Description
Compare each value exactly with sentinel and return all zero-based indexes of matches.
Token lists preserve element boundaries that raw character matching can lose. Prefix-suffix overlap and separator placement depend on exact element and empty-list conventions.
Compare each value exactly with sentinel and return all zero-based indexes of matches.
When to use this tool
Use List Sentinel Data Value Collision when you need a token-boundary overlap or separator-count calculation.
How to use the tool and how it works
- Enter values, sentinel. Use the units and conventions below.
- Run the tool. Correct any format, range, or cross-field input error before interpreting the output.
- Read collision, indexes. Inspect collision before interpreting the associated values.
Compare each value exactly with sentinel and return all zero-based indexes of matches. Set collision when that list is nonempty.1
| Input field | Meaning and units | Accepted input |
|---|---|---|
| values | Values | Required. Array of text; maximum UTF-16 length 8192; maximum items 256. |
| sentinel | Sentinel | Required. Text; maximum UTF-16 length 8192. |
| Output field | Interpretation | Returned shape |
|---|---|---|
| collision | Collision | Required. Boolean. |
| indexes | Indexes | Required. Array of safe integer; maximum items 256. |
{
"input": {
"values": [
"a",
"_",
"b",
"_"
],
"sentinel": "_"
},
"output": {
"collision": true,
"indexes": [
1,
3
]
}
}Limitations and assumptions
- A matching data value can collide with a sentinel convention; no escaping or replacement is applied.
- Inputs must satisfy both the field types and the cross-field conditions above. Invalid input causes an error; a successful false flag or documented placeholder is a different result.
Alternative or Complementary methods
Choose token normalization and escaping rules before joining or merging the actual list contents.
References
Similar or alternative tools
- List Deduplicate Caller Key Null Sentinel
Keep only the first masked-null entry and, independently, the first occurrence of each unmasked string key.
- List Mask Unknown Value Count
Accept only the literal strings true, false, and unknown.