commit dc80aceafb8ed58a0985ede59d0bf063920117a1
Author: cproudlock <cproudlock@localhost>
Date:   Fri Dec 12 08:30:37 2025 -0500

    Initial commit - eDNC Special Character Fix
    
    Real-time file watcher to strip invalid characters (0xFF, etc.)
    from DNC program files for CNC machine compatibility.
    
    Features:
    - Monitors folder for .pun files (configurable)
    - Automatically cleans files on create/modify
    - Configurable character removal
    - Retry logic for locked files
    - Session statistics
    
    🤖 Generated with [Claude Code](https://claude.com/claude-code)
    
    Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>

diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
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--- /dev/null
+++ b/README.md
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+# eDNC Special Character Fix
+
+Real-time file watcher that automatically removes invalid special characters from DNC (Direct Numerical Control) program files.
+
+## Problem
+
+Some legacy DNC systems and communication protocols add padding or termination bytes that modern CNC controllers cannot process correctly. Common problematic characters include:
+
+| Byte | Hex | Name | Description |
+|------|-----|------|-------------|
+| 255 | 0xFF | Fill | Padding/fill character |
+| 0 | 0x00 | NULL | Null character |
+| 26 | 0x1A | SUB | Ctrl+Z / EOF marker |
+| 127 | 0x7F | DEL | Delete character |
+
+## Solution
+
+This utility monitors a folder for DNC files and automatically strips specified characters as soon as files are created or modified.
+
+## Installation
+
+1. Copy the project folder to your DNC workstation
+2. Edit `eDNC-SpecialCharFix.ps1` to set your watch folder (default: `C:\Dnc_Files\Q`)
+3. Run `Run-eDNCFix.bat` or create a shortcut
+
+### Run at Startup (Optional)
+
+To run automatically at Windows startup:
+
+1. Press `Win + R`, type `shell:startup`, press Enter
+2. Create a shortcut to `Run-eDNCFix.bat` in the Startup folder
+
+## Usage
+
+### Basic Usage
+
+Double-click `Run-eDNCFix.bat` or run from PowerShell:
+
+```powershell
+.\eDNC-SpecialCharFix.ps1
+```
+
+### Custom Watch Folder
+
+```powershell
+.\eDNC-SpecialCharFix.ps1 -WatchFolder "D:\DNC\Programs"
+```
+
+### Different File Types
+
+```powershell
+.\eDNC-SpecialCharFix.ps1 -FileFilter "*.nc"
+```
+
+### Remove Additional Characters
+
+```powershell
+# Remove 0xFF, NULL, and SUB characters
+.\eDNC-SpecialCharFix.ps1 -CharactersToRemove @(255, 0, 26)
+```
+
+### All Options
+
+```powershell
+.\eDNC-SpecialCharFix.ps1 `
+    -WatchFolder "C:\Dnc_Files\Q" `
+    -FileFilter "*.pun" `
+    -IncludeSubfolders $true `
+    -CharactersToRemove @(255)
+```
+
+## Parameters
+
+| Parameter | Type | Default | Description |
+|-----------|------|---------|-------------|
+| WatchFolder | String | C:\Dnc_Files\Q | Folder to monitor |
+| FileFilter | String | *.pun | File pattern to watch |
+| IncludeSubfolders | Boolean | $true | Watch subdirectories |
+| CharactersToRemove | Int[] | @(255) | Byte values to strip |
+
+## Output
+
+The script displays real-time activity:
+
+```
+========================================
+ eDNC Special Character Fix v1.0.0
+========================================
+
+Configuration:
+  Watch Folder:    C:\Dnc_Files\Q
+  File Filter:     *.pun
+  Subfolders:      True
+  Removing bytes:  255 (0xFF)
+
+Watching for files... Press Ctrl+C to stop
+
+2025-12-12 08:30:15 | Created | PART001.pun
+  [CLEANED] Removed 3 byte(s)
+2025-12-12 08:30:22 | Changed | PART002.pun
+  [OK] No special characters found
+```
+
+## Requirements
+
+- Windows PowerShell 5.1 or later
+- Read/Write access to the watch folder
+
+## Troubleshooting
+
+### "Watch folder does not exist"
+Create the folder or specify a different path with `-WatchFolder`.
+
+### "File locked" errors
+The script retries up to 3 times if a file is locked. If errors persist, the file may be in use by another application.
+
+### Script doesn't detect files
+- Verify the file extension matches `-FileFilter`
+- Check that `-IncludeSubfolders` is set correctly
+- Ensure the script has permissions to the folder
+
+## Version History
+
+| Version | Date | Changes |
+|---------|------|---------|
+| 1.0.0 | 2025-12-12 | Initial release |
+
+## Author
+
+GE Aerospace - Rutland
diff --git a/Run-eDNCFix.bat b/Run-eDNCFix.bat
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+++ b/Run-eDNCFix.bat
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+@echo off
+:: eDNC Special Character Fix Launcher
+:: Runs the PowerShell script with appropriate execution policy
+
+title eDNC Special Character Fix
+
+echo.
+echo Starting eDNC Special Character Fix...
+echo.
+
+powershell.exe -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "%~dp0eDNC-SpecialCharFix.ps1" %*
+
+echo.
+pause
diff --git a/eDNC-SpecialCharFix.ps1 b/eDNC-SpecialCharFix.ps1
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index 0000000..27324e3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/eDNC-SpecialCharFix.ps1
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+#Requires -Version 5.1
+<#
+.SYNOPSIS
+    eDNC Special Character Fix - Real-time file watcher to strip invalid characters from DNC files.
+
+.DESCRIPTION
+    Monitors a specified folder for DNC program files (.pun, .nc, etc.) and automatically
+    removes special characters (0xFF and others) that cause issues with CNC machines.
+
+    Some legacy DNC systems and communication protocols add padding or termination bytes
+    that modern CNC controllers cannot process correctly.
+
+.PARAMETER WatchFolder
+    The folder to monitor for DNC files. Default: C:\Dnc_Files\Q
+
+.PARAMETER FileFilter
+    File pattern to watch. Default: *.pun
+
+.PARAMETER IncludeSubfolders
+    Whether to watch subfolders. Default: $true
+
+.PARAMETER CharactersToRemove
+    Array of byte values to strip from files. Default: @(255) for 0xFF
+
+.EXAMPLE
+    .\eDNC-SpecialCharFix.ps1
+    Runs with default settings, watching C:\Dnc_Files\Q for *.pun files
+
+.EXAMPLE
+    .\eDNC-SpecialCharFix.ps1 -WatchFolder "D:\DNC\Programs" -FileFilter "*.nc"
+    Watches D:\DNC\Programs for .nc files
+
+.EXAMPLE
+    .\eDNC-SpecialCharFix.ps1 -CharactersToRemove @(255, 0, 26)
+    Removes 0xFF, NULL, and SUB (Ctrl+Z) characters
+
+.NOTES
+    Author: GE Aerospace - Rutland
+    Version: 1.0.0
+    Date: 2025-12-12
+
+    Common problematic characters:
+    - 0xFF (255) - Padding/fill character
+    - 0x00 (0)   - NULL character
+    - 0x1A (26)  - SUB/Ctrl+Z (EOF marker in some systems)
+    - 0x7F (127) - DEL character
+#>
+
+[CmdletBinding()]
+param(
+    [Parameter()]
+    [string]$WatchFolder = "C:\Dnc_Files\Q",
+
+    [Parameter()]
+    [string]$FileFilter = "*.pun",
+
+    [Parameter()]
+    [bool]$IncludeSubfolders = $true,
+
+    [Parameter()]
+    [int[]]$CharactersToRemove = @(255)
+)
+
+# Script info
+$ScriptVersion = "1.0.0"
+$ScriptName = "eDNC Special Character Fix"
+
+# Display banner
+Write-Host ""
+Write-Host "========================================" -ForegroundColor Cyan
+Write-Host " $ScriptName v$ScriptVersion" -ForegroundColor Cyan
+Write-Host "========================================" -ForegroundColor Cyan
+Write-Host ""
+
+# Validate watch folder exists
+if (-not (Test-Path $WatchFolder)) {
+    Write-Host "[ERROR] Watch folder does not exist: $WatchFolder" -ForegroundColor Red
+    Write-Host "Please create the folder or specify a different path." -ForegroundColor Yellow
+    exit 1
+}
+
+# Display configuration
+Write-Host "Configuration:" -ForegroundColor Yellow
+Write-Host "  Watch Folder:    $WatchFolder"
+Write-Host "  File Filter:     $FileFilter"
+Write-Host "  Subfolders:      $IncludeSubfolders"
+Write-Host "  Removing bytes:  $($CharactersToRemove -join ', ') (0x$($CharactersToRemove | ForEach-Object { '{0:X2}' -f $_ } | Join-String -Separator ', 0x'))"
+Write-Host ""
+Write-Host "Watching for files... Press Ctrl+C to stop" -ForegroundColor Green
+Write-Host ""
+
+# Statistics
+$script:FilesProcessed = 0
+$script:BytesRemoved = 0
+
+# Create file system watcher
+$watcher = New-Object System.IO.FileSystemWatcher
+$watcher.Path = $WatchFolder
+$watcher.Filter = $FileFilter
+$watcher.IncludeSubdirectories = $IncludeSubfolders
+$watcher.EnableRaisingEvents = $true
+
+# Define the cleanup action
+$action = {
+    $path = $Event.SourceEventArgs.FullPath
+    $changeType = $Event.SourceEventArgs.ChangeType
+    $fileName = Split-Path $path -Leaf
+
+    # Get characters to remove from the outer scope
+    $charsToRemove = $Event.MessageData.CharsToRemove
+
+    Write-Host "$(Get-Date -Format 'yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm:ss') | $changeType | $fileName" -ForegroundColor White
+
+    # Wait for file to finish writing
+    Start-Sleep -Milliseconds 500
+
+    # Retry logic for locked files
+    $maxRetries = 3
+    $retryCount = 0
+
+    while ($retryCount -lt $maxRetries) {
+        try {
+            # Read file as bytes
+            $bytes = [System.IO.File]::ReadAllBytes($path)
+            $originalCount = $bytes.Count
+
+            # Remove specified bytes
+            $cleaned = $bytes | Where-Object { $_ -notin $charsToRemove }
+            $newCount = $cleaned.Count
+
+            # Only rewrite if we found characters to remove
+            if ($originalCount -ne $newCount) {
+                [System.IO.File]::WriteAllBytes($path, [byte[]]$cleaned)
+                $removed = $originalCount - $newCount
+                Write-Host "  [CLEANED] Removed $removed byte(s)" -ForegroundColor Green
+                $script:FilesProcessed++
+                $script:BytesRemoved += $removed
+            } else {
+                Write-Host "  [OK] No special characters found" -ForegroundColor Gray
+            }
+            break
+        }
+        catch [System.IO.IOException] {
+            $retryCount++
+            if ($retryCount -lt $maxRetries) {
+                Write-Host "  [RETRY] File locked, waiting... ($retryCount/$maxRetries)" -ForegroundColor Yellow
+                Start-Sleep -Milliseconds 1000
+            } else {
+                Write-Host "  [ERROR] Could not access file after $maxRetries attempts" -ForegroundColor Red
+            }
+        }
+        catch {
+            Write-Host "  [ERROR] $($_.Exception.Message)" -ForegroundColor Red
+            break
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+# Create message data object to pass parameters to the action
+$messageData = @{
+    CharsToRemove = $CharactersToRemove
+}
+
+# Register event handlers
+$null = Register-ObjectEvent -InputObject $watcher -EventName Created -Action $action -MessageData $messageData
+$null = Register-ObjectEvent -InputObject $watcher -EventName Changed -Action $action -MessageData $messageData
+
+# Keep script running
+try {
+    while ($true) {
+        Start-Sleep -Seconds 1
+    }
+}
+finally {
+    # Cleanup on exit
+    $watcher.EnableRaisingEvents = $false
+    $watcher.Dispose()
+    Get-EventSubscriber | Unregister-Event
+
+    Write-Host ""
+    Write-Host "========================================" -ForegroundColor Cyan
+    Write-Host " Session Summary" -ForegroundColor Cyan
+    Write-Host "========================================" -ForegroundColor Cyan
+    Write-Host "  Files Cleaned:  $script:FilesProcessed"
+    Write-Host "  Bytes Removed:  $script:BytesRemoved"
+    Write-Host ""
+    Write-Host "Stopped watching folder" -ForegroundColor Yellow
+}