Convert New Lines to Pipes
Join a column into a pipe-separated string. Common for regex alternation and legacy record formats.
Examples
| Input | Output | |
|---|---|---|
| Simple | cat ⏎ dog ⏎ bird |
cat|dog|bird |
| Realistic | timeout ⏎ refused ⏎ reset |
timeout|refused|reset |
Why convert this way
A pipe-joined list is a ready-made regex alternation. cat|dog|bird matches any of the three, which makes this the fastest way to turn a column of terms into a working search pattern.
When you will need it
- Building a regex alternation from a keyword list
- Creating a pipe-delimited record for a legacy import
- Writing a grep pattern from a column of values
- Producing a compact single-field audit string
., ( or ? will behave as regex syntax, not literal text. Escape them before you use the output as a pattern.
What the settings do here
- Split on newline — the tool reads
cat⏎dog⏎birdas 3 separate items. - Join with |
— producing
cat|dog|bird.
Where this comes up
Mostly used for search. You have a column of product names or error codes and want a single pattern that matches any of them, whether for grep, a log query or a find dialog that accepts regex.
Related conversions
Going the other way, or joining with something else entirely? The delimiter converter accepts any split and join pair including custom separators, and the index has the 16 ready-made ones.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I build a regex alternation from a list?
Join the lines with a pipe. cat|dog|bird matches any of the three, which makes this the quickest way to turn a keyword column into a search pattern.
Are regex special characters escaped?
No. Values containing a dot, bracket or question mark will act as regex syntax rather than literal text, so escape them before using the output as a pattern.