Some sfk commands support * and ? wildcards, as well as slash patterns like \t or \xnn.
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 wildcards and text patterns:
available wildcards:
* = any number of characters.
? = a single character.
available slash patterns:
\t = TAB
\q = double quote "
\r = carriage return
\n = linefeed
\xnn = any character with hexadecimal value nn,
e.g. \x09 is the same as \t (TAB)
\\ = the backslash \ itself
\* = the star '*' itself [only with some commands]
\? = quotation mark '?' [only with some commands]
support by commands:
if any command supports slash patterns,
- they are not active by default, except for commands
starting with "x" that use SFK Expressions.
- to use, say -spat directly after the command name:
sfk echo -spat "three\tlittle\ttabs\t."
prints: three little tabs .
- to activate slash patterns globally over multiple commands
of a command chain, say -spat directly after "sfk":
sfk -spat echo "two\ttabs" +filter -rep "x\tx_x"
prints: two_tabs
if any command supports wildcards,
- they are active by default.
- they can be deactivated by option -literal or -lit,
if you need to find/replace '*' or '?' characters themselves:
sfk echo "*** ok ***" +filter -lit -rep "_*_=_"
prints: === ok ===
- to deactivate globally over multiple commands of a chain,
say -literal directly after "sfk":
sfk -literal echo "*** ok ???" +filter -lit -rep "_?_!_"
prints: *** ok !!!
- another way to find/replace '*' or '?' is to say -spat
and then to use \* and \? patterns:
sfk echo "*** ok ***" +filter -spat -rep "_\*_=_"
prints: === ok ===
further reading:
sfk help options - general options reference
sfk help chain - about command chaining
sfk wildcards and text patterns:
available wildcards:
* = any number of characters.
? = a single character.
available slash patterns:
\t = TAB
\q = double quote "
\r = carriage return
\n = linefeed
\xnn = any character with hexadecimal
value nn,
e.g. \x09 is the same as \t (TAB)
\\ = the backslash \ itself
\* = the star '*' itself [only
with some commands]
\? = quotation mark '?' [only
with some commands]
support by commands:
if any command supports slash patterns,
- they are not active by default, except
for commands starting with "x" that
use SFK Expressions.
- to use, say -spat directly after the
command name:
sfk echo -spat "three\tlittle\
ttabs\t."
prints: three little tabs .
- to activate slash patterns globally
over multiple commands of a command
chain, say -spat directly after "sfk":
sfk -spat echo "two\ttabs" +filter
-rep "x\tx_x" prints: two_tabs
if any command supports wildcards,
- they are active by default.
- they can be deactivated by option
-literal or -lit, if you need to find/
replace '*' or '?' characters
themselves: sfk echo "*** ok ***"
+filter -lit -rep "_*_=_" prints:
=== ok ===
- to deactivate globally over multiple
commands of a chain, say -literal
directly after "sfk": sfk -literal
echo "*** ok ???" +filter -lit -rep
"_?_!_" prints: *** ok !!!
- another way to find/replace '*' or '?'
is to say -spat and then to use \* and
\? patterns: sfk echo "*** ok ***"
+filter -spat -rep "_\*_=_" prints:
=== ok ===
further reading:
sfk help options - general options
reference
sfk help chain - about command
chaining
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