Convert a string from stdin into a thunderbird-compatible URL ASCII body.

thunderbird_ascii_format.py

#!/bin/env python3

"""
Convert a string from stdin into a thunderbird-compatible URL body.

Run this as follows:
    thunderbird -compose "to='[email protected]',body="'<output here>'""

Public domain, Bader Zaidan, 2022

"""

import os
import sys

# mailto formatting as per RFC 1738
char_arr = ["<", ">", '"', "'", "#", "{", "}", "|", "\\", "^",
            "~", "[", "]", "`", ";", "/", "?", ":", "@", "=", "&", ",", "."]

# Default vals.
char_dict = {
    "%": "%25",
    "\n": "%0D%0A",
    "\t": "%09",
    " ": "%20",
}


def checked_format(char: str):
    """Replace special character with an ASCII one."""
    try:
        return char_dict[char]
    except KeyError:
        return char


def formatsc(char: str):
    """Convert character to hex and append %."""
    base_hex = format(ord(char), "x").upper()
    if len(base_hex) == 1:
        return "%0" + base_hex
    return "%" + base_hex


def formatstring(string: str):
    """Convert input string's special characters with ASCII format"""
    output = ""
    for char in string:
        output = output + checked_format(char)

    return output


def main():
    """Fetch input from stdin and run the above defined functions"""
    # create dict for ASCII characters
    for char in char_arr:
        char_dict[char] = formatsc(char)

    # catch STDIN input
    stdin_input = "".join(str(x) for x in sys.stdin.readlines())

    print(formatstring(stdin_input))

    sys.exit(os.EX_OK)


if __name__ == "__main__":
    main()