Simple sample how to export data as CSV in Excel compatible format

model_to_csv.py

import csv, codecs, cStringIO
from django.template.defaultfilters import yesno


class excel_semicolon(csv.excel):
    """Describe the usual properties of Excel-generated CSV files."""
    delimiter = ';'
    
csv.register_dialect("excel-semicolon", excel_semicolon)

class UnicodeWriter:
    """
    A CSV writer which will write rows to CSV file "f",
    which is encoded in the given encoding.
    """

    def __init__(self, f, dialect=excel_semicolon, encoding="utf-8", **kwds):
        # Redirect output to a queue
        self.queue = cStringIO.StringIO()
        self.writer = csv.writer(self.queue, dialect=dialect, **kwds)
        self.stream = f
        self.encoder = codecs.getincrementalencoder(encoding)()

    def writerow(self, row):
        csv.excel.delimiter
        self.writer.writerow([s.encode("utf-8") for s in row])
        # Fetch UTF-8 output from the queue ...
        data = self.queue.getvalue()
        data = data.decode("utf-8")
        # ... and reencode it into the target encoding
        data = self.encoder.encode(data)
        # write to the target stream
        self.stream.write(data)
        # empty queue
        self.queue.truncate(0)

    def writerows(self, rows):
        for row in rows:
            self.writerow(row)



def report_csv(request):
    response = HttpResponse(mimetype='text/csv')
    response['Content-Disposition'] = 'attachment; filename=netreg_report.csv'

    writer = UnicodeWriter(response, encoding='windows-1252')
        
    titles = [_('Firstname'), _('Lastname'), _('Email'), _('Phone'), _('Streetaddress'), _('Zipcode'),
              _('City'), _('Area'), _('Area type'), _('Registration date'), _('Apartment type'), 
              _('Owner'), _('Confirmed'), _('Accepts email'), _('Requested contact'), _('Deleted')]
        
    writer.writerow(titles)
        
    for r in registrations:
        writer.writerow([
            r.firstname, r.lastname, r.email, r.phone, 
            r.address.netreg_address.streetname,
            r.address.netreg_address.zipcode, 
            r.address.netreg_address.city, 
            (r.service_area and unicode(r.service_area)) or u'',
            (r.service_area and unicode(r.service_area.category)) or u'',
             r.creation_date.isoformat(sep=' '),
            unicode(r.apartment_type), 
            yesno(r.owner),
            yesno(r.confirmed),
            yesno(r.send_email),
            yesno(r.contact_request), 
            yesno(r.deleted), 
            ])        
        
        writer.writerow([])
        writer.writerow([_('Total'), unicode(registrations.count())])
        return response