String Escape/Unescape Tool
Escape and unescape strings for JavaScript, Python, C/C++, Java, SQL, JSON, and Regex. Essential for developers working with strings across different languages.
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How to Use the String Escape Tool
Single Mode
- Select your programming language from the dropdown menu
- Choose your operation: Escape or Unescape
- Enter or paste your string in the left text area
- The conversion happens automatically in real-time
- Click the "Copy" button to copy the result to your clipboard
Batch Mode
- Switch to "Batch" mode using the mode toggle
- Select your language and escape/unescape direction
- Upload a TXT or CSV file, or enter multiple strings (one per line)
- Click "Process Batch" to convert all items at once
- View results in a detailed table with success/error indicators
- Download results as TXT (plain output) or CSV (with input/output columns)
Batch mode is perfect for converting hundreds of strings at once. Simply upload a file or paste multiple lines, and get all results instantly with individual error handling.
Common Use Cases
- Preparing strings for code insertion - Escape special characters before using strings in source code
- Debugging string encoding issues - Visualize escape sequences in strings to identify problems
- Converting between language string formats - Move strings between JavaScript, Python, and other languages
- Escaping user input for security - Prevent SQL injection and other security vulnerabilities
- Regex pattern building - Escape special regex characters for literal string matching
- JSON data preparation - Properly escape strings before including them in JSON documents
Understanding String Escaping
String escaping is the process of converting special characters into escape sequences that can be safely included in string literals. For example, a newline character (which would normally break a string across multiple lines) is represented as \n in most programming languages. This allows you to include newlines, tabs, quotes, and other special characters within string literals without breaking the syntax of your code.
Different programming languages have different escape sequence rules. For instance, Python supports \a (alert/bell), while JavaScript doesn't. SQL uses doubled single quotes ('') for escaping, while most other languages use backslashes. Understanding these differences is crucial when working with strings across multiple languages.
Escape Sequence Reference Table
This table shows common escape sequences supported by different programming languages:
| Sequence | Description | JavaScript | Python | C/C++ | Java |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| \n | Newline | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| \t | Tab | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| \r | Carriage return | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| \" | Double quote | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| \' | Single quote | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| \\ | Backslash | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| \0 | Null character | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ |
| \uXXXX | Unicode (4 hex digits) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| \xXX | Hex character (2 digits) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ |
| \b | Backspace | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| \f | Form feed | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| \v | Vertical tab | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ |
| \a | Alert/bell | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ |
Language-Specific Notes
JavaScript
JavaScript supports template literals (backticks) with ${} for interpolation. It also supports \u{XXXXX} for Unicode code points beyond the basic multilingual plane.
Python
Python supports raw strings with the r prefix (e.g., r"C:\path\to\file") where backslashes are treated literally. Triple-quoted strings (""" or ''') can span multiple lines without needing \n.
C/C++
C and C++ strings are null-terminated, meaning \0 marks the end of a string. They also support octal sequences like \123 and the trigraph escape \? to prevent trigraph interpretation.
SQL
SQL uses single quotes for string literals. To include a single quote in a string, it's doubled: ''. Some SQL dialects (like MySQL) also support backslash escaping, which this tool handles.
JSON
JSON has strict escape rules defined by RFC 8259. All control characters (U+0000 through U+001F) must be escaped. JSON also requires escaping forward slashes in some contexts (\/).
Regex
Regular expressions have many special metacharacters (. * + ? ^ $ { } ( ) | [ ] \) that need escaping for literal matching. This tool escapes all of them so you can use arbitrary text in regex patterns.
Frequently Asked Questions
When should I escape strings?
Escape strings whenever you need to include special characters (like newlines, tabs, or quotes) in string literals within your code. Also escape strings when passing user input to prevent security vulnerabilities like SQL injection or XSS attacks.
What's the difference between JavaScript and Python escaping?
While both languages share many common escape sequences, Python supports additional sequences like \a (alert/bell) and raw strings (r"..."), while JavaScript supports template literals with interpolation. The core sequences (\n, \t, \", etc.) work the same in both.
How do I handle Unicode characters?
Most languages support \uXXXX for Unicode characters, where XXXX is the 4-digit hexadecimal code point. For example, \u00A9 represents the copyright symbol ©. JavaScript also supports \u{XXXXX} for code points beyond U+FFFF.
Is my data stored or transmitted?
No, all conversions happen locally in your browser using JavaScript. Your data never leaves your device, and no information is sent to any server.
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