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Selecting and Filtering Rows

Row selection in VisiData is the foundation of all bulk operations: delete, export, aggregate, and filter. Selected rows appear highlighted in yellow and serve as the target for g-prefixed commands.

Learning Focus

Master the four selection methods — single row, regex, Python expression, and value match — and the workflow of selecting rows then opening a filtered sheet with ".

Basic Row Selection​

KeyAction
sSelect current row
uUnselect current row
tToggle selection of current row
gsSelect all rows
guUnselect all rows
gtToggle selection of all rows
{Jump to previous selected row
}Jump to next selected row

Select by Regex​

|   regex      select rows where current column matches regex
\   regex      unselect rows where current column matches regex

g|  regex      select rows where ANY visible column matches regex
g\  regex      unselect rows where ANY visible column matches regex

Example:

# Move cursor to 'status' column
|
# Enter: active
# All rows with 'active' in status column are selected (yellow)

Select by Python Expression​

z|  expr       select rows matching Python expression in current column
z\  expr       unselect rows matching Python expression

Example:

# Select all rows where salary > 50000
z|
# Enter: salary > 50000

# Select rows where hostname starts with 'web'
z|
# Enter: hostname.startswith('web')

Select by Matching Value​

,   (comma)    select rows matching display value of current cell in current column
g,             select rows matching display value of current row in all visible columns
z,             select rows matching typed value of current cell in current column

Example:

# Move cursor to a cell containing 'Singapore'
,
# All rows where the same column = 'Singapore' are selected

Open a Filtered Sheet​

After selecting rows, press " to open a new sheet containing only the selected rows:

"              open new sheet with only selected rows
g"             open new sheet with ALL rows (unfiltered copy)
gz"            open new sheet with deep copy of selected rows

This creates a non-destructive derived sheet — the source is unchanged.

Sorting Rows​

[              sort ascending by current column
]              sort descending by current column
g[             sort ascending by all key columns
g]             sort descending by all key columns
z[             sort ascending — keep higher priority sort criteria
z]             sort descending — keep higher priority sort criteria
info

Sorting is done in-place on the current sheet. To preserve the original order, open a copy with g" first.

Practical Use Cases​

Export Active Servers to CSV​

vd /tmp/servers.csv

# Move to 'status' column
# Select active rows
|
# Enter: active

# Open filtered sheet
"

# Save filtered result
Ctrl+S
# Enter: /tmp/active_servers.csv

Find and Delete Error Rows​

vd /tmp/data.csv

# Select all rows where 'status' contains 'error'
|
# Enter: error

# Delete selected rows
gd
# (prompts for confirmation if quitguard is on)

# Save cleaned file
Ctrl+S
# Enter: cleaned_data.csv

Filter High-Value Orders​

vd /var/www/html/exports/orders.csv

# First, cast 'amount' to float: move cursor to column, press %
# Then select high-value rows
z|
# Enter: amount > 1000

# Open filtered sheet for export
"
Ctrl+S
# Enter: /tmp/high_value_orders.csv

Troubleshooting Matrix​

ProblemCauseFix
`` selects no rowsRegex is wrong
`z` throws errorColumn not typed correctly
, selects wrong rowsCell display value vs stored valueUse z, for typed value match
" creates empty sheetNo rows selectedPress s or gs first

Best Practices​

  • Always verify your selection count (shown in status bar) before running bulk operations like gd (delete).
  • Use z| with Python expressions for complex business logic filtering that regex cannot express.
  • Use " to create a working copy before destructive edits — the source is always preserved.

Hands-On Practice​

cat > /tmp/servers.csv << 'EOF'
hostname,role,status,region
web01,webserver,active,sg
web02,webserver,standby,sg
db01,database,active,kl
cache01,cache,active,sg
monitor01,monitoring,standby,jk
EOF

vd /tmp/servers.csv

# 1. Move to 'status' column, press | and type: active
# 2. Count selected rows in status bar
# 3. Press " to open filtered sheet
# 4. Press Ctrl+S → save as /tmp/active.csv
# 5. Press q → return to source
# 6. Press gu → deselect all

What's Next​