ffe ☆
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Description:
Parse flat file structures and print them in different formats
Type: Formula  |  Latest Version: 0.3.9a@0  |  Tracked Since: Dec 17, 2025
Links: Homepage  |  formulae.brew.sh
Category: Developer tools
Tags: data-processing cli etl text-processing csv
Install: brew install ffe
About:
Ffe (Flat File Extractor) is a command-line tool designed to parse structured and unstructured flat file data, such as CSV or fixed-width formats. It allows users to define record layouts and transform the extracted data into various output formats like CSV, XML, or SQL. This utility is essential for data migration and integration tasks where data needs to be reshaped for different systems.
Key Features:
  • Define custom record layouts using a simple configuration file
  • Support for multiple output formats including CSV, XML, and SQL
  • Handles both fixed-width and delimited flat files
  • Command-line interface for easy scripting and automation
Use Cases:
  • Converting legacy mainframe data exports into modern database-compatible formats
  • Parsing log files or data dumps with irregular structures for analysis
  • Generating SQL INSERT statements from flat file data for database population
Alternatives:
  • csvkit – csvkit is specialized for CSV files, while ffe is more versatile with custom layouts for various flat file types.
  • awk/sed – Standard Unix tools like awk/sed require complex scripting for parsing, whereas ffe uses declarative configuration files.
License: GPL-2.0-or-later
Bottles available for: arm64_tahoe, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_ventura, sonoma, ventura, arm64_linux, x86_64_linux
Version History
Detected Version Rev Change Commit
Sep 13, 2025 7:33pm 0.3.9a 0 VERSION_BUMP a2794f12
Dec 23, 2024 4:15am 0.3.9a 0 VERSION_BUMP 8b6da83f
Sep 13, 2024 5:29am 0.3.9a 0 VERSION_BUMP 17932d3c
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