Text Separator

Text Delimiter Converter Tool

Text Separator Formula

Formula

\[ (p_1,\ldots,p_n)=\operatorname{split}(T,d_{\mathrm{old}}),\qquad R=\operatorname{join}_{d_{\mathrm{new}}}\bigl(\operatorname{filter}_{\ne\varnothing}(\operatorname{trim}(p_1),\ldots,\operatorname{trim}(p_n))\bigr) \]

Where:

\(T\) — the text you enter.
\(d_{\mathrm{old}}\) — the selected current separator.
\(p_1,\ldots,p_n\) — the pieces produced by splitting the text.
\(d_{\mathrm{new}}\) — the selected separator for the result.
\(R\) — the resulting text.

The tool splits the text, trims whitespace from each piece, removes empty pieces, and joins the remaining items in their original order. It does not simply replace every occurrence of the old separator: trimming and removal of empty items can also change the text.

Text Separator – Calculation Example

Example: use the default Text, with Apple, Banana, and Orange on separate lines. Leave Currently separated by set to New line and Separate by set to Space.

Splitting at the line breaks produces three items. None has surrounding whitespace or needs to be removed.

\[ (\text{Apple},\text{Banana},\text{Orange})\xrightarrow{\text{join with spaces}}\text{Apple Banana Orange} \]

Result: Apple Banana Orange.

How to use the Text Separator

Enter or paste your list into Text. Check which character or line break divides one item from the next.
In Currently separated by, select that existing separator: New line, Space, ;, -, |, or ..
In Separate by, select the separator you want between the items. You can choose from the same six options.
Read the converted text under Result and use its copy control if you want to paste it elsewhere.

For example, to put a line-by-line list on one line, select New line as the current separator and Space as the new one. To turn red|green|blue into red;green;blue, select | first and ; second. If the result is not divided as expected, check Currently separated by: the tool does not detect the separator for you.

What does separating text mean?

A separator, also called a delimiter, marks the boundary between items in a list. A list might place each item on its own line, divide items with spaces, or use punctuation such as semicolons or pipes. Changing the delimiter can make the same items easier to paste into a document, form, or another text-based tool without retyping them.

The Text Separator keeps the order of the items it finds. It removes whitespace at the start and end of each item before joining them, so extra spaces around a delimiter will not remain around the converted items. It also drops empty items. For instance, Apple;;Banana becomes Apple|Banana when you convert semicolons to pipes; it does not produce an empty item between the two pipes.

Choosing New line as the output separator places each retained item on a separate line. Choosing Space puts the items on one line with one space between them. If you choose the same current and new separator, the result may still change because the tool trims items and removes empty ones. It is therefore useful for tidying a simply delimited list, not just changing its punctuation.

Assumptions and practical limits

Only the listed separators are available. Commas, tabs as a separate choice, and custom delimiter strings are not options. Space as the current separator splits on runs of whitespace, including tabs and line breaks; Space as the output inserts an ordinary single space.
New line handles typical pasted line breaks. It splits at line-feed breaks, with or without a preceding carriage return. It does not split on a carriage return by itself.
Every matching delimiter is treated as a boundary. Selecting - will split a hyphenated word; selecting . will split a decimal number, abbreviation, or web address. Select a delimiter that does not also occur inside items you need to preserve.
Quoted or structured data is not parsed. The tool does not apply CSV quoting rules or recognize protected fields. Review the result before using it in a spreadsheet or data import.
Whitespace inside an item is preserved unless it is the selected boundary. With New line selected, Red apple stays one item. With Space selected, it becomes two.

If you need to tidy the items as well as change their separator, you can first alphabetize a list or remove duplicate lines. To check the length of the converted text, use the Character Counter.

Frequently Asked Questions

How can I change list separators by hand?

Identify the character between items, separate the items, then write them again with your preferred character between them. For example, changing the separators in “one; two; three” to pipes gives “one|two|three”. Remove spaces around each item as you go. Check the finished list against the original to make sure you have not split an item that contains the old separator.

Can I convert a comma-separated list?

Not directly: comma is not an input choice. For a simple list, you could first use a text editor’s find-and-replace feature to change commas to semicolons, then convert the semicolons here. Do not do this with CSV or values such as “Smith, John”: replacing every comma would also split text that belongs to one item.

How do I keep multi-word items together?

Use a boundary that does not appear inside your items. If each product name is on its own line, choose New line as the current separator; “Red apple” will then remain one item even if you join the items with pipes. Choosing Space as the current separator would treat “Red” and “apple” as separate items.

Why are blank fields missing from the result?

The converter does not preserve empty positions. Consecutive separators, or a separator at the beginning or end, can produce blank pieces that are omitted from the result. That is useful for tidying an informal list but not for records where a blank field has meaning. Use a structured-data editor if field positions must remain intact.

Can I use tabs as separators?

You can split tab-separated text by choosing Space as the current separator, because that choice also recognizes tabs and other whitespace. It does not distinguish a tab from a space, though. If a field contains spaces, its words may become separate items. There is no tab output choice, so use a dedicated text editor if you need to produce tab-separated data.

Is the result suitable for CSV or spreadsheet imports?

Not necessarily. CSV files need rules for quoted fields, embedded punctuation, and sometimes line breaks; this converter does not apply those rules. Even a visually correct list may be imported into the wrong columns if the spreadsheet expects a different delimiter. For important data, use a CSV-aware editor and preview the imported rows and columns before saving.

Can I convert the result back to recover my exact original text?

No. Converting back may restore the visible separators, but it cannot recover spaces removed from the ends of items or blank items that were discarded. A separator that also occurs inside an item can change where the boundaries fall. Keep a copy of the original if its exact formatting or field count matters.