Text Formatter

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comma separator

Comma separator: turn lines into a list

The tool below is already set up with three steps: trim spaces, drop blank lines and join with a comma and a space. Swap the sample list for yours and the result updates as you type.

Joining, splitting and quoting the items

A column copied from a spreadsheet arrives with a line break between the items. To paste it into a SQL IN clause, a code array or an email field, the items have to sit on one line separated by commas. The "Join lines" operation does that with whatever separator you pick: comma and space (", "), a bare comma (","), a semicolon or even a pipe.
For a quoted text list such as '101','102','103', add the "Prefix and suffix on each line" step first with a single quote in both fields, then join with a bare comma. Blank lines are skipped by the prefix and suffix, so remove them before joining or the separator shows up twice. The reverse path exists too: "Split into lines" cuts each line at the separator, trims every item and discards the empty ones.
"Comma separator" is also what many people call the thousands separator, the comma in 1,234,567. That is number formatting and it depends on the language: US English writes 1,234,567.89 while Brazilian Portuguese writes 1.234.567,89, with the period where the comma goes. This page covers the comma as a list delimiter, which is what the tool transforms. Inside a CSV, remember that an item that already contains a comma has to be wrapped in double quotes, otherwise the column splits in two.

Four real conversions

Plain list

Input: red green blue
Expected output: red, green, blue

Just "Join lines" with a comma and a space.

List for a SQL IN clause

Input: 101 102 103
Expected output: '101','102','103'

A single quote as prefix and suffix, then a bare comma. For values that come from outside, prefer bound parameters over building SQL as text.

Messy input

Input: a b c
Expected output: a, b, c

Trimming lines and removing blank ones before joining avoids stray spaces and doubled commas.

The reverse direction

Input: red, green,, blue
Expected output: red green blue

Splitting on a comma drops the empty item between the two commas.

Full tool FAQ

Can I apply several transforms at once?

Yes, that is how the tool normally works. You build a chain of operations and it is applied in order to the input, with the result recomputed live. Each step can be reordered, switched off temporarily or removed, and the whole chain can be saved under a name for later reuse.

What is text formatting?

What is a slug and how is it generated?

Does removing accents change the text?

Why can a text contain problematic invisible spaces?

Do pretty JSON and minified JSON mean the same data?

Is converting everything to uppercase or lowercase always safe?

Does formatting solve bad content?

Why does the tool refuse some regular expressions?

Why does the character count sometimes differ from other editors?

Frequently asked questions

How do I put quotes around each item?

Add the "Prefix and suffix on each line" step, type the quote in both fields and place that step before "Join lines". Blank lines do not get quotes.

Can I use a semicolon instead of a comma?

Yes, the separator is a free text field. Many Brazilian CSV files use a semicolon precisely because the comma is the decimal separator in Portuguese.

How many items can the tool handle?

Loaded files go up to 2 MB, which is hundreds of thousands of short lines. Everything runs in your browser and nothing is uploaded.

Next steps

Joining, splitting and quoting the items

A column copied from a spreadsheet arrives with a line break between the items. To paste it into a SQL IN clause, a code array or an email field, the items have to sit on one line separated by commas. The "Join lines" operation does that with whatever separator you pick: comma and space (", "), a bare comma (","), a semicolon or even a pipe.

For a quoted text list such as '101','102','103', add the "Prefix and suffix on each line" step first with a single quote in both fields, then join with a bare comma. Blank lines are skipped by the prefix and suffix, so remove them before joining or the separator shows up twice. The reverse path exists too: "Split into lines" cuts each line at the separator, trims every item and discards the empty ones.

"Comma separator" is also what many people call the thousands separator, the comma in 1,234,567. That is number formatting and it depends on the language: US English writes 1,234,567.89 while Brazilian Portuguese writes 1.234.567,89, with the period where the comma goes. This page covers the comma as a list delimiter, which is what the tool transforms. Inside a CSV, remember that an item that already contains a comma has to be wrapped in double quotes, otherwise the column splits in two.

Four real conversions

Plain list

Input: red green blue
Expected output: red, green, blue

Just "Join lines" with a comma and a space.

List for a SQL IN clause

Input: 101 102 103
Expected output: '101','102','103'

A single quote as prefix and suffix, then a bare comma. For values that come from outside, prefer bound parameters over building SQL as text.

Messy input

Input: a b c
Expected output: a, b, c

Trimming lines and removing blank ones before joining avoids stray spaces and doubled commas.

The reverse direction

Input: red, green,, blue
Expected output: red green blue

Splitting on a comma drops the empty item between the two commas.

Full tool FAQ

Can I apply several transforms at once?

What is text formatting?

What is a slug and how is it generated?

Does removing accents change the text?

Why can a text contain problematic invisible spaces?

Do pretty JSON and minified JSON mean the same data?

Is converting everything to uppercase or lowercase always safe?

Does formatting solve bad content?

Why does the tool refuse some regular expressions?

Why does the character count sometimes differ from other editors?

Frequently asked questions

How do I put quotes around each item?

Add the "Prefix and suffix on each line" step, type the quote in both fields and place that step before "Join lines". Blank lines do not get quotes.

Can I use a semicolon instead of a comma?

Yes, the separator is a free text field. Many Brazilian CSV files use a semicolon precisely because the comma is the decimal separator in Portuguese.

How many items can the tool handle?

Loaded files go up to 2 MB, which is hundreds of thousands of short lines. Everything runs in your browser and nothing is uploaded.