converts FASTA file to tabular format
fasta_to_tabular.py $input $output $keep_first
**What it does**
This tool converts FASTA formatted sequences to TAB-delimited format. The option *How many characters to keep?* allows to select a specified number of letters from the beginning of each FASTA entry.
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**Example**
Suppose you have the following FASTA formatted sequences from a Roche (454) FLX sequencing run::
>EYKX4VC02EQLO5 length=108 xy=1826_0455 region=2 run=R_2007_11_07_16_15_57_
TCCGCGCCGAGCATGCCCATCTTGGATTCCGGCGCGATGACCATCGCCCGCTCCACCACG
TTCGGCCGGCCCTTCTCGTCGAGGAATGACACCAGCGCTTCGCCCACG
>EYKX4VC02D4GS2 length=60 xy=1573_3972 region=2 run=R_2007_11_07_16_15_57_
AATAAAACTAAATCAGCAAAGACTGGCAAATACTCACAGGCTTATACAATACAAATGTAA
Running this tool while setting **How many characters to keep?** to **14** will produce this::
EYKX4VC02EQLO5 TCCGCGCCGAGCATGCCCATCTTGGATTCCGGCGCGATGACCATCGCCCGCTCCACCACGTTCGGCCGGCCCTTCTCGTCGAGGAATGACACCAGCGCTTCGCCCACG
EYKX4VC02D4GS2 AATAAAACTAAATCAGCAAAGACTGGCAAATACTCACAGGCTTATACAATACAAATGTAA