# Convert string to a format suitable for table
**URL:** https://discourse.nodered.org/t/convert-string-to-a-format-suitable-for-table/97634
**Category:** Dashboard
**Tags:** dashboard-2
**Created:** [15 June 2025 14:31 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/convert-string-to-a-format-suitable-for-table/97634 "2025-06-15T14:31:36Z")
**Posts on this page:** 6
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@MKaiser96](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/MKaiser96)
#### Post date: [15 June 2025 14:31 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/convert-string-to-a-format-suitable-for-table/97634/1 "2025-06-15T14:31:36Z")
Hello,
I would like to display the table with the table-node in dashboard 2. I have a string as an input. It looks like:
```auto
Device1:battery low;Device2:communication error;Device3:temperature error
```
How can I automatically convert the string into a format suitable for tables?
It should look like:
```auto
[
{
"Device": "Device1",
"Message": "battery low"
},
{
"Device": "Device2",
"Message": "communication error"
},
{
"Device": "Device3",
"Message": "temperature error"
}
]
```
Best regards
---
### Author:  [@Steve-Mcl](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/Steve-Mcl)
#### Post date: [15 June 2025 14:47 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/convert-string-to-a-format-suitable-for-table/97634/2 "2025-06-15T14:47:43Z")
> [@MKaiser96](#):
>
> I would like to display the table with the table-node in dashboard 2. I have a string as an input. It looks like:
>
> ```auto
> Device1:battery low;Device2:communication error;Device3:temperature error
>
> ```
What makes that string? Is it something you can control (so that it generates a valid JSON or CSV etc?)
---
### Author:  [@MKaiser96](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/MKaiser96)
#### Post date: [15 June 2025 14:51 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/convert-string-to-a-format-suitable-for-table/97634/3 "2025-06-15T14:51:29Z")
That string comes out of my smart home system. I don't think that I can control it.
---
### Author:  [@Steve-Mcl](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/Steve-Mcl)
#### Post date: [15 June 2025 14:52 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/convert-string-to-a-format-suitable-for-table/97634/4 "2025-06-15T14:52:37Z")
OK, if you cannot control or change the input data, then you could use a function node to split it up (there are other ways like JSONata) but here is an example in a function:
```auto
const inputString = msg.payload
const deviceMessages = inputString.split(';')
const result = deviceMessages.map(deviceMessage => {
const [device, message] = deviceMessage.split(':')
return {
Device: device.trim(),
Message: message.trim()
}
})
msg.payload = result
return msg
```
NOTE: I have not taken care of any edge cases or error handling!
---
### Author:  [@MKaiser96](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/MKaiser96)
#### Post date: [15 June 2025 15:01 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/convert-string-to-a-format-suitable-for-table/97634/5 "2025-06-15T15:01:22Z")
Thank you very much. The script works exactly as I need it to.
---
### Author:  [@system](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/system)
#### Post date: [29 June 2025 15:01 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/convert-string-to-a-format-suitable-for-table/97634/6 "2025-06-29T15:01:56Z")
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