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Get Started with SplitBox

This guide walks you through a complete workflow from pasting your first list to exporting formatted batches.

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Basic Workflow

1

Paste your list into the input area

Copy your data and paste it into the large text area at the top of the page. SplitBox accepts:
  • Newline-separated lists (one item per line)
  • Comma-separated values
  • Tab-separated values
  • Auto-detection mode (recommended for mixed formats)
The tool automatically counts detected items and displays the count below the input field.
Empty lines are automatically removed, and each item is trimmed of leading/trailing whitespace.
2

Configure split options

Choose how you want to split your list using the controls below the input area:

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Split Mode

  • Items per batch (default): Split into batches of exactly N items (e.g., 200 items per batch)
  • Max chars per batch: Pack items by character length, useful for staying under API size limits
  • Target number of batches: Distribute items evenly across N batches

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Split Value

Enter a positive integer based on your selected mode:
  • For “Items per batch”: Number of items in each batch (e.g., 200)
  • For “Max chars per batch”: Maximum character count per batch (e.g., 4000)
  • For “Target number of batches”: Total number of batches to create (e.g., 10)
For SQL IN clauses with size limits, use “Items per batch” with a value like 200-500 to avoid database parameter limits.
3

Set input parser options (optional)

Configure how SplitBox parses your input:
  • Parse: Choose newline, comma, tab, or auto (auto-detect)
  • Dedupe: Remove duplicates with none, case-sensitive, or case-insensitive matching
  • Validate: Filter invalid tokens using alphanumeric, email, or custom regex patterns
When validation is enabled, invalid items are removed before splitting, and examples are shown below the controls.
The preprocessing summary shows how many empty lines, invalid items, and duplicates were removed. Use this to verify your data is being parsed correctly.
4

Configure output format (optional)

Choose how each batch should be formatted:

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Output Delimiter

  • Newline: One item per line (default)
  • Comma: Comma-separated on a single line
  • Tab: Tab-separated on a single line

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Output Template

  • Plain: Raw items with chosen delimiter
  • SQL IN: Wraps items in single quotes and parentheses: ('item1', 'item2', 'item3')
  • Quoted CSV: Each item wrapped in double quotes: "item1","item2","item3"
  • JSON array: Pretty-printed JSON string array: [\n "item1",\n "item2"\n]
The template setting affects both the copy-to-clipboard function and the file extension when downloading individual batches (.txt, .sql, .csv, or .json).
5

Click Split (or press Cmd+Enter)

Press the gold Split button or use the keyboard shortcut Cmd+Enter (Windows: Ctrl+Enter) to process your list.For large lists (10,000+ items), SplitBox uses a Web Worker to keep the UI responsive. You’ll see a “Splitting…” indicator during processing.Once complete, a summary appears showing:
  • Total items processed
  • Number of batches created
  • Batch size distribution (e.g., “19 × 200, 1 × 142”)
  • Preprocessing statistics (invalid/duplicates removed)
6

Review and use your batches

Batches appear in a responsive grid below the summary. Each batch card shows:
  • Batch label: “Batch N (X items)”
  • Item preview: First few items (click to expand/collapse)
  • Copy button: One-click copy to clipboard with your chosen format
  • Download button: Save individual batch with template-aware extension

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Export All Batches

Use the Export all ZIP button to download all batches at once. The ZIP includes:
  • Each batch as a separate file (batch-001.txt, batch-002.txt, etc.)
  • A manifest.json file with metadata about the split operation
The manifest includes your split configuration, timestamps, and batch details—useful for reproducibility and auditing.

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Example: Splitting IDs for SQL Queries

Let’s walk through a practical example.

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Scenario

You have 2,847 transaction IDs from a CSV export that you need to query from your database. Your database has a parameter limit of 500 items per IN clause.

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Steps

  1. Paste the IDs into the input area (one per line or comma-separated)
  2. Set split mode to “Items per batch” with value 500
  3. Set output template to “SQL IN” for ready-to-use queries
  4. Enable validation (optional): Choose “alphanumeric” to filter out any malformed IDs
  5. Click Split

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Result

You’ll get 6 batches:
  • 5 batches with exactly 500 items each
  • 1 final batch with 347 items
Each batch can be copied with one click as a properly formatted SQL IN clause: 
('TXN001', 'TXN002', 'TXN003', ...)
Paste directly into your SQL query: 
SELECT * FROM transactions WHERE id IN ('TXN001', 'TXN002', ...);

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Theme Toggle

SplitBox supports dark and light themes. Click the sun/moon icon in the top-right corner to switch. Your preference is saved to localStorage.

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Privacy Guarantee

Notice the “100% Client-Side” indicator in the footer with the green dot? That’s your guarantee:
  • No network requests are made (except loading the page itself)
  • No analytics or tracking scripts
  • No data collection of any kind
  • All processing happens in your browser’s memory
  • Data is never persisted unless you explicitly download it
You can verify this by opening your browser’s network tab—after the initial page load, you’ll see zero outgoing requests.

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Next Steps

Now that you know the basics:
  • Experiment with different split modes to find what works for your workflow
  • Try the validation and deduplication features to clean your data
  • Explore output templates to match your target system’s format
  • Use the keyboard shortcut Cmd+Enter to speed up your workflow
The Clear button (visible after splitting) resets everything instantly, so feel free to experiment with different configurations.

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