Convert TEX to TSV
Max file size 100mb.
TEX vs TSV Format Comparison
| Aspect | TEX (Source Format) | TSV (Target Format) |
|---|---|---|
| Format Overview |
TEX / LaTeX
Document Preparation System
LaTeX is a high-quality typesetting system designed for scientific and technical documentation. Created by Leslie Lamport as a macro package for Donald Knuth's TeX system, it's the standard for academic publishing, especially in mathematics, physics, and computer science. Scientific Academic |
TSV
Tab-Separated Values
TSV is a simple text format for storing tabular data where columns are separated by tab characters. It's widely used in bioinformatics, data science, and Unix/Linux environments for its simplicity and ease of processing with command-line tools. Tabular Data Unix-Friendly |
| Technical Specifications |
Structure: Plain text with markup commands
Encoding: UTF-8 or ASCII Format: Open standard (TeX/LaTeX) Processing: Compiled to DVI/PDF Extensions: .tex, .latex, .ltx |
Structure: Rows and tab-delimited columns
Encoding: UTF-8 (recommended) Format: IANA text/tab-separated-values Processing: Parsed by delimiter (tab) Extensions: .tsv, .tab |
| Syntax Examples |
LaTeX table syntax: \begin{table}
\caption{Gene Expression Data}
\begin{tabular}{|l|r|r|}
\hline
Gene & Control & Treatment \\
\hline
BRCA1 & 2.45 & 4.89 \\
TP53 & 1.23 & 3.67 \\
MYC & 5.12 & 2.34 \\
\hline
\end{tabular}
\end{table}
|
TSV tab-delimited format: Gene Control Treatment BRCA1 2.45 4.89 TP53 1.23 3.67 MYC 5.12 2.34 (Tab characters separate columns) |
| Content Support |
|
|
| Advantages |
|
|
| Disadvantages |
|
|
| Common Uses |
|
|
| Best For |
|
|
| Version History |
TeX Introduced: 1978 (Donald Knuth)
LaTeX Introduced: 1984 (Leslie Lamport) Current Version: LaTeX2e (1994+) Status: Active development (LaTeX3) |
Origin: Early computing era
MIME Type: text/tab-separated-values Current: IANA registered type Status: Stable, widely used |
| Software Support |
TeX Live: Full distribution (all platforms)
MiKTeX: Windows distribution Overleaf: Online editor/compiler Editors: TeXstudio, TeXmaker, VS Code |
Spreadsheets: Excel, Google Sheets, LibreOffice
Unix Tools: awk, cut, sort, join Languages: Python, R, Perl Bioinformatics: Galaxy, BLAST, BEDTools |
Why Convert LaTeX to TSV?
Converting LaTeX documents to TSV (Tab-Separated Values) format is ideal when you need to extract tabular data for processing in Unix/Linux environments or bioinformatics workflows. TSV offers advantages over CSV when your data contains commas, as tab delimiters avoid escaping issues.
TSV is the preferred format in bioinformatics and scientific computing, where tools like awk, cut, and sort are used to process data. Extracting tables from LaTeX papers into TSV enables seamless integration with these command-line workflows.
When you copy data from a spreadsheet, it's typically in TSV format (tabs between cells). Converting LaTeX tables to TSV creates output that can be directly pasted into Excel, Google Sheets, or any spreadsheet application.
Key Benefits of Converting TEX to TSV:
- No Comma Escaping: Handle data with commas naturally
- Unix Compatible: Process with awk, cut, sort
- Bioinformatics Ready: Standard in genomics and life sciences
- Copy-Paste Friendly: Direct paste to spreadsheets
- Simple Parsing: Split by tab character
- Scientific Workflows: Integrate with research pipelines
- Clean Text Data: Preserve punctuation and special characters
Practical Examples
Example 1: Gene Expression Data
Input TEX file (genes.tex):
\begin{table}[h]
\caption{Differential Gene Expression}
\begin{tabular}{|l|c|c|c|}
\hline
Gene ID & Log2FC & P-value & FDR \\
\hline
ENSG00000141510 & 2.45 & 0.0001 & 0.005 \\
ENSG00000171862 & -1.89 & 0.0003 & 0.012 \\
ENSG00000139618 & 3.12 & 0.0002 & 0.008 \\
\hline
\end{tabular}
\end{table}
Output TSV file (genes.tsv):
Gene ID Log2FC P-value FDR ENSG00000141510 2.45 0.0001 0.005 ENSG00000171862 -1.89 0.0003 0.012 ENSG00000139618 3.12 0.0002 0.008
Example 2: Data with Commas
Input TEX file (locations.tex):
\begin{tabular}{lcc}
Location & Population & Area (km$^2$) \\
\hline
New York, NY & 8,336,817 & 783.8 \\
Los Angeles, CA & 3,979,576 & 1,213.9 \\
Chicago, IL & 2,693,976 & 606.1 \\
\end{tabular}
Output TSV file (locations.tsv):
Location Population Area (km^2) New York, NY 8,336,817 783.8 Los Angeles, CA 3,979,576 1,213.9 Chicago, IL 2,693,976 606.1
Note: Commas in location names and population numbers are preserved without escaping.
Example 3: Unix Command-Line Processing
Once converted, process with Unix tools:
# Extract second column (Log2FC values) cut -f2 genes.tsv # Sort by P-value (column 3) sort -t$'\t' -k3 -n genes.tsv # Filter significant genes (FDR < 0.01) awk -F'\t' '$4 < 0.01' genes.tsv # Count rows wc -l genes.tsv
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q: What's the difference between TSV and CSV?
A: TSV uses tab characters to separate columns, while CSV uses commas. TSV is advantageous when your data contains commas (like numbers with thousands separators or addresses) because you don't need to escape or quote fields. TSV is also the native format for clipboard copy-paste from spreadsheets.
Q: Why is TSV popular in bioinformatics?
A: Bioinformatics workflows heavily rely on Unix command-line tools like awk, cut, and sort. TSV files work seamlessly with these tools using -F'\t' as the field separator. Many bioinformatics file formats (BED, GFF, SAM) are essentially TSV with specific column definitions.
Q: Can I open TSV files in Excel?
A: Yes! Excel and other spreadsheet applications recognize TSV files. When you open a .tsv file, Excel will automatically parse the tab-separated columns. You can also copy TSV data and paste it directly into a spreadsheet, and it will split correctly into columns.
Q: How are LaTeX special characters handled?
A: LaTeX commands like superscripts ($^2$) and subscripts are converted to plain text equivalents. Mathematical notation is simplified for TSV compatibility while preserving the data values.
Q: What if my data contains tab characters?
A: Tab characters within data are rare but would need to be escaped or replaced. The converter handles this automatically, typically replacing tabs with spaces in data fields while using tabs as delimiters.
Q: Is TSV better than CSV for scientific data?
A: For scientific data that contains commas (decimal separators in some locales, thousands separators, or addresses), TSV is cleaner and less error-prone. For simple numeric data without commas, either format works well. TSV is preferred in bioinformatics and genomics.