pyxecm 1.4__py3-none-any.whl → 1.6__py3-none-any.whl

pyxecm/helper/data.py

@@ -0,0 +1,1731 @@
+"""
+Data Module to implement functions to leverage Pandas to
+manipulte data structures read for bulk generation of Extended ECM items.
+
+This code implements a class called data which is referring
+to Pandas DataFrame.
+
+Class: Payload
+Methods:
+
+__init__ : class initializer
+__len__: Lenght of the embedded DataFrame object.
+__str__: Print the DataFrame of the class
+get_data_frame: Get the Pandas DataFrame object
+set_data_frame: Set the Pandas DataFrame object
+append: Append additional data to the data frame.
+
+load_json_data: Load JSON data into DataFrame
+save_json_data: Save JSON data from DataFrame to file
+load_excel_data: Load Excel file into DataFrame
+load_csv_data: Load CSV data into DataFrame
+load_directory: Load directory structure into Pandas Data Frame
+
+partitionate: Partition a data frame into equally sized partions
+deduplicate: Remove dupclicate rows that have all fields in unique_fields in common
+sort: Sort the data frame based on one or multiple fields.
+flatten: Flatten a sub-dictionary by copying selected fields to the
+         parent dictionary.
+explode_and_flatten: Explode a substructure in the Data Frame
+drop_columns: Drop selected columns from the Data Frame
+keep_columns: Keep only selected columns from the Data Frame. Drop the rest.
+cleanse: Cleanse data with regular expressions and upper/lower case conversion.
+filter: Filter the DataFrame based on conditions
+
+fill_forward: Fill the missing cells appropriately by carrying forward
+              the values from the previous rows where necessary.
+fill_na_in_column: Replace NA values in a column with a defined new default value              
+"""
+
+__author__ = "Dr. Marc Diefenbruch"
+__copyright__ = "Copyright 2024, OpenText"
+__credits__ = ["Kai-Philip Gatzweiler"]
+__maintainer__ = "Dr. Marc Diefenbruch"
+__email__ = "mdiefenb@opentext.com"
+
+import logging
+import json
+import os
+import re
+import threading
+
+import pandas as pd
+
+logger = logging.getLogger("pyxecm.helper.data")
+
+
+class Data:
+    """Used to automate data loading for the customizer."""
+
+    _df: pd.DataFrame
+    _lock = threading.Lock()
+
+    def __init__(self, init_data: pd.DataFrame | list = None):
+        """Initialize the Data object.
+
+        Args:
+            init_data (pd.DataFrame | list, optional): Data to initialize the data frame. Can either be
+                                                       another data frame (that gets copied) or a list of dictionaries.
+                                                       Defaults to None.
+        """
+
+        if init_data is not None:
+            # if a data frame is passed to the constructor we
+            # copy its content to the new Data object
+
+            if isinstance(init_data, pd.DataFrame):
+                self._df: pd.DataFrame = init_data.copy()
+            elif isinstance(init_data, Data):
+                if init_data.get_data_frame() is not None:
+                    self._df: pd.DataFrame = init_data.get_data_frame().copy()
+            elif isinstance(init_data, list):
+                self._df: pd.DataFrame = pd.DataFrame(init_data)
+            elif isinstance(init_data, dict):
+                # it is important to wrap the dict in a list to avoid that more than 1 row is created
+                self._df: pd.DataFrame = pd.DataFrame([init_data])
+            else:
+                logger.error("Illegal initialization data for 'Data' class!")
+                self._df = None
+        else:
+            self._df = None
+
+    # end method definition
+
+    def __len__(self) -> int:
+        """Lenght of the embedded DataFrame object.
+           This is basically a convenience method.
+
+        Returns:
+            int: Lenght of the DataFrame
+        """
+
+        if self._df is not None:
+            return len(self._df)
+        return 0
+
+    # end method definition
+
+    def __str__(self) -> str:
+        """Print the DataFrame of the class.
+
+        Returns:
+            str: String representation.
+        """
+
+        # if data frame is initialized we return
+        # the string representation of pd.DataFrame
+        if self._df is not None:
+            return str(self._df)
+
+        return str(self)
+
+    # end method definition
+
+    def __getitem__(self, column: str) -> pd.Series:
+        """Return the column corresponding to the key from the DataFrame
+
+        Args:
+            column (str): name of the Data Frame column
+
+        Returns:
+            pd.Series: column of the Data Frame with the given name
+        """
+
+        return self._df[column]
+
+    # end method definition
+
+    def lock(self):
+        """Return the threading lock object.
+
+        Returns:
+            _type_: threading lock object
+        """
+        return self._lock
+
+    # end method definition
+
+    def get_data_frame(self) -> pd.DataFrame:
+        """Get the Pandas DataFrame object
+
+        Returns:
+            pd.DataFrame: Pandas DataFrame object
+        """
+
+        return self._df
+
+    # end method definition
+
+    def set_data_frame(self, df: pd.DataFrame):
+        """Set the Pandas DataFrame object
+
+        Args:
+            df (pd.DataFrame): Pandas DataFrame object
+        """
+
+        self._df = df
+
+    # end method definition
+
+    def print_info(
+        self,
+        show_size: bool = True,
+        show_info: bool = False,
+        show_columns: bool = False,
+        show_first: bool = False,
+        show_last: bool = False,
+        show_sample: bool = False,
+        show_statistics: bool = False,
+        row_num: int = 10,
+    ):
+        """Log information about the data frame
+
+        Args:
+            show_size (bool, optional): Show size of data frame. Defaults to True.
+            show_info (bool, optional): Show information for data frame. Defaults to False.
+            show_columns (bool, optional): Show columns of data frame. Defaults to False.
+            show_first (bool, optional): Show first 10 items. Defaults to False.
+            show_last (bool, optional): Show last 10 items. Defaults to False.
+            show_sample (bool, optional): Show 10 sample items. Defaults to False.
+            show_statistics (bool, optional): Show data frame statistics. Defaults to False.
+        """
+
+        if self._df is None:
+            logger.warning("Data Frame is not initialized!")
+            return
+
+        if show_size:
+            logger.info(
+                "Data Frame has %s row(s) and %s column(s)",
+                self._df.shape[0],
+                self._df.shape[1],
+            )
+
+        if show_info:
+            # df.info() can not easily be embedded into a string
+            self._df.info()
+
+        if show_columns:
+            logger.info("Columns:\n%s", self._df.columns)
+            logger.info(
+                "Columns with number of null values:\n%s", self._df.isnull().sum()
+            )
+            logger.info(
+                "Columns with number of non-null values:\n%s", self._df.notnull().sum()
+            )
+            logger.info("Columns with number of NaN values:\n%s", self._df.isna().sum())
+            logger.info(
+                "Columns with number of non-NaN values:\n%s", self._df.notna().sum()
+            )
+
+        if show_first:
+            # the default for head is n = 5:
+            logger.info("First %s rows:\n%s", str(row_num), self._df.head(row_num))
+
+        if show_last:
+            # the default for tail is n = 5:
+            logger.info("Last %s rows:\n%s", str(row_num), self._df.tail(row_num))
+
+        if show_sample:
+            # the default for sample is n = 1:
+            logger.info("%s Sample rows:\n%s", str(row_num), self._df.sample(n=row_num))
+
+        if show_statistics:
+            logger.info(
+                "Description of statistics for data frame:\n%s", self._df.describe()
+            )
+            logger.info(
+                "Description of statistics for data frame (Transformed):\n%s",
+                self._df.describe().T,
+            )
+            logger.info(
+                "Description of statistics for data frame (objects):\n%s",
+                self._df.describe(include="object"),
+            )
+
+    # end method definition
+
+    def append(self, add_data: pd.DataFrame | list | dict) -> bool:
+        """Append additional data to the data frame.
+
+        Args:
+            add_data (pd.DataFrame | list | dict): Additional data. Can be pd.DataFrame or list of dicts (or Data)
+
+        Returns:
+            bool: True = Success, False = Error
+        """
+
+        # Does the data frame has already content?
+        # Then we need to concat / append. Otherwise
+        # we just initialize self._df
+        if self._df is not None:
+            if isinstance(add_data, pd.DataFrame):
+                self._df = pd.concat([self._df, add_data], ignore_index=True)
+                return True
+            elif isinstance(add_data, Data):
+                df = add_data.get_data_frame()
+                if df:
+                    self._df = pd.concat([self._df, df], ignore_index=True)
+                return True
+            elif isinstance(add_data, list):
+                if add_data:
+                    df = Data(add_data)
+                    self._df = pd.concat(
+                        [self._df, df.get_data_frame()], ignore_index=True
+                    )
+                return True
+            elif isinstance(add_data, dict):
+                if add_data:
+                    # it is important to wrap the dict in a list to avoid that more than 1 row is created
+                    df = Data([add_data])
+                    self._df = pd.concat(
+                        [self._df, df.get_data_frame()], ignore_index=True
+                    )
+                return True
+            else:
+                logger.error("Illegal data type -> '%s'", type(add_data))
+                return False
+        else:  # self._df is None (initial state)
+            if isinstance(add_data, pd.DataFrame):
+                self._df = add_data
+                return True
+            elif isinstance(add_data, Data):
+                self._df = add_data.get_data_frame()
+                return True
+            elif isinstance(add_data, list):
+                self._df = pd.DataFrame(add_data)
+                return True
+            elif isinstance(add_data, dict):
+                # it is important to wrap the dict in a list to avoid that more than 1 row is created
+                self._df = pd.DataFrame([add_data])
+                return True
+            else:
+                logger.error("Illegal data type -> '%s'", type(add_data))
+                return False
+
+    # end method definition
+
+    def load_json_data(self, json_path: str, convert_dates: bool = False) -> bool:
+        """Load JSON data into DataFrame
+
+        Args:
+            json_path (str): Path to the JSON file.
+            convert_dates (bool, optional): whether or not dates should be converted
+        Returns:
+            bool: False in case an error occured, True otherwise.
+        """
+
+        if json_path is not None and os.path.exists(json_path):
+            # Load data from JSON file
+            try:
+                df = pd.read_json(path_or_buf=json_path, convert_dates=convert_dates)
+                if self._df is None:
+                    self._df = df
+                else:
+                    self._df = pd.concat([self._df, df])
+                logger.info(
+                    "After loading -> '%s' the Data Frame has %s row(s) and %s column(s)",
+                    json_path,
+                    self._df.shape[0],
+                    self._df.shape[1],
+                )
+            except FileNotFoundError:
+                logger.error(
+                    "JSON file -> %s not found. Please check the file path.", json_path
+                )
+                return False
+            except PermissionError:
+                logger.error(
+                    "Permission denied to access the JSON file -> %s.", json_path
+                )
+                return False
+            except IOError as e:
+                logger.error("An I/O error occurred -> %s", str(e))
+                return False
+            except json.JSONDecodeError as e:
+                logger.error("Error: Unable to decode JSON -> %s", str(e))
+                return False
+            except ValueError as e:
+                logger.error("Invalid JSON input -> %s", str(e))
+                return False
+            except AttributeError as e:
+                logger.error("Unexpected JSON data structure -> %s", str(e))
+                return False
+            except TypeError as e:
+                logger.error("Unexpected JSON data type -> %s", str(e))
+                return False
+            except KeyError as e:
+                logger.error("Missing key in JSON data -> %s", str(e))
+                return False
+
+        else:
+            logger.error(
+                "Missing JSON file - you have not specified a valid path -> %s.",
+                json_path,
+            )
+            return False
+        return True
+
+    # end method definition
+
+    def save_json_data(
+        self, json_path: str, orient: str = "records", preserve_index: bool = False
+    ) -> bool:
+        """Save JSON data from DataFrame to file
+
+        Args:
+            json_path (str): Path to the JSON file.
+            orient (str, optional): Structure of the JSON
+            preserve_index (bool, optional)
+        Returns:
+            bool: False in case an error occured, True otherwise.
+        """
+
+        if json_path is not None and os.path.exists(os.path.dirname(json_path)):
+            # Load data from JSON file
+            try:
+                if self._df is not None:
+                    # index parameter is only allowed if orient has one of the following values:
+                    if (
+                        orient == "columns"
+                        or orient == "index"
+                        or orient == "table"
+                        or orient == "split"
+                    ):
+                        self._df.to_json(
+                            path_or_buf=json_path,
+                            index=preserve_index,
+                            orient=orient,
+                            indent=2,
+                        )
+                    else:
+                        self._df.to_json(path_or_buf=json_path, orient=orient, indent=2)
+                else:
+                    logger.warning("Data Frame is empty. Cannot write it to JSON")
+                    return False
+            except FileNotFoundError:
+                logger.error(
+                    "File -> '%s' not found. Please check the file path.", json_path
+                )
+                return False
+            except PermissionError:
+                logger.error("Permission denied to access the file -> '%s'.", json_path)
+                return False
+            except IOError as e:
+                logger.error("An I/O error occurred -> %s", str(e))
+                return False
+            except ValueError as e:
+                logger.error("Value Error -> %s", str(e))
+                return False
+
+        else:
+            logger.error(
+                "Missing JSON file -> '%s' you have not specified a valid path!",
+                json_path,
+            )
+            return False
+        return True
+
+    # end method definition
+
+    def load_excel_data(
+        self,
+        xlsx_path: str,
+        sheet_names: str | list | None = 0,
+        usecols: str | list | None = None,
+        skip_rows: int | None = None,
+        header: int | None = 0,
+        names: list | None = None,
+        na_values: list | None = None,
+    ) -> bool:
+        """Load Excel (xlsx) data into DataFrame. Supports xls, xlsx, xlsm, xlsb, odf, ods and odt file extensions
+           read from a local filesystem or URL. Supports an option to read a single sheet or a list of sheets.
+
+        Args:
+            xlsx_path (str): Path to the Excel file.
+            sheet_names (list | str | int, optional): Name or Index of the sheet in the Excel workbook to load.
+                                                      If 'None' then all sheets will be loaded.
+                                                      If 0 then first sheet in workbook will be loaded (this is the Default)
+                                                      If string then this is interpreted as the name of the sheet to load.
+                                                      If a list is passed, this can be a list of index values (int) or
+                                                      a list of strings with the sheet names to load.
+            usecols (list | str, optional): List of columns to load, specified by general column names in Excel,
+                                            e.g. usecols='B:D', usecols=['A', 'C', 'F']
+            skip_rows (int, optional): List of rows to skip on top of the sheet (e.g. to not read headlines)
+            header (int | None, optional): Excel Row (0-indexed) to use for the column labels of the parsed DataFrame.
+                                           If file contains no header row, then you should explicitly pass header=None.
+                                           Default is 0.
+            names (list): List of column names to use. Default is None
+            na_values (list, optional): List of values in the Excel that should become the Pandas NA value.
+        Returns:
+            bool: False in case an error occured, True otherwise.
+        """
+
+        if xlsx_path is not None and os.path.exists(xlsx_path):
+            # Load data from Excel file
+            try:
+                df = pd.read_excel(
+                    io=xlsx_path,
+                    sheet_name=sheet_names,
+                    usecols=usecols,
+                    skiprows=skip_rows,
+                    header=header,
+                    names=names,
+                    na_values=na_values,
+                )
+                # if multiple sheets from an Excel workbook are loaded,
+                # then read_excel() returns a dictionary. The keys are
+                # the names of the sheets and the values are the Data Frames.
+                # we handle this case as follows:
+                if isinstance(df, dict):
+                    logger.info("Loading multiple Excel sheets from the workbook!")
+                    multi_sheet_df = pd.DataFrame()
+                    for sheet in df.keys():
+                        multi_sheet_df = pd.concat(
+                            [multi_sheet_df, df[sheet]], ignore_index=True
+                        )
+                    df = multi_sheet_df
+                if self._df is None:
+                    self._df = df
+                else:
+                    self._df = pd.concat([self._df, df], ignore_index=True)
+            except FileNotFoundError:
+                logger.error(
+                    "Excel file -> '%s' not found. Please check the file path.",
+                    xlsx_path,
+                )
+                return False
+            except PermissionError:
+                logger.error(
+                    "Permission denied to access the Excel file -> '%s'.", xlsx_path
+                )
+                return False
+            except IOError as e:
+                logger.error(
+                    "An I/O error occurred -> %s while reading the Excel file -> %s",
+                    str(e),
+                    xlsx_path,
+                )
+                return False
+            except ValueError as e:
+                logger.error(
+                    "Invalid Excel input -> %s in Excel file -> %s", str(e), xlsx_path
+                )
+                return False
+            except AttributeError as e:
+                logger.error("Unexpected data structure -> %s", str(e))
+                return False
+            except TypeError as e:
+                logger.error("Unexpected data type -> %s", str(e))
+                return False
+            except KeyError as e:
+                logger.error("Missing key in Excel data -> %s", str(e))
+                return False
+
+        else:
+            logger.error(
+                "Missing Excel file -> '%s' you have not specified a valid path!",
+                xlsx_path,
+            )
+            return False
+        return True
+
+    # end method definition
+
+    def save_excel_data(
+        self, excel_path: str, sheet_name: str = "Pandas Export", index: bool = False
+    ) -> bool:
+        """
+        Save the DataFrame to an Excel file, with robust error handling and logging.
+
+        Args:
+            excel_path (str): The file path to save the Excel file.
+            sheet_name (str): The sheet name where data will be saved. Default is 'Sheet1'.
+            index: Whether to write the row names (index). Default is False.
+        """
+        try:
+            # Check if the directory exists
+            directory = os.path.dirname(excel_path)
+            if directory and not os.path.exists(directory):
+                raise FileNotFoundError(
+                    "The directory -> '%s' does not exist." % directory
+                )
+
+            # Attempt to save the DataFrame to Excel
+            self._df.to_excel(excel_path, sheet_name=sheet_name, index=index)
+            logger.info("Data saved successfully to -> %s", excel_path)
+
+        except FileNotFoundError as e:
+            logger.error("Error: %s", e)
+            return False
+        except PermissionError:
+            logger.error(
+                "Error: Permission denied. You do not have permission to write to '%s'.",
+                excel_path,
+            )
+            return False
+        except ValueError as ve:
+            logger.error("Error: Invalid data for Excel format -> %s", ve)
+            return False
+        except OSError as oe:
+            logger.error("Error: OS error occurred while saving file -> %s", oe)
+            return False
+        except Exception as e:
+            # Catch-all for any other unexpected errors
+            logger.error("An unexpected error occurred -> %s", e)
+            return False
+
+        return True
+
+    # end method definition
+
+    def load_csv_data(
+        self, csv_path: str, delimiter: str = ",", encoding: str = "utf-8"
+    ) -> bool:
+        """Load CSV (Comma separated values) data into DataFrame
+
+        Args:
+            csv_path (str): Path to the CSV file.
+            delimiter (str, optional, length = 1): chracter to delimit values. Default ="," (comma)
+            encoding (str, optional): encoding of the file. Default = "utf-8".
+        Returns:
+            bool: False in case an error occured, True otherwise.
+        """
+
+        if csv_path is not None and os.path.exists(csv_path):
+            # Load data from CSV file
+            try:
+                df = pd.read_csv(
+                    filepath_or_buffer=csv_path, delimiter=delimiter, encoding=encoding
+                )
+                if self._df is None:
+                    self._df = df
+                else:
+                    self._df = pd.concat([self._df, df])
+            except FileNotFoundError:
+                logger.error(
+                    "CSV file -> '%s' not found. Please check the file path.", csv_path
+                )
+                return False
+            except PermissionError:
+                logger.error(
+                    "Permission denied to access the CSV file -> %s.", csv_path
+                )
+                return False
+            except IOError as e:
+                logger.error("An I/O error occurred -> %s", str(e))
+                return False
+            except ValueError as e:
+                logger.error("Invalid CSV input -> %s", str(e))
+                return False
+            except AttributeError as e:
+                logger.error("Unexpected data structure -> %s", str(e))
+                return False
+            except TypeError as e:
+                logger.error("Unexpected data type -> %s", str(e))
+                return False
+            except KeyError as e:
+                logger.error("Missing key in CSV data -> %s", str(e))
+                return False
+
+        else:
+            logger.error(
+                "Missing CSV file -> '%s' you have not specified a valid path!",
+                csv_path,
+            )
+            return False
+        return True
+
+    # end method definition
+
+    def load_xml_data(
+        self, xml_path: str, xpath: str | None = None, xslt_path: str | None = None
+    ) -> bool:
+        """Load XML data into DataFrame
+
+        Args:
+            xml_path (str): Path to the XML file.
+            xpath (str, optional): XPath to the elements we want to select
+            xslt_path (str, optional): XSLT transformation file
+        Returns:
+            bool: False in cause an error occured, True otherwise.
+        """
+
+        try:
+            df = pd.read_xml(path_or_buffer=xml_path, xpath=xpath, stylesheet=xslt_path)
+            # Process the loaded data as needed
+            if self._df is None:
+                self._df = df
+            else:
+                self._df = pd.concat([self._df, df])
+            logger.info("XML file loaded successfully!")
+            return True
+        except FileNotFoundError:
+            print("File not found.")
+            return False
+        except PermissionError:
+            logger.error("Permission denied to access the file -> %s.", xml_path)
+            return False
+        except IOError as e:
+            logger.error("An I/O error occurred -> %s", str(e))
+            return False
+        except ValueError as e:
+            logger.error("Invalid CSV input -> %s", str(e))
+            return False
+        except AttributeError as e:
+            logger.error("Unexpected data structure -> %s", str(e))
+            return False
+        except TypeError as e:
+            logger.error("Unexpected data type -> %s", str(e))
+            return False
+        except KeyError as e:
+            logger.error("Missing key in CSV data -> %s", str(e))
+            return False
+
+    # end method definition
+
+    def load_directory(self, path_to_root: str) -> bool:
+        """Load directory structure into Pandas Data Frame
+
+        Args:
+            path_to_root (str): Path to the root element of the
+                                directory structure
+
+        Returns:
+            bool: True = Success, False = Failure
+        """
+
+        try:
+            # Check if the provided path is a directory
+            if not os.path.isdir(path_to_root):
+                logger.error(
+                    "The provided path -> '%s' is not a valid directory.", path_to_root
+                )
+                return False
+
+            # Initialize a list to hold file information
+            data = []
+
+            # Walk through the directory
+            for root, _, files in os.walk(path_to_root):
+                for file in files:
+                    file_path = os.path.join(root, file)
+                    file_size = os.path.getsize(file_path)
+                    relative_path = os.path.relpath(file_path, path_to_root)
+                    path_parts = relative_path.split(os.sep)
+
+                    # Create a dictionary with the path parts and file details
+                    entry = {
+                        "level {}".format(i): part
+                        for i, part in enumerate(path_parts[:-1], start=1)
+                    }
+                    entry.update({"filename": path_parts[-1], "size": file_size})
+                    data.append(entry)
+
+            # Create DataFrame from list of dictionaries
+            self._df = pd.DataFrame(data)
+
+            # Determine the maximum number of levels
+            max_levels = max((len(entry) - 2 for entry in data), default=0)
+
+            # Ensure all entries have the same number of levels
+            for entry in data:
+                for i in range(1, max_levels + 1):
+                    entry.setdefault("level {}".format(i), "")
+
+            # Convert to DataFrame again to make sure all columns are consistent
+            self._df = pd.DataFrame(data)
+
+        except NotADirectoryError as nde:
+            print(f"Error: {nde}")
+        except FileNotFoundError as fnfe:
+            print(f"Error: {fnfe}")
+        except PermissionError as pe:
+            print(f"Error: {pe}")
+
+        return True
+
+    # end method definition
+
+    def load_xml_directory(self, path_to_root: str, xpath: str | None = None) -> bool:
+        """Load directory structure into Pandas Data Frame
+
+        Args:
+            path_to_root (str): Path to the root element of the
+                                directory structure
+            xpath (str, optional): XPath to the elements we want to select
+
+        Returns:
+            bool: True = Success, False = Failure
+        """
+
+        try:
+            # Check if the provided path is a directory
+            if not os.path.isdir(path_to_root):
+                logger.error(
+                    "The provided path -> '%s' is not a valid directory.", path_to_root
+                )
+                return False
+
+            # Walk through the directory
+            for root, _, files in os.walk(path_to_root):
+                for file in files:
+                    file_path = os.path.join(root, file)
+                    file_size = os.path.getsize(file_path)
+                    file_name = os.path.basename(file_path)
+
+                    if file_name == "docovw.xml":
+                        logger.info(
+                            "Load XML file -> '%s' of size -> %s", file_path, file_size
+                        )
+                        success = self.load_xml_data(file_path, xpath=xpath)
+                        if success:
+                            logger.info(
+                                "Successfully loaded XML file -> '%s'", file_path
+                            )
+
+        except NotADirectoryError as nde:
+            logger.error("Error -> %s", str(nde))
+        except FileNotFoundError as fnfe:
+            logger.error("Error -> %s", str(fnfe))
+        except PermissionError as pe:
+            logger.error("Error -> %s", str(pe))
+
+        return True
+
+    # end method definition
+
+    def partitionate(self, number: int) -> list:
+        """Partition a data frame into equally sized
+           partions
+
+        Args:
+            number (int): Number of partitions
+
+        Returns:
+            list: List of partitions
+        """
+
+        # Calculate the approximate size of each partition
+        size = len(self._df)
+
+        if size >= number:
+            partition_size = size // number
+            remainder = size % number
+        else:
+            partition_size = size
+            number = 1
+            remainder = 0
+
+        logger.info(
+            "Data set has -> %s elements. We split it into -> %s partitions with -> %s rows and remainder -> %s...",
+            str(size),
+            str(number),
+            str(partition_size),
+            str(remainder),
+        )
+
+        # Initialize a list to store partitions
+        partitions = []
+        start_index = 0
+
+        # Slice the DataFrame into equally sized partitions
+        for i in range(number):
+            # start_index = i * partition_size
+            # end_index = (i + 1) * partition_size if i < number - 1 else None
+            # partition = self._df.iloc[start_index:end_index]
+            # partitions.append(partition)
+            # Calculate the end index for this partition
+            end_index = start_index + partition_size + (1 if i < remainder else 0)
+            partition = self._df.iloc[start_index:end_index]
+            partitions.append(partition)
+            start_index = end_index
+
+        return partitions
+
+    # end method definition
+
+    def partitionate_by_column(self, column_name: str) -> list | None:
+        """Partition a data frame based on equal values in a specified column.
+
+        Args:
+            column_name (str): The column name to partition by
+
+        Returns:
+            list | None: List of partitions or None in case of an error (e.g. column name does not exist).
+        """
+
+        if column_name not in self._df.columns:
+            logger.error(
+                "Column -> '%s' does not exist in the Data Frame. Data Frame has these columns -> %s",
+                column_name,
+                str(self._df.columns),
+            )
+            return None
+
+        # Separate rows with NaN or None values in the specified column
+        nan_partitions = self._df[self._df[column_name].isna()]
+        non_nan_df = self._df.dropna(subset=[column_name])
+
+        # Group by the specified column and create a list of DataFrames for each group
+        grouped = non_nan_df.groupby(column_name)
+        partitions = [group for _, group in grouped]
+
+        # Add each row with NaN or None values as its own partition
+        for i in range(len(nan_partitions)):
+            partitions.append(nan_partitions.iloc[[i]])
+
+        logger.info(
+            "Data Frame has been partitioned into -> %s partitions based on the values in column '%s'...",
+            str(len(partitions)),
+            column_name,
+        )
+
+        return partitions
+
+    # end method definition
+
+    def deduplicate(self, unique_fields: list, inplace: bool = True) -> pd.DataFrame:
+        """Remove dupclicate rows that have all fields in
+           unique_fields in common.
+
+        Args:
+            unique_fields (list): Defines the fields for which we want a unique
+                                  combination.
+            inplace (bool, optional): True if the deduplication happens in-place.
+                                      Defaults to True.
+        Returns:
+            pd.DataFrame | None: If inplace is False than a new deduplicatd DataFrame
+                                 is returned. Otherwise the object is modified in place
+                                 and self._df is returned.
+        """
+
+        if inplace:
+            self._df.drop_duplicates(subset=unique_fields, inplace=True)
+            self._df.reset_index(drop=True, inplace=True)
+            return self._df
+        else:
+            df = self._df.drop_duplicates(subset=unique_fields, inplace=False)
+            df = df.reset_index(drop=True, inplace=False)
+            return df
+
+    # end method definition
+
+    def sort(self, sort_fields: list, inplace: bool = True) -> pd.DataFrame:
+        """Sort the data frame based on one or multiple fields -
+           either in place or return it as a new data frame (e.g. not modifying self._df)
+
+        Args:
+            sort_fields (list): Columns / fields to be used for sorting
+            inplace (bool, optional): If the sorting should be inplace, i.e. modifying self._df.
+                                      Defaults to True.
+        Returns:
+            pd.DataFrame: New DataFrame (if inplace = False) or self._df (if inplace = True)
+        """
+
+        if self._df is None:
+            return None
+
+        if not all(sort_field in self._df.columns for sort_field in sort_fields):
+            logger.warning(
+                "Not all of the given sort fields -> %s do exist in the Data Frame.",
+                str(sort_fields),
+            )
+            # Reduce the sort fields to those that really exist in the DataFrame:
+            sort_fields = [
+                sort_field
+                for sort_field in sort_fields
+                if sort_field in self._df.columns
+            ]
+            logger.warning(
+                "Only these given sort fields -> %s do exist as columns in the Data Frame.",
+                str(sort_fields),
+            )
+
+        if inplace:
+            self._df.sort_values(by=sort_fields, inplace=True)
+            self._df.reset_index(drop=True, inplace=True)
+            return self._df
+        else:
+            df = self._df.sort_values(by=sort_fields, inplace=False)
+            df = df.reset_index(drop=True, inplace=False)
+            return df
+
+    # end method definition
+
+    def flatten(
+        self,
+        parent_field: str,
+        flatten_fields: list,
+    ):
+        """Flatten a sub-dictionary by copying selected fields to the
+           parent dictionary. This is e.g. useful for then de-duplicate
+           a data set.
+
+        Args:
+            parent_field (str): name of the field in the parent dictionary
+            flatten_fields (list): fields in the sub-dictionary to copy
+                                   into the parent dictionary.
+        """
+
+        for flatten_field in flatten_fields:
+            flat_field = parent_field + "_" + flatten_field
+            # The following expression generates a new column in the
+            # data frame with the name of 'flat_field'.
+            # In the lambada function x is a dictionary that includes the subvalues
+            # and it returns the value of the given flatten field
+            # (if it exists, otherwise None). So x is self._df[parent_field], i.e.
+            # what the lambda function gets 'applied' on.
+            self._df[flat_field] = self._df[parent_field].apply(
+                lambda x, sub_field=flatten_field: (
+                    x.get(sub_field, None) if isinstance(x, dict) else None
+                )
+            )
+
+    # end method definition
+
+    def explode_and_flatten(
+        self,
+        explode_field: str | list,
+        flatten_fields: list | None = None,
+        make_unique: bool = False,
+        reset_index: bool = False,
+        split_string_to_list: bool = False,
+        separator: str = ";,",
+    ) -> pd.DataFrame:
+        """Explode a substructure in the Data Frame
+
+        Args:
+            explode_field (str | list): Field(s) to explode which each has/have a list structure.
+                                        Exploding multiple columns at once is possible. This delivers
+                                        a very different result compared to exploding one column after
+                                        the other!
+            flatten_fields (list): Fields in the exploded substructure to include
+                                   in the main dictionaries for easier processing.
+            make_unique (bool, optional): if True deduplicate the exploded data frame.
+            reset_index (bool, False): True = index is reset, False = Index is not reset
+            split_string_to_list (bool, optional): if True flatten the exploded data frame.
+            separator (str, optional): characters used to split the string values in the given column into a list
+        Returns:
+            pd.DataFrame: Pointer to the Pandas DataFrame
+        """
+
+        def update_column(row):
+            try:
+                if sub in row:
+                    return row[sub]
+            except (IndexError, KeyError, ValueError):
+                return ""
+
+        # Define a function to split a string into a list
+        def string_to_list(string: str | None) -> list:
+            # Do nothing if the string is already a list
+            if isinstance(string, list):
+                return_list = string
+            elif not string or pd.isna(string):
+                return_list = []
+            else:
+                # Use regular expression to split by comma, semicolon, or comma followed by space
+                return_list = re.split(rf"[{separator}]\s*", str(string))
+
+            return return_list
+
+        if isinstance(explode_field, list):
+            logger.info("Explode multiple columns -> %s", str(explode_field))
+        elif isinstance(explode_field, str):
+            logger.info("Explode single column -> '%s'", explode_field)
+        else:
+            logger.error(
+                "Illegal explode field(s) data type provided -> %s", type(explode_field)
+            )
+            return self._df
+
+        try:
+            # remove the sub dictionary that sometimes is introduced by
+            # XML loading. We just want the main part.
+            if "." in explode_field:
+                main = explode_field.split(".")[0]
+                sub = explode_field.split(".")[1]
+                self._df[main] = self._df[main].apply(update_column)
+                explode_field = main
+
+            # Now that we have the right explode column
+            # we need to convert it to a list if it is inside a string (with delimiters)
+            if split_string_to_list:
+                logger.info(
+                    "Split the string values of column -> '%s' into a list using separator -> '%s'",
+                    explode_field,
+                    separator,
+                )
+                # Apply the function to convert the string values in the column (give by the name in explode_field) to lists
+                # The string_to_list() sub-method above also considers the separator parameter.
+                self._df[explode_field] = self._df[explode_field].apply(string_to_list)
+
+            # Explode the field that has list values
+            self._df = self._df.explode(column=explode_field)
+        except KeyError:
+            logger.error("Column -> '%s' not found in Data Frame!", str(explode_field))
+        except ValueError:
+            logger.error(
+                "Unable to explode the specified column -> '%s'!", str(explode_field)
+            )
+
+        if flatten_fields:
+            self.flatten(parent_field=explode_field, flatten_fields=flatten_fields)
+
+            if make_unique:
+                self._df.drop_duplicates(subset=flatten_fields, inplace=True)
+
+        if reset_index:
+            self._df.reset_index(inplace=True)
+
+        return self._df
+
+    # end method definition
+
+    def drop_columns(self, column_names: list, inplace: bool = True) -> pd.DataFrame:
+        """Drop selected columns from the Data Frame
+
+        Args:
+            column_names (list): list of column names to drop.
+            inplace (bool, optional): If the dropping should be inplace, i.e. modifying self._df.
+                                      Defaults to True.
+        Returns:
+            pd.DataFrame: New DataFrame (if inplace = False) or self._df (if inplace = True)
+        """
+
+        if not all(column_name in self._df.columns for column_name in column_names):
+            # Reduce the column names to those that really exist in the DataFrame:
+            column_names = [
+                column_name
+                for column_name in column_names
+                if column_name in self._df.columns
+            ]
+            logger.warning(
+                "Reduce to these columns -> %s that do exist in the Data Frame.",
+                str(column_names),
+            )
+
+        if inplace:
+            self._df.drop(column_names, axis=1, inplace=True)
+            return self._df
+        else:
+            df = self._df.drop(column_names, axis=1, inplace=False)
+            return df
+
+    # end method definition
+
+    def keep_columns(self, column_names: list, inplace: bool = True) -> pd.DataFrame:
+        """Keep only selected columns from the Data Frame. Drop the rest.
+
+        Args:
+            column_names (list): list of column names to keep.
+            inplace (bool, optional): If the keeping should be inplace, i.e. modifying self._df.
+                                      Defaults to True.
+        Returns:
+            pd.DataFrame: New DataFrame (if inplace = False) or self._df (if inplace = True)
+        """
+
+        if not all(column_name in self._df.columns for column_name in column_names):
+            # Reduce the column names to those that really exist in the DataFrame:
+            column_names = [
+                column_name
+                for column_name in column_names
+                if column_name in self._df.columns
+            ]
+            logger.warning(
+                "Reduce to these columns -> %s that do exist in the Data Frame.",
+                column_names,
+            )
+
+        if inplace:
+            # keep only those columns which are in column_names:
+            if column_names != []:
+                self._df = self._df[column_names]
+            return self._df
+        else:
+            # keep only those columns which are in column_names:
+            if column_names != []:
+                df = self._df[column_names]
+                return df
+            return None
+
+    # end method definition
+
+    def cleanse(self, cleansings: dict):
+        """Cleanse data with regular expressions and upper/lower case conversion.
+
+        Args:
+            cleansings (dict): Dictionary with keys that equal the column names.
+                               The dictionary values are dictionaries itself with
+                               these fields:
+                               * replacements (dict): name of a column in the data frame
+                               * upper (bool): change the value to uppercase
+                               * lower (bool): change the value to lowercase
+                            Example:
+                                cleansings = {
+                                    "airportName": {
+                                        "upper": true
+                                        "replacements" : {
+                                            "-": " ",  # replace hypen with space
+                                            ",\s*": " ",  # remove commas followed by on or more spaces with a single space
+                                            "\s+$": "", # remove trailing spaces at the end of the name
+                                            "^\s+": "", # remove spaces at the beginning of the name
+                                        }
+                                        "length": 10
+                                    }
+                                    "airportId": {
+                                        "upper": true
+                                        "replacements" : {
+                                            "K(.{3})": "\1", # if the airport has 4 charters and starts with a 'K' we remove the 'K'
+                                            "\/": "", # remove forward slashes - this helps to have consistency with N/A, NA, n/a, na
+                                        }
+                                    }
+                                }
+        """
+
+        # Iterate over each column in regex_dict
+        for column, cleansing in cleansings.items():
+            # "colum" is the name of the field we want to cleanse.
+            # "cleansing" is a dict with
+            if "." in column:
+                # Handle columns with subfields
+                main_field, sub_field = column.split(".")
+                if not main_field in self._df.columns:
+                    continue
+                # we use the additional parameters for lambda (beside x)
+                # to avoid linter warning W0640
+                self._df[main_field] = self._df[main_field].apply(
+                    lambda x, sub_field=sub_field, cleansing=cleansing: self._cleanse_subfield(
+                        data=x,
+                        sub_field=sub_field,
+                        replacements=cleansing.get("replacements", {}),
+                        upper=cleansing.get("upper", False),
+                        lower=cleansing.get("lower", False),
+                        length=cleansing.get("length", 0),
+                    )
+                )
+            else:
+                if not column in self._df.columns:
+                    continue
+
+                logger.debug("\nBEFORE:\n%s\n", self._df[column])
+
+                if cleansing.get("upper", False) and self._df[column].dtype == "object":
+                    self._df[column] = self._df[column].str.upper()
+                if cleansing.get("lower", False) and self._df[column].dtype == "object":
+                    self._df[column] = self._df[column].str.lower()
+
+                # Handle regular columns. regexp_pattern is on the left side
+                # of the colon, and replacement the string on the right side of
+                # the colon:
+                for regex_pattern, replacement in cleansing.get(
+                    "replacements", {}
+                ).items():
+                    if not regex_pattern:
+                        logger.error("Empty search / regexp pattern!")
+                        continue
+                    # \b is a word boundary anchor in regular expressions.
+                    # It matches a position where one side is a word character
+                    # (like a letter or digit) and the other side is a non-word character
+                    # (like whitespace or punctuation). It's used to match whole words.
+                    # We want to have this to e.g. not replace "INT" with "INTERNATIONAL"
+                    # if the word is already "INTERNATIONAL". It is important
+                    # that the \b ... \b enclosure is ONLY used if regex_pattern is NOT
+                    # a regular expression but just a normal string.
+                    # Check if the pattern does NOT contain any regex special characters
+                    # (excluding dot and ampersand) and ONLY then use \b ... \b
+                    # Special regexp characters include: ^ $ * + ? ( ) [ ] { } | \
+                    if not re.search(r"[\\^$*+?()|[\]{}]", regex_pattern):
+                        # Wrap with word boundaries for whole-word matching
+                        regex_pattern = rf"\b{regex_pattern}\b"
+                    self._df[column] = self._df[column].str.replace(
+                        pat=regex_pattern, repl=replacement, regex=True
+                    )
+
+                if (
+                    cleansing.get("length", 0) > 0
+                    and self._df[column].dtype == "object"
+                ):
+                    self._df[column] = self._df[column].str.slice(
+                        0, cleansing["length"]
+                    )
+
+                logger.debug("\nAFTER:\n%s\n", self._df[column])
+
+    # end method definition
+
+    def _cleanse_subfield(
+        self,
+        data: list | dict,
+        sub_field: str,
+        replacements: dict,
+        upper: bool,
+        lower: bool,
+        length: int = 0,
+    ) -> list | dict:
+        """Helper function to cleanse subfield data
+
+        Args:
+            data (list | dict): sub data - either a list of dictionaries or a dictionary
+            sub_field (str): defines which field in the sub data should be updated
+            regex_replacements (dict): Dictionary of regular expressions
+            upper (bool): if True transform value in subfield to upper-case
+            lower (bool): if True, transform value in subfield to lower-case
+            length (int, optional): maximum length of the strings
+        Returns:
+            list | dict: Updated data
+        """
+
+        if isinstance(data, list):
+            # If data is a list, apply cleansing to each dictionary in the list
+            for i, item in enumerate(data):
+                if (
+                    item is not None
+                    and sub_field in item
+                    and not pd.isnull(item[sub_field])
+                ):
+                    if upper:
+                        item[sub_field] = item[sub_field].upper()
+                    elif lower:
+                        item[sub_field] = item[sub_field].lower()
+                    for regex_pattern, replacement in replacements.items():
+                        if replacement:
+                            regex_pattern = rf"\b{regex_pattern}\b"
+                        item[sub_field] = re.sub(
+                            regex_pattern, replacement, item[sub_field]
+                        )
+                    if length > 0:
+                        item[sub_field] = item[sub_field][:length]
+                data[i] = item
+        elif isinstance(data, dict):
+            # If data is a dictionary, apply cleansing directly to the subfield
+            if sub_field in data and not pd.isnull(data[sub_field]):
+                if upper:
+                    data[sub_field] = data[sub_field].upper()
+                elif lower:
+                    data[sub_field] = data[sub_field].lower()
+                for regex_pattern, replacement in replacements.items():
+                    if replacement:
+                        regex_pattern = rf"\b{regex_pattern}\b"
+                    data[sub_field] = re.sub(
+                        regex_pattern, replacement, data[sub_field]
+                    )
+                if length > 0:
+                    data[sub_field] = data[sub_field][:length]
+        return data
+
+    # end method definition
+
+    def filter(self, conditions: list, inplace: bool = True) -> pd.DataFrame:
+        """Filter the DataFrame based on (multiple) conditions.
+
+        Args:
+            conditions (list): Conditions are a list of dictionaries with 3 items:
+                               * field (str): name of a column in the data frame
+                               * value (str or list): expected value (filter criterium).
+                                                      If it is a list then one of
+                                                      the list elements must match the field value (OR)
+                               * regex (bool): this flag controls if the value is interpreted as a
+                                               regular expression. If there is no regex item in the
+                                               dictionary then the default is False (= values is NOT regex).
+                               If there are multiple conditions in the list each has to evaluate to True (AND)
+            inplace (bool, optional): Defines if the self._df is modified (inplace) or just
+                                      a new DataFrame is returned. Defaults to True.
+        Returns:
+            pd.DataFrame: new data frame or pointer to self._df (depending on the value of 'inplace')
+        """
+
+        if self._df is None:
+            logger.error("DataFrame is not initialized.")
+            return None
+
+        if self._df.empty:
+            logger.error("DataFrame is empty.")
+            return None
+
+        # first filtered_df is the full DataFreame.
+        # then it is subsequentially reduced by each condition
+        # at the end it is just those rows that match all conditions.
+        filtered_df = self._df
+
+        # We traverse a list of conditions. Each condition must evaluate to true
+        # otherwise the current workspace or document (i.e. the data set for these objects)
+        # will be skipped. The variable filtered_df is
+        for condition in conditions:
+            field = condition.get("field", None)
+            if not field:
+                logger.error("Missing value for filter condition 'field' in payload!")
+                continue
+            if field not in self._df.columns:
+                logger.warning(
+                    "Filter condition field -> '%s' does not exist as column in data frame! Data frame has these columns -> %s",
+                    field,
+                    str(self._df.columns),
+                )
+                continue  # Skip filtering for columns not present in DataFrame
+            value = condition.get("value", None)
+            if not value:
+                logger.error(
+                    "Missing filter value of for filter condition field -> '%s'!", field
+                )
+                continue
+            regex = condition.get("regex", False)
+
+            logger.info(
+                "Data Frame has %s row(s) and %s column(s) before filter -> %s has been applied.",
+                filtered_df.shape[0],
+                filtered_df.shape[1],
+                str(condition),
+            )
+
+            filtered_dfs = []
+
+            # if a single string is passed as value we put
+            # it into an 1-item list to simplify the following code:
+            if not isinstance(value, list):
+                value = [value]
+
+            # multiple values are treated like a logical "or" condition
+            for value_item in value:
+                if regex:
+                    filtered_dfs.append(
+                        filtered_df[
+                            ~filtered_df[field].isna()
+                            & filtered_df[field].str.contains(value_item, regex=True)
+                        ]
+                    )
+                else:
+                    result_df = filtered_df[
+                        ~filtered_df[field].isna() & filtered_df[field].eq(value_item)
+                    ]
+                    if not result_df.empty:
+                        filtered_dfs.append(result_df)
+            # end for values
+
+            if not filtered_dfs:
+                logger.warning(
+                    "Filter with field -> '%s' and value -> '%s' delivered an empty Data Frame",
+                    field,
+                    str(value),
+                )
+                filtered_df.drop(filtered_df.index, inplace=True)
+            else:
+                # Concatenate the filtered DataFrames for each value in the list
+                filtered_df = pd.concat(filtered_dfs, ignore_index=True)
+
+            logger.info(
+                "Data Frame has %s row(s) and %s column(s) after filter -> %s has been applied.",
+                filtered_df.shape[0],
+                filtered_df.shape[1],
+                str(condition),
+            )
+        # end for condition
+
+        if inplace:
+            self._df = filtered_df
+
+        return filtered_df
+
+    # end method definition
+
+    def fill_na_in_column(self, column_name: str, default_value: str | int):
+        """Replace NA values in a column with a defined new default value
+
+        Args:
+            column_name (str): name of the column in the DataFrame
+            default_value (str | int): value to replace NA with
+        """
+
+        if column_name in self._df.columns:
+            self._df[column_name] = self._df[column_name].fillna(value=default_value)
+        else:
+            logger.error(
+                "Cannot replace NA values as column -> '%s' does not exist in the Data Frame! Data Frame has these columns -> %s",
+                column_name,
+                str(self._df.columns),
+            )
+
+    # end method definition
+
+    def fill_forward(self, inplace: bool) -> pd.DataFrame:
+        """Fill the missing cells appropriately by carrying forward
+           the values from the previous rows where necessary.
+           This has applications if a hierarchy is represented by
+           nested cells e.g. in an Excel sheet.
+
+        Args:
+            inplace (bool): Should the modification happen inplace or not.
+
+        Returns:
+            pd.DataFrame: Resulting dataframe
+        """
+
+        # To convert an Excel representation of a folder structure with nested
+        # columns into a format appropriate for Pandas,
+        # where all cells should be filled
+        df_filled = self._df.ffill(inplace=inplace)
+
+        return df_filled
+
+    # end method definition
+
+    def lookup_value(
+        self, lookup_column: str, lookup_value: str, separator: str = "|"
+    ) -> pd.Series | None:
+        """Lookup a row that includes a lookup value in the value of a given column.
+
+        Args:
+            lookup_column (str): name of the column to search in
+            lookup_value (str): value to search for
+            separator (str): string list delimiter / separator
+
+        Returns:
+            pd.Series | None: data frame row that matches or None if no match was found.
+        """
+
+        # Use the `apply` function to filter rows where the lookup value matches a whole item in the comma-separated list
+        def match_lookup_value(string_list: str) -> bool:
+            """Spilt delimiter-separated list into a python list
+
+            Args:
+                string_list (str): delimiter-separated string list like "a, b, c" or "a | b | c"
+
+            Returns:
+                bool: True if lookup_value is equal to one of the delimiter-separated terms
+            """
+            # Ensure that the string is a string
+            string_list = str(string_list)
+
+            return lookup_value in [
+                item.strip() for item in string_list.split(separator)
+            ]
+
+        df = self._df
+
+        if self._df is None:
+            return None
+
+        if lookup_column not in self._df.columns:
+            logger.error(
+                "Column -> '%s' does not exist in the Data Frame! Data Frame has these columns -> %s",
+                lookup_column,
+                str(self._df.columns),
+            )
+            return None
+
+        # Fill NaN or None values in the lookup column with empty strings
+        df[lookup_column] = df[lookup_column].fillna("")
+
+        # Use the `apply` function to filter rows where the lookup value is in the Synonyms list
+        matched_row = df[df[lookup_column].apply(match_lookup_value)]
+
+        # Return the first matched row, if any
+        if not matched_row.empty:
+            return matched_row.iloc[0]
+
+        return None
+
+    # end method definition
+
+    def add_column(
+        self,
+        source_column: str,
+        reg_exp: str,
+        new_column: str,
+        prefix="",
+        suffix="",
+        length: int | None = None,
+        group_chars: int | None = None,
+        group_separator: str = ".",
+        group_remove_leading_zero: bool = True,
+    ) -> bool:
+        """Add additional column to the data frame.
+
+        Args:
+            source_column (str): name of the source column
+            reg_exp (str): regular expression to apply on the content of the source column
+            new_column (str): name of the column to add
+            prefix (str, optional): Prefix to add in front of the value. Defaults to "".
+            suffix (str, optional): Suffix to add at the end of the value. Defaults to "".
+            length (int | None, optional): Length to reduce to. Defaults to None (= unlimited).
+            group_chars (int | None, optional): group the resulting string in characters of group_chars. Defaults to None.
+                                                Usable e.g. for thousand seperator "."
+            group_separator (str, optional): Separator string for the grouping. Defaults to ".".
+            group_remove_leading_zero (bool, optional): Remove leading zeros from the groups. Defaults to True.
+
+        Returns:
+            bool: True = Success, False = Failure
+        """
+
+        if self._df is None:
+            return False
+
+        # Use str.extract to apply the regular expression to the source column
+        # and then assign this modified colum to the variable extracted:
+        extracted = self._df[source_column].str.extract(pat=reg_exp, expand=False)
+
+        # Limit the result to the specified length
+        if length is not None:
+            extracted = extracted.str[:length]
+
+        if group_chars is not None:
+
+            def process_grouping(x):
+                if pd.isna(x):
+                    return x
+                # Split into groups
+                groups = [x[i : i + group_chars] for i in range(0, len(x), group_chars)]
+                if group_remove_leading_zero:
+                    # Remove leading zeros from each group
+                    groups = [group.lstrip("0") or "0" for group in groups]
+                # Join groups with separator
+                return group_separator.join(groups)
+
+            extracted = extracted.apply(process_grouping)
+
+        # Add prefix and suffix
+        if prefix or suffix:
+            extracted = prefix + extracted.astype(str) + suffix
+
+        self._df[new_column] = extracted
+
+        return True
+
+    # end method definition
+
+    def convert_to_lists(self, columns: list, delimiter: str = ","):
+        """Method to intelligently convert strings to lists, with a configurable delimiter,
+           ignoring delimiters inside quotes
+
+        Args:
+            columns (list): name of the columns whose values should be converted to lists.
+                            It is expected that
+            delimiter (str, optional): Character that delimits list items. Defaults to ",".
+
+        Returns:
+            None. self._df is modified in place.
+        """
+
+        # Regex to split by the delimiter, ignoring those inside quotes or double quotes
+        def split_string_ignoring_quotes(s, delimiter):
+            # Escaping the delimiter in case it's a special regex character
+            delimiter = re.escape(delimiter)
+            # Match quoted strings and unquoted delimiters separately
+            pattern = rf'(?:"[^"]*"|\'[^\']*\'|[^{delimiter}]+)'
+            return re.findall(pattern, s)
+
+        for col in columns:
+            self._df[col] = self._df[col].apply(
+                lambda x: (
+                    split_string_ignoring_quotes(x, delimiter)
+                    if isinstance(x, str) and delimiter in x
+                    else x
+                )
+            )
+
+    # end method definition
+
+    def add_column_list(self, source_columns: list, new_column: str):
+        """Add a column with list objects. The list items are taken from a list of
+           source columns (row by row).
+
+        Args:
+            source_columns (list): column names the list values are taken from
+            new_column (str): name of the new column
+        Returns:
+            None. self._df is modified in place.
+        """
+
+        def create_list(row):
+            return [row[col] for col in source_columns]
+
+        self._df[new_column] = self._df.apply(create_list, axis=1)
+
+    # end method definition
+
+    def add_column_table(
+        self, source_columns: list, new_column: str, delimiter: str = ","
+    ):
+        """Add a column with tabular objects (list of dictionaris). The
+           source columns should include lists. The resulting dictionary
+           keys are the column names for the source columns.
+
+           Example:
+           X[1] = 1, 2, 3
+           Y[1] = A, B, C
+           X[2] = 4, 5, 6
+           Y[2] = D, E, F
+
+           Table[1] = [
+                {
+                    "X": "1"
+                    "Y": "A"
+                },
+                {
+                    "X": "2"
+                    "Y": "B"
+                }
+                {
+                    "X": "3"
+                    "Y": "C"
+                }
+           ]
+           Table[2] = [
+                {
+                    "X": "4"
+                    "Y": "D"
+                },
+                {
+                    "X": "5"
+                    "Y": "E"
+                }
+                {
+                    "X": "6"
+                    "Y": "F"
+                }
+           ]
+
+        Args:
+            source_columns (list): column names the list values are taken from
+            new_column (str): name of the new column
+            delimiter (str, optional): Character that delimits list items. Defaults to ",".
+
+        Returns:
+            None. self._df is modified in place.
+        """
+
+        # Call the convert_to_lists method to ensure the columns are converted
+        self.convert_to_lists(columns=source_columns, delimiter=delimiter)
+
+        # Sub-method to pad lists to the same length
+        def pad_list(lst: list, max_len: int):
+            return lst + [None] * (max_len - len(lst))
+
+        def create_table(row) -> list:
+            max_len = max(
+                len(row[col]) if isinstance(row[col], list) else 1
+                for col in source_columns
+            )
+
+            # Pad lists to the maximum length, leave scalars as they are
+            for col in source_columns:
+                if isinstance(row[col], list):
+                    row[col] = pad_list(row[col], max_len)
+                else:
+                    if not pd.isna(row[col]):
+                        row[col] = [
+                            row[col]
+                        ] * max_len  # Repeat scalar to match the max length
+                    else:
+                        row[col] = [None] * max_len
+            # Create a list of dictionaries for each row
+            table = []
+            for i in range(max_len):
+                table.append({col: row[col][i] for col in source_columns})
+            return table
+
+        # Apply the function to create a new column with a table
+        self._df[new_column] = self._df.apply(create_table, axis=1)
+
+    # end method definition