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TRIMQUOTES Function

Removes leading and trailing quotes or double-quotes from a string. Quote marks in the middle of the string are not removed.

  • This function applies to both single quotes (') and double quotes (").

    • This function is not limited to removing the outer set of quotes only. If there are multiple quotes at the beginning or the end of the string (""), all sets of quotes are removed.

  • The TRIMQUOTES function does not remove whitespace at the beginning and end.

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    You may need to nest this function and the TRIM function to clean up your strings. An example is provided below.

Wrangle vs. SQL: This function is part of Wrangle, a proprietary data transformation language. Wrangle is not SQL. For more information, see Wrangle Language.

Basic Usage

Column reference example:

trimquotes(MyName)

Output: Returns the values of the MyName column value with any quotes removed from the beginning and the end.

String literal examples:

Anmerkung

For string literal values that contain quotes to remove, you can bracket them in the quote mark of a different type. Some examples are below.

trimquotes('"Hello, World"')

Output: Input string is "Hello, World". Output of the function is the string: Hello, World.

trimquotes('""Hello,\" World""')

Output: Input string is ""Hello,\" World"". Output of the function is the string: Hello," World.

Following input contains a single whitespace at the beginning and end of the string, which is the same as the previous string. To clean, you can first remove the whitespace with the TRIM function.

trimquotes(trim((' ""Hello,\" World"" ')))

Output: Input string is ""Hello,\" World"" . Output of the function is the string: Hello," World. See TRIM Function.

Syntax and Arguments

trimquotes(column_string)

Argument

Required?

Data Type

Description

column_string

Y

string

Name of the column or string literal to be applied to the function

For more information on syntax standards, see Language Documentation Syntax Notes.

column_string

Name of the column or string constant whose beginning and end quote marks are to be trimmed.

  • Missing string or column values generate missing string results.

  • String constants must be quoted ('Hello, World').

  • Multiple columns and wildcards are not supported.

Usage Notes:

Required?

Data Type

Example Value

Yes

String literal or column reference

myColumn

Examples

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For additional examples, see Common Tasks.

Example - String whitespace and quotes

The following example data contains a mixture of quotes and spaces strings. You can use the transformation listed below to clean up leading and trailing quotes and strings in a single transformation.

Source:

String

Description

My String

"Base string: ""My String"""

My String extra

"Base string + "" extra"""

My String

A space in front of base string

My String

A space after base string

MyString

No space between the two words of base string

My String

Two spaces between the two words of base string

"My String "

Base string + a tab character

"My String

"

Base string + a return character

"My String

"

Base string + a newline character

Transformation:

You can use the following transformation which nests the TRIM and the TRIMQUOTES functions to clean up all of the columns in your dataset.

  • To apply across all columns in the dataset:

    • The wildcard (*) for columns indicates that this formula should be applied across all columns in the dataset.

    • You can also select All from the Columns drop-down in the Transform Builder.

    • Since all columns are String type, the results should be consistent.

  • The $col reference can be used to refer to the current column that is being evaluated. For more information, see Source Metadata References.

Transformation Name

Edit column with formula

Parameter: Columns

All

Parameter: Formula

trimquotes(trim($col))

Results:

String

Description

My String

Base string: ""My String

My String extra

Base string + "" extra

My String

A space in front of base string

My String

A space after base string

MyString

No space between the two words of base string

My String

Two spaces between the two words of base string

My String

Base string + a tab character

My String

Base string + a return character

My String

Base string + a newline character