RECODE

Section: User Commands (1)
Updated: September 2020
Page Index

NAME

recode - converts files between character sets

SYNOPSIS

recode [,OPTION/]... [ [,CHARSET/] ,| REQUEST /[,FILE/]... ]

DESCRIPTION

Recode converts files between various character sets and surfaces.

If a long option shows an argument as mandatory, then it is mandatory for the equivalent short option also. Similarly for optional arguments.

Listings:

-l, --list[=,FORMAT/]: list one or all known charsets and aliases
-k, --known=,PAIRS/: restrict charsets according to known PAIRS list
-h, --header[=,[LN//]NAME]: write table NAME on stdout using LN, then exit
-T, --find-subsets: report all charsets being subset of others
-C, --copyright: display Copyright and copying conditions
--help: display this help and exit
--version: output version information and exit

Operation modes:

-v, --verbose: explain sequence of steps and report progress
-q, --quiet, --silent: inhibit messages about irreversible recodings
-f, --force: force recodings even when not reversible
-t, --touch: touch the recoded files after replacement
-i, -p, --sequence=,STRATEGY/: ignored for backwards compatibility

Fine tuning:

-s, --strict: use strict mappings; discard untranslatable characters
-d, --diacritics: convert only diacritics and special characters for HTML/LaTeX/BibTeX
-S, --source[=,LN/]: limit recoding to strings and comments as for LN
-c, --colons: use colons instead of double quotes for diaeresis
-g, --graphics: approximate IBMPC rulers by ASCII graphics
-x, --ignore=,CHARSET/: ignore CHARSET while choosing a recoding path

Option -l with no FORMAT nor CHARSET list available charsets and surfaces. FORMAT is `decimal', `octal', `hexadecimal' or `full' (or one of `dohf'). Unless DEFAULT_CHARSET is set in environment, CHARSET defaults to the locale dependent encoding, determined by LC_ALL, LC_CTYPE, LANG. With -k, possible before charsets are listed for the given after CHARSET, both being tabular charsets, with PAIRS of the form `BEF1:AFT1,BEF2:AFT2,...' and BEFs and AFTs being codes are given as decimal numbers. LN is some language, it may be `c', `perl' or `po'; `c' is the default.

REQUEST is SUBREQUEST[,SUBREQUEST]...; SUBREQUEST is ENCODING[..ENCODING]... ENCODING is [CHARSET][/[SURFACE]]...; REQUEST often looks like BEFORE..AFTER, with BEFORE and AFTER being charsets. An omitted CHARSET implies the usual charset; an omitted [/SURFACE]... means the implied surfaces for CHARSET; a / with an empty surface name means no surfaces at all. See the manual.

Each FILE is recoded over itself, destroying the original. If no FILE is specified, then act as a filter and recode stdin to stdout.

AUTHOR

Written by François Pinard <pinard@iro.umontreal.ca>.

REPORTING BUGS

Report bugs at https://github.com/rrthomas/recode

COPYRIGHT

Copyright © 1990-2018 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
This is free software; see the source for copying conditions. There is NO warranty; not even for MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.