BIONODE Open Access Tools

Function

Merging columns combines data from two separate columns into a single column. This is useful for creating composite identifiers, labels, keys, and consolidated fields.

---

Input Format

• CSV file containing tabular data.
• Two column indices specifying columns to merge.

---

Output Format

• CSV file containing merged column values.
• Original data structure preserved.

---

Applications

• Combine first name and last name fields.
• Create genomic identifiers.
• Generate composite keys for database joins.
• Prepare labels for plots and reports.
• Reformat data for downstream analysis tools.

---

Example

Input:

Gene,Transcript
BRCA1,NM_007294
TP53,NM_000546

Merged:

BRCA1_NM_007294
TP53_NM_000546

---

Example Using AWK

awk -F',' 'BEGIN{OFS=","}
{
    print $0, $1"_"$2
}' input.csv > merged.csv

---

Example Using Python

import pandas as pd

df = pd.read_csv("input.csv")

df["merged"] = (
    df.iloc[:,0].astype(str)
    + "_"
    + df.iloc[:,1].astype(str)
)

df.to_csv("merged.csv", index=False)

---

Suggested Reading

• Pandas Documentation
• CSVKit Documentation
• GNU Awk User Guide

---

Important Notes

• Input file must be CSV format.
• Column numbering starts from 1.
• Selected columns must exist in the file.
• Large files may require additional processing time.
• Merged values are typically joined using an underscore separator.