How is this different from List Filter?

List Filter returns a new sub-list of every matching item with no positional information. List Item Finder instead reports each match's 1-based position in the original list (e.g. "3: apple"), which matters when you need to know where a value sits, not just whether it's present.

What's the difference between Exact, Contains, and Regex mode?

Exact requires the whole item to equal your search term character-for-character. Contains matches if the term appears anywhere inside the item. Regex treats your term as a JavaScript regular expression tested against each item.

What happens if the same value appears more than once?

Every matching occurrence is reported separately with its own position, so a value that appears three times shows up as three separate result lines.

Is the match case-sensitive?

Yes, Exact and Contains modes are case-sensitive plain string comparisons; use a regex with the "i" flag baked into the pattern (e.g. "(?i)" is not supported, write alternate cases) if you need case-insensitive regex matching.

List Item Finder - Search a List and See Match Positions

Overview

Introduction

Scanning a long pasted list to find where a specific value sits, or every place a term shows up, is tedious to do by eye once a list runs past a few dozen items.

List Item Finder searches your list for a term and reports every match with its original 1-based position, so you can locate values precisely instead of just confirming they exist somewhere.

What Is List Item Finder?

A search tool built specifically for delimited lists: it splits your input on a configurable separator (newline, comma, or a custom delimiter) rather than assuming one fixed format.

Each result line shows the item's original position in the list next to the matched value, preserving positional context that a plain filter would discard.

How List Item Finder Works

The input is split into items using the selected separator, then each item is tested against your search term using the chosen match mode: exact equality, substring containment, or a regular expression.

Matching items are collected in original order, each annotated with its 1-based index, and joined one per line in the output.

When To Use List Item Finder

Use it when you need to know exactly where a value lives in a list, for example locating a specific ID's row number before editing a spreadsheet-exported list by hand.

It's also useful for a quick regex-powered scan of a pasted list without writing a script.

Often used alongside List Filter, List Item Deleter and Repeating List Item Finder.

Features

Advantages

Reports exact 1-based positions, not just whether a match exists.
Three match modes cover exact lookups, loose substring search, and full regex power.
Works with any configurable separator, not just newline-delimited lists.

Limitations

Regex mode uses default JavaScript regex flags; add case-insensitivity or other behavior directly inside your pattern if needed.
Positions are always reported against the raw split list, so a trailing separator that produces an empty final item counts as a position too.

Examples

Exact match with a repeated value

Input

apple
banana
apple
cherry (exact: "apple")

Output

1: apple
3: apple

Both occurrences of "apple" are reported with their own position.

Contains match on a comma list

Input

apple pie,banana,pineapple (comma separator, contains: "apple")

Output

1: apple pie
3: pineapple

Any item containing "apple" anywhere is matched, including "pineapple".

Best Practices & Notes

Best Practices

Use Exact mode when you know the precise value you're looking for, to avoid unintended partial matches.
Switch to Regex mode for pattern-based lookups like matching a prefix, suffix, or format (e.g. an email domain).

Developer Notes

Matching runs against the raw split items using `String.prototype===`, `.includes()`, or a `new RegExp(term).test()` call depending on the selected mode; positions are derived from the item's index in the split array via `Array.prototype.forEach`.

List Item Finder Use Cases

Finding the row number of a specific value in an exported list before editing it elsewhere
Confirming how many times, and where, a value repeats in a pasted list
Running a quick regex search across a list without opening a code editor

Common Mistakes

Using Exact mode when you actually want a partial match, which returns no results if the item has any extra surrounding text.
Forgetting that Regex mode treats special characters like `.` and `*` as pattern syntax, not literal characters.

Tips

If a search returns no matches, try switching from Exact to Contains to rule out extra whitespace or surrounding text.
Pair with List Item Deleter once you've confirmed a match's position, to remove it precisely.

List Item Finder