ascii-truncator.py

output.txt

,     ,_
|`\    `;;,            ,;;'
|  `\    \ '.        .'.'
|    `\   \  '-""""-' /
`.     `\ /          |`
  `>    /;   _     _ \
   /   / |       .    ;
  <  (`";\ ()   ~~~  (/_
   ';;\  `,     __ _.-'` )
     >;\          `   _.'
     `;;\          \-'
       ;/           \ _
       |   ,"".     .` \
       |      _|   '   /
        ;    /")     .;-,
         \    /  __   .-'
          \,_/-"`  `-'

pika.txt

  
           ,     ,_
           |`\    `;;,            ,;;'
           |  `\    \ '.        .'.'
           |    `\   \  '-""""-' /
           `.     `\ /          |`
             `>    /;   _     _ \ 
              /   / |       .    ;
             <  (`";\ ()   ~~~  (/_
              ';;\  `,     __ _.-'` )
                >;\          `   _.'
                `;;\          \-'
                  ;/           \ _
                  |   ,"".     .` \
                  |      _|   '   /
                   ;    /")     .;-,
                    \    /  __   .-'
                     \,_/-"`  `-'
    

truncate.py

#!/usr/bin/env python

import sys

def getMinLineIndent(line):
    count = 0
    for col in line:
        count += 1
        if col != ' ':
            return count

          
def removeBlankLines(lines):
    newLines = []
    for line in lines:
        goodLine = False
        for col in line.rstrip():
            if col != ' ': 
                # if all columns are spaces, this line will be ignored
                goodLine = True
        if goodLine:
            newLines.append(line)
    return newLines
            
        
def getMinIndent(lines):
    indents = []
    for line in lines:
        indents.append(getMinLineIndent(line))
    return min(indents)-1
  

def process(f):
    f = removeBlankLines(f)
    wc = getMinIndent(f)
    #print "whitespace count is {0}".format(wc)
    
    for line in f:
        print line.rstrip()[wc:]

       
        
if not sys.argv[1:]:
    print "USAGE: ./truncate.py ./pika.txt"
    exit(2)

ifile = open(sys.argv[1], 'r')
process(ifile.readlines())