Timeline Exploder

A lightweight, browser-based CSV/JSON/SQLite explorer for large tabular datasets. Inspired by Eric Zimmerman's Timeline Explorer.

What It Does

• Opens local .csv, .json and sqlite files directly in the browser,
• Supports CSV with or without header row,
• Supports JSON as:
  • [{...}, {...}] (array of objects)
  • [[...], [...]] (array of arrays)
  • { "rows": [...] }
• Renders a scrollable data grid with sticky headers and sticky selection column,
• Provides interactive analysis controls (filter/sort/group/reorder/resize),
• Virtualised rendering for larger files, for more seamless scrolling,
• Global search and find next support.

Core Features

File Handling

• Open File button and File > Open... menu
• Automatic parsing and normalization of CSV/JSON values
• Support for SQLite databases with multiple tables

Filtering & Search

• Per-column filters in each header (applied on Enter)
• Global search bar in meta row (Search) across all columns to filter down results in the table
• Find in visible table in meta row (Find) to find instances of a string across the table
• Advanced query bar for complex boolean filtering

Keyboard Shortcuts

These shortcuts are available after a dataset is loaded:

• Cmd/Ctrl+O Open file
• Cmd/Ctrl+F Show Find bar
• F3 Next Find match
• Shift+F3 Previous Find match
• Alt+G Focus Global Search
• Alt+A Focus/open Advanced Search
• Alt+F Clear all filters
• Alt+V Copy visible rows
• Alt+S Copy selected rows
• Alt+B Clear grouping (when grouping is active)
• Esc Close open overlays/menus/context menus

Advanced Query

Use the Advanced Search control to apply complex filters across rows. Columns can be dragged to the query bar too, instead of typing.

Syntax

• Boolean operators: AND, OR, NOT
• Parentheses for grouping: ( ... )
• Free text term (searches all visible fields): failed
• Field contains: field:value
• Field equals: field=value
• Field not equals: field!=value
• Comparisons: field>value, field>=value, field<value, field<=value
• Regex: /timeout|denied/i
• Quoted field names are supported: "User Agent":chrome

Examples

• status:failed AND (user:admin OR user:root)
• clientcountry=ro AND score>=50
• NOT action:allow
• "Event Time">2025-01-01 00:00:00

Grouping / Drill Down

• Drag a column header to Drop column here to group
• Add multiple grouped fields by dropping more columns
• Reorder grouped fields by dragging grouped chips in the meta row
• Remove one grouped field via chip ×
• Clear all grouped fields via grouped-area ×
• Expand/collapse grouped sections to drill into nested levels