Text Transformation and Formatting Tasks

Text transformation is one of the most immediately useful applications of AI automation. Whether you're reformatting documents, standardizing data, or converting between formats, AI can handle these tedious tasks in seconds. This lesson covers practical techniques for automating text-based work.

Common Text Transformation Scenarios

Reformatting Content

AI excels at taking content in one format and converting it to another. Common use cases include:

• Converting bullet points to numbered lists (or vice versa)
• Changing case (Title Case, UPPERCASE, lowercase, Sentence case)
• Converting plain text to markdown or HTML
• Reformatting dates (01/15/2024 → January 15, 2024)
• Standardizing phone numbers, addresses, or other data formats

Example: Format Conversion Prompt

Text Cleaning and Standardization

Messy data is everywhere. AI can clean it up quickly:

Removing Inconsistencies

• Extra spaces and line breaks
• Inconsistent punctuation
• Mixed formatting styles
• Duplicate information

Standardization Prompt Template

Clean and standardize the following [data type]:

Rules:
- [Specific rule 1]
- [Specific rule 2]
- [Specific rule 3]

Data to clean:
[Your messy data here]

Output format:
[Desired format description]

Practice: Data Cleaning

Try this prompt to clean up messy contact information:

Text Extraction and Parsing

AI can extract specific information from unstructured text:

Common Extraction Tasks

• Pull dates, names, or numbers from paragraphs
• Extract action items from meeting notes
• Identify key topics in long documents
• Parse structured data from free-form text

Extraction Prompt Pattern

Extract [what you need] from the following text.

Format the output as:
[Desired structure]

Text:
[Your source text]

Example: Extracting Action Items

Batch Text Processing

When you have multiple items to process the same way, use batch processing:

Batch Processing Template

Process each item below according to these rules:
[Your transformation rules]

Items:
1. [Item 1]
2. [Item 2]
3. [Item 3]
...

Output each transformed item with its original number.

Practice: Batch Title Formatting

Advanced: Multi-Step Transformations

Sometimes you need to chain transformations. Describe the full pipeline in your prompt:

Transform the following text through these steps:
1. First, [transformation 1]
2. Then, [transformation 2]
3. Finally, [transformation 3]

Show the final result only.

Text:
[Your text]

Creating Reusable Transformation Templates

For tasks you do repeatedly, create saved prompt templates:

Task	Template Start
Email cleanup	"Reformat this email to be more concise and professional..."
Data standardization	"Standardize the following [type] data using these rules..."
Format conversion	"Convert the following from [format A] to [format B]..."
Information extraction	"Extract [specific items] from the text and format as..."

Key Takeaways

• Text transformation is one of the quickest wins for AI automation
• Use clear rules and examples in your prompts for consistent results
• Batch processing saves time when handling multiple similar items
• Create reusable templates for transformations you do frequently
• Chain multiple transformations in a single prompt for complex conversions