GoStringParser - Free Text File Parser, Cleaner & Formatter

GoStringParser is a free command-line tool for processing text files, cleaning up strings, extracting selected fields, and converting delimiter-separated data into a different output format. Configure your processing rules in settings.ini and apply them to files in your input folder.

Go source code is included with the download. You can review the implementation, understand the processing logic, and use the source files as a reference when working with the tool.

What Can You Do with GoStringParser?

• Process text files in batches: apply the same transformation rules to multiple .txt files.
• Split strings into fields: define the separator used in your input data, such as a comma, semicolon, colon, or pipe.
• Extract and reorder fields: keep every field or select specific fields by their position. Field numbering starts at zero.
• Change the output separator: rebuild extracted data using a different delimiter.
• Clean unwanted characters: configure character removal before parsing or after formatting. Character-cleaning rules use regular expression character classes.
• Remove specific text fragments: strip configured substrings from the formatted output.
• Filter records by field content: configure a required substring or an excluded substring in a selected output field.
• Remove duplicate output lines: enable the optional final duplicate-removal step for result files.
• Configure parallel processing: adjust the number of concurrent file and string-processing tasks through the settings file.
• Track processing progress: view processed and invalid string counts, with optional debug logging.

Example: Extract and Reorder Fields

Suppose your input contains:

Alice,London,alice@example.com

With a comma as the input separator, 2|0 as the output field selection, and a pipe as the output separator, the result is:

alice@example.com|Alice

This extracts the third and first fields, changes their order, and joins them using the selected output delimiter.

Configuration-Based Workflow

1. Prepare your input .txt files.
2. Set separate input and output folders in settings.ini.
3. Choose your separators, field selection, cleaning rules, and filters.
4. Run the tool locally and review the generated output.

Results are written to text files in the configured output directory. The tool uses .block and .checked marker files to track files that are being processed or have already been processed.

Source Code Included

Alongside the tool, the download includes its Go source code. This makes the processing logic available for inspection and helps technical users understand how configuration options, field extraction, filtering, and output generation are implemented. Building from source requires Go and the project's dependencies.

Who Is It For?

GoStringParser is intended for developers and technical users who need a configurable utility for repetitive text-processing tasks. Typical uses include preparing simple text exports, extracting columns, changing delimiters, cleaning records, and formatting data for another tool.

Important Usage Notes

• This is a command-line utility, not a graphical application.
• It handles plain delimiter-separated text. It is not a full CSV parser with support for quoted delimiters or multiline CSV records.
• Input files are loaded into memory, so memory requirements depend on file size and concurrency settings.
• The original input order is not guaranteed in the output.
• Keep the output directory outside the input directory. Test your settings on copies of a small sample before processing important datasets.
• Review generated results before using them in another workflow, particularly when enabling parallel file processing.

Free to download, with Go source code included.