Small C tools for finding things in very large files by byte offset.
Search by regex, then read the bytes around each match.
FinishedCLIC, Hyperscan, MesonGPL-3.0-or-later
Small C tools for one job: finding things in very large files by byte offset, and reading the bytes around them. I wrote them in 2021, said it was too early to ask how to use them, and two years later published them anyway, flaws included.
Better and safer equivalents exist: ugrep for search, less with P for paging, xxd for hex.
| Tool | Does |
|---|---|
search | Regex search with Hyperscan, consuming the file in chunks, printing match offsets |
pick | Reads offset left right from stdin, prints the raw bytes around the offset |
hex | Same as pick, output as hex |
A planned page never happened.
$ meson setup build && cd build && meson compile
$ ./search "test:" build.ninja 2>/dev/null
MATCH: 1960
MATCH: 2016
$ echo "1960 11 22" | ./pick build.ninja
offset: 1949, margin: 33
data:
build test: phony meson-internal_search finds the offsets; pick and hex look at what is there.