I personally use the opencsv library to parse csv (comma separated value) files. It is a simple and powerful library with a commercial-friendly license. You can use it to directly parse a CSV file, or use its JavaBean binding feature. I prefer to use the JavaBean binding approach as it removes the mundane work of converting text to Java native types.
Below is an example of how to use JavaBeans binding feature of the opencsv library.
I will parse the historical stock prices of Apple Inc. downloaded from Yahoo! Finance.
