TangoText converts a CSV to a fixed-length file in your browser. You set each field’s start position, length, alignment and padding character, add header and trailer records, and even define different layouts for different record types. Your file is never uploaded.
Free plan: 5 files/month. First 3 require no account at all.
TangoText reads your file locally and converts it using rules you define — no data ever leaves your machine.
Drag and drop or browse to your file. TangoText reads it instantly in your browser — nothing is uploaded.
Set each column's fixed width, alignment (left/right), and padding character. Reorder or exclude columns as needed.
Click Generate Output. TangoText writes the fixed-length file, and you download it directly to your computer.
Set exact character widths for each field. TangoText pads shorter values and cuts longer ones to fit, so check your widths against the longest value in each column.
Left-align text with trailing spaces or right-align numbers with leading zeros — exactly as your mainframe or ERP expects.
Need different record types in one file? Add more than one layout, each with its own start positions, lengths and padding. A layout applies to rows where a field equals, or starts with, a value you choose. Rows that match no layout use the default layout, and a layout can exclude its matching rows.
Add header and trailer records built from tokens: today’s date or date and time, file name, record count, total rows, count of rows where a field matches, sum of a field, count of a field, and custom text. Totals reflect only the rows actually written.
Standardise field values before output: normalize dates to YYYYMMDD, strip currency symbols, fix phone formats, and clean up case — all before the fixed-length file is written. Available free on all plans.
Before you export, TangoSense scans your data for PII columns, mixed date formats, blanks, and duplicate IDs — flagging anything worth fixing with one-click corrections. Nothing is uploaded.
Scramble, keep the format, or hide all but the last characters of sensitive fields before writing the output. Use a repeatable passphrase so masked files stay consistent across runs.
Save your column mapping, widths, and Format Values settings as a reusable template. Re-run next month's file in seconds (Solo & Team plans).
All processing runs in JavaScript in your browser tab. No server ever sees your data.
Open tangotext.com/app and start converting. Works in any modern browser.
Fixed-length files are often consumed by systems that expect exact formats. Format Values lets you standardise every field before it's written — no pre-processing step required. Free on all plans.
Normalize mixed formats — Mar 25, 2024 / 2024/03/25 / 25-Mar-2024 — to a consistent output like YYYYMMDD or any format your target system requires.
Control decimal places, remove or add commas, strip currency symbols ($1,234.50 → 1234.50), or zero-pad to a fixed digit count.
Convert to title case, uppercase, or lowercase. Trim leading/trailing spaces, remove unwanted characters. " jane SMITH " → "Jane Smith".
Reformat phone numbers to (416) 555-1234, SSN/SIN to 123-45-6789, and postal codes to their canonical forms.
You can write a script, use Excel, use an online converter, or use TangoText. Here is how they compare when the file contains payroll, HR or banking data.
| Method | Skill needed | Where your data goes | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Python (pandas) | Write and maintain a script | Your machine | Full control, but you code the padding, truncation and any header or trailer yourself. |
| Excel, Save as .prn | No code | Your machine | Widths come from the on-screen column widths, so you have to stretch columns to avoid cutting data. No header or trailer records, and limited control over padding. |
| Online converter websites | No code | Many upload your file to their server | Quick for simple files, but check the privacy terms before using one with sensitive data. |
| TangoText | No code | Your browser; the file is never uploaded | Per-field start, length, alignment and padding. Multi-record layouts, header and trailer records, Format Values, TangoSense, TangoCheck and data masking. |
Fixed-length files often carry payroll, benefits, banking or customer records. TangoText reads and converts your file entirely in your browser, so it is never sent to a server. You can also mask sensitive fields (scramble them, keep their format, or hide all but the last characters) before the output is written.
Free plan. No account needed for your first 3 files. Your data never leaves your browser.
Open TangoText free →No install. No upload. No credit card.