Delimit User Guide

Contents

 

Disclaimer

THIS SOFTWARE, DELIMIT, IS PROVIDED "AS IS" AND ANY EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE ARE DISCLAIMED. IN NO EVENT SHALL ITS AUTHORS OR CONTRIBUTORS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE GOODS OR SERVICES; LOSS OF USE, DATA, OR PROFITS; OR BUSINESS INTERRUPTION) HOWEVER CAUSED AND ON ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, STRICT LIABILITY, OR TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE) ARISING IN ANY WAY OUT OF THE USE OF THIS SOFTWARE, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.

 

Overview

Delimit is a program developed to handle very large delimited data files. A delimited data file is a text file in which each row is separated into fields or columns by a delimitation rule. Delimit supports two types of rules:

  1. Delimiter type, whereby fields are separated by characters such as tabs or commas, or by a sequence of characters such as a string of text.
  2. Fixed Column Width type, whereby each field is of a specific character length.

Delimit has a very fast parsing engine allowing very large data files to be opened quickly. Unlike some other programs, Delimit is able to open files millions of rows or columns large. Data is read incrementally, allowing files GB's in size to be opened quickly. Delimit also has a built-in file scanning feature that allows subsequent opening of the files to be instantaneous. Its parsing engine is rule based and the rules are user configurable, allowing Delimit to automatically determine the right delimitation rule to use for each file.

Delimit supports the following file operations: opening, viewing, searching, bookmarking, editing, saving, converting, splitting-up, joining, extracting/filtering, sorting and removing of duplicate rows.

Delimit runs on Windows Workstation and Windows Server platforms.

 

Start-Up and Main Window

Starting Delimit opens up the main application window. At this time no file is opened, Delimit waits in "Ready" mode for you to open a file.

At the top of the main window is the Application button and the Quick Access Toolbar. Right below, is the application Ribbon with four tabs: Home, View, License and Help tab. The ribbon provides access to all major features of Delimit as command buttons. Right below the ribbon is the edit bar and below the edit bar is the main file view area. To the right of the main file view area is the File Properties Window Pane which shows the properties of the currently opened file, including: file name, file size, scan status, file dimensions (total number of rows and columns), file uniformity and line ending format, the currently assigned file delimitation rule and the file bookmarks. At the bottom of the main window is the Status Bar which displays application status messages and a progress bar for long running operations.

 

Application Button

Clicking on the Application button opens up the Application menu which allows you to perform basic file operations, including: file open, file save, file save-as and file close. The Application menu also displays a list of the most recently opened files. At the bottom of the menu is the Exit button used to close and exit Delimit.

The Application menu provides the following commands:

File Open

Selecting this will bring up the standard Windows File Open window which will allow you to navigate to a specific folder and to select a particular file to open.

What happens after opening a file?

If the file is small, Delimit will load the entire file and display it. If the file is large however, Delimit will load only the first part of it and scan the rest in the background, allowing you to browse the file while it is being scanned. You may click on the Pause button to pause or un-pause scanning. The progress indicator on the status bar will show the progress of the scan, and the File Properties Window Pane will display the total number of rows scanned, as an increasing number, until scan completes.

Opening multiple files at once

When opening multiple files at the same time, if the files are large, and if they have not been previously scanned, each will open and be partially displayed in its own tab. Unlike when opening a single large file (see above), background scanning of the files does not start automatically. Actually, it will be paused for each of the opened files. To display the rest of a particular file, click on the Pause button to un-pause scanning and to display the rest of the specific file.

Working with multiple files and tab groups

Delimit supports Microsoft's Multiple Document Interface (MDI) standard which allows you to open and work on multiple files at the same time. Each opened file will be displayed in its own tab in the main file view area. If you need to view more than one file at the same time, you can create horizontal or vertical tab groups and assign files to them. To do this, just right-click on the tab of the file you want to move and select the appropriate option on the pop-up menu. Depending on the current location of the tab, you will be able to select either to create a new tab group or to move the file to an existing group.

File Save

Select this command to save the currently opened file. This command is available after you have edited a file.

Saving of large files is done in the background allowing you to continue to work during the operation. The progress indicator on the status bar will show how much of the file has been saved so far. To cancel Save, while in progress, press the Esc key.

File Save As

Select this command to save the currently opened file under some other name. This command does not change how the file is delimited, for that use File Convert. File Save As is available after you have opened a file.

Saving of large files is done in the background allowing you to continue to work during the operation. The progress indicator on the status bar will show how much of the file has been saved so far. To cancel Save As, while in progress, press the Esc key.

File Close

Select this command to close the currently opened file. This command is available after you have opened a file.

If the file you are trying to close has been modified (indicated by a star symbol * at the end of the file name), you will be prompted to confirm the operation. Select "Yes" to close and discard all modifications or "No" to cancel close.

Recent Documents

Delimit maintains a list of the most recently opened files for quick re-opening of the same. Initially empty, this list will contain up to 10 most recently opened files.

Exit

Select this command to close Delimit. You will be prompted to save any modified files.

 

Quick Access Toolbar

The Quick Access Toolbar is a small, customizable toolbar that displays frequently used commands. Upon installation, Delimit displays two quick access buttons: File Save and File Save As. You can customize which buttons are available by clicking on the drop-down button to the right of the buttons.

 

Home Ribbon Tab

The Home tab contains the most frequently used commands. The commands are organized according to their function into the following groups: File, Edit, Transform, Organize, Go To and Bookmark.

File Group

Delimit has a built-in file scanning feature that allows subsequent opening of the files to be instantaneous.

By default, Delimit will run a full scan if one of the following is true:

  1. The file has been opened for the first time (provided the corresponding option has been enabled),
  2. The file has been modified by some other program since last opened by Delimit,
  3. The user has assigned a different delimitation rule to the file,
  4. The user has selected to Rescan the file

File Open

Selecting this will bring up the standard Windows File Open window which will allow you to navigate to a specific folder and to select a particular file to open.

Scan Settings

Select this command to view and/or modify Delimit File Scan Settings.

Pause Scan

Select this command to pause, or un-pause/continue, the scanning of a file. This command is available after you have opened a file and if the file is currently being scanned.

When you pause a scan, the file will have been only partially scanned by Delimit. If you scroll to the bottom of the file you will see dotted lines indicating that there is more to the file which Delimit has not scanned yet. By un-pausing, the scan will continue and the rest of the file will be shown. If you close a file before the scan has completed, Delimit will flag the file as partially scanned. Next time you open the file, Delimit will continue the scan from the point where it had stopped, assuming the corresponding option has been enabled.

Rescan

Select this command to have Delimit rescan the entire file. This command is available after you have opened a file and the initial scan has completed.

Generally you will not need to rescan a file. Delimit will do this for you, or prompt you to do so, whenever it determines it necessary. In certain cases, if Delimit was not able to automatically assign a delimitation rule to an already opened file, you can enable or add the appropriate rule under File Scan Settings and then click on Rescan to have Delimit auto assign the rule.

Note, a rescan may take anywhere from a second to several minutes to complete depending on the file size and/or its location. A file scan runs as a background operation so you will still be able to browse the file or work on other files during the scan. The progress indicator on the status bar will show how much of the file has been scanned so far.

Set Delimiter

Select this command to manually set the delimiter for the currently opened file. This command is available after you have opened a file and the initial scan has completed.

Convert

Select this command to change the way a file is delimited. You can convert from one delimiter to another or from one type of delimitation to another.

This command is available after you have opened a file and provided the file is not currently being scanned. The command is not available if the file has been edited. You will first need to save the file before you can convert it.

Caution:

When converting from character or string delimitation to fixed column widths, you must ensure that all column widths are of sufficient size to accommodate the content length of each cell. Otherwise data truncation may occur!

See File Convert Window for additional information.

Edit Group

This group of commands facilitates the editing of files.

Edit

Select this command to edit the currently selected cell. This command is available after you have selected a cell.

Use the edit bar right below the application ribbon to edit the currently selected cell. Press Enter/Return to update the cell. Press Alt + Enter/Return or Shift + Enter/Return to insert a newline. You can resize the edit bar by dragging its bottom edge. After editing, the cell and the file are flagged as modified.

Undo Edit

Select this command to undo all editing of the currently selected cell, or selection of cells, and to restore the cell content since last saved. This command is available after you have selected one or more cells that have been edited.

Undo All Editing

Select this command to undo all editing of all cells and to restore original content of the file since last saved. This command is available if the file has been edited or modified.

Cut

Select this command to cut the content of the currently selected cell into the Windows clipboard. This command is available after you have selected a cell. The operation flags the cell and the file as modified.

Copy

Select this command to copy the content of the currently selected cell(s) to Windows clipboard or to a file, with or without column headers. This command is available after you have selected a cell or a block of cells.

Paste

Select this command to paste the content of the Windows clipboard into the currently selected cell. This command is available after you have selected a cell and if the Windows clipboard has text data in it. After pasting, the cell and the file are flagged as modified.

Column (Ins/Del)

Select this command to insert cut/copied column(s), to insert empty column(s), to delete selected column(s) or to clear content of selected column(s).

This command is available after you have cut/copied one or more columns or after you have selected one or more columns. After inserting or deleting column(s), the file is flagged as modified.

Row (Ins/Del)

Select this command to insert cut/copied row(s), to insert empty row(s), to delete selected row(s) or to clear content of selected row(s).

This command is available after you have cut/copied one or more rows or after you have selected one or more rows. After inserting or deleting row(s), the file is flagged as modified.

Find Replace

Select this command to search for specific text or for specific types of cells throughout the file. This command is available after you have opened a file.

In addition to searching, you can also request Delimit to count the number of times an item occurs in a file. See Find and Replace Window for additional information.

Find Next

Select this command to continue searching for the same search item from the point where it was last found. You can also press F3. This command is available after the specified search item has been found.

Replace

Select this command to replace last found item. You can also press F4. This command is available if the specified search item has been found.

Replace All

Select this command to replace all occurrences of item searched. This command is available after you have started the search.

Transform Group

This group of commands will allow you to transform a file, including: to split up a file vertically or horizontally, to split up a file on column values, or to join multiple files vertically or horizontally into one resulting file.

Split Equally

Select this command to split-up a file, either vertically or horizontally, into file parts of equal size. You can split-up the entire file or only a part of it, define the size of each file part, and even define how many leading rows or columns to systematically add to each file part.

This command is available after you have opened a file and provided the file is not currently being scanned. The command is not available if the file has been edited. You will first need to save the file before you can split it.

See File Split Window for additional information.

Split on Column Values

Select this command to split-up a file on column values, i.e by column category. For example, if you have a file that stores records of car sales and a column named "Make", with different car makes such as Austin Martin, BMW, Cadillac, Ferrari, etc., you can split-up the file by the values under "Make" after which a separate file will be created for each car make.

This command is available after you have opened a file and provided the file is not currently being scanned. The command is not available if the file has been edited. You will first need to save the file before you can split it up.

See File Split on Column Values Window for additional information.

Join Whole Files

Joining whole files involves putting together many smaller files, of the same delimitation, into one large file. You can think of file joining as the opposite of file splitting. Delimit allows you to join files either vertically (one on top of the other) or horizontally (side to side).

When joining files vertically, the files being joined must have the same number of columns. Similarly, when joining files horizontally, they must have the same number of rows.

See Join Whole Files Window for additional information.

Join All Opened Files

As above, you can join whole files either vertically or horizontally, with the added convenience of having the 'list of files to join' pre-polulated by all the files currently opened in Delimit.

Join Rows from Two Files

Delimit can join rows from two files on matching column values.

See Join Rows from Two Files Window for additional information.

Organize Group

Show Selectors

Select this to reveal column selectors which appear below each column number as checkboxes. Column selectors are used to quickly specify which columns to extract and in which order. They can also be used to specify on which columns to sort a file or on which columns to base duplicates. They are also used to specify the new order of the columns prior to reordering them.

Check each box of the corresponding column, in the desired order. The order is shown as a number in parenthesis next to the checkbox of the selected column.

To select or deselect a range of columns; check or uncheck the first column in the range then check or uncheck the last column in the range while holding down the Shift key.

Select (Columns)

You can quickly select or deselect all columns by clicking on the Select (Columns) button and choosing Select All Columns or Deselect All Columns respectively. The same functionality is available if you right click on the column number row.

Reorder Columns

Select this, after you have checked all column selectors in the desired new column order, to have Delimit quickly reorder all columns. This method of reordering columns is recommended and significantly more efficient then copy, cut, pasting columns around.

Extract (Rows)

Select this command to extract a subset of the data from a file. This command is available after you have opened a file and provided the file is not currently being scanned. The command is not available if the file has been edited. In that case first save the file before extracting from it.

See File Extract Window for additional information.

Extract Every Nth Row

Select this command to extract every Nth row from the file. This command is available after you have opened a file and provided the file is not currently being scanned. The command is not available if the file has been edited. In that case first save the file before extracting from it.

See Extract Every Nth Row Window for additional information.

Extract N Random Rows

Select this command to extract N random rows from the file. This command is available after you have opened a file and provided the file is not currently being scanned. The command is not available if the file has been edited. In that case first save the file before extracting from it.

See File Extract N Random Rows Window for additional information.

Sort All Rows

Select this command to have Delimit sort the file. The result of the sort will be saved to another file. This command is available after you have opened a file and provided the file is not currently being scanned. The command is not available if the file has been edited. In that case first save the file before sorting it.

See File Sort Window for additional information.

Randomize/Shuffle All Rows

Select this command to have Delimit randomize or shuffle the order of all rows. This command is available after you have opened a file and provided the file is not currently being scanned. The command is not available if the file has been edited. In that case first save the file before randomizing/shuffling all the rows.

See Randomize/Shuffle All Rows Window for additional information.

Deduplicate

Select this command to have Delimit remove duplicate rows based on specified columns. The result will be saved to another file. This command is available after you have opened a file and provided the file is not currently being scanned. The command is not available if the file has been edited. In that case first save the file.

See File Deduplicate Window for additional information.

Go To

Top-Left (Ctrl-Home)

Select this command to go to the first cell in the file.

Top-Right

Select this command to go to the last cell of the first row in the file.

Cell

Select this command to go to a specific cell in the file. You will be prompted to enter the coordinates of the cell.

Bottom-Left

Select this command to go to the first cell of the last row in the file.

Bottom-Right (Ctrl-End)

Select this command to go to the last cell in the file.

Other ways to navigate

You can use the arrow keys on your keyboard to move the cell selection in the direction of the arrows. Hold down the Ctrl key while pressing the arrow keys to move the entire view to the far ends of the file in the direction of the arrows.

Bookmarks

Delimit allows you to bookmark specific cells in order to quickly access them after reopening a file. You don’t have to save the file after bookmarks have been added; Delimit handles bookmark persistence internally.

Toggle Bookmark

Select this command to bookmark (or un-bookmark) the currently selected cell. This command is available after you have selected a cell. The bookmarked cell will become highlighted and a bookmark item will be added under the File Properties Window Pane. The bookmark item will consist of the cell coordinates (which you can double-click to jump to the cell) and a bookmark label (which you can edit).

Next Bookmark

Select this command to go to the next bookmark relative to the currently selected cell. This command is available if at least one cell has been bookmarked.

Previous Bookmark

Select this command to go to the previous bookmark relative to the currently selected cell. This command is available if at least one cell has been bookmarked.

Remove Bookmark

Select this command to un-bookmark a cell. This command is available after you have selected a bookmarked cell.

Remove All Bookmarks

Select this command to remove all bookmarks from the file. This command is available if at least one cell has been bookmarked.

 

View Ribbon Tab

The View Ribbon Tab contains commands related to file viewing/windowing and application display. The commands are organized according to their function and into the following groups: Window, Content and Grid.

Window Group

This command group facilitates the management of file windows and the Status Bar.

Windows

Select this command to bring up a list of all opened file windows. You can select a file from the list and activate it or select to close it. Clicking on the split button allows you to either "Close All Windows" or to "Close All Except the Active" window.

Split Window

Select this command to split the active file window into panes. This command is available after you have opened a file. Double-clicking on the pane divider(s) will remove the corresponding window panes.

Show Status Bar

Select this option to show or hide the application status bar. The status bar is responsible for application level messages, information about the current selection, and for the display of the progress bar.

Continue Where I Left Off

Select this option to have Delimit, upon restart, reopen all files that were left open.

Content Group

Freeze 1st Row

Select this option to ensure that the first row of the file is always visible. Typically you will want to freeze the 1st row if you have opened a file that has a column header row.

By default this option is pre-selected. As you scroll vertically the first row will always be visible irrespective of the scroll position. After un-selecting this option, the first row will either be visible or not depending on the scroll position.

Wrap Text

Select this option if you wish cell text to wrap around cell boundaries.

Expand Tabs

Select this option if you wish to display tab characters as a fixed number of spaces.

This is useful if you have tab characters in cells which are not treated as delimiters.

Grid Group

Show Fixed Column Widths

Select this command to show fixed column widths instead of column numbers. The widths will be shown as number of characters + a small 'w'. This command is available after you have opened a fixed column width file.

Resize Columns

Select this command to show additional options for resizing columns such as automatic resizing of columns based on column content and resetting the width to the default size.

Auto Resize All Columns

Select this command to have Delimit automatically resize all columns to a size that will fit column content. This command is also available by right-click on a column or the upper left corner of the grid.

You can automatically resize individual columns by double-clicking on the column edge of the column you wish to auto-resize. You can also resize individual columns by dragging and dropping a column edge or you can resize a group of columns by first selecting the columns and then either double-clicking or dragging and dropping a column edge of a selected column.

To have Delimit only increase the column width while auto-resizing, press and hold the Control key on your keyboard before selecting to auto-resize.

Reset Column Width

Select this command to reset the width of the currently selected column, to the default width as specified in Grid Settings. This command is available after you have selected a resized column.

Reset All Column Widths

Select this command to reset the width of all columns, to the default width as specified in Grid Settings. This command is available if you have resized at least one column.

Resize Rows

Select this command to show additional options for resizing rows such as resetting row height to the default size.

You can resize individual rows by dragging and dropping a row edge. You can also resize a group of rows by first selecting the rows and then dragging and dropping a row edge of a selected row.

Reset Row Height

Select this command to reset the height of the currently selected row, to the default height as specified in Grid Settings. This command is available after you have selected a resized row.

Reset All Row Heights

Select this command to reset the height of all rows, to the default height as specified in Grid Settings. This command is available if you have resized at least one row.

Grid Settings

Select this command to customize the way Delimit displays the grid and its content. You can also adjust the number of rows scrolled for each movement of the mouse wheel.

See Grid Settings Window for additional information.

 

License Ribbon Tab

Manage License Group

This command group facilitates license management; license purchasing, activation, deactivation and information.

Get Trial Key

Select this command to register and obtain a free trial key which you can use to Activate and evaluate Delimit.

Buy/Renew License

Select this command to purchase a new license or to renew an existing license, from the Delimit website.

Self Help

Select this command to open the License Self Help site. The site allows you to:

Activate Deactivate

Select this command to bring up the License Wizard which you can use to Activate or Deactivate your license.

After you have purchased a license and obtained a license activation key, or after you have obtained a trial key, proceed to Activate it with this wizard. If you need to transfer your license from one computer to another, first Deactivate your license from the old/no longer needed computer, then Activate it on the new computer.

Delimit License Type

This label shows the currently active license type.

Expires

This label shows the total number of days left before the license expires or indicates 'Never' if the activated license is perpetual (permanent)

Status Message

Select this command to show the license status message.

 

Help Ribbon Tab

The Help Ribbon Tab contains commands related to the different help resources available.

Resources Group

This command group facilitates access to the different help resources.

User Guide

Select this command to bring up the Delimit User Guide.

Contact Support

Select this command to open the Contact Support website page.

Imp/Exp Settings

Select this command to either import Delimit settings for the current user or to export them. This is useful when transferring your Delimit license from one computer to another and if you also want to transfer your Delimit settings. First export the settings from your old computer then import them on your new computer.

Check for Updates

Select this command to check for Delimit updates and new versions. For more information see: Delimit Update Check

About

Select this command to display certain program information, including the version number of Delimit.

 

Top Right Corner Buttons

Style

Select this command to change the overall appearance of Delimit. The following styles are available: Office Blue, Office Black, Office Silver, Office Aqua and Windows 7.

Help

Click on the Help button to bring up this User Guide. Additionally, you can also bring up context sensitive help for certain items by pressing the F1 key or by clicking on the "What is this" question mark button located in the top right corner on most windows.

 

File Properties Window Pane

This area displays file properties in three sections:

General (read only)

Delimitation Rule (editable)

To edit: select a property and click on the adjacent "…" button, or double-click on the property. This will bring up the Delimitation Rule Properties Window. The exception is the "Assigned by" property which is read-only.

Bookmarks (editable)

After adding a bookmark, all bookmark labels default to: "Bookmark". Click on the label to edit it. At any time you can double-click on the bookmark coordinates to go to the bookmarked cell.

 

Status Bar

The status bar is responsible for application level messages, information about the current selection, and for the display of the progress bar.

You can change the visibility of the status bar, by selecting or un-selecting the "Show Status Bar" option located in the Windows group under the View Ribbon Tab.

 

File Scan Settings Window

The purpose of this window is to allow the user to manage the list of delimitation rules which Delimit is to use during rule auto-assignment.

About file delimitation rules and rule auto-assignment

Delimit is able to automatically assign a delimitation rule to a file provided appropriate rules have been defined and a match is found.

In order for this feature to work, you must have a number of file delimitation rules configured and enabled. Delimit ships with several rules already preconfigured. You may edit these, delete them or add rules of your own. You can prioritize rules by reordering them and enable or disable them.

Generally the more rules you have in the list the better chance Delimit has in automatically matching and assigning a delimitation rule to the file. For similar rules, it is recommended that you order them from most specific to least specific. That way you will make sure that the more specific rules get tested/assigned before the more general ones do, in cases when the more general rules also apply.

What happens if Delimit is unable to auto-assign a delimitation rule?

If Delimit is unable to determine a delimitation rule for a given file, it is due to one of the following reasons:

  1. No appropriate rule is defined under File Scan Settings.
  2. The file's delimitation varies by too much.
  3. The file is not delimited.

What to do:
Assign a delimitation rule to the file by clicking on the 'Set Delimiter' button on the top menu or, if the file is not delimited, edit as is.

File Delimitation Rules Tab

Delimitation rules list

When a file is opened for the first time, Delimit tries to find the best delimitation rule for the file. For Delimit to do this, it needs a list of file delimitation rules it will check against for a best match. Therefore, vital to these settings is the list itself. All the buttons around the list support its management. The list has the following attributes:

Add button

Click this button to add a new delimitation rule to the list. The window: Delimitation Rule Properties will open allowing you to define the new rule.

Edit button

Click this button to edit the currently selected rule in the list. The window: Delimitation Rule Properties will open allowing you to edit the rule.

Delete button

Click this button to delete the currently selected rule from the list.

Move Up button

Click this button to move the currently selected rule one place up in the list. Moving the rule further up the list ensures the rule gets tested for a match before all rules below it. Generally, if you have two or more similar rules, place the more specific one(s) higher up in the list. Typically a more specific rule may have a file mask or some of the other option set.

Move Down button

Click this button to move the currently selected rule one place down in the list. Moving the rule further down the list ensures the rule gets tested for a match only after all rules above it. Typically, if you have two or more similar rules, place the more general one(s) lower down in the list.

Enable All button

Click this button to quickly enable all delimitation rules. Only rules that are enabled will be tested for a match during rule auto-assignment. To enable or disable individual rules, click on the corresponding rule checkboxes.

Disable All button

Click this button to quickly disable all delimitation rules. Only rules that are enabled will be tested for a match during rule auto-assignment. To enable or disable individual rules, click on the corresponding rule checkboxes.

Reset button

Click this button to reset the list of file delimitation rules to those defined as Delimit defaults.

Scan Settings Tab

Run a full scan when opening files for the first time

Select this option to ensure files get scanned whenever:

Enabling this option is recommended and the default setting. Deselect this option if you only need to inspect the beginning of very large files and if you are not interested in the rest of the file. If you deselect this option you can continue the scan by clicking on the Pause button.

Quick scan files by assuming they are uniform

Select this option to instruct Delimit to quick scan files by assuming all rows have the same number of columns. Delimit assumes this only after checking the first several thousands of rows for uniformity.

If Null characters are found replace them with

Occasionally some files are corrupted (at source) by embedded null characters. When opening such files, Delimit will replace all null characters with space characters in order to properly parse such files. If space characters are not appropriate, for example when dealing with space delimited files, you can alternatively choose to replace nulls with either escape or some other user defined characters.

Memory Usage Tab

Limit to

Select this option to limit Delimit's memory usage to a certain amount.

Limit to amount

Use this drop-down to select the maximum amount of memory Delimit is allowed to use.

Do not limit (Caution!)

Select this option to grant Delimit access to all available system memory including virtual memory. Caution, significant memory swapping may occur when operating with very large files. In some cases this setting may cause your system to stall.

 

Delimitation Rule Properties Window

The Delimitation Rule Properties Window is accessible from either File Scan Settings or from the File Properties Window Pane. In the former case the window is used to either define new or to edit existing rules for the purpose of automatic rule assignment. In the latter case, the window is used to assign a specific delimitation rule to an already opened file.

The window has the following sections:

Rule Type

This drop-down allows the user to specify delimitation rule type. Three types are available: "Character delimited", "String delimited" and "Fixed column widths".

Two additional choices: "Set to none" and "Auto assign" are also available. These are not actual rule types rather instructions to Delimit to either force no delimitation or to request that a delimitation rule be automatically assigned by using the rules defined under File Scan Settings.

Character delimited

Select this rule type if one or more single characters separate each column field.

You will be provided with a list of standard delimiters to choose from and with an option for "other", allowing you to specify an arbitrary character as the delimiter. Select and/or enter the delimiter for the rule you are defining.

String delimited

Select this rule type if a specific sequence of characters separates each column field.

You will be provided with an edit box to enter the delimiting string.

Fixed column widths

Select this rule type if each column field is of some specific character width.

You will be provided with an edit box to enter the column widths for the rule. Separate each column width with a comma. An adjacent field will show the total number of column widths entered.

If the row is shorter than the sum of all column widths specified, Delimit will show virtual cells at the end of the row. If the row is longer than the sum of all column widths specified, then the remaining characters will be displayed in red as "overflow" to the right of the grid.

Set to none (show file as is)

Select this to instruct Delimit not to parse rows into columns and to display each row as is.

Auto assign

Select this to instruct Delimit to automatically assign a delimitation rule using the list of enabled rules under File Scan Settings. If Delimit is not able to assign a suitable rule to the file, the file will be shown as if the rule was Set to none.

Treat consecutive delimiters as one

This option, available only if you have selected either the "Character delimited" or "String delimited" rule type, instructs Delimit to treat consecutive delimiters as one. Otherwise, consecutive delimiters will be parsed as empty fields.

Text qualifier

This option, available only if you have selected either the "Character delimited" or "String delimited" rule type, allows you to specify the character which is to be used as a text qualifier. All text inside such qualifiers will not be parsed into fields or new lines even if such text includes delimiters or newline characters.

Rows to skip

Some delimited files may have a number of leading or trailing rows which are not part of the file’s data. In that case enter the number of rows to skip from the top and/or the bottom of the file. Delimit will ignore such rows and will not parse or display them.

File mask

This option is available only when adding new or editing existing delimitation rules under File Scan Settings. It allows you to limit the files the rule applies to. When Delimit tries to assign a delimitation rule to a file, if a rule defined under File Scan Settings has a file mask, the rule will be checked for a match only if the name of the file matches the file mask. Typically if you have some very specific files, delimited in a very specific way, a file mask may be useful to target only those files.

 

Find and Replace Window

Delimit is able to find, or find and replace, text and data in cells throughout the entire file or within specific columns and/or rows.

To find the next occurrence, click on the Find Next button or press the F3 key.

Find what:

Enter or select the text to find.

Find what: Empty cells

Select this to find cells without any text or data.

Match case

Select this if you wish to search for text exactly as entered, capitalization and all.

Match entire cell content

Select this if you wish to search for text that matches/spans the entire cell content.

Use wildcards

Select this if you wish to search for text that matches a certain pattern using * and ? as wildcards. Whereby the * (star) wildcard matches zero or more characters and the ? (question mark) matches a single character.

Count occurrences

Select this to have Delimit count and report the number of times the search item occurs throughout the file. This operation runs in the background allowing you to browse the file or work on another file during the search. A progress indicator on the Status bar will show how much of the file has been searched so far.

Search Columns

Enter the column numbers or the range of columns (example: 2, 4, 10..15) to limit the extent of the search to only the specified columns. To search all columns enter star: *

You can also select the column or range of columns in the grid prior to opening the Find and Replace window to have your selection pre-filled.

Search Rows

Enter the row numbers or the range of rows (example: 5, 200..500), to limit the extent of the search to only the specified rows. To search all rows enter star: *

You can also select the row or range of rows in the grid prior to opening the Find and Replace window to have your selection pre-filled.

Search From Beginning of file

Select this to have Delimit start the search from the beginning of the file.

Search From Currently selected cell

Select this to have Delimit start the search from the currently selected cell. This option is available only if you have selected a cell before opening the Find and Replace window.

Replace with:

Optionally enter or select the text with which to replace found items.

Replace with: Blank text

Optionally select this to replace found items with blank text. Effectively this instructs Delimit to delete found items.

Replace All button

If you have entered text or data under "Replace with", or if you have selected "Replace with Empty text", the Replace All button will enable. When clicked, Delimit will find and replace all occurrences of the search item. If you need to abort the operation, press the Esc key. At the end of the operation Delimit will report the total number of occurrences replaced.

Find button

Click on the Find button to start searching the file. The operation will run in the background allowing you to continue to work. The progress indicator on the status bar will show the progress of the search. If you need to abort the operation, press the Esc key. Delimit will either select the cell after finding the item, or if counting occurrences, Delimit will report the total number of items found.

 

File Convert Window

Delimit allows you to easily change the way a file is delimited. For example, if a file is delimited by tab characters you can instruct Delimit to replace all tabs with commas, … or $ signs, or any other character. You can also change the file’s delimitation rule type, for example from character delimited to fix column widths.

Current delimitation rule

This read-only field displays the file’s current delimitation rule.

Change to

Select this check box to indicate that you wish to change how the file is delimited.

The field below shows the new delimitation rule. Click on the adjacent "…" button to bring up the Delimitation Rule Properties window to specify the new delimitation rule.

Current line ending

This read-only field displays the file’s current line ending, one of: Windows (CRLF), Unix/Linux (LF), Other (CR) or Mixed

Change to

Select this check box to indicate that you wish to change the file's end of line character(s).

Use this drop-down box to select the new line ending for the result file.

Result file name

Enter the file name of the file to be created as the result of the conversion. You can double-click to quickly initialize (when empty) or click on the adjacent select "…" button to browse for the destination folder and/or file. If you enter only a file name, without a path, then the result file will be created in the same folder as the source file. If you select an existing file you will be prompted to confirm that you wish to overwrite the file.

Convert button

Click on the Convert button to start converting the file. The operation will run in the background allowing you to continue to work. The progress indicator on the status bar will show the progress of the conversion. If you need to abort the operation, press the Esc key. Once completed, Delimit will open and show the result file.

 

File Split Window

Delimit can split-up a file either vertically or horizontally into file parts of equal sizes.

Split file

Select either Vertically or Horizontally.

If you chose to split the file vertically, Delimit will create file parts split on row boundaries. Similarly, choosing to split the file horizontally will create file parts split on column boundaries.

Range to split-up

By default, Delimit will split-up the entire file (indicated by the default star * character). If you need to split-up a portion of the file, enter a valid range of rows (vertical split) or columns (horizontal split). Ranges have the following notation: start_row .. end_row (vertical split) or start_col .. end_col (horizontal split), for example: 1000..2000.

Size of each file part

Enter the number of rows (vertical split) or columns (horizontal split) each file part will have.

Notes:

Total parts

This field shows the total number of file parts that will be created.

Add the first N rows or columns (optional)

At times you will need to add a number of leading rows or columns to each of the file parts. An example would be to include the header line of the original file in each file part.

If splitting the file vertically, enter the number of top rows of the original file to be added to the top of each file part. For example, to ensure that each file part has the original file header line, enter 1. Similarly, if splitting horizontally, enter the number of leading columns of the original file to add as leading columns to each file part.

Save file parts in

Specify or select the folder where file parts are to be saved. Click on the adjacent select "…" button to bring up the "Select Folder" window.

File part name

Specify the name that is to be used for each file part. Use the reserved string: "%PN" as a placeholder to indicate where the unique file part number is to be added to the file name. You may use "%PN" repeatedly if necessary.

Example:

Save file parts in: C:\data\parts

Save file parts as: part_%PN.csv

Assuming a total of 3 file parts, the following file parts will be created in C:\data\parts\

part_1.csv
part_2.csv
part_3.csv

Start value for %PN

The default starting value for part number is 1. If required, enter a different starting number.

Example:

Save file parts in: C:\data\parts

Save file parts as: part_%PN.csv

Start value for %PN: 9

No. of digits in %PN: 1

Assuming a total of 3 file parts, the following will be created in C:\data\parts\

part_9.csv
part_10.csv
part_11.csv

No. of digits in %PN

Specify the number of digits to use when replacing the reserved string "%PN" with the actual part number. If the number of digits is greater than the number of digits of the actual part number, the part number will be padded with zeros. The default number is 1, meaning no padding.

Example:

Save file parts in: C:\data\parts

Save file parts as: part_%PN.csv

Start value for %PN: 9

No. of digits in %PN: 3

Assuming a total of 3 file parts, the following file parts will be created in C:\data\parts\

part_009.csv
part_010.csv
part_011.csv

Auto adjust

Select auto adjust to have the No. of digits in %PN automatically adjusted in respect to the total number of file parts.

Split button

Click on the Split button to start splitting-up the file. The operation will run in the background allowing you to continue to work. The progress indicator on the status bar will show the progress of the operation. If you need to abort the operation, press the Esc key.

 

File Split on Column Values Window

Delimit can split-up a file on a specific column value or category. For example, if you have a file that stores records of car sales and a column named "Make", with different car makes such as Austin Martin, BMW, Cadillac, Ferrari, etc., you can then split-up the file by the values under "Make" into separate files, one for each car Make.

First row is the file header row

Select this checkbox if the file you wish to split-up has a column header row. If it does, then the drop-down: "Split on column" will be populated by column header names, otherwise by column numbers.

By selecting this option you also instruct Delimit to add the header row to each result file.

The default setting for this is checked, unless you have unselected "Freeze 1st Row", under the View tab, in which case the default will be unchecked.

Split on column

Select the column on which you wish to split-up the file. Note that this drop-down control has a limit on the number of items it can list. If the column you wish to split-up the file on is not listed, then just type the column name or column number directly into the drop-down.

Save result files in

Specify or select the folder where each result file will be saved. Click on the adjacent select "…" button to bring up the "Select Folder" window.

Result file name

Specify the name that is to be used for each result file, you can double-click to quickly initialize (when empty). Use the reserved string: "%VAL" as a placeholder for the column value that will be added to the file name. You may use "%VAL" repeatedly if necessary.

Example:

Assuming a source file that stores records of car sales and a column named "Make", with different car makes such as Austin Martin, BMW, Cadillac, Ferrari, etc., and the following settings:

Split on column: Make
Save result files in: C:\data\2018
Result file name: car-sales-%VAL.csv

The resulting files would be:

C:\data\2018\car-sales-Austin Martin.csv
C:\data\2018\car-sales-BMW.csv
C:\data\2018\car-sales-Cadillac.csv
C:\data\2018\car-sales-Ferrari.csv
etc.

Split button

Click on the Split button to start splitting-up the file. The operation will run in the background allowing you to continue to work. The progress indicator on the status bar will show the progress of the operation. If you need to abort the operation, press the Esc key.

 

Join Whole Files Window

Delimit can join multiple whole files, either vertically or horizontally, into one resulting file.

Note: When joining files make sure all are delimited exactly the same way.

Join files

Select either vertically (one on top of the other) or horizontally (side to side).

File selection method

Delimit allows you to join files either by specifically selecting the files you wish to join or by locating the files in a specific directory and using a specific file mask.

Select files

This tab allows you to explicitly select the files you wish to join and to place them in a list and in the order you wish to join them. Files can reside in one or more folders and they do not have to be named in a consistent way.

Select… button

Click on "Select…" to navigate to and select the file or files you wish to join, then click the OK button to add the file(s) to the list. Repeat this procedure until you have selected all the files you wish to join.

Remove button

Click on Remove to remove the currently selected file from the list.

Move Up button

Click on Move Up to move the currently selected file one position up in the join order.

Move Down button

Click on Move Down to move the currently selected file one position down in the join order.

Total files

This field shows the total number of files in the list and to be joined.

Locate files

This tab allows you to easily identify the files you wish to join by using a file name mask. Files have to be named in a consistent way and they have to reside in the same folder.

File location

Specify or select the folder in which the files reside. You can also click on the adjacent "Select…" button to bring up the Select Folder window.

File mask

Enter the file name mask that identifies the files. Use "%PN" as a placeholder for the file part number.

For example, if you need to join the following three files:

data01.txt
data02.txt
data03.txt

Then the file name mask should be: data%PN.txt

Start from

Enter the starting value for %PN, i.e. the first file to join (1 in the above example).

End with

Enter the ending value for %PN, i.e. the last file to join (3 in the above example).

No. of digits in %PN

Enter the number of digits present in %PN (2 in the above example).

Do not join first N rows/columns (optional)

Specify how many rows to skip from the start of each file when joining files vertically, or columns to skip when joining files horizontally. If specified, the first N rows/columns of each file will not be joined into the result file. This is useful, for example, when joining files vertically and all the files have the same header row which you do not want repeated in the result file.

Except for the first file

This option is available only if you have specified not to join the first one or more rows/columns as explained above. Select this to keep the first N rows or columns of the first file. This is useful, for example, when you are joining files vertically and all the files have the same header row which you do not want repeated in the result file except for the first file.

Include source file names

This option allows you to include the file names of each file being joined, into the final result file. When joining files vertically the file names will be added as new column 1.

Delimitation rule

Click on the adjacent select "…" button to specify the common delimitation rule used throughout all the files you wish to join.

Result file name

Enter a file name, with full path, for the result of the join. You can also click on the adjacent select "…" button to browse for the destination folder and/or file. If you select an existing file you will be prompted to confirm that you wish to overwrite the file.

Join button

Click on the Join button to start joining the files. The operation will run in the background allowing you to continue to work. The progress indicator on the status bar will show the progress of the operation. If you need to abort the operation, press the Esc key. Delimit will display the result file only after all files have been joined.

 

Join Rows from Two Files Window

Delimit can join rows from two files on matching column values. This operation creates a new file which combines rows from two files only if values from specific columns of the two files match.

Join rows from file

Select the first file from which you wish to join rows.

First row of the file is the header row

Select this to indicate that the first file has a header row, with column names, and that this header row should be added to the result file. If you check this, Delimit will display column names under "Join on column" (assuming they are present in the file), instead of column numbers.

Join on column

Select a column from the first file whose values are to be matched with values from a column of the second file.

With rows from file

Select the second file from which you wish to join rows.

First row of the file is the header row

Select this to indicate that the second file has a header row, with column names, and that this header row should be added to the result file. If you check this, Delimit will display column names under "Join on column" (assuming they are present in the file), instead of column numbers.

Join on column

Select a column from the second file whose values are to be matched with values from a column of the first file.

Match case

Select this to instruct Delimit to compare the values from the two columns exactly, capitalization and all, when determining if they match.

Result file name

Enter the file name of the file to be created as the result of the join. You can double-click to quickly initialize (when empty) or click on the adjacent select "…" button to browse for the folder and/or file. If you enter only a file name, without a path, then the result file will be created in the same folder as the source file. If you select an existing file you will be prompted to confirm that you wish to overwrite the file.

Join button

Click on the Join button to start joining rows. The operation will run in the background allowing you to continue to work. The progress indicator on the status bar will show the progress of the operation. If you need to abort the operation, press the Esc key.

 

File Extract Window

Delimit allows you to extract data from a file by specifying which columns/rows to extract and/or filter to apply.

Load settings (optional)

All previously saved File Extract settings are listed in this drop-down. Optionally select one of the settings from the drop-down to quickly populate the window with corresponding settings. Select "<Reset>" to restore the defaults.

Last Used button

Click on the Last Used button to load the last used settings; the settings applied during the most recent Extract.

Delete button

If you wish to remove one of the saved settings; first select that setting in the "Load settings" drop-down, then click on the Delete button.

Reset button

Click on the Reset button to clear all file extract settings.

Columns to extract

Enter a comma-separated list of columns and/or column ranges to extract from the file. You can use column numbers or, if the file has a header row, column names. When using column names you must enclose each name in double quotes. See examples in the table below.

To enter a range of columns use the following notation: start_column..end_column

For example:
8..12

To specify all columns just enter star *. You can also use star * as either start_column or end_column.

For example:
*..10 means all columns up to and including column 10
10..* means all columns from column 10 and onwards

To reorder or reverse the columns just enter them in the order you wish to have them appear in the result file. To repeat columns or column ranges, re-enter them as many times as you require.

Examples:

Example

Columns Extracted
(In order as indicated)

Columns NOT Extracted

1, 5, 8..12

1, 5, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12

 

2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 13, 14, 15

(Assuming file has 15 columns)

4..1, 4, 10..*

4, 3, 2, 1, 4, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15

(Assuming file has 15 columns)

5, 6, 7, 8, 9

 

"B".."E", "C", "G"..*

"B", "C", "D", "E", "C", "G", "H"

(Assuming file has 8 columns and a column header line with column names from "A" to "H")

"A", "F"

 

Filtering columns to extract

A special environment variable called: $$_HDR is available which retrieves the value of each column header and performs the filter specified in order to determine if a column should be extracted or not. All operators under Supported Operators, String Expressions (see below) are supported, including: like, begw, endw, has, hasn, etc. Logical operators are also supported allowing for complex filters to be specified.

For example:
Assuming a file has the following column headers:
id, first_name, last_name, akpi_1, bkpi_2, ckpi-n, user_name, email, phone, address

The following filter:
($$_HDR endw "_name") or ($$_HDR has "kpi")

Will extract the following columns in the following order:
first_name, last_name, akpi_1, bkpi_2, ckpi-n, user_name

Column sizes also

Assuming the source file has columns that you have resized, and you are extracting data from some of those columns, select this to ensure the size of such columns is maintained in the result file.

Selecting columns to extract directly in the view

See Column Selectors on how to easily select the columns, in the order you wish to extract them, before opening the File Extract Window. The window will have the item "Columns to extract" pre-filled according to your selections.

Rows to extract

Enter a comma-separated list of rows and/or row ranges to extract from the file. See examples in the table below.

To enter a range of rows use the following notation: start_row..end_row

For example:
10..40

To specify all rows just enter star *. You can also use star * as either start_row or end_row.

For example:
*..10 means all rows up to and including row 10
10..* means all rows from row 10 and onwards

You can only specify rows in ascending order, i.e. you cannot reorder, reverse or repeat rows in this version of Delimit.

Examples:

Example

Rows Extracted
(In order as indicated)

Rows NOT Extracted

10..40, 45, 50..*

Rows 10 to 40, row 45 and rows 50 to 100.

(Assuming file has 100 rows)

Rows 1 to 9, rows 41 to 44 and rows 46 to 49.

100..1

Error. This version of Delimit does not support reversing the order of rows.

 

1..10, 5..15, 10..20

Error. This version of Delimit does not support repeating rows.

 

10..15, 1..5

Error. This version of Delimit does not support extracting out-of-order rows.

 

 

Empty rows also

By default, empty rows will not be extracted (re-created) in the result file if present in the source file. If you wish to extract empty rows, then select "Empty rows also".

Filter to apply when extracting rows

Enter the filter expression that defines the conditions under which to extract a row. Only those rows as specified under "Rows to extract" will be evaluated against the expression.

Column references

To reference a value of a specific column for a given row, use a dollar sign in front of the column number, or column name if the file has a header line (remember to enclose column names in double quotes).

For example:
$3 would reference the value in column 3 of a given row. Similarly:
$"Department" would reference the value in column named "Department".

All column references are based on the original column order. You can combine sub-expressions with logical operators but be sure to enclose each sub-expression within parentheses.

Entire row reference

To reference the content of the entire row use: $0

For example:
$0 has "city"

The above would extract all rows in which the word "city" appears anywhere on the row, either by itself or as part of some other word. Note that the reference to the entire row will contain delimiters.

Environment variables

To reference the current row number, as being processed by Delimit, use: $$_ROW



Supported Operators with Examples

Number Expressions

Operator

Operation

Filter example, meaning and notes

 

=

Is equal to
Example: $1 = 100
Meaning: Extract row if the value in column 1 is equal to 100

<> 

Is not equal to
Example: $5 <> 0
Meaning: Extract row if the value in column 5 is not equal to 0

< 

Is less than
Example: $2 < $1
Meaning: Extract row if the value in column 2 is less than the value in column 1

<=

Is less than or equal to
Example: $"Speed" <= 55
Meaning: Extract row if the value in column named Speed is less than or equal to 55

> 

Is greater than
Example: $8 > -3.5
Meaning: Extract row if the value in column 8 is greater than -3.5

>=

Is greater than or equal to
Example: $1 >= 400
Meaning: Extract row if the value in column 1 is greater than or equal to 400

+

Addition
Example: $"Price" + $"Tax" < 100.00
Meaning: Extract row if the value in column named Price plus the value in column named Tax is less than 100.00

-

Subtraction
Example: $2 - 10 > 0
Meaning: Extract row if the value in column 2 minus 10 is greater than 0

*

Multiplication
Example: $1 * 5.2 < 20
Meaning: Extract row if the value in column 1 times 5.2 is less than 20

/

Division
Example: $1 / $4 > 1.1
Meaning: Extract row if the value in column 1 divided by the value in column 4 is greater than 1.1

%

Modulus
Example: $3 % 2 = 0
Meaning: Extract row if the value in column 3 modulus 2 is equal to 0, i.e. if the value in column 3 is even

 

String Expressions

Make sure to enclose all literal strings within double quotes. To indicate an empty string use: ""

All string operators are case sensitive. Meaning $1 has "at" is not the same as $1 has "At".
Add an i at the end of the string operator to make it case insensitive, for example: $1 hasi "at".

Operator

Operation

Filter example, meaning and notes

 

=

Is equal to
Example: $"City" = "London"
Meaning: Extract row if the value in column named City is equal to London
Variant: =i  (Case insensitive version)

<> 

Is not equal to
Example: $"Choice" <> ""
Meaning: Extract row if the value in column named Choice is not equal to the empty string, i.e. Choice is not empty
Variant: <>i  (Case insensitive version)

< 

Is less than
Example: $2 < "Professional"
Meaning: Extract row if the value in column 2 is lexicographically less than the string "Professional", i.e. is alphabetically before the word "Professional"

<=

Is less than or equal to
Example: $2 <= "Professional"
Meaning: Extract row if the value in column 2 is lexicographically less than or equal to the string "Professional", i.e. is alphabetically before, or is, the word "Professional"

> 

Is greater than
Example: $3 > "Madrid"
Meaning: Extract row if the value in column 3 is lexicographically greater than the string "Madrid", i.e. is alphabetically after the word "Madrid"

>=

Is greater than or equal to
Example: $2 >= "Madrid"
Meaning: Extract row if the value in column 2 is lexicographically greater than or equal to the string "Madrid", i.e. is alphabetically after, or is, the word "Madrid"

like

Matches wildcard pattern
Example: $3 like "c?t*"
Meaning: Extract row if the value in column 3 matches wildcard pattern: c?t*,
example matches: cute, cottage, cat
Variant: likei  (Case insensitive version)

begw

Begins with
Example: $"State" begw "Ma"
Meaning: Extract row if the value in column named State begins with "Ma",
example matches: Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts
Variant: begwi  (Case insensitive version)

endw

Ends with
Example: $"State" endw "nia"
Meaning: Extract row if the value in column named State ends with "nia",
example matches: California, Pennsylvania, Virginia
Variant: endwi  (Case insensitive version)

has

Has/Contains
Example: $1 has "at"
Meaning: Extract row if the value in column 1 contains the word "at",
example matches: cat, attribute, date
Variant: hasi  (Case insensitive version)

hasn

Does not have/contain
Example: $"Country" hasn "land"
Meaning: Extract row if the value in column named Country does not contain the word "land"
Variant: hasni  (Case insensitive version)

in

Three usages:
  1) Is in a string
  2) Is in a list of values
  3) Is in another file

Usage 1)
Example: $4 in "CDE"
Meaning: Extract row if the value in column 4 is in/within the string "CDE",
possible matches: C, D, E, CD, DE, CDE
 
Usage 2)
Example: $"Car" in {Audi, BMW, Mercedes, Porsche}
Meaning: Extract row if the value in column named Car is either Audi, BMW, Mercedes, or Porsche.

Note the use of curly brackets to signify a list (i.e. a set) of possible values.

The above example is equivalent to: ($"Car" = "Audi") or ($"Car" = "BMW") or ($"Car" = "Mercedes") or ($"Car" = "Porsche"). Unlike with the = operator; the in operator is more concise, especially if you have a long list of values, and it does not require you to enclose string literals in double quotes. It is only required if a list value has one or more leading or trailing spaces.
 
Usage 3)
Example: $"Email" in [accounts.csv].$2
Meaning: Extract row if the value in column named Email is listed in the file named accounts.csv, under column number 2.

Note the use of the square brackets to signify that the list of possible values is to be retrieved from a file, in this case the file named accounts.csv (but it could be any file as long as you reference it by its name), and the use of .$2 to signify that values are to be found in the 2nd column of the file (but it could be any valid column number).

Note also that the referenced file [accounts.csv] must be opened in Delimit prior to using the in operator, and that the referenced column .$2 must be numeric, i.e. you cannot reference a column of a referenced file by its name.
 
Variant: ini  (Case insensitive version, applicable to all three usages)


Escaping characters

If you have double quotes within the literal string itself, make sure to escape each such double quote character. Within filter expressions Delimit recognizes the \ (backslash) character as a signal to escape the subsequent character (currently only double quote characters can be escaped). Therefore to escape a double quote enter: \"

You only need to escape double quotes within the literal string itself, you should not escape the first and last double quotes which define the start and end of the literal string.

Example 1: If you wish to extract rows with category_id equal to [123] then use the following filter: $"category_id" = "[123]"
Assuming category_id is the 3rd column, you could also use the following filter: $3 = "[123]"

Example 2: If you wish to extract rows with category_id equal to ["123"] then use the following filter: $"category_id" = "[\"123\"]"


Date Expressions

Delimit can handle dates from January 1, 100, through December 31, 9999. Date/time values can take a variety of formats. For example, the following strings contain acceptable date/time formats:

"25 January 1996"
"8:30:00"
"20:30:00"
"January 25, 1996 8:30:00"
"8:30:00 Jan. 25, 1996"
"1/25/1996 8:30:00"

Dates should be based on the Gregorian calendar, years must be in full year format and literal date/time values, as part of your filter, must be in double quotes. Dates of the type: "2/3/2017", i.e. where day and month are potentially ambiguous, will be interpreted based on the locale settings of your PC.

Operator

Operation

Filter example, meaning and notes

 

d=

Is equal to
Example: $5 d= "2018-01-15"
Meaning: Extract row if the date in column 5 is equal to "2018-01-15"

d<>

Is not equal to
Example: $5 d<> "2018-01-15"
Meaning: Extract row if the date in column 5 is not equal to "2018-01-15"

d<

 

--- OR ---

 

before

Is less than

 

 

 

Is before
Example: $1 d< "January 15, 2018"
Meaning: Extract row if the date in column 1 is less than "January 15, 2018"
Example: $1 before "January 15, 2018"
Meaning: Extract row if the date in column 1 is before "January 15, 2018"

d<=

Is less than or equal to
Example: $"Registration Date" d<= "2018-01-15"
Meaning: Extract row if the date in column named "Registration Date" is less than or equal to "2018-01-15"

d>

 

--- OR ---

 

after

Is greater than

 

 

 

Is after
Example: $2 d> "January 15, 2018"
Meaning: Extract row if the date in column 2 is greater than "January 15, 2018"
Example: $2 after "January 15, 2018"
Meaning: Extract row if the date in column 2 is after "January 15, 2018"

d>=

Is greater than or equal to
Example: $"Registration Date" d>= "2018-01-15"
Meaning: Extract row if the date in column named "Registration Date" is greater than or equal to "2018-01-15"

 

Logical Expressions

You can combine sub-expressions with logical operators by enclosing each sub-expression within parentheses.

Operator

Operation

Filter example, meaning and notes

 

and

Logical and
Example: ($"Favorite Color" = "Blue") and ($"Signed Up" after "December 10, 2017")
Meaning: Extract row if the value in column named "Favorite Color" is equal to "Blue" and the date in column named "Signed Up" is after "December 10, 2017"

or

Logical or
Example: ($"Favorite Color" = "Blue") or ($"Favorite Color" = "Green")
Meaning: Extract row if the value in column named "Favorite Color" is equal to "Blue" or "Green"

not(expr)

Logical not
Example: not(($7 = "IT") or ($7 = "HR"))
Meaning: Extract row if the value in column 7 is neither IT nor HR
Note: You must enclose the expression you wish to negate within parentheses. Also, make sure that there is no space between the keyword not and the left parenthesis.

 

First row is the header row, extract it unconditionally

If you have entered a filter which specifies which rows to extract, you can optionally select not to filter the first row and to extract it unconditionally. This is usually what you will want to do if the first row is the column header row and you want the header row to be in the result file irrespective of the filter.

Result file delimitation rule (optional)

The result file delimitation rule will default to the rule assigned to the source file. To specify a different rule, click on the adjacent select "…" button to open Delimitation Rule Properties and select a different delimitation rule for the result file. Effectively this instructs Delimit to perform a delimiter conversion in addition to the extraction.

Result file name

Enter the file name you wish to use for the result file. You can double-click to quickly initialize (when empty) or click on the adjacent select "…" button to browse for the destination folder and/or file. If you enter only a file name, without a path, then the result file will be created in the same folder as the source file. If you select an existing file you will be prompted to confirm that you wish to overwrite the file.

Preview button

The Preview functionality is useful prior to extracting data from large files; to quickly assess if a specified filter produces the expected results. The Preview button is available only with larger files.

Click on the Preview button to see the first 20 rows of the result file or to filter the first 10% of the source file, whichever comes first. The preview file may have less then 20 rows if the 10% limit is reached first. The preview file may not have any rows if after filtering the first 10% of the source file, the filter fails to extract any rows.

After assessing the generated preview file, either close it or select the source file again and then click on the Extract button to revise your filter and to continue from where you left off.

Save settings (optional)

You can choose to save the specified settings under some convenient name for later reuse. This will allow you to quickly specify the same data extraction settings the next time you Extract Rows. To have Delimit save the settings, enter a name for them before pressing the Extract button. The name will be saved and it will be available in the Load settings drop-down the next time you Extract.

To change a saved setting; select it from the "Load settings" drop-down and edit the settings. Re-enter the same name under "Save settings" and click on the Extract button.

Extract button

After entering all the required information, click on the Extract button to start the operation. Delimit will validate things and inform you of any errors. If there are no errors, data extraction will start and run in the background allowing you to continue to work. The progress indicator on the status bar will show the progress of the operation. If you need to cancel the operation, press the Esc key. Depending on the size of the source file and the extraction rules you have specified, data extraction may take a few minutes to complete. Once completed, Delimit will open and show the result file.

 

Extract Every Nth Row Window

Delimit is able to extract every Nth row from a file. For example, if you have a file with 101 rows, the first being the file header row, then if you instruct Delimit to extract every 20th row the result file will have the header row plus data rows: 20, 40, 60, 80 and 100

First row is the file header row

Select this checkbox if the source file has a header row. By selecting this option you also instruct Delimit to add the header row to the result file.

The default setting for this checkbox is checked, assuming you have selected "Freeze 1st Row" under the View tab.

Extract every Nth row

Enter a number specifying which every row to extract, as in a sampling frequency.

Result file name

Enter or select the file name for the result of the operation. You can double-click to quickly initialize (when empty) or click on the adjacent select "…" button to browse for the destination folder and/or file. If you enter only a file name, without a path, then the result file will be created in the same folder as the source file. If you select an existing file you will be prompted to confirm that you wish to overwrite the file.

OK button

Click on the OK button to start extracting every Nth row. The operation will run in the background allowing you to continue to work. The progress indicator on the status bar will show the progress of the operation. If you need to abort the operation, press the Esc key.

 

Extract N Random Rows Window

Delimit is able to extract a sample of N random rows.

First row is the file header row

Select this checkbox if the source file has a header row. By selecting this option you also instruct Delimit to add the header row to the result file.

The default setting for this checkbox is checked, assuming you have selected "Freeze 1st Row" under the View tab.

Extract N random rows

Enter a number specifying how many random rows to extract.

Result file name

Enter or select the file name for the result of the operation. You can double-click to quickly initialize (when empty) or click on the adjacent select "…" button to browse for the destination folder and/or file. If you enter only a file name, without a path, then the result file will be created in the same folder as the source file. If you select an existing file you will be prompted to confirm that you wish to overwrite the file.

OK button

Click on the OK button to start extracting N random rows. The operation will run in the background allowing you to continue to work. The progress indicator on the status bar will show the progress of the operation. If you need to abort the operation, press the Esc key.

 

File Sort Window

Delimit is able to sort large delimited data files based on cell content.

First row is the file header row

Select this checkbox if the file you wish to sort has a column header row. If it does, the drop-downs: "Sort by column" and "Then by column" will be populated by column header names, otherwise by column numbers.

By selecting this option you also instruct Delimit to add the header row to the result file and, as such, not to included it in the sort.

The default setting for this checkbox is checked, unless you have unselected "Freeze 1st Row", under the View tab, in which case the default will be unchecked.

Sort by column

Select the primary column you wish to sort the file on. Note that this drop-down control has a limit on the number of items it can list. If the column you wish to sort the file on is not listed, then just type the column name or column number directly into the drop-down.

The adjacent controls allow you to specify the data type of the selected column (one of: String, Number, or Date/Time), and the order in which you wish to sort the data (one of: Ascending or Descending). Delimit tries to infer the data type of the selected column by inspecting the file’s data and will preselect the data type for you accordingly. In case this is incorrect, select the correct data type. The sort order always defaults to Ascending, change to Descending if required.

Then by column (optional)

Select this checkbox to sort the file on a secondary column, in case data in the primary column is the same. Then, select the column and specify the data type and sort order accordingly.

For additional information about these drop-down controls see Sort by column.

Result file name

Enter the file name you wish to use for the result file. You can double-click to quickly initialize (when empty) or click on the adjacent select "…" button to browse for the destination folder and/or file. If you enter only a file name, without a path, then the result file will be created in the same folder as the source file. If you select an existing file you will be prompted to confirm that you wish to overwrite the file.

Sort button

After you have entered all the required information, click on the Sort button to start the operation. Delimit will validate things and inform you of any errors. If there are no errors, file sort will start and run in the background allowing you to continue to work. The progress indicator on the status bar will show the progress of the operation. If you need to cancel the operation, press the Esc key. Depending on the size of the file, the sort may take a few minutes to complete. Once completed, Delimit will open and show the result file.

 

Randomize/Shuffle All Rows Window

Delimit is able to randomize (shuffle) the order of all rows.

First row is the file header row

Select this checkbox if the source file has a header row. By selecting this option you also instruct Delimit to add the header row to the result file.

The default setting for this checkbox is checked, assuming you have selected "Freeze 1st Row" under the View tab.

Result file name

Enter or select the file name for the result of the operation. You can double-click to quickly initialize (when empty) or click on the adjacent select "…" button to browse for the destination folder and/or file. If you enter only a file name, without a path, then the result file will be created in the same folder as the source file. If you select an existing file you will be prompted to confirm that you wish to overwrite the file.

OK button

Click on the OK button to start randomizing/shuffling the order of all the rows. The operation will run in the background allowing you to continue to work. The progress indicator on the status bar will show the progress of the operation. If you need to abort the operation, press the Esc key.

 

File Deduplicate Window

Delimit is able to remove duplicate rows based on columns specified by the user.

Column(s) to base duplicates on

Enter the list of columns and/or column ranges, separated by commas, on which to base duplicates. If the file has a header row you can also specify columns by column name, but make sure to enclose such in double quotes. You can also select columns by first clicking on Column Selectors and clicking on column checkboxes.

Delimit will only compare data from the specified columns when determining if two rows are duplicates. For example, given the following data:

First Name

Last Name

Age

Color

Robert

Young

32

Blue

Gloria

Young

45

Orange

Tomas

Young

32

Red

Gloria

Young

45

Orange

If you base duplicates on just column 2 (or "Last Name") then the last three rows will be removed.
If you base duplicates on columns: 2, 3 (or "Last Name", "Age") then the last two rows will be removed.
If you base duplicates on all columns: 1..4 (or "First Name".."Color" or just *) then only the last row will be removed.

Match case

Select this if duplicates should be compared exactly, capitalization and all.

Result file name

Enter the file name you wish to use for the result file. You can double-click to quickly initialize (when empty) or click on the adjacent select "…" button to browse for the destination folder and/or file. If you enter only a file name, without a path, then the result file will be created in the same folder as the source file. If you select an existing file you will be prompted to confirm that you wish to overwrite the file.

Duplicates file name (optional)

Enter the file name you wish to use to store removed duplicates. Example: source file has 3 copies of the same record, the first copy will be retained and saved in the 'Result file name', the other two (being duplicates of the first) will be saved in 'Duplicates file name'. You can double-click to quickly initialize (when empty) or click on the adjacent select "…" button to browse for the destination folder and/or file. If you enter only a file name, without a path, then the duplicates file will be created in the same folder as the source file. If you select an existing file you will be prompted to confirm that you wish to overwrite the file.

Deduplicate button

After entering all the required information, click on the Deduplicate button to start the operation. Delimit will validate things and inform you of any errors. If there are no errors, the removal of duplicates will start and run in the background allowing you to continue to work. The progress indicator on the status bar will show the progress of the operation. If you need to cancel the operation, press the Esc key. Depending on the size of the source file the removal of duplicates may take a few minutes to complete. Once completed, Delimit will open and show the result file and report how many duplicate rows have been removed.

 

Go To Cell Window

Once the file has been scanned, you will be able to access any cell of the file.

Row

Enter the row of the cell you wish to go to.

Column

Enter the column of the cell you wish to go to.

Go To button

Click on the Go To button to have Delimit go to the specified cell.

 

Grid Settings Window

Delimit allows you to customize the main file view area including the data grid. This all can be controlled under Grid Settings.

On the left side of the Grid Settings Window are the grid appearance settings and on the right is a preview of the gird.

Default cell size

These settings allow you to change the default width and height of cells. Click on the "Preview" button to see the difference.

Font

This setting shows the current font for the text and data displayed in cells. Click on the select "…" button to change the font.

Colors

These settings allow you to customize the colors of the different parts of the grid. This includes the color for the background, bookmarks, cell text, multiline text, text background, cell selections, grid headers, grid lines and virtual cells. To select an item use the drop-down control, then click on the select "…" button to change the item’s color.

Mouse wheel scroll settings

These settings allow you to control the extent of the scrolling for each turn of the mouse wheel.

In the first box enter the number of rows to scroll up or down for each turn of the mouse wheel. In the second box enter the number of columns to scroll left or right for each turn of the wheel while pressing the Ctrl key.

Reset button

Click on the Reset button to reset all grid settings to Delimit defaults.

 

License Wizard

To activate or deactivate your license, you will need to use Delimit's License Wizard. If your license is already activated on one computer, you will need to first deactivate it before you can transfer and activate it on another computer.

How to Activate your license

Online Activation - On a computer that has Internet access

  1. As a System Administrator or with the assistance of a System Administrator:
  2. Log into your Windows user account.
  3. Start Delimit and click on License (top menu).
  4. Click on the 'Activate Deactivate' button to bring up the License Wizard.
    (When prompted by a 'User Account Control' warning for License Wizard, accept by clicking on Yes)
  5. Click on 'Activate your license', then click on 'Activate Online'.
  6. Enter (copy/paste) your license activation key into the corresponding field.
  7. Click on 'Activate'.
  8. You should get a confirmation message indicating that your license was successfully activated, if not please contact our support.
  9. Click on Finish to close the License Wizard.
  10. On the far right of the License menu, next to Delimit you should see Pro or Pro/S and next to Expires you should see total days left before your license expires. If you see Lite or N/A, please contact our support.

Offline Activation - On a computer that does not have Internet access

Option A) - If you have access to a 2nd computer that has Internet access

    On the computer that does not have Internet access:
  1. As a System Administrator or with the assistance of a System Administrator:
  2. Log into your Windows user account.
  3. Start Delimit and click on License (top menu).
  4. Click on the 'Activate Deactivate' button to bring up the License Wizard.
    (When prompted by a 'User Account Control' warning for License Wizard, accept by clicking on Yes)
  5. Click on 'Activate your license', then click on 'Activate Offline'.
    6. On the computer that has Internet access:
  6. Go to the following web page: License Self Help and click on 'Activate a License (for an offline system)
  7. Enter (copy/paste) your license activation key, select your Delimit version and enter (copy/paste) your Computer Identifier into the form
    The Computer Identifier can be found on the Offline Activation page of the License Wizard (step 3)
  8. Click on Activate. The web page will return a Computer Key.
    9. On the computer that does not have Internet access:
  9. Enter (copy/paste) the Computer Key into the corresponding field.
  10. Click on Activate.
  11. You should get a confirmation message indicating that your license was successfully activated, if not please contact our support.
  12. Click on Finish to close the License Wizard.
  13. On the far right of the License menu, next to Delimit you should see Pro or Pro/S and next to Expires you should see total days left before your license expires. If you see Lite or N/A, please contact our support.

Option B) - Is entirely email based (allow a few hours to complete)

  1. As a System Administrator or with the assistance of a System Administrator:
  2. Log into your Windows user account.
  3. Start Delimit and click on License (top menu).
  4. Click on the 'Activate Deactivate' button to bring up the License Wizard.
    (When prompted by a 'User Account Control' warning for License Wizard, accept by clicking on Yes)
  5. Click on 'Activate your license', then click on 'Activate Offline'.
  6. Submit a new support ticket and send us your license activation key and your Computer Identifier.
    The Computer Identifier can be found on the Offline Activation page of the License Wizard (step 3)
  7. After we receive your information, we will activate your license and email you back your Computer Key,
    allow a few hours for this to complete.
  8. Once you receive your Computer Key from us, enter (copy/paste) it into the corresponding field on step 3.
  9. Click on Activate.
  10. You should get a confirmation message indicating that your license was successfully activated, if not please contact our support.
  11. Click on Finish to close the License Wizard.
  12. On the far right of the License menu, next to Delimit you should see Pro or Pro/S and next to Expires you should see total days left before your license expires. If you see Lite or N/A, please contact our support.

How to Deactivate your license

You will need to deactivate your license key from your current computer, before you can transfer and activate it on another computer.

  1. As a System Administrator or with the assistance of a System Administrator:
  2. Log into your Windows user account.
  3. Start Delimit and click on License (top menu).
  4. Click on the 'Activate Deactivate' button to bring up the License Wizard.
    (When prompted by a 'User Account Control' warning for License Wizard, accept by clicking on Yes)
  5. Click on 'Deactivate your license'
  6. Enter (copy/paste) your license activation key into the corresponding field
    (this step is usually not required because the key will be pre-filled).
  7. Click on Deactivate.
  8. You should get a confirmation message indicating that your license was deactivated.
  9. Click on Finish to close the License Wizard.
  10. On the far right of the License menu, next to Delimit you should see Lite and next to Expires you should see N/A.

After the license has been deactivated, you can activate it on another computer by following the 'How to Activate your license' procedure above.


How to Deactivate your license on a computer you no longer have access to

If you no longer have access to a computer on which you have activated your license key, please contact support for assistance.

 

Delimit Update Check

This window will show if there is a new version of Delimit. It will provide information about the update and allow you to download the latest version.

Update Information

This section identifies the currently installed version and the latest available version.

What's new button

Click this button to see what features have been updated, fixed and/or added to Delimit.

Download Update: Yes

Select "Yes" and click on OK to go to the download page of the latest version.

Download Update: Not now

Select "Not now" to postpone the update.

Remind me again in

Select the number of days after which Delimit should remind you again that an update is available.

OK button

After clicking on OK, if you have selected "Yes" download update, Delimit will open the download page. Likewise, if you have selected "Not now", Delimit will remind you again that an update is available after the specified number of days.

Cancel button

Click Cancel to close the window. Delimit will remind you that an update is available next time you launch Delimit.