2 Simple Methods to Convert CSV to TSV in Google Sheets * bigfinish.com

Embark on a seamless conversion journey! Discover the effortless method to transform your comma-separated value (CSV) files into tab-separated value (TSV) formats using the ubiquitous Google Sheets platform. Transitioning between these file types has never been simpler, paving the way for efficient data exchange and analysis.

Within the familiar spreadsheet environment of Google Sheets, you’ll find the hidden gem that empowers this conversion. With just a few deft clicks, you can unlock the transformative power of Google Sheets’ dedicated menu options. Navigate to the “File” menu and select the “Download” submenu, where you’ll encounter the “Comma-separated values (.csv, current sheet)” option. However, the true magic lies in the unassuming “Change file type” dropdown, revealing the coveted “Tab-separated value (.tsv, current sheet)” choice. Voilà! Your CSV file gracefully morphs into a TSV format, ready to embark on new adventures.

Embrace the versatility of TSV files as they seamlessly integrate with various applications and programming languages. TSV’s structured data, with its tab-delimited columns, offers unparalleled compatibility, making it an ideal choice for data exchange. Whether you’re working with relational databases, statistical software, or web applications, TSV files effortlessly adapt to diverse environments, ensuring seamless data transfer and analysis. The ability to convert CSV to TSV in Google Sheets empowers you to harness the full potential of both file formats, unlocking a realm of possibilities for data manipulation and exploration.

Convert CSV to TSV Using the TEXTJOIN Function

The TEXTJOIN function in Google Sheets allows you to concatenate multiple cells into a single string, separated by a specified delimiter. To convert a CSV file to a TSV file using TEXTJOIN, follow these steps:

Import the CSV file into Google Sheets:

Open a new Google Sheet and select “File” > “Import” > “Upload” or “Drive.” Navigate to your CSV file and select it. Choose the “Import data” option and ensure that the “Convert text to numbers” and “Convert dates and times to numbers” boxes are not ticked.

Insert a new column for the TSV output:

Next, insert a new column next to the CSV data. This column will contain the TSV output.

Use the TEXTJOIN function:

In the first cell of the new column, enter the following formula:

=TEXTJOIN("\t", TRUE, A2:A)

In this formula:

“\t” is the delimiter for the TSV file. You can replace this with any other desired delimiter.
TRUE indicates that empty cells should be included in the output.
A2:A represents the range of cells containing the CSV data. Adjust this range as needed.

Copy the formula down:

Copy the formula down the column to convert all the CSV data to TSV.

Export to TSV:

Finally, select “File” > “Download” > “Comma-separated values (.csv, current sheet)” to download the sheet as a TSV file. The TSV file will have the same name as the original CSV file, but with a “.tsv” extension.

Function	Description
TEXTJOIN	Concatenates multiple cells into a single string, separated by a specified delimiter.

Convert CSV to TSV Using a Custom Function

Another approach to converting CSV to TSV in Google Sheets involves creating a custom function. This method offers greater flexibility and allows you to tailor the conversion process to your specific needs.

Creating a Custom Function

To create a custom function, follow these steps:

Go to the “Extensions” menu in Google Sheets and click “Apps Script.”
In the Script Editor window, click the “+” icon to create a new project.
Give the project a name and click “Create.”
Paste the following code into the Code.gs file:

“`
function csvToTsv(csv) {
// Split the CSV data into individual cells
var cells = csv.split(“,”);

// Convert each cell to a string and replace “,” with “\t”
for (var i = 0; i < cells.length; i++) {
cells[i] = cells[i].toString().replace(“,”, “\t”);
}

// Join the cells back into a TSV string
var tsv = cells.join(“”);

return tsv;
}
“`

Using the Custom Function

To use the custom function, follow these steps:

Select the cell or range of cells containing the CSV data.
Go to the “Formulas” menu and click “Custom Functions.”
Enter the function name “csvToTsv” and click “Enter.”
The converted TSV data will be displayed in the selected cells.

This method provides granular control over the conversion process and allows you to customize the tab character used in the TSV output.

Convert CSV to TSV Using the Google Sheets API

The Google Sheets API provides a programmatic way to interact with Google Sheets data. You can use the API to convert a CSV file to a TSV (tab-separated values) file. The following steps will guide you through the process:

1. Enable the Google Sheets API

Before you can use the API, you need to enable it in your Google Cloud Platform (GCP) console. To do this, visit the GCP console and navigate to the “APIs & Services” section. Then, search for “Google Sheets API” and click “Enable”.

2. Get the API Credentials

Once you have enabled the API, you need to get the API credentials. To do this, click on the “Credentials” tab in the GCP console and then click on “Create Credentials”. Select “OAuth 2.0 Client ID” as the credential type and then click on the “Create” button. This will generate a client ID and client secret that you will need to use in your code.

3. Write the Code to Convert CSV to TSV

The following code snippet shows you how to use the Google Sheets API to convert a CSV file to a TSV file:

<code>

“`js
// Import the Google Sheets API library
const Sheets = require(‘google-sheets’).GoogleSheets;

// Create a new Sheets object
const sheets = new Sheets({
version: ‘v4’,
auth: new googleAuth.OAuth2({
clientId: clientID,
clientSecret: clientSecret,
redirectUri: redirectUri,
}),
});

// Define the CSV file ID
const csvFileId = ‘1234567890ABCDEF’;

// Convert the CSV file to TSV
sheets.spreadsheets.batchUpdate({
spreadsheetId: csvFileId,
requests: [
{
convertValuesToOtherCurrency: {
sourceDataRange: ‘A1:B10’,
destinationDataRange: ‘C1:D10’,
conversionType: ‘TEXT_TO_TAB_DELIMITED’,
},
},
],
}, (err, res) => {
if (err) {
console.error(err);
return;
}

// The TSV file is now in the range C1:D10
console.log(‘The CSV file has been converted to TSV.’);
});
“`

Convert CSV to TSV Using a Third-Party Add-On

If you’re not comfortable using formulas or prefer a more streamlined solution, you can utilize a third-party add-on from the G Suite Marketplace. These add-ons provide specialized functionality and can automate the conversion process.

1. Install the Add-On

Visit the G Suite Marketplace and search for “CSV to TSV” or a similar add-on. Select an add-on and click “Install.” Follow the installation instructions to add it to your Google Sheets account.

2. Open the CSV File

Create a new Google Sheets file or open an existing CSV file. Ensure that the CSV data is properly formatted with comma-separated values.

3. Access the Add-On

Click the “Add-ons” menu in Google Sheets and select the installed CSV to TSV add-on. Depending on the add-on, you may see an additional menu or dialog box.

4. Convert and Save as TSV

In the add-on menu, locate the option to convert CSV to TSV. Select the appropriate range of cells containing the CSV data and click the “Convert” or “Export” button. The add-on will convert the data into tab-separated values and save it as a new sheet or file with the “.tsv” extension. Here’s a more detailed breakdown of this step:

Select the CSV range: Ensure that you have highlighted the entire range of cells containing the CSV data, including the header row.
Choose the conversion option: Some add-ons may offer additional options, such as choosing the output file format or specifying a custom delimiter. Select the “TSV” option.
Save the TSV file: After the conversion is complete, the add-on will prompt you to save the TSV file. Select a destination folder and file name, and ensure that the “.tsv” file extension is used.

Convert CSV to TSV Using OpenRefine

OpenRefine is a powerful open-source data cleaning and transformation tool that can be used to convert CSV files to TSV format. Here’s how to do it:

Import the CSV file into OpenRefine

: Select the "Add Data" option from the top menu and choose the CSV file you want to convert.
Convert to TSV format

: Once the data is imported, go to the "Edit" menu and select "Transform" > "Text Facet" > "Split into separate columns (CSV, TSV, or other)"
Choose TSV as the delimiter

: In the "Format" section, select "TSV" as the delimiter.
Review and apply the transformation

: OpenRefine will show you a preview of the transformed data. Review the changes and click "Transform" to apply them.
Export the TSV file

: Go to the "Export" menu and select "Text File" > "TSV" to export the transformed data as a TSV file.

Detailed Information for Step 5

When exporting the TSV file, you have several options to customize the output:

File Type:

Choose "TSV" from the drop-down menu.
Filename:

Specify the desired filename and location for the exported TSV file.
Export Options:
- Include Header Row: Select this option to include a header row in the TSV file.
- Quote Character: Choose the character to use for quoting values in the TSV file.
- Escape Character: Specify a character to use for escaping special characters in the TSV file.
- Encoding: Select the desired character encoding for the TSV file.
Skip Blank Rows: Enable this option to exclude blank rows from the exported TSV file.
Truncate Values:

Limit the number of characters for each column in the exported TSV file.

<tr

Option Description
Truncate less than Truncate values shorter than the specified length.

Truncate greater than Truncate values longer than the specified length.

Truncate to Truncate values to the specified length.

By customizing these options, you can fine-tune the exported TSV file to meet your specific requirements.

Convert CSV to TSV Using Python

Python offers a straightforward method to convert CSV files to TSV format. Here’s how you can do it:

Install the pandas library using pip install pandas.

Import the pandas library as import pandas as pd.

Read the CSV file using pd.read_csv("path_to_csv_file.csv").

Convert the DataFrame to TSV format using data.to_csv("path_to_tsv_file.tsv", sep="\t", index=False), where sep="\t" specifies the TSV delimiter and index=False excludes the index column from the TSV file.

Additional Options

The to_csv() method provides additional options to customize the TSV file:

Option Description

header Include the column names as a header row.

quotechar Specify the character to use for quoting values. Default is ".

escapechar Specify the character to use for escaping special characters. Default is \.

Convert CSV to TSV Using R

R is a powerful programming language that is widely used for data analysis. It provides a simple and efficient way to convert CSV files to TSV files. Here’s how you can do it:

Using the read_csv() and write_tsv() Functions

The read_csv() function in the R language can be used to read CSV files into a data frame. Similarly, the write_tsv() function can be used to write data frames to TSV files. Here’s an example:

“`
my_csv_data <- read_csv(“my_csv_file.csv”)
write_tsv(my_csv_data, “my_tsv_file.tsv”)
“`

Using the gsub() Function

Another way to convert CSV files to TSV files in R is to use the gsub() function. This function can be used to replace all occurrences of a specified character with another character. In this case, we can replace all occurrences of “,” with “\t” to convert the CSV file to a TSV file.

“`
my_tsv_data <- gsub(“,”, “\t”, my_csv_data)
“`

Using the read.delim() and write.table() Functions

The read.delim() function in R language can be used to read delimited text files, including TSV files. Similarly, the write.table() function can be used to write data frames to delimited text files. Here’s an example:

“`
my_tsv_data <- read.delim(“my_tsv_file.tsv”, sep = “\t”)
write.table(my_tsv_data, “my_new_tsv_file.tsv”, sep = “\t”, quote = FALSE)
“`

Convert CSV to TSV Using the Command Line

The command line offers another approach to converting CSV to TSV. Here’s how you can do it:

Install a text editor with command-line capabilities

Install a text editor like Notepad++ or Sublime Text that supports command-line execution.

Open your CSV file in the text editor

Open the CSV file you want to convert in the text editor.

Run the sed command

Use the following command in the command-line window within your text editor:

sed 's/,/\t/g' input.csv > output.tsv

Replace “input.csv” with your CSV file name and “output.tsv” with your desired TSV file name.

Save the output file

Save the output as a new file with a “.tsv” extension.

Note: The sed command in this example uses the regular expression s/,/\t/g to globally substitute commas (,) with tabs (\t). You can customize the delimiter to your preference.

Alternatives to sed

If you don’t have sed installed, you can use other command-line tools like tr or awk to perform the conversion:

Command Syntax

tr tr ',' '\t' < input.csv > output.tsv

awk awk -F, '{print $1"\t"$2"\t"$3}' input.csv > output.tsv

Convert CSV to TSV with Header

To convert a CSV file with a header to TSV format in Google Sheets:

Step Action

1 Open the CSV file in Google Sheets.

2 Click the “File” menu and select “Save as”.

3 In the “File type” dropdown, select “Tab-separated values (.tsv)”.

4 In the “Export options” section, ensure that the “Header” option is checked.

5 Click the “Save” button.

Google Sheets will export the CSV file with the header information preserved in TSV format. The header will appear as the first line of the TSV file, with each field separated by a tab character.

Here’s a detailed explanation of the “Export options” section:

Header: If checked, the first row of the CSV file will be treated as the header and will be included in the exported TSV file.

Delimiter: Specifies the character used to separate fields in the CSV file. By default, it’s a comma (,). For TSV, it should be set to a tab character (\t).

Quote character: Specifies the character used to enclose values containing special characters or commas. If left blank, no quote character will be used.

Escape character: Specifies the character used to escape special characters within values. If left blank, no escape character will be used.

By setting the “Header” option to checked and the “Delimiter” option to a tab character, you ensure that the CSV file is converted to TSV format with the header information included.

Convert CSV to TSV Without Header

If there’s no header row in your CSV file, Google Sheets will automatically assign generic column names like “Column1”, “Column2”, etc. to the TSV file. You can manually edit these column names in the TSV file if needed.

Here are the steps to convert a CSV file to TSV without a header row using Google Sheets:

Open your CSV file in Google Sheets.

Go to the File menu and select “Save as”.

In the “File type” drop-down menu, select “Tab-separated values (.tsv)”.

Click “Save”.

Column Name Data Type

Column1 Numeric

Column2 String

Column3 Date

Additional Notes:

Keep in mind that Google Sheets may not always correctly interpret the data types in your CSV file. If you encounter any issues with data formatting or type conversion, you can manually adjust the data types in the TSV file using a text editor or spreadsheet software.

You can also use the “IMPORTDATA” function in Google Sheets to import a TSV file into a new spreadsheet. This function allows you to specify the file path and the delimiter (tab in this case). For example, the following formula will import a TSV file named “data.tsv” into the current spreadsheet, starting from cell A1:

“`
=IMPORTDATA(“data.tsv”, “\t”)
“`

By following these steps, you can easily convert a CSV file to TSV without a header row using Google Sheets, ensuring that your data is structured and ready for further processing or analysis.

How to Convert CSV to TSV in Google Sheets

TSV (Tab-separated Values) is a data format that uses tabs to separate values, making it a convenient format for exchanging data between different systems or applications. Google Sheets allows you to easily convert CSV files to TSV files with just a few simple steps:

Open the CSV file in Google Sheets.

Click on the “File” menu and select “Download as.”

In the “Download as” dialog box, select “Tab-separated values (.tsv)” from the dropdown menu.

Click on the “Save” button to download the TSV file.

People Also Ask About How to Convert CSV to TSV in Google Sheets

Can I convert multiple CSV files to TSV at once?

Yes, you can convert multiple CSV files to TSV at once by selecting all the files and then following the steps mentioned above.

How can I edit the TSV file after converting it from CSV?

Once you have converted the CSV file to TSV, you can edit it just like any other spreadsheet in Google Sheets. Simply make the desired changes and save the file.