the following error appears

```julia
ArgumentError: provide a valid sink argument, like `using DataFrames; CSV.read(source, DataFrame)

```

Do you have any ideas why? Are there possibly other mismatching dependencies?  
Thanks in advance.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![fbanning](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/fbanning/32/14972_2.png) [@fbanning](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/fbanning)\
**Post date:** [January 12, 2021, 2:47pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/dataframes-csv-read-error-on-different-machines/53211/2 "2021-01-12T14:47:09Z")

</div>

I think you forgot to add that you want to convert the CSV data into a DataFrame.

```julia
using DataFrames
using CSV
input = CSV.read( "myfile.csv"; copycols=true, delim=';' )   
df = DataFrame(input)

```

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![pdeffebach](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/pdeffebach/32/10320_2.png) [@pdeffebach](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/pdeffebach)\
**Post date:** [January 12, 2021, 2:49pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/dataframes-csv-read-error-on-different-machines/53211/3 "2021-01-12T14:49:24Z")

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No, this is not the error. Newer versions of `CSV` require a `sink` argument.

OP, read the error message! It tells you how to fix your problem. do `CSV.read(DataFrame, file)`.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![nilshg](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/nilshg/32/2283_2.png) [@nilshg](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/nilshg)\
**Post date:** [January 12, 2021, 2:57pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/dataframes-csv-read-error-on-different-machines/53211/4 "2021-01-12T14:57:59Z")

</div>

I guess the question that OP has is why does this differ across two machines with identical Manifests?

`CSV.read()` without sink argument was deprecated in v0.7.0 (see [here](https://github.com/JuliaData/CSV.jl/releases?after=v0.7.4)) but should have been working on 0.6 - I just went back and checked, for Julia 1.4.2 and CSV 0.6.2 I could successfully call

```julia
CSV.read("myfile.csv")

```

as you expected.

The only thing that comes to mind to explain what you’re seeing is that maybe you had CSV installed in your default environment at version 0.8 or above, and had already loaded the package before you instantiated your code? Actually speaking of which, did you use `Pkg.instantiate()` to recreate the environment from the Manifest?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![mike\_k](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/mike_k/32/211864_2.png) [@mike\_k](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/mike_k)\
**Post date:** [January 12, 2021, 3:10pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/dataframes-csv-read-error-on-different-machines/53211/5 "2021-01-12T15:10:55Z")

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Thanks, exactly this was the case,… I first worked with `CSV 0.8.`. I thought that `pkg"activate ."` and `pkg"instantiate"` are enough to “overwrite” the current setting. But this does not seem to be the case. Restarting REPL and directly instantiating my project did the job.