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List biggest files
List newest files
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

Supersonic Text File Search - Free Download

Find words and byte sequences in binary files on the command line with the free Swiss File Knife for Windows, Mac OS X and Linux.
  • 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 hexfind [opts] -pat /pattern/ -dir anydir -file .ext1 [.ext2]

search text or binary data in text and binary files.
if multiple patterns are given then they are searched
independently (pattern1 OR pattern2).

this is a basic command to search only static data.
type sfk xhexfind to use wildcards and expressions.

subdirectories are included by default
   the sfk default for most commands is to process the given folders,
   as well as all subdirs within them. specify -nosub to disable this.

options
   -nosub        do not include files in subdirectories.
   -nobin[ary]   skip binary files.
   -case         case-sensitive text comparison. default is case-insensitive
                 comparison for all -text strings, but NOT for -bin blocks.
                 case-sensitive comparison is faster then case-insensitive.
                 for further details type: sfk help nocase
   -nocase       force case-insensitive comparison ALSO on -bin patterns.
   -text         starts a list of search patterns of the form /src/ or
                 /src/totext/ where / is the separator char, src the text
                 to search for, and totext a mask to reformat output.
                 any separator char can be used which is not part of the
                 search text, i.e. /foo/ or _foo_ both search "foo".
                 -text is not required if a single filename is given.
   -pat          the same as -text, starting a pattern list.
   -spat         same as -pat but also activates slash patterns like \t .
                 type "sfk help pat" for the list of possible patterns.
   -spats[trict] same as -spat, but stops with error on undefined
                 slash patterns like \m in C:\myproj. every slash
                 must then be escaped, e.g. using C:\\myproj.
   -bin[ary]     starts a list of binary replace patterns, specified
                 as hexcode like /0A0D/2020/
   -bylist x.txt read search patterns from a file x.txt, supporting
                 multiple lines per pattern. (add -full for more.)
   -bylinelist x read /from/to/ or just /from/ patterns from a file x
                 with one pattern per line. (add -full for more.)
                 -by(line)list does not support sfk variables.
                 to use variables in patterns create an sfk script
                 with patterns as parameters. "sfk script" for more.
   -arc          XE: include content of .zip .jar .tar etc. archives
                     as deep as possible, including nested archives.
                 XD: demo will read first 1000 bytes of each entry.
   -qarc         quick read top level archives but not nested ones.
   -firsthit     process only first found pattern match per file.
   -quiet        do not show progress infos.
   -stat         show statistics like hits per pattern and no. of files.
   -perf         show performance statistics.
   -full         print full help text telling about -bylist pat. files,
                 special character case sensitivity and nested or repeated
                 replace behaviour.

output options
   -wide         show 16 bytes per line in output.
   -lean         show  8 bytes per line in output.
   -context=n    show  n bytes of  context around results.
   -fullhead[er] print offset/length of hits both in decimal and hex.
   -maxdump=n    show up to n bytes only. n must be larger then context.
   -nodump       do not create a hexdump, list only matching files.
   -showle       highlight CR/LF line endings in hex dump output
   -context=n    with hexdump: show additional n bytes of context.
   -reldist      with hexdump: tell relative distances to previous hits.
   +tofile x     as last parameter (command chaining): write text as
                 displayed on terminal to a file x.
   -more[n]      pause output every 30 or n lines.

return codes for batch files
   0 = no matches, 1 = matches found, >1 = major error occurred.
   see also "sfk help opt" on how to influence error processing.

quoted multi line parameters are supported in scripts
   using full trim. type "sfk script" for details.

aliases
   sfk xhexfind is the same as xfind -hex
   to extract unmodified binary data you may use either
   sfk xfind -pure ... -tofile or sfk extract ... -tofile

office file support
   sfk ofind        search in .xml text file contents of
                    office files like .docx .xlsx .ods .odt.
   sfk help office  for more infos and options

see also
   --- open source commands ---
   sfk xfind     search  wildcard text in   plain text files
   sfk ofind     search  in office files    .docx .xlsx .ods
   sfk xfindbin  search  wildcard text in   text/binary files
   sfk xhexfind  search  in text/binary with hex dump output
   sfk extract   extract wildcard data from text/binary files
   sfk filter    filter  and edit text with simple wildcards
   sfk find      search  fixed    text in   text        files
   sfk findbin   search  fixed    text in   text/binary files
   sfk hexfind   search  fixed    text in        binary files
   sfk replace   replace fixed    text in   text/binary files
   --- freeware commands ---
   sfk view      GUI tool to search text as you type
   --- xe commercial commands ---
   sfk replace   replace fixed    text with high performance
   sfk xreplace  replace wildcard text in   text/binary files
   sfk help xe   about SFK XE and xreplace with SFK Expressions.

beware of Shell Command Characters.
   to find or replace text patterns containing spaces or special
   characters like <>|!&?* you must add quotes "" around parameters
   or the shell environment will destroy your command. for example,
   pattern /foo bar/other/ must be written like "/foo bar/other/"
   within a .bat or .cmd file the percent % must be escaped like %%
   even within quotes: sfk echo -spat "percent %% is a percent \x25"

web reference
   http://stahlworks.com/sfk-hexfind

common usage errors
   sfk hexfind in.txt "/foo\r\n/"
      will not find "foo" at line ends, but searches literal
      strings like "slash and r". add option -spat to enable
      slash patterns, converting \r\n to real CRLF codes,
      or use xhexfind where slash patterns are default.
   sfk hexfind mydir "/foo*bar/"
      will not find "foo" and "bar" with any characters
      inbetween, but searches a literal star "*".
      use xhexfind to enable search with wildcards.
   sfk rep in.txt "/foo[0.1000 bytes]bar/---/"
      will not replace up to 1000 bytes between "foo" and "bar",
      but replaces a literal string "foo" then "[1000 bytes]"
      then "bar". use xed or xreplace instead.

examples
   sfk hexfind -text "/foo/" "/bar/" -dir mydir -file .txt .hpp
      find words "foo" or "bar" case insensitive
      in all .txt or .hpp files in a folder mydir.
   sfk hexfind -binary /666f6f/ -dir mydir -file .exe +view
      find binary data with hex values 0x66, 0x6f, 0x6f
      in all .exe files of mydir and show result in dview.

 
sfk hexfind [opts] -pat /pattern/ -dir 
                     anydir -file .ext1 [.
                     ext2]

search text or binary data in text and 
binary files. if multiple patterns are
given then they are searched independently
(pattern1 OR pattern2).

this is a basic command to search only 
static data. type sfk xhexfind to use
wildcards and expressions.

subdirectories are included by default
   the sfk default for most commands is to 
   process the given folders, as well as
   all subdirs within them. specify -nosub
   to disable this.

options
   -nosub        do not include files in 
                 subdirectories.
   -nobin[ary]   skip binary files.
   -case         case-sensitive text 
                 comparison. default is
                 case-insensitive
                 comparison for all -text
                 strings, but NOT for -bin
                 blocks. case-sensitive
                 comparison is faster then
                 case-insensitive. for
                 further details type: sfk
                 help nocase
   -nocase       force case-insensitive 
                 comparison ALSO on -bin
                 patterns.
   -text         starts a list of search 
                 patterns of the form /src/
                 or /src/totext/ where / is
                 the separator char, src
                 the text to search for,
                 and totext a mask to
                 reformat output. any
                 separator char can be used
                 which is not part of the
                 search text, i.e. /foo/ or
                 _foo_ both search "foo".
                 -text is not required if a
                 single filename is given.
   -pat          the same as -text, 
                 starting a pattern list.
   -spat         same as -pat but also 
                 activates slash patterns
                 like \t . type "sfk help
                 pat" for the list of
                 possible patterns.
   -spats[trict] same as -spat, but stops 
                          with error on
                          undefined
                 slash patterns like \m in 
                 C:\myproj. every slash
                 must then be escaped, e.g.
                 using C:\\myproj.
   -bin[ary]     starts a list of binary 
                 replace patterns,
                 specified as hexcode like /
                 0A0D/2020/
   -bylist x.txt read search patterns from 
    a file x.txt, supporting
                 multiple lines per pattern.
                 (add -full for more.)
   -bylinelist x read /from/to/ or just 
    /from/ patterns from a file x
                 with one pattern per line. 
                 (add -full for more.)
                 -by(line)list does not
                 support sfk variables. to
                 use variables in patterns
                 create an sfk script with
                 patterns as parameters.
                 "sfk script" for more.
   -arc          XE: include content of 
                     .zip .jar .tar etc.
                     archives as deep as
                     possible, including
                     nested archives.
                 XD: demo will read first 
                     1000 bytes of each
                     entry.
   -qarc         quick read top level 
                 archives but not nested
                 ones.
   -firsthit     process only first found 
                 pattern match per file.
   -quiet        do not show progress infos.
   -stat         show statistics like hits 
                 per pattern and no. of
                 files.
   -perf         show performance 
                 statistics.
   -full         print full help text 
                 telling about -bylist pat.
                 files, special character
                 case sensitivity and
                 nested or repeated replace
                 behaviour.

output options
   -wide         show 16 bytes per line in 
                 output.
   -lean         show  8 bytes per line in 
                       output.
   -context=n    show  n bytes of  context 
                       around results.
   -fullhead[er] print offset/length of 
    hits both in decimal and hex.
   -maxdump=n    show up to n bytes only. n 
                 must be larger then
                 context.
   -nodump       do not create a hexdump, 
                 list only matching files.
   -showle       highlight CR/LF line 
                 endings in hex dump output
   -context=n    with hexdump: show 
                 additional n bytes of
                 context.
   -reldist      with hexdump: tell 
                 relative distances to
                 previous hits.
   +tofile x     as last parameter (command 
                 chaining): write text as
                 displayed on terminal to a
                 file x.
   -more[n]      pause output every 30 or n 
                 lines.

return codes for batch files
   0 = no matches, 1 = matches found, >1 
   = major error occurred. see also "sfk
   help opt" on how to influence error
   processing.

quoted multi line parameters are supported 
in scripts
   using full trim. type "sfk script" for 
   details.

aliases
   sfk xhexfind is the same as xfind -hex
   to extract unmodified binary data you 
   may use either sfk xfind -pure ...
   -tofile or sfk extract ... -tofile

office file support
   sfk ofind        search in .xml text 
                      file contents of
                    office files like .docx 
                    .xlsx .ods .odt.
   sfk help office  for more infos and 
                    options

see also
   --- open source commands ---
   sfk xfind     search  wildcard text in 
                         plain text files
   sfk ofind     search  in office files  
                         .docx .xlsx .ods
   sfk xfindbin  search  wildcard text in 
                         text/binary
                         files
   sfk xhexfind  search  in text/binary 
                         with hex dump
                         output
   sfk extract   extract wildcard data 
                 from text/binary files
   sfk filter    filter  and edit text 
                 with simple wildcards
   sfk find      search  fixed    text in 
                         text
                         files
   sfk findbin   search  fixed    text in 
                         text/binary
                         files
   sfk hexfind   search  fixed    text in 
                         binary
                         files
   sfk replace   replace fixed    text in 
                 text/binary files
   --- freeware commands ---
   sfk view      GUI tool to search text 
                 as you type
   --- xe commercial commands ---
   sfk replace   replace fixed    text 
                 with high performance
   sfk xreplace  replace wildcard text in 
                 text/binary files
   sfk help xe   about SFK XE and 
                 xreplace with SFK
                 Expressions.

beware of Shell Command Characters.
   to find or replace text patterns 
   containing spaces or special
   characters like <>|!&?* you
   must add quotes "" around parameters
   or the shell environment will destroy
   your command. for example, pattern /
   foo bar/other/ must be written like "/
   foo bar/other/" within a .bat or .cmd
   file the percent % must be escaped
   like %% even within quotes: sfk echo
   -spat "percent %% is a percent \x25"

web reference
   http://stahlworks.com/sfk-hexfind

common usage errors
   sfk hexfind in.txt "/foo\r\n/"
      will not find "foo" at line ends, but 
      searches literal strings like "slash
      and r". add option -spat to enable
      slash patterns, converting \r\n to
      real CRLF codes, or use xhexfind
      where slash patterns are default.
   sfk hexfind mydir "/foo*bar/"
      will not find "foo" and "bar" with 
      any characters inbetween, but
      searches a literal star "*". use
      xhexfind to enable search with
      wildcards.
   sfk rep in.txt "/foo[0.1000 
   bytes]bar/---/"
      will not replace up to 1000 bytes 
      between "foo" and "bar", but replaces
      a literal string "foo" then "[1000
      bytes]" then "bar". use xed or
      xreplace instead.

examples sfk hexfind -text "/foo/" "/bar/" -dir mydir -file .txt .hpp find words "foo" or "bar" case insensitive in all .txt or .hpp files in a folder mydir. sfk hexfind -binary /666f6f/ -dir mydir -file .exe +view find binary data with hex values 0x66, 0x6f, 0x6f in all .exe files of mydir and show result in dview.

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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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