set no_control_log

Synopsis

/set no_control_log [on|off|toggle]

Default: off. With no argument, set displays the current value.

Description

Enables additional unprintable-character stripping during logfile processing, subject to the log's mangling selection. Turning it off removes this additional rule; other selected mangling rules still apply.

The current implementation applies this setting only when a logging destination supplies a nonempty log-specific mangling mask. This includes per-window log_mangle rules and selective log objects with their own mangle rules. With no_control_log on, EPIC adds the unprintable rule to that mask for each write.

When a destination's own mask is empty, the logging routine instead falls back to mangle_logfiles and does not consult no_control_log. The global session log always uses this fallback path. Consequently, turning this setting on by itself does not strip controls from the global session log or from logs without nonempty overrides.

What is stripped

The added rule removes ordinary nonprinting controls, IRC attribute-toggle controls, reset controls, and bells. Tabs are expanded rather than simply removed. For color sequences, stripping can remove only the introducing control character and leave following color-number text. Escape handling also depends on the other enabled rules; normalization may interpret an escape sequence and generate IRC attribute controls. This setting is not a guarantee that every output byte is printable.

Use explicit mangle types when you need a particular formatting policy. For example, all combines normalization with formatting stripping, whereas unprintable alone does not reliably remove complete color or escape sequences.

Mangling runs before log_rewrite or a log-specific rewrite, so a rewrite can introduce new controls afterward. Log start/end markers bypass this processing. Changes affect subsequent writes, do not edit existing files or enable logging, and do not change display or lastlog records.

Examples

Enable the additional rule for the current window's nonempty logging override:

/window log_mangle bold
/set no_control_log on

Logging must already be enabled for that window, or enabled separately. Here bold supplies the nonempty override; no_control_log adds unprintable during writes. Turning it off leaves the bold rule active.

To request normalized formatting stripping through the global logfile policy instead:

/set mangle_logfiles none,all

This policy applies to logs using the global fallback regardless of no_control_log.

Source references

• source/vars.c and include/config.h: boolean registration and off default.
• source/log.c: add_to_log adds unprintable only in the nonzero caller-mask branch, before rewriting.
• source/output.c, source/screen.c, and source/logfiles.c: global, window, and selective-log callers supply their masks.
• source/screen.c: new_normalize_string implements control-character, color, escape, and tab handling.