How To Find Encoding Of A File

You can make up one's mind a files encoding and character set through the command line in Mac OS (and linux) by using the "file" command, which helps to retrieve general and specific information almost a file blazon.

This probably won't be a relevant tip to many users, but if you're required to exist working with a specific graphic symbol set for something or need to know what a file type, encoding, or character set of an inputted item is by manner of the command line, and then this will practice the trick.

The file command works in Mac Os and Mac os X every bit well as linux and many other unix variations, making this trick helpful for scripts and other similar purposes too.

Determining File Encoding & Character Set via Command Line in Mac OS

The bones syntax is as follows:

file -I (input file)

(In case it wasn't obvious, that's a capital "i" as the flag as in -I, not a lowercase Fifty)

Striking return with a proper file name as the input will reveal a character set similar UTF-8, u.s.-ascii, binary, 8bit, etc.

For case, let's say we're checking the character set up and file encoding of a file named "text.txt" so the syntax would look as so:

$ file -I text.txt text.txt: text/plain; charset=unknown-8bit

With "text/plain" being the file type and "unknown-8bit" being the character set file encoding.

You can also effect the file control on literally any other file, exist information technology images, athenaeum, executables, or annihilation else you want to betoken the control at. This can be nice if yous're automating something to detect a file type to then run an appropriate control, possibly after a file has been downloaded with curl and the annal type needs to exist adamant earlier a proper control tin can be executed.

$ file -I DownloadedFile.cypher DownloadedFile.zip: application/nothing; charset=binary

In that location are many other uses for checking character set, file encoding, and file type through the command line with the 'file' command, and the -I flag is just one of a wide diversity of options available. Check out the manual page for file to learn more if interested, and don't forget to check out our many other control line tips (or listing all terminal commands available on the Mac and have a piddling fun).

Do yous know of another or better fashion to cheque file encoding and grapheme prepare via the command line in Mac Os? Let us know in the comments!