Tablizer

Convert YAML to BBCode Online

Paste a YAML table below, edit it if you need to, and get BBCode back. The conversion runs in your browser, so nothing is uploaded, there is no size limit and there is no signup.

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Nothing here is uploaded. The parsing happens on this page.
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The output will appear here once there is a table to convert.

What YAML is

YAML uses indentation instead of brackets. It is a superset of JSON, supports comments, and is meant to be edited by hand.

Kubernetes manifests, CI pipelines, Ansible playbooks and most modern config files.

What BBCode is

BBCode uses square-bracket tags. Table support is not universal, but table, tr, th and td are widely implemented.

phpBB, vBulletin and forum software descended from them.

What changes when you convert YAML to BBCode

A YAML list of maps reads as rows and columns directly. Anchors and aliases are resolved before the table is built, so a repeated block arrives expanded rather than as a reference.

Check that your forum has table tags enabled. Many boards ship with them switched off.

What carries over from YAML to BBCode

YAML records 5 things about a table that BBCode has no way to hold.

YAML distinguishes a number from the text of a number; BBCode does not, so every value arrives as text and has to be re-parsed by whatever reads it next.

An empty cell and a missing one are the same thing in BBCode, so a null and an empty string in the YAML both come out blank and can no longer be told apart.

YAML can hold a value that is itself a list or an object. BBCode has only flat cells, so nested values are flattened into one cell rather than being spread across columns.

A line break inside a cell ends the row in BBCode, so line breaks are replaced rather than carried through.

The keys stop being repeated: BBCode writes the column names once at the top, so the same table takes noticeably less space.

BBCode is the end of the line for this data. Reading the table back out of it is a separate and much harder problem than writing it, so keep the YAML if you will need the values again.

The identifier 007 comes out of the BBCode as 007. Reading it as a number would have made it 7, and an id that changes value is worse than one that stays text.

The role "Analyst, data" survives with its comma, in one cell rather than split across two. That is the first thing to check in any converted table, and the usual place a BBCode file goes wrong.

The quotes around Jonah "Jo" Pryce are left as a plain quote character in the BBCode.

A worked example

Three rows of staff data, with an identifier that has a leading zero, a value containing a comma, a value containing quotes and one blank cell. Those are the four places formats disagree, so they are the four places to look.

YAML in
- id: "007"
  name: Halima Yusuf
  role: Analyst, data
  started: "2024-03-15"
  hours: "38.5"
- id: "012"
  name: Jonah "Jo" Pryce
  role: Engineer
  started: "2025-11-02"
  hours: ""
- id: "104"
  name: Wei Chen
  role: Manager
  started: "2023-06-30"
  hours: "40"
BBCode out
[table]
  [tr][th]id[/th][th]name[/th][th]role[/th][th]started[/th][th]hours[/th][/tr]
  [tr][td]007[/td][td]Halima Yusuf[/td][td]Analyst, data[/td][td]2024-03-15[/td][td]38.5[/td][/tr]
  [tr][td]012[/td][td]Jonah "Jo" Pryce[/td][td]Engineer[/td][td]2025-11-02[/td][td][/td][/tr]
  [tr][td]104[/td][td]Wei Chen[/td][td]Manager[/td][td]2023-06-30[/td][td]40[/td][/tr]
[/table]

Questions

How do I convert YAML to BBCode?

Paste your YAML into the box above or drop the file onto it. Check the table in the grid, then copy or download the BBCode from the output panel. It takes one step and the data never leaves your browser.

Why did my YAML value change meaning?

YAML reads several bare words as booleans. In the 1.1 spec that includes yes, no, on and off, which is why a country column containing NO for Norway can arrive as false. Quote values you want kept as text.

Can I convert the BBCode back to YAML afterwards?

Not mechanically. BBCode keeps how the table looks, not what it held, so going back means reading the values off the page again. Keep the YAML if you will need it.

Will my numbers still be numbers?

They will read the same, but BBCode stores them as text. Anything that sorts or sums the result will need to parse them first, and a leading zero or a currency symbol is the usual place that goes wrong.

What happens to nested values?

BBCode has no nested cell, so a list or object inside a YAML value is flattened into a single cell rather than expanded into extra columns. Split it before converting if the parts need to be separate.

One of my cells has a line break in it - what happens?

A line break would end the row in BBCode, so it is replaced instead of carried through. The rest of the cell stays where it belongs.

Is there a limit on file size?

No. The work happens on your own machine, so the limit is your machine's memory rather than an upload cap. A file with tens of thousands of rows converts in a second or two.

Is my data uploaded anywhere?

No. The parsing and generating are done by JavaScript running on this page. You can watch the network tab while you convert and see that nothing is sent.

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