Non-printable characters are characters that don't have a visual representation in text but still exist in the data. These include:
- Invisible characters - Zero-width spaces, joiners, and format characters
- Control characters - Special codes that control text formatting or behavior
- Special spaces - Different types of space characters beyond the standard space
Why remove them?
These characters can cause various problems:
- Break code syntax or compilation
- Create inconsistent text formatting
- Cause issues in search functionality
- Create security vulnerabilities (in some contexts)
- Disrupt data processing systems