Converting CSV to fixed-width in Notepad++?

Question

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.

score 49 · Accepted Answer · answered Apr 06 '11 at 17:39

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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!

answered Apr 06 '11 at 17:39

Chance

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Nice but "Out of memory" for 15k rows. – watbywbarif Feb 09 '15 at 15:38
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also it adds spaces to the file :-( – Radek Jul 15 '15 at 00:23
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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 '15 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 '16 at 20:33
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TextFX doesn't seem to be available for NPP 64bit – StayOnTarget Aug 28 '18 at 15:06

score 10 · Answer 2 · answered Mar 16 '10 at 10:09

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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.

answered Mar 16 '10 at 10:09

ercan

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score 1 · Answer 3 · answered Jul 25 '21 at 14:09

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.

score 0 · Answer 4 · edited Feb 15 '14 at 18:47

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

edited Feb 15 '14 at 18:47

Peter Mortensen

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answered Jul 09 '12 at 09:41

albs

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-1. Converting it into a TAB separated format does not make it a fixed width column format. – Peter Mortensen Feb 15 '14 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. – Peter Mortensen Feb 15 '14 at 18:55
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OK, in Notepad++, selecting the option "Extended (\n, \r, \t, \0, \x)" makes it work. – Peter Mortensen Feb 15 '14 at 19:09
TextFX -> TextFX Edit -> "split lines at..." – JinSnow Aug 10 '15 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 '16 at 00:17
@PeterMortensen But not in Notepad, as the user albs says. – Alex Jan 19 '18 at 20:26

Converting CSV to fixed-width in Notepad++?

4 Answers4