This command allows you to "strip", i.e. remove, control characters from text files. It is most often used on text files received via modem, or on text files brought over to Macintosh format from other computers.
Selecting this command causes a setup dialog box to appear. Select the strip options you want, then click "OK" to begin stripping†, or "Cancel" to backout.
The different options are:
• Remove Low ASCII: if this is checked, ascii characters of value between 1 and 31 EXCEPT:
Tab (9)
Linefeed (10)
Carriage Return (13)
are removed.
• Remove Nulls: if this is checked, null characters (ascii 0) are removed.
• Remove DEL: if this is checked, Del characters (ascii 127) are removed.
• Remove LFs: if this is checked, linefeed characters (ascii 10), are removed.
• Convert LF to CR: if this is checked, linefeed characters are converted to carriage returns (ascii 13).
• If neither of these are checked, linefeeds are unaffected.
• Remove High ASCII: if this is checked, high-ascii characters (i.e. those with a value equal to or greater than 128) are removed.
• Convert High ASCII: if this is checked, high-ascii characters are converted by clearing their high-bit, i.e. subtracting 128 from their value.
• If neither of these are checked, high-ascii characters are unaffected.
• Tabs to ( ) Spaces: if this is checked, tab characters (ascii 9) are converted to the indicated number of space characters (ascii 32).
• ( ) Spaces to Tabs: if this is checked, groups of the indicated number of space characters are converted to a single tab character.
• If neither is checked, tabs and spaces are unaffected.
• Use Filter file: if this option is checked, all the above options are ignored; instead, you select a "filter file", a specially formatted text file that specifies the stripping process. By using a filter file, you can specify a string of up to 255 characters (or no characters) that will replace each ascii character. See the Bat Filer documentation for more info on filter files.
• Strip Copies: if this option is checked, the original text files will not be stripped; instead copies are created and those are stripped, leaving your original files untouched.
