Delimitator

A delimitator, also known as a delimiter, is a character or sequence of characters used to mark the boundaries between separate, independent regions or data elements within a stream of text, code, or data. It serves to structure and organize information, allowing a system or program to parse and interpret the data correctly. The choice of delimitator depends on the context and the nature of the data. Common examples include commas, semicolons, tabs, pipes, and spaces. The effective use of delimitators is critical for data integrity and efficient processing in various applications, from spreadsheet software to database management systems and programming languages.

Delimitator meaning with examples

• In a CSV (Comma Separated Values) file, the comma (,) acts as a delimitator, separating individual data fields within a row. For example, "Name,Age,City" and "John Doe,30,New York". This allows spreadsheets and programs to read and organize the data into columns.
• When parsing data from a configuration file, a specific character like an equals sign (=) might serve as a delimitator, separating parameter names from their corresponding values. For instance: "port = 8080", "database_name = my_db". The program knows that the delimitator tells it where to split the data.
• In programming, a semicolon (;) frequently acts as a delimitator, separating individual statements within a line of code. For example: "x = 5; y = x + 2;". The compiler uses this character to distinguish and process each distinct instruction individually.
• Using a pipe symbol (|) as a delimitator is common when handling structured text data. Each value is separated by the pipe. Such as; "Product Name|Price|Quantity". This allows for easy organization of data in a database or a processing pipeline.