The Input filter specifies where TextPipe obtains input from.

Input from file(s)

When this radio button is selected, the files given on the "Files to Process" tab will each be used in turn as a source of input data.

Binary files

Generally it isn’t useful to process binary files, because the application they are created by imposes structure on them (unlike text files). If you want all files to be processed (regardless of whether they appear to be binary), choose "Process". If you don’t want any binary files to be processed, choose "Skip". To be given a choice to process a file when TextPipe thinks that it is binary, choose "Prompt before processing".

To determine if a file is binary, TextPipe applies the following rules:

1. If four characters in a row have an ASCII code between 128 and 255, TextPipe immediately assumes the file is binary;
2. If any character read has an ASCII code less than 32 but is not one of the standard formatting codes of 9,10,12,13,26 or 27, TextPipe immediately assumes the file is binary;
3. If less than 80% of characters in the sample are readable, TextPipe assumes the file is binary. The number of characters in the sample can be configured using the Sample Size field.

This option can be enabled on the command line by using the /B=P (process binary files) or /B=S (skip binary files) option. The option to prompt cannot be chosen from the command line.

Sample Size

If you find that your binary files are not being identified correctly, you can increase the sample size of text that TextPipe examines to determine if a file is binary.

Confirm before processing each file

TextPipe will ask the user to confirm processing each of read only file that it encounters.

This option cannot be enabled from the command line.

Confirm before processing read only files

Before processing each file, TextPipe prompts the user to confirm that the file should be processed.

This option cannot be enabled from the command line.

Delete input files after processing

This option deletes the input files after they have been processed. It is useful when the original files are not required after transformation, but should be used with EXTREME CAUTION.

This option cannot be enabled from the command line.

Input from clipboard

When this radio button is selected, the current contents of the Windows clipboard is used as the source of input data.

Input from Trial Run Input

When this radio button is selected, TextPipe uses the contents of the Trial Run Input Area for its input. This is very handy to avoid having to save a text file to provide the input.

Generate Random Input of Size ...

This filter is used to generate files of a specific size, containing purely random data. The resulting file can be used as a test file for other applications. The data is generated by a pseudo-random number generator, and is different each time the filter is run. The characters generated are in the full ASCII range of 0 to 255 and have a normal distribution. The maximum file size than can be generated is 2147483647 bytes (2 GB).

See also

Output filter

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