Features
- Ease of Use: Immediately after you have added the files to be processed and entered the first amendment, you already see the first results and the files can be saved as new files. You can go into any detail at the functions, and exploit more and more opportunities. Despite these, the program's interface is also clear for the casual user.
- Batch Processing: It can be worked on any number of text files at the same time. The files can be easily added to the program, by being dragged from any folder of your computer in the file list. Additionaly, it is also possible to open single files or to search in folders (optionally with a customized filter to search for special file formats). After adding the files, only one click on "Convert" is necessary to apply all settings to all files. The settings are enabled only by clicking on them in the box "Actions" on the upper right.
- Using Regular Expressions: It is no problem to use regular expressions in the Text Converter when searching and replacing in files (including replacing with backreferences), deleting elements specified with regular expressions from texts, splitting text files at a position found with a regular expression (for example at a date) or searching in text files for regular expressions. With this functionality, you can do a lot of things, you can not do with a normal replacement function, for example you can strings from a special format to another special format or you can use the Text Converter as HTML Parser. For more information about regular expressions, see the page RegEx. All of the regular functions, also work with Unicode. So it is possible to use arguments like [A-Z] also with Cyrillic or other letters.
- On The Fly Conversions: With the On The Fly Conversions, you can change a text without opening a file. Simply copy the text to the TextConverter, do your changes and copy the text back to your clipboard.
- Preview: Without destroying the original file, you will see the effect of your settings in the preview box (bottom left) immediately after selecting an option. If you prefer, you can view the original file next to the changed file so that you are able to review any changes directly or, for example when replacing text, you can copy the text to be replaced direclty from the original source without opening this file. It is also possible to display only the original or the changed file individually, for example, if your screen is not big enough for a full presentation. Of course, furthermore, it is also possible to disable the preview at any time, for example when editing very large files or you have a slow computer, so the immediate display does not work smoothly.
- Direct File Access: You can link the Text Converter with arbitrary files or folders or show the program in the Send to menu, so that there are many possibilities to add files or complete folders from your explorer without opening the program before. See the page shortcuts for more information.
- Full Unicode Support: All of the functions listed on these pages can also be performed with Unicode characters. It does not matter whether you want to work with Unicode file names, delete some Chinese characters, replace Cyrillic, Greek or Hebrew letters or you want to insert special characters at a specific location.
- Replacing Text or Lines: You can replace any text passage (even multi-line text passages) by any other text (both can also be carried out with regular expressions). The same is possible in terms of lines. When replacing lines, you can simply indicate a line, that will be replaced by a text regardless of the content of this line. You can also apply more than one of these replacements at one time. For example, it is easily possible to replaced three lines with another text and replace some text parts at the same time.
- Insert Text: Any text can be inserted at any point in your original file. You can choose either to append the text at the end or the begin of your orginal file, at the end or the beginning of each line, or to insert the text in any line of the old file. Also at this action, you can run any number of changes at one time of course. For example you can add two texts at the beginning, one text at the end and some texts in some lines at one time.
- Delete Text or Lines: The file can be searched for any passages to delete it (you can also use regular expressions for that). Moreover, it is also possible to delete lines according to its line number regardless of its content. Of course, also with this action, it is possible to apply more than one at one time. Also deleting lines containing an arbitary string or matching a regular expression is possible.
- HTML Changes: There are some HTML related function, which can be applied to your files: Every web designer knows the so-called Named Entities, which represent, for example, the letter 'Ä' "as "Ä". With one click, all these special characters are replaced in your text document in both directions. That saves a lot of work and helps to make the Internet easier to read. It is also possible to delete all of the unnecessary characters like tabs from a document to save disc space and transfer data. Other HTML functions are the ability to create links for websites or E-Mail adresses automatically or the possibility to remove all HTML tags (like <br> or </strong>) from text files. With this function, you can parse or grap the plain text from any web document.
- Sorting, Row Numbers and Maximum Row Length: Furthermore, there are some line-specific functions in the text converter: You can sort ascending or descending the lines, you can add line numbers and it is possible to specify a fixed line length. With these line breaks are automatically added, so that the text of a line is not too long. The function is useful for instance if you want to publish the text as an image and the image should not be too wide.
- Upper and Lower Case: With just one click it is possible to print the entire document in uppercase or lowercase letters. It is also possible to write every word with an uppercase beginning or to to rotate upper and lower case characters randomly in mixed-mode, as it is very popular among young people, that seems to be cool.
- Join Files: It is possible to append as many files as you want to each other in an arbitrary order to save them as a single file. When using this function, it is both possible, to carry out all actions at each of the old single files or carry out the functions at the one new file. This play a role, for example if you want to add line numbers to the text.
- Split Files: Behind joining files, it is also possible to split files to several parts. Also at this option, it is your choice whether the actions should be carried out at the old undivided file or the new divided files. The separation can be carried out at any arbitrary text or any regular expression.
- Transcriptions and Transliterations: With only one click it is possible to rewrite a text written in Cyrillic, Japanese (Hiragana and Katakana), Hebrew, Arabic, Georgic, Thai or Hindi to a text consisting of Latin letters - or a Latin text in one of these writing systems. Available are some ISO standards for transliterations as well as some English or German transcriptions, you can choose freely in the program. Furthermore, of course, it is also possible to edit the consisting transformation rules or to apply and save own rules (for example rules for other writing systems).
- Changing the Character for a New Line: If files are interchanged between different systems, there are often problems with the line break, because different systems are using different characters for a new line. So, under circumstances, files from a Linux or Mac system can not be displayed on your Windows system correctly because of the other line break character. The TextConverter can detect the line break character of a file and you can change the line break character of files with the TextConverter. After that, the changed files can be displayed correctly on your operating systen. For more information about the line breaks, read the section New Line.
- Unicode Format Conversion: With the Text Converter, it is possible to convert a variety of text files from one Unicode format to another or to or from ANSI. Supported formats are ANSI, UTF-7, UTF-8, UTF-16 Big Endian, UTF-16 Little Endian, UTF-32 Big Endian and UTF-32 Little Endian, each of these formats can be automatically converted into any other format. On the one hand, you can set a format in which file will be stored and on the other hand you can also only change the format of a number of files without making any other changes.
- Search in Textfiles: In all files, that are loaded in the input area, you can search for text (including multi-line text and Unicode text). The results are listed in a seperate window, where you can see the number of hits and some file information. From here it is possible to have a direct file access to the original and the changed file and you can display the search text in the relevant files. Also it is possible to remove the files with or without the text from the input area with one click. So you can effectively select files due to search criteria. Behind searching for normal strings, you can also search in the text files with regular expressions. So, for example you can search for dates in an arbitrary format and so on.
- Placeholders and References: In all input fields (for example the input fields to delete, insert or replace text), you can use a number of constants / place holders, which vary according to the file worked on. Possibly, for example, are constants for the path, the folder, the filename, the filesize, the number of the file in the file list, the date of creation or last change. If you are working on more than one file, the constant (for example %filename% for the filename) will be replaced by the corresponding text (in this example the filename) in the output. With this function, it is possible, for example, to write the name of the file over each file, if you join some files. In contrast to this type of placeholders, references can be used to insert single or multiple characters, words, lines, CSV cells, XML texts, XML attribute values or the content of entire files. You can learn more about this in the introductions about using placeholders in the TextConverter and about the use of references in the TextConverter. In these articles you will also find summary tables that contain all the placeholders that you can use.
- Save Configuration: With one click you can save the current configuration (all settings) to load them again later. Additionaly you can save a configuration that loads automatically at startup. So if you always edit text files with the same options, you do not have to set them again and again everytime you start the software.
- Auto Save Settings on Exit: If you want, you can save your last settings on exit automatically, so that you can work with them when starting the Text Converter for the next time. With this, it is your decision whether you want to save no settings, all settings or a customized selection of settings.
- Saving Options: The original file can be overwritten, you can choose a new folder, the file name can be changed and saving is possible with any file extension. When choosing a new filename, you can use some constants, which make it possible to number the files or to use the old filename in addition with some other strings. How this works is explained in detail in the help sections.
- Save as Image: In addition to the normal storage as a text, it is also possible to save the text as an image. The formats PNG, JPG and BMP are available. This function can be used to publish sensitive information like adresses or e-mails on the internet, since they may not be easy to detect.
- Store File List: A list of all currently loaded files can be easily saved and loaded. So, you can go on working on a group of files later easily, without searching and selecting each of the files.
- Read and Write many Formats: In reading and writing (saving) of files, in the current version of the Text Converter the formats ANSI, UTF-7, UTF-8, UTF-16 Big Endian, UTF-16 Little Endian, UTF-32 Big Endian and UTF-32 Little Endian (see file formats for more informatíon) are supported. Of course, if you are changing some files at once, it is both possible, to maintain the file format or to change the file format to any other format.
- Input Boxes resizeable: Many input boxes like the search and replace box can be expanded with the small plus button under it. So you can even work on large amounts of texts clearly.
- Direct File Access for Changes: Behind the Batch Processing, it is also possible to change files directly with the Text Converter. Simply open a file and type something in it in the Preview Area. After changing the input file, a button "Save" appears under the box, so that you can change the input file.
- No bad investment: The Text Converter is also available in a freeware version, that corresponds to the full version except minor restrictions. You can test all the features in this version binding, before your decision to get the version without any restrictions. You can use this free version unlimited and pass it as often as you like.
- No installation (Portable Software): The program works without installation. This spares your Registry and you can immediately use it. Nevertheless it is possible to register the file extension (*.tkg) for configuration files, to open a configuration with a single mouse click or to save configurations to be loaded at startup. Of course this registration is not required to run the program and can any time be undone with the software.