Clipboard Transformer

Detect and convert clipboard data between TSV (Sheets), CSV, JSON, and a simple JOOQ-like format from the extension popup.

# Clipboard Transformer A lightweight Chrome extension that instantly transforms clipboard data between different formats: CSV (comma-separated), CSV (pipe-separated), TSV (tab-separated for Google Sheets), JSON, and JOOQ-style value lists. ## Features - 🔍 **Auto-detect format** - Automatically identifies CSV (comma), CSV (pipe), TSV, JSON, or JOOQ format in your clipboard - 🔄 **One-click conversion** - Transform between any supported formats with a single click - 📋 **Direct clipboard integration** - Read from and write to clipboard automatically - ⚡ **Fast and lightweight** - No external dependencies, runs entirely in your browser - 🎨 **Clean, simple UI** - Minimal clicks to get your data transformed ## Common Use Cases ### 📊 Google Sheets/Excel → Code Select and copy cells from Google Sheets or Excel, then transform to CSV or JSON to paste directly into your code editor (VS Code, Sublime, etc.). Perfect for: - Creating test data fixtures - Generating mock API responses - Building database seed files - Sharing data with non-spreadsheet users **Example workflow:** 1. Select cells in Google Sheets (they copy as TSV) 2. Click extension → "To JSON" 3. Paste into VS Code as a ready-to-use JSON array ### 💾 CSV/JSON → Google Sheets Copy CSV data from a file or JSON from an API response, convert to TSV, and paste directly into Google Sheets with proper cell separation. **Example workflow:** 1. Copy CSV data from a text file or terminal output 2. Click extension → "To TSV (Sheets)" 3. Paste into Google Sheets - data automatically fills the correct cells ### 🔄 Quick Format Switching - Convert comma-separated CSV to pipe-separated for different database imports - Transform JSON API responses to spreadsheet-friendly format - Generate SQL INSERT value lists from spreadsheet data ## Installation ### Option 1: Chrome Web Store (Recommended) *Coming soon - pending approval* ### Option 2: Manual Installation from GitHub 1. **Download the extension:** - Download the [latest release](https://github.com/lex3001/chrome_csv_helper/archive/refs/heads/main.zip) - Or clone the repository: ```bash git clone https://github.com/lex3001/chrome_csv_helper.git ``` 2. **Load in Chrome:** - Open Chrome and go to `chrome://extensions` - Enable **Developer mode** (toggle in top-right corner) - Click **Load unpacked** - Select the `chrome_csv_helper` folder 3. **Pin the extension** (optional): - Click the puzzle icon in Chrome toolbar - Find "Clipboard Transformer" and click the pin icon ## Usage 1. **Copy data** to your clipboard (from Google Sheets, a CSV file, JSON, etc.) 2. **Click the extension icon** in your Chrome toolbar 3. The extension will automatically detect the format 4. **Click a conversion button** to transform to your desired format: - `To CSV (comma)` - Convert to comma-separated values - `To CSV (pipe)` - Convert to pipe-separated values - `To TSV (Sheets)` - Convert to tab-separated (paste directly into Google Sheets) - `To JSON` - Convert to JSON format - `To JOOQ-ish` - Convert to JOOQ-style value list 5. The converted data is **automatically copied** to your clipboard and displayed in the popup ### Fallback Options If automatic clipboard detection doesn't work (due to browser permissions): - Click the **"Detect clipboard"** button to manually trigger detection - Or paste your data into the text area and click **"Use pasted data"** ## Supported Formats ### Input Formats (Auto-detected) - **CSV (comma)** - Standard comma-separated values - **CSV (pipe)** - Pipe-separated values (`|`) - **TSV** - Tab-separated values (from Google Sheets, Excel) - **JSON** - Arrays of objects or arrays of arrays - **JOOQ** - Parenthesized value lists like `(1, 'value', true), (2, 'value2', false)` ### Output Formats (One-click conversion) All of the above formats are available as conversion targets. ## Technical Notes ### CSV Parsing - Handles quoted fields with commas, newlines, and escaped quotes - Automatically detects separator type (comma vs pipe vs tab) - Preserves data integrity during conversion ### JSON Conversion - Array of objects → Table with keys as headers - Array of arrays → Direct table representation - Table → Array of objects (first row becomes keys) ### JOOQ Format - Heuristic parser for SQL-style value lists - Supports strings (quoted), numbers, booleans, and NULL - Useful for generating INSERT statements ### Clipboard Permissions - Uses `navigator.clipboard` API (requires user gesture in some browsers) - Falls back to manual paste if automatic clipboard access is blocked - Stores permission state locally to minimize future prompts ## Privacy - **No data is transmitted** - All processing happens locally in your browser - **No tracking or analytics** - Your data stays private - **No external dependencies** - No third-party libraries or API calls ## Known Limitations - **JOOQ parsing** is heuristic and may not handle all SQL syntax variations - **Large datasets** (>10,000 rows) may be slow in the popup UI - **Clipboard access** requires user permission/gesture in some browsers ## Support Found a bug or have a feature request? [Open an issue](https://github.com/lex3001/chrome_csv_helper/issues) on GitHub.