> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://flatfileinc-feat-updatereactquickstart.mintlify.site/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# @flatfile/plugin-delimiter-extractor

> A plugin for parsing .delimiter files in Flatfile.

<Warning>
  When embedding Flatfile, this plugin should be deployed in a server-side
  listener. [Learn more](/orchestration/listeners#listener-types)
</Warning>

<CardGroup cols={1}>
  <Card title="@flatfile/plugin-delimiter-extractor" icon="download">
    The `@flatfile/plugin-delimiter-extractor` package is a plugin for parsing delimited files and extracting them into Flatfile. It utilizes various libraries to parse files and retrieve the structured data efficiently.

    <br />

    <br />

    **Event Type:**

    <br />

    `listener.on('file:created')`

    <br />

    **Supported delimiters:**

    <br />

    `;`, `:`, `~`, `^`, `#`

    <br />

    **Note:** `\t`, `|`, and `,` are handled natively in the platform.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Parameters

<ParamField path="fileExt" type="string" required>
  The `fileExt` parameter is used to specify the file name or extension to
  listen for.
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="options.delimiter" type="string" required>
  The `delimiter` parameter is used to specify the delimiter used in the file.
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="options.dynamicTyping" type="boolean" default="false">
  If `true`, numeric and boolean data will be converted to their type instead of
  remaining strings. Numeric data must conform to the definition of a decimal
  literal. Numerical values greater than 2^53 or less than -2^53 will not be
  converted to numbers to preserve precision. European-formatted numbers must
  have commas and dots swapped.
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="options.skipEmptyLines" type="boolean | 'greedy'">
  If `true`, lines that are completely empty (those which evaluate to an empty
  string) will be skipped. If set to `greedy`, lines that don't have any content
  (those which have only whitespace after parsing) will also be skipped.
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="options.transform" type="function">
  A function to apply on each value. The function receives the value as an
  argument The return value of the function will replace the value it received.
  The transform function is applied before `dynamicTyping`.
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="options.chunkSize" default="10_000" type="number" optional>
  The `chunkSize` parameter allows you to specify the quantity of records to in
  each chunk.
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="options.parallel" default="1" type="number" optional>
  The `parallel` parameter allows you to specify the number of chunks to process
  in parallel.
</ParamField>

## API Calls

* `api.files.download`
* `api.files.get`
* `api.files.update`
* `api.jobs.ack`
* `api.jobs.complete`
* `api.jobs.create`
* `api.jobs.fail`
* `api.jobs.update`
* `api.records.insert`
* `api.workbooks.create`

# Imported NPM Packages

* [`@flatfile/api@1.5.13+`](https://npmjs.com/package/@flatfile/api)
* [`@flatfile/listener@0.3.15+`](https://npmjs.com/package/@flatfile/listener)
* [`@flatfile/util-extractor@0.3.0`](../utils/extractor)
* [`papaparse@5.4.1+`](https://npmjs.com/package/papaparse)
* [`remeda@1.14.0+`](https://npmjs.com/package/remeda)

## Usage

Listen for an delimited file to be uploaded to Flatfile. The platform will then extract the file automatically. Once complete, the file will be ready for import in the Files area.

```bash install
npm i @flatfile/plugin-delimiter-extractor
```

```js import
import { DelimiterExtractor } from "@flatfile/plugin-delimiter-extractor";
```

```js listener.js
listener.use(DelimiterExtractor(".txt", { delimiter: ":" }));
```

### Full Example

In this example, the DelimiterExtractor is initialized for extracting TXT files with optional options, and then registered as middleware with the Flatfile listener. When a TXT file is uploaded, the plugin will extract the structured data and process it using the extractor's parser.

```javascript
import { DelimiterExtractor } from "@flatfile/plugin-delimiter-extractor";

// Define optional options for the extractor (e.g., { dynamicTyping: true })
const options = {
  delimiter: ":",
  dynamicTyping: true,
  skipEmptyLines: true,
  transform: (value) => value.toUpperCase(),
};

// Initialize the TXT extractor
const delimiterExtractor = DelimiterExtractor(".txt", options);

// Register the extractor as a middleware for the Flatfile listener
listener.use(delimiterExtractor);

// When a TXT file is uploaded, the data will be extracted and processed using the extractor's parser.
```

## See the code

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="@flatfile/plugin-delimiter-extractor" href="https://github.com/FlatFilers/flatfile-plugins/tree/main/plugins/delimiter-extractor" icon="github" />
</CardGroup>