# Converting array of strings to array of dict

**URL:** <https://discuss.elastic.co/t/converting-array-of-strings-to-array-of-dict/25219>\
**Category:** Logstash\
**Created:** [July 9, 2015, 8:39am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/converting-array-of-strings-to-array-of-dict/25219 "2015-07-09T08:39:57Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Giulio\_Eulisse](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/giulio_eulisse/32/3636_2.png) [@Giulio\_Eulisse](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/Giulio_Eulisse)\
**Post date:** [July 9, 2015, 8:39am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/converting-array-of-strings-to-array-of-dict/25219/1 "2015-07-09T08:39:57Z")

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Hi,

I've data that gets parsed to:

{...  
message =\> ["line1: message1", "line2: message2"]  
}

and I can mutate it easily to:

{...  
"lines" =\> [1,2]  
"text" =\> ["message1", "message2"]  
}

via:

grok {"message"=\> "line(?[0-9]_):(?._)"}

however what I'd like is to have:

{...  
entries=\> [{"line": 1, "text": "message1"}, {"line": 2, "text": "message2"}]  
}

any idea of how to do that?

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**Author:** ![magnusbaeck](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/magnusbaeck/32/44943_2.png) [@magnusbaeck](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/magnusbaeck)\
**Post date:** [July 9, 2015, 10:13am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/converting-array-of-strings-to-array-of-dict/25219/2 "2015-07-09T10:13:14Z")

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It might be possible with a long series of "standard" filters, but a [ruby filter](https://www.elastic.co/guide/en/logstash/current/plugins-filters-ruby.html) would be the easiest way. You can access the input values via `event['message']` and set the output value by assigning to `event['entries']`.

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**Author:** ![Giulio\_Eulisse](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/giulio_eulisse/32/3636_2.png) [@Giulio\_Eulisse](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/Giulio_Eulisse)\
**Post date:** [July 9, 2015, 10:27am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/converting-array-of-strings-to-array-of-dict/25219/3 "2015-07-09T10:27:34Z")

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Ok. Thanks. That’s what I did in the end. Would be nice to have a  
“zip” filter.

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**Author:** ![system](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/original/3X/1/a/1ac57faf039f6b580b3f104ef42a2a89e41014de.png) [@system](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/system)\
**Post date:** [July 6, 2017, 5:35am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/converting-array-of-strings-to-array-of-dict/25219/4 "2017-07-06T05:35:12Z")

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