---
name: "sfparse"
section: "1"
platform: "linux"
package: "gnustep-base"
version: "1.31.1-3"
release: "Arch Linux 2026-11-01"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/sfparse"
---

# sfparse(1)

string file parse

## NAME

sfparse - string file parse

## SYNOPSIS

**sfparse** \[ *--utf8* \| *--unicode* \] *filename*

## DESCRIPTION

This tool has two different functions.  When invoked with just a filename as argument, it checks that a file is a valid strings-file, which basically amounts to seeing whether the file is in proper serialized NSDictionary format (type "*defaults plist*" for info on this).

On the other hand, if one of the two options is given, no such checking is performed, but the file IS converted into the named encoding.

## OPTIONS

**--unicode**    - convert an ASCII or UTF8 file to Unicode

**--utf8**       - convert an ASCII or Unicode to UTF8

## HISTORY

Written in 1999.

This manual page first appeared in gnustep-base 1.9.2 (March 2004).

## AUTHORS

**sfparse** was written by Richard Frith-Macdonald \<rfm@gnu.org\>