Oct 02 2012

Convert Text Files From DOS to Unix Format

Here’s a quick tip if you happen to use both Windows and *nix systems on a regular basis.

If you need to edit and move text files (such as HTML or PHP files) between systems then you need to convert them to ensure that their format new lines are created properly then you might find dos2unix (and unix2dos) as handy utilities.

New lines are handled different between DOS/Windows and Unix/Linux systems. There are invisible “control characters” that control how new lines are represented with an LF (or linefeed character) under UNIX/Linux operating systems and CR+LF (carriage return and line feed characters) under DOS/Windows operating systems.

For most people, you won’t need to worry about this particularly if you’re using an FTP application to transfer files between a local computer and a remote server as it takes car of this conversion for you but if you e-mail files or get at files through other means such as network shares then you might need to use dos2unix or unix2dos to do the text file conversion for you.

Boydo

My name is Boyd and I’m a Service Management Specialist with a knack for operational data gathering, transformation, analysis and reporting.

In 2012, I obtained my Masters of Science in Information Technology through the University of New South Wales @ The Australia Defence Force Academy (UNSW@ADFA).

I was also part of an online community known as the Panasonic Insider Crew in the capacity of “Insider Guru” for Panasonic Australia where I interacted with other tech enthusiasts and find out more about Panasonic's latest gadgets.

I love technology, gadgets, and the Internet and maintain a keen interest in these areas locally, nationally, and globally. I hope by sharing my views on these topics that people will receive an honest point of view from someone with a genuine interest in these topics.

I have also written and edited articles for Neowin - you can check out my articles over @ https://www.neowin.net/news/poster/boyd_chan

I hope you enjoy reading my blog!

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