Transfers
Text and binary modes
Choose whether files are copied byte for byte or have their line endings converted.
Linux and macOS end each line of a text file with a single line feed (LF). Windows uses a carriage return followed by a line feed (CR LF). A text mode transfer converts the line endings to suit the target system. A binary mode transfer copies the file exactly as it is.
Which mode to use
Section titled “Which mode to use”| Mode | What it does | Use it for |
|---|---|---|
| Binary | Copies every byte unchanged. | Almost everything: images, archives, office documents, executables, and text files when both sides use the same line endings. |
| Text | Converts line endings between the local and the server format. | Plain text moving between Windows and a Unix server, when the program reading it cares. |
| Automatic | Text mode for files matching a mask, binary for the rest. | Mixed uploads where only some files need converting. |
Binary is the default. If you run linscp on Linux and your server is Linux too, both sides already use LF, so binary is right for text files as well.
Change the mode
Section titled “Change the mode”Open the transfer settings, in the copy dialog for one transfer or in Options › Preferences › Transfer for the default, and choose Text (plain text, html, scripts, …), Binary (archives, doc, …) or Automatic.
With Automatic, edit Transfer following files in text mode. The
default mask covers common web and source files, for example *.*html,
*.php, *.js, *.css, *.sh, *.xml and .htaccess. Add your own,
separated by semicolons.
A preset that sets only the mode is a quick way to switch: create one called Text and one called Binary, then pick them from the Transfer Settings toolbar.
Which line endings the server uses
Section titled “Which line endings the server uses”How the conversion happens depends on the protocol:
- FTP and SFTP version 4 or later have a text mode of their own. The server converts to its native format.
- SCP and SFTP version 3 (what OpenSSH speaks) leave it to linscp. It needs to know the server’s format, which it takes from End-of-line characters (if not indicated by server) on the Environment page of the advanced site settings. The default, LF, suits Unix servers.
- WebDAV and S3 always transfer in binary.
Byte order marks
Section titled “Byte order marks”Remove BOM and EOF marks in the upload options strips a UTF-8 byte order mark and an end-of-file character from text files as they are uploaded. Some scripts and configuration parsers on the server fail when the file starts with a BOM.
Edited files
Section titled “Edited files”When you edit a remote file in the internal editor, linscp transfers it in text mode. For external editors this depends on Force text transfer mode for files edited in external editor in the editor’s settings. See Editing remote files.
When line breaks look wrong
Section titled “When line breaks look wrong”- Everything on one line – a Unix file opened by a program that expects CR LF. Transfer in text mode, or use an editor that understands LF.
- An empty line after every line, or
^Mat line ends – a Windows file on a Unix server. Upload it in text mode, or convert it on the server withdos2unix.
To see what a file actually contains, run od -c file.txt | head on Linux:
\r \n means CR LF, a lone \n means LF.