Topic: SHNtool question

[JasonSobel]

let's say that I've got a lot of files with extra RIFF chunks in the headers.
so far, I'm using SHNtool to strip out the headers, using this command:


shntool strip *.wav


This works pretty well.  What it does is create a new file, the text "-stripped" appended to each file name.
However, I'd like to run it in such a way that it just writes over the previous file, instead of creating a new file.
Also, it'd be great if there was a way to automatically have it not append the "-stripped" text to each file name.

from the SHNtool documentation, it looks like these options exist, but I can't get them to work just right, which is why I'm posting here for help.


Under the Global Options, and then Output Modes, there are the following options:

-O val   Overwrite existing files? val is one of: {ask, always, never}.  The default is ask.

and then there are the -a and the -z options to control what string of text gets prefixed and postfixed to the output file name.

I have played around with the -a and -z options, and I see how they work.  But when I try to type in -z with no string (trying to tell it to postfix no string to the filename, it doesn't work.

and the overwrite option I can't get to work at all.

Based on the available options, my guess is that its just a syntax error on my part.  But then, I never was a command line type of guy.

Any help would be great.

Thanks,
Jason

[SmokinJoe]

First I would say make sure you have the newest version of shntool, and the documentation thereof, and be sure you are looking at the documentation for your O/S.

I normally use linux, and occasionally windows, and I know some commands are different, at least with shntool split (which I use for tracking).  It might be a version difference instead of an O/S difference, but I know I have to use different switches and parameters for my windows box at work than I do linux box at home, which I thought was pretty odd.

I know that doesn't directly answer your question, but if you are looking at documentation which doesn't exactly match your executable, that will drive you crazy.  Good luck.

[JasonSobel]

thanks for the reply, Joe.

a couple of days ago, I downloaded the latest version of SHNtool from etree:
http://etree.org/shnutils/shntool/
its version 3.0.7, and released just a couple of weeks ago (3/2/08).

So I definitely have the latest version.  And I'm running Windows XP.

I can play around with it some more later this evening, but any other help or suggestions would be great.

Thanks,
Jason

[mmedley.]

I betcha Scott Brown might be able to help. His version of xACT, which I no longer use, had the option to remove the appended "-stripped" "-fixed" etc after processing. I am not sure if TLH does this or not.

[JasonSobel]

as far as I know, the windows version of xACT (which I use for the SHNtool LEN function, and to fix SBE's, when needed) was never developed fully and it doesn't offer the use of the Strip mode functionality.  The mac version of xACT is much more fully developed.  or maybe Scott did add the Strip mode to the windows version of xACT, and I'm just using an outdated version.  that could be.

but would really be great is to just overwrite the input files with the fixed headers...