Text Conversion Tools

Multi Commander's Text Conversion Tools provide comprehensive text file manipulation capabilities, allowing you to standardize line endings, format structured data, and perform advanced text transformations across multiple files simultaneously. These tools are essential for developers, system administrators, and anyone working with text files across different platforms and formats.

Text Tools Menu

Access text conversion tools through Tools → Text Tools menu

Overview of Text Conversion Tools

The text conversion tools operate on all selected files in the active Explorer Panel, making it easy to process multiple files with consistent transformations. Each tool preserves file attributes and timestamps while modifying only the content as specified.

Batch Processing

All text conversion tools work on selected files. If no files are selected, the tool will operate on the file currently in focus. For bulk operations, select multiple files before running the conversion tool.

Line Ending Conversion Tools

Different operating systems use different characters to represent line endings in text files. Multi Commander provides tools to convert between these formats seamlessly:

Unix Format (LF)

Character: Line Feed (LF) - ASCII 10

Platforms: Linux, macOS, Unix systems

Use Case: Server scripts, configuration files, source code for Unix-like systems

Windows Format (CRLF)

Characters: Carriage Return + Line Feed (CRLF) - ASCII 13+10

Platforms: Windows, DOS

Use Case: Windows applications, batch files, Windows-specific configuration

Classic Mac Format (CR)

Character: Carriage Return (CR) - ASCII 13

Platforms: Classic Mac OS (pre-OS X)

Use Case: Legacy Mac applications, compatibility with older systems

When to Use Line Ending Conversion

  • Cross-Platform Development: Ensure consistent line endings across development environments
  • Version Control: Standardize files before committing to repositories
  • Server Deployment: Convert Windows files for Unix/Linux server environments
  • Legacy System Support: Adapt files for older systems with specific requirements

Tab and Space Conversion

Convert Tab to Space

Function: Replaces all tab characters with a specified number of space characters

Benefits:

  • Consistent indentation across different editors
  • Precise control over spacing
  • Better compatibility with systems that don't handle tabs well
  • Improved readability in plain text environments
Common Tab-to-Space Conversions
  • 2 spaces: Compact indentation for web development
  • 4 spaces: Standard for many programming languages
  • 8 spaces: Traditional tab stop setting
  • Custom: Any number of spaces as needed

XML Formatting Tools

Multi Commander provides sophisticated XML formatting capabilities to improve readability or optimize file size:

Structured XML Format

Purpose: Makes XML files human-readable

Features:

  • Proper indentation for nested elements
  • Line breaks after each element
  • Consistent spacing and formatting
  • Preserved element order and attributes

Best for: Development, debugging, configuration files, documentation

Compact XML Format

Purpose: Minimizes file size for transmission or storage

Features:

  • Removes unnecessary whitespace
  • Eliminates line breaks and indentation
  • Maintains XML validity and structure
  • Significantly reduces file size

Best for: Web services, data transmission, storage optimization

XML Formatting Examples

**Original XML:** 
<config><database><host>localhost</host>
	<port>3306</port></database>
	</config>
**Structured Format:** 
<config>
  <database>
    <host>localhost</host>
    <port>3306</port>
  </database>
</config>
**Compact Format:** 
<config><database><host>localhost</host><port>3306</port></database></config>

JSON Formatting Tools

Similar to XML formatting, Multi Commander provides JSON formatting tools for modern data exchange formats:

Structured JSON Format

Purpose: Makes JSON files readable and maintainable

Features:

  • Proper indentation for nested objects
  • Line breaks for each property
  • Aligned brackets and braces
  • Consistent formatting standards

Best for: Configuration files, API responses, development work

Compact JSON Format

Purpose: Optimizes JSON for transmission and storage

Features:

  • Removes all unnecessary whitespace
  • Single-line format
  • Maintains JSON validity
  • Minimal file size

Best for: API payloads, web applications, data storage

Advanced Text Processing Tools

Multi Commander includes additional powerful text processing capabilities:

Sort Lines

Advanced line sorting with multiple criteria including alphabetical, numerical, and date-based sorting with extensive customization options.

Learn More
Find and Replace

Comprehensive find and replace functionality with support for wildcards, regular expressions, multiline patterns, and batch processing.

Learn More
Related Documentation

For more information about Multi Commander's text processing capabilities, see Text Tools Overview,
Sort Lines in Files, and Find and Replace in Files.