strindex

A command line utility program (with GUI support) that allows you to easily extract, list and patch (replace) the strings embedded in a few filetypes.

It's useful to change the text of a binary file without having to recompile it; for example, to translate it into another language.

A string can be referenced not only by its pointer / offset, but also by the original string itself to ensure compatibility with different versions of the same program.

It features various built-in features to help with translation, such as spellchecking & filtering strings by length and character set.

Supported filetypes

Support for more filetypes is possible, but not planned

• PE files (".exe", ".dll"...) (direct pointers only!)
• Gamemaker data files ("data.win")
• Unreal Engine localization files (".locres")
• Every filetype, if using force mode*...

*Force mode doesn't allow the replaced strings to be bigger in length than the original strings.

Installation

You can install the program with the command pip install strindex.

Alternatively, the releases tab includes a precompiled version of the program, which by default opens in gui mode (unless executed with arguments). Warning: the precompiled version has a high chance of being detected as a false positive by antivirus software. You can compile the program yourself to avoid this.

Usage

You can run the program with the command strindex <action> <input file(s)> [arguments].

strindex -h will show more information about the available actions and arguments.

Most notably, the program supports the following actions:

• create: Create a list of string replacement instructions (a strindex) extracted from a binary file. Use -f to enable "force" mode, and replace strings at the same offset they were found. Use -D to create a strindex that uses the original strings as references (dynamic pointers), instead of offsets (fixed pointers).
• patch: Patch a binary file using a strindex. Strindex files compressed with gzip are also supported for all actions.
• gui: Open Strindex in GUI mode.

Usage Examples

• Open strindex in GUI mode:

  strindex gui
  

• Create a strindex from a PE file, considering only pointers prefixed by the bytes "24c7442404" or "ec04c70424".

  strindex create program.exe -p "24c7442404" -p "ec04c70424"
  

• Patch a PE file with a strindex:

  strindex patch program.exe strindex.txt
  

Strindex Example

You can find an example of a strindex file and an explanation of its settings here.

Verified programs/videogames

Here is a non-exhaustive list of programs/videogames that have been verified to work with strindex:

*This program/videogame already officially supports localization by external means.