Format Flip: Controlling the Output

The AI wrote a great answer, but it’s a wall of text. Now you have to spend 20 minutes copying and pasting it into Excel.

Stop. The AI can do that for you.

In this guide, we will master Output Parsing to get the data exactly how you need it.

1. The “Default” Mode

By default, AI writes in conversational paragraphs. This is bad for data. * Prompt: “List the top 5 planets.” * Result: “Sure! The top 5 planets are Jupiter, which is big, and Saturn…”

2. The Magic Formats

You can force the AI into almost any structure.

The CSV / Table

• Prompt: “List the planets. Output as a Markdown Table with columns: Name, Radius, Distance from Sun.”
• Result: A perfect table you can paste into Excel.

The Code Block (JSON/XML)

• Prompt: “Give me the data in JSON format.”
• Result: Perfect for developers.

The Bullet List

• Prompt: “No paragraphs. Just a bulleted list.”

3. The “No Yapping” Rule

AI loves to say “Here is the table you asked for.” * The Fix: Add “Output ONLY the table. Do not include any conversational filler.”

4. Visualizing the Shift

Look at the Format Shifter on the right.

The raw data is the same (the planets). but the “Container” changes. The visual shows the text morphing from a blob into a structured grid.

Perfecting the Content

The format is right. But is the content good? Let’s make the AI check its own work in: The Critic Loop.