Drop Empty Columns Detector

Identify zero-based columns whose every data cell is exactly empty, excluding an explicit header; no columns are inferred empty when there are no data records.

Description

A column empty in every observed data row may be removable for an analysis.

A column empty in every observed data row may be removable for an analysis. Lack of observations alone is not evidence of an empty column.^[1]

Identify zero-based columns whose every data cell is exactly empty, excluding an explicit header; no columns are inferred empty when there are no data records.

When to use Drop Empty Columns Detector

Use this for the following task: Identify zero-based columns whose every data cell is exactly empty, excluding an explicit header; no columns are inferred empty when there are no data records.

Prepare the CSV text, decoded cells or byte values requested below. Choose delimiter and header flags explicitly when those fields are present.

How to use Drop Empty Columns Detector and understand its results

Prepare the CSV text, decoded cells or byte values requested below. Choose delimiter and header flags explicitly when those fields are present.
Enter csv, delimiter, hasHeader using the field table, then run the tool.
Read columnIndices. Interpret flags, units, ordering and placeholder values using the rules below.
Review any reported issue or failed check, correct the supplied values when appropriate, and verify the result in its intended context.

Input field	Meaning	Value type and bounds	Requirement
csv	CSV text	string; maximum text length 100000	Required
delimiter	Delimiter	string; choose ",", ";", "\t"	Required
hasHeader	Has header	boolean	Required

Parse rectangular records and exclude an explicit header. Return zero-based all-empty data columns; return none when only a header exists.^[2]

Parse delimiters only outside quoted fields and decode doubled quotes. A quoted line break stays inside its cell; malformed quoting is returned as an input error.

emit column when dataCount>0 AND every decoded cell is empty string

This summarizes the declared operation. Units, indexing, inclusivity and exceptional cases are explained in the surrounding text.

Output field	Meaning	Value type
columnIndices	Column indices	list of integer

json

{
  "input": {
    "csv": "id,unused,note\n1,, \n2,,x",
    "delimiter": ",",
    "hasHeader": true
  },
  "output": {
    "columnIndices": [
      1
    ]
  }
}

Limitations and assumptions

Whitespace-only cells prevent the flag. The tool detects columns but does not drop them.

Where CSV is parsed, the shared parser accepts comma, semicolon or tab separators, doubled quotes and quoted line breaks, with CR/LF/CRLF record endings. Blank records remain records. CSV inputs are bounded to 100000 UTF-16 units and 10000 fields. Malformed requests produce input errors. A successfully evaluated request can still contain false flags, empty result lists or a result outside the supplied threshold; those outcomes have the meanings stated above.

Alternative or Complementary methods

Choose Non-Empty Count Per Column for this operation: Count data cells that are not exactly empty per CSV column, excluding an explicit header; whitespace-only strings count as present. For a complementary task, use Column Select By Indices for this operation: Select and reorder zero-based columns from a rectangular CSV, allowing repeated selections while requiring at least one output column.

Further background: Format and language reference: Drop Empty Columns Detector.

References

Format and language reference: Drop Empty Columns Detector — RFC Editor
Drop Empty Columns Detector — tool.io

Similar or alternative tools

Non-Empty Count Per Column
Count data cells that are not exactly empty per CSV column, excluding an explicit header; whitespace-only strings count as present.
Column Select By Indices
Select and reorder zero-based columns from a rectangular CSV, allowing repeated selections while requiring at least one output column.