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Is there a way in Notepad++ to convert a comma-separated file to fixed width columns?

This feature exists in UltraEdit and explained in Working with CSV files, but I am happy with my Notepad++, and I don't want to pay for a copy of UltraEdit.

4 Answers 4

49

Use the built in TextFX menu.

TextFX -> TextFX Edit -> Line up multiple lines by (,)

I didn't discover this on my own, I found it on sourceforge while trying to figure out this exact question!

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  • 2
    Nice but "Out of memory" for 15k rows. Feb 9, 2015 at 15:38
  • 1
    also it adds spaces to the file :-(
    – Radek
    Jul 15, 2015 at 0:23
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    Radek if you want to split line, there is a feature just above in the menu called "split lines at..."
    – JinSnow
    Aug 10, 2015 at 19:13
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    Note that as of Notepad++ v7, you have to install the TextFx Characters plugin using Plugin Manager.
    – E-Riz
    Oct 13, 2016 at 20:33
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    TextFX doesn't seem to be available for NPP 64bit Aug 28, 2018 at 15:06
10

In the meantime I have just found a very nice tool for that. It's called CSVed and available here, with many many nice features. If you hate Excel when viewing CSV files like I do, you should give it a try.

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1

For TSV files (tab separated) and newer Notepad++ release (either x86 or x64) the plugin Elastic Tabs is very helpful for this. I have it configured for .tsv files and it works like a charm.

Another plugin that maybe helpful in conjunction is CSV Lint, but didn't had the need for it yet. It features conversion between CSV comma, CSV semicolon and TSV formats.

0

Yes, it's possible in Notepad: menu Edit -> Replace... -> ReplaceAll ',' by '\t'.

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    -1. Converting it into a TAB separated format does not make it a fixed width column format. Feb 15, 2014 at 18:50
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    Literally using "\t" does not work, neither in Notepad or Notepad++. It is always a challenge to use a TAB character in a dialog. A common work-around is to enter a TAB character in a document, put it into the clipboard by a cut (Ctrl + X) and pasting it into the field in the replace dialog. Feb 15, 2014 at 18:55
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    OK, in Notepad++, selecting the option "Extended (\n, \r, \t, \0, \x)" makes it work. Feb 15, 2014 at 19:09
  • TextFX -> TextFX Edit -> "split lines at..."
    – JinSnow
    Aug 10, 2015 at 19:15
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    @PeterMortensen It doesn't work unless your tab size is longer than (length of longest entry in column) - (length of shortest in column). E.g., if your tab size is 4, your longest line is 20, and your shortest line is 5. That, a very common use case, will still result in an uneven file.
    – jpmc26
    Aug 10, 2016 at 0:17

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