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RecordSeparators

is an option for Read, Find, and related functions that specifies the list of strings to be taken as delimiters for records.

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Scope  
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RecordSeparators

RecordSeparators

is an option for Read, Find, and related functions that specifies the list of strings to be taken as delimiters for records.

Details

  • The default setting is RecordSeparators{"∖n", "\r\n","\r" }. With this setting, each complete line of input on any computer system is considered as a record.
  • Strings used as record separators may contain several characters.
  • With the option setting NullRecordsFalse, any number of record separators may appear between any two successive records.
  • RecordSeparators->{} specifies that everything is to be included in a single record.
  • RecordSeparators{} or RecordSeparatorsNone specifies that everything is to be included in a single record.
  • RecordSeparators{{lsep1,…},{rsep1,…}} specifies different left and right separators for records. When there are nested left and right separators, records are taken to be delimited by the innermost balanced pairs of separators.
  • Text that does not appear between left and right separators is discarded.

Examples

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Basic Examples  (2)

Use "." as a record separator:

Wolfram Language code: ReadList[StringToStream["2.3.5.7.11.13"], Record, RecordSeparators -> "."]

Use "<" as a left separator, and ">" as a right separator:

Wolfram Language code: ReadList[StringToStream["<x<aaa>yyy<<bbb>>>"], Record, RecordSeparators -> {{"<"}, {">"}}]

Scope  (1)

Setting RecordSeparatorsNone is equivalent to reading the entire stream:

Wolfram Language code: s = StringToStream["1 2 3 4 5"]; Read[s]
Wolfram Language code: SetStreamPosition[s, 0]; Read[s, Record, RecordSeparators -> None]
Wolfram Research (1991), RecordSeparators, Wolfram Language function, https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/RecordSeparators.html (updated 2017).

Text

Wolfram Research (1991), RecordSeparators, Wolfram Language function, https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/RecordSeparators.html (updated 2017).

CMS

Wolfram Language. 1991. "RecordSeparators." Wolfram Language & System Documentation Center. Wolfram Research. Last Modified 2017. https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/RecordSeparators.html.

APA

Wolfram Language. (1991). RecordSeparators. Wolfram Language & System Documentation Center. Retrieved from https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/RecordSeparators.html

BibTeX

@misc{reference.wolfram_2026_recordseparators, author="Wolfram Research", title="{RecordSeparators}", year="2017", howpublished="\url{https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/RecordSeparators.html}", note=[Accessed: 13-June-2026]}

BibLaTeX

@online{reference.wolfram_2026_recordseparators, organization={Wolfram Research}, title={RecordSeparators}, year={2017}, url={https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/RecordSeparators.html}, note=[Accessed: 13-June-2026]}