flip (1)

flip -h

flip [ -umvtsbz] file ...

flip [ -umvtsbz] -

toix [ -vtsbz] file ...

toms [ -vtsbz] file ...

flip is a file interchange program that converts text file formats between **ix and MS-DOS. It converts lines ending with carriage-return (CR) and linefeed (LF) to lines ending with just linefeed, or vice versa. If the special argument "-" is given, input is read from stdin and written to stdout.

flip has the following features:

flip will normally refuse to convert binary files. You can override this.

When asked to convert a file to the same format that it already has, flip causes no change to the file. Thus to convert all files to **IX format you can type

                    flip -u *

and all files will end up right, regardless of whether they were in MS-DOS or in **IX format to begin with. This also works in the opposite direction.

If a file contains isolated CR characters for underlining or overprinting, flip does not change them.

flip preserves file timestamps. You can override this.

flip preserves file permissions.

flip is written in C and will compile and run under MS-DOS/Turbo C, 4.3BSD, and System V.

flip accepts wildcards and multiple filenames on the command line.

If a user interrupt aborts flip, it does not leave behind any garbage files or cause corruption of the files being converted.

When converting from MS-DOS to **IX format, flip removes any trailing control Z (the last character in the file), but leaves embedded control Z characters unchanged. This minimizes the possibility of accidentally converting a binary file that contains a control Z near the beginning. You can override this and ask flip to recognize the first control Z found as end-of-file.

flip can be asked to strip the high (parity) bit as it converts a file.

flip is normally invoked as:

               flip -umhvtb file ...

One of -u, -m, or -h is required. Switches may be given separately or combined together after a dash. For example, the three command lines given below are equivalent:

               flip -uvt *.c
               flip -u -v -t *.c
               flip -u -vt *.c

On systems that allow a program to know its own name, flip may be renamed (or linked) to a file called toix for conversion to **IX format, or to a file called toms for conversion to MS-DOS format. When invoked with the name toix or toms, flip will act as if it were invoked with the -u or -m option respectively.

-u

Convert to **IX format (CR LF => LF, lone CR or LF unchanged, trailing control Z removed, embedded control Z unchanged).

-m

Convert to MS-DOS format (lone LF => CR LF, lone CR unchanged).

-h

Give a help message.

-v

Be verbose, print filenames as they are processed.

-t

Touch files (don't preserve timestamps).

-s

Strip high bit.

-b

Convert binary files too (else binary files are left unchanged).

-z

Truncate file at first control Z encountered.

Rahul Dhesi <[email protected]>.

unix2dos(1), dos2unix(1).