Five concrete examples of the CSV Column Extractor in real use. Each one shows the situation, what you put in and what comes out, so you can copy the structure, swap in your details and adapt it this week.
Example 1: Keeping only email and name columns for a mail merge
The task: Keeping only email and name columns for a mail merge. You start from CSV text plus the names or positions of the columns to keep.. The tool returns a new CSV containing only the selected columns, header row preserved., giving you a slimmer file with just the fields your report, import or script needs. you can edit rather than a blank page.
Make it yours: add one detail the tool cannot know - a real number, a name, a constraint - then read the result once end to end before you keep it.
Example 2: Reducing a 40-column export to the 5 columns an API accepts
The task: Reducing a 40-column export to the 5 columns an API accepts. You start from CSV text plus the names or positions of the columns to keep.. The tool returns a new CSV containing only the selected columns, header row preserved., giving you a slimmer file with just the fields your report, import or script needs. you can edit rather than a blank page.
Make it yours: add one detail the tool cannot know - a real number, a name, a constraint - then read the result once end to end before you keep it.
Example 3: Pulling an ID column alongside a metric
The task: Pulling an ID column alongside a metric. You start from CSV text plus the names or positions of the columns to keep.. The tool returns a new CSV containing only the selected columns, header row preserved., giving you a slimmer file with just the fields your report, import or script needs. you can edit rather than a blank page.
Make it yours: add one detail the tool cannot know - a real number, a name, a constraint - then read the result once end to end before you keep it.
Example 4: Preparing a small sample file for testing
The task: Preparing a small sample file for testing. You start from CSV text plus the names or positions of the columns to keep.. The tool returns a new CSV containing only the selected columns, header row preserved., giving you a slimmer file with just the fields your report, import or script needs. you can edit rather than a blank page.
Make it yours: add one detail the tool cannot know - a real number, a name, a constraint - then read the result once end to end before you keep it.
Example 5: Removing sensitive columns before sharing data
The task: Removing sensitive columns before sharing data. You start from CSV text plus the names or positions of the columns to keep.. The tool returns a new CSV containing only the selected columns, header row preserved., giving you a slimmer file with just the fields your report, import or script needs. you can edit rather than a blank page.
Make it yours: add one detail the tool cannot know - a real number, a name, a constraint - then read the result once end to end before you keep it.
A Full Worked Example
Input: name,age,city,email\nAda,36,London,ada@x.com\nKeep: name, email
name,email\nAda,ada@x.com
The pattern behind every example above: context and constraints go in, structure comes out, and your edit makes it true.
How to Build Your Own Examples
- Take a task already on your calendar for this week.
- Write the brief in two sentences: the job and the audience.
- Generate, compare against the version you would have written manually.
- Save the prompt alongside the result so the second run takes seconds.
Getting More From Each Example
Most people stop at the first result. Generate a second version with one changed variable - length, tone or angle - and compare. The better version usually appears on the second run, not the first.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I reorder columns as well?
Yes - the output order follows the order you list the columns in.
Does it keep the header row?
Yes, headers are included by default so the result stays a valid CSV.
What about quoted fields containing commas?
Standard quoted CSV is respected throughout extraction.
Is my file stored?
No - extraction happens locally in your browser.
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