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List biggest files
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Show subdir sizes
Search in files
Replace word in files
List dir differences
Send files in LAN

Free Open Source:

Swiss File Knife

a command line
multi function tool.

remove tabs
list dir sizes
find text
filter lines
find in path
collect text
instant ftp or
http server
file transfer
send text
patch text
patch binary
run own cmd
convert crlf
dup file find
md5 lists
fromto clip
hexdump
split files
list latest
compare dirs
save typing
trace http
echo colors
head & tail
dep. listing
find classes
speed shell
zip search
zip dir list

Depeche View
Source Research
First Steps

windows GUI
automation

command line
file encryption

free external tools,
zero install effort,
usb stick compliant:

zip and unzip
diff and merge
reformat xml
reformat source

cpp sources

log tracing
mem tracing
hexdump
using printf

articles

embedded
stat. c array
stat. java array
var. c array
var. java array
view all text
as you type
surf over text
find by click
quick copy
multi view
find nearby
fullscreen
bookmarks
find by path
expressions
location jump
skip accents
clip match
filter lines
edit text
highlight
load filter
hotkey list
receive text
send in C++
send in Java
smooth scroll
touch scroll
fly wxWidgets
fly over Qt
search Java

How to convert UCS-2 and UTF-8 unicode to and from Ansi, on the Windows command line with the Swiss File Knife tool.
  • Download the free Swiss File Knife Base from Sourceforge.
  • Open the Windows CMD command line, Mac OS X Terminal or Linux shell.
  • OS X : type mv sfk-mac-64.exe sfk and chmod +x sfk then ./sfk
  • Linux: type mv sfk-linux-64.exe sfk and chmod +x sfk then ./sfk. OS X and Linux syntax may differ, check the help within the tool.
sfk unicode support:

1. commands with real unicode conversion

sfk wtoa   convert UCS-2 wide character data to 8-bit data
           in the Ansi codepage of your Windows system.
           cannot convert characters outside your codepage.
sfk atow   convert 8-bit Ansi codepage data to UCS-2 wide chars.
sfk wtou   convert UCS-2 wide character data to 8-bit UTF-8.
sfk utow   convert 8-bit UTF-8 data to UCS-2 wide characters.
sfk utoa   convert UTF-8 to Ansi. cannot convert characters
           outside your codepage.
sfk atou   convert Ansi to UTF-8.

2. primitive generic reading of wide character files

by default, sfk commands that need to read TEXT files will
skip utf-16 (ucs-2, wide char) files, as they look like binary,
containing zero bytes.

you may set option "-wchar" to activate utf-16 detection and decoding
for file READING, allowing to search for words also in unicode files.

-wchar works with text processing commands like sfk filter and sfk find.
(sfk hexfind will ignore the option, as it reads everything as binary)

the decoding is primitive and simply strips every 2nd byte,
meaning that only Latin characters can be searched.

NOTE: option "-wchar" is experimental and shall not be used if you want
      to write any text file contents! (e.g. with sfk filter ... -write)
      during write, the utf-16 format will be replaced by a primitive
      plain ascii format (NOT a proper conversion - sfk will just
      drop every 2nd byte from the file) which is often not desirable.

see also
   sfk help chars   about codepages
   sfk help nocase  about case insensitive search

examples
   sfk -wchar filter mydir -+foo
      filter "foo" in all text files of mydir, including utf-16.
   sfk -wchar find mydir foobar
      find "foobar" in all files of mydir, including utf-16.
sfk unicode support:

1. commands with real unicode conversion

sfk wtoa   convert UCS-2 wide character 
           data to 8-bit data in the Ansi
           codepage of your Windows system.
           cannot convert characters
           outside your codepage.
sfk atow   convert 8-bit Ansi codepage 
           data to UCS-2 wide chars.
sfk wtou   convert UCS-2 wide character 
           data to 8-bit UTF-8.
sfk utow   convert 8-bit UTF-8 data to 
           UCS-2 wide characters.
sfk utoa   convert UTF-8 to Ansi. cannot 
           convert characters outside your
           codepage.
sfk atou   convert Ansi to UTF-8.

2. primitive generic reading of wide 
character files

by default, sfk commands that need to read 
TEXT files will skip utf-16 (ucs-2, wide
char) files, as they look like binary,
containing zero bytes.

you may set option "-wchar" to activate 
utf-16 detection and decoding
for file READING, allowing to search for 
words also in unicode files.

-wchar works with text processing commands 
like sfk filter and sfk find. (sfk hexfind
will ignore the option, as it reads
everything as binary)

the decoding is primitive and simply strips 
every 2nd byte, meaning that only Latin
characters can be searched.

NOTE: option "-wchar" is experimental 
and shall not be used if you want
      to write any text file contents! 
    (e.g. with sfk filter ... -write)
      during write, the utf-16 format will 
      be replaced by a primitive plain
      ascii format (NOT a proper conversion
      - sfk will just drop every 2nd byte
      from the file) which is often not
      desirable.

see also
   sfk help chars   about codepages
   sfk help nocase  about case 
 insensitive search

examples sfk -wchar filter mydir -+foo filter "foo" in all text files of mydir, including utf-16. sfk -wchar find mydir foobar find "foobar" in all files of mydir, including utf-16.

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sfk is a free open-source tool, running instantly without installation efforts. no DLL's, no registry changes - just get sfk.exe from the zip package and use it (binaries for windows, linux and mac are included).

 

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