backslashdelimited

Backslash-delimited refers to a textual data format in which the backslash character (\) is used as the separator between fields. This makes each line consist of a sequence of fields separated by a single backslash. It is a form of delimited text but is not as standardized as CSV or TSV, and is encountered mainly in bespoke data exports, log files, or configuration data within certain software systems.

In such formats, the backslash also participates in escaping. To include a literal backslash inside a field, many implementations double it (\\). Some schemes allow escaping the delimiter with a leading backslash (for example, a field containing a backslash or the delimiter itself). Because backslashes often serve as escape characters in programming languages, any backslash-delimited parser must distinguish between delimiters and escaped backslashes and unescape values when reading them.

Example line: Acme\\Inc\John Doe\[email protected]. This line represents three fields: Acme\Inc, John Doe, and [email protected]. If a field contains a backslash as part of its data, the value would be written as Acme\\Inc, and the parser would interpret it as Acme\Inc.

Limitations and considerations include the lack of a widely adopted standard, which can lead to variations in escaping rules and handling of empty or trailing fields. The format can also resemble other backslash-using conventions in programming, which may affect interoperability across systems. See also: delimiter formats, escaping, delimited text.