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Manpages STRFILESection: UNIX System Manager's Manual (1)Updated: June 9, 1993 [Apr. '97] Index Return to Main Contents NAMEstrfile - create a random access file for storing stringsunstr - dump strings in pointer order SYNOPSISstrfile [-iorsx] [-c char] sourcefile [outputfile]unstr [-c char] datafile[.ext] [outputfile] DESCRIPTIONstrfile reads a file containing groups of lines separated by a line containing a single percent `%' sign (or other specified delimiter character) and creates a data file which contains a header structure and a table of file offsets for each group of lines. This allows random access of the strings.The output file, if not specified on the command line, is named sourcefile.dat. The purpose of unstr is to undo the work of strfile. It prints out the strings contained in the sourcefile, which is datafile.ext without its extension, or datafile if no extension is specified (in this case, the extension .dat is added to the name of the datafile) in the order that they are listed in the header file datafile. If no outputfile is specified, it prints to standard output; otherwise it prints to the file specified. unstr can also universally change the delimiter character in a strings file. It is possible to create sorted versions of input files by using strfile -o and then using unstr to dump them out in the table order. OptionsThe options are as follows:
HeaderThe format of the header is:
#define VERSION 1
All fields are written in network byte order. BUGSFewer now, one hopes. However, fortunes (text strings) beginning with a blank line appear to be sorted between random letters. This includes ASCII art that contains no letters, and first lines that are solely non-alphanumeric, apparently. I've no idea why this should be.OTHER USESWhat can you do with this besides printing sarcastic and obscene messages to the screens of lusers at login or logout?There are some other possibilities. Source code for a sample program, randstr, is included with this distribution: randstr splits the difference between unstr and fortune. It reads a single, specified file, and randomly selects a single text string.
SEE ALSObyteorder(3), fortune(6)HISTORYThe strfile utility first appeared in 4.4BSD. This version was heavily modified, much of it in ways peculiar to Linux. Work has since been done to make the code more generic, and has so far been tested to work with SunOS 4.x. More platforms are expected to be supported as work continues.
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