This page hosts a formal specification of .nes file format using Kaitai Struct. This specification can be automatically translated into a variety of programming languages to get a parsing library.
All parsing code for Python generated by Kaitai Struct depends on the Python runtime library. You have to install it before you can parse data.
The Python runtime library can be installed from PyPI:
python3 -m pip install kaitaistructParse a local file and get structure in memory:
data = Ines.from_file("path/to/local/file.nes")
Or parse structure from a bytes:
from kaitaistruct import KaitaiStream, BytesIO
raw = b"\x00\x01\x02..."
data = Ines(KaitaiStream(BytesIO(raw)))
After that, one can get various attributes from the structure by invoking getter methods like:
data.header # => get header
# This is a generated file! Please edit source .ksy file and use kaitai-struct-compiler to rebuild
import kaitaistruct
from kaitaistruct import KaitaiStruct, KaitaiStream, BytesIO
from enum import Enum
if getattr(kaitaistruct, 'API_VERSION', (0, 9)) < (0, 9):
raise Exception("Incompatible Kaitai Struct Python API: 0.9 or later is required, but you have %s" % (kaitaistruct.__version__))
class Ines(KaitaiStruct):
"""
.. seealso::
Source - https://www.nesdev.org/wiki/INES
"""
def __init__(self, _io, _parent=None, _root=None):
self._io = _io
self._parent = _parent
self._root = _root if _root else self
self._read()
def _read(self):
self._raw_header = self._io.read_bytes(16)
_io__raw_header = KaitaiStream(BytesIO(self._raw_header))
self.header = Ines.Header(_io__raw_header, self, self._root)
if self.header.f6.trainer:
self.trainer = self._io.read_bytes(512)
self.prg_rom = self._io.read_bytes((self.header.len_prg_rom * 16384))
self.chr_rom = self._io.read_bytes((self.header.len_chr_rom * 8192))
if self.header.f7.playchoice10:
self.playchoice10 = Ines.Playchoice10(self._io, self, self._root)
if not (self._io.is_eof()):
self.title = (self._io.read_bytes_full()).decode(u"ASCII")
class Header(KaitaiStruct):
def __init__(self, _io, _parent=None, _root=None):
self._io = _io
self._parent = _parent
self._root = _root if _root else self
self._read()
def _read(self):
self.magic = self._io.read_bytes(4)
if not self.magic == b"\x4E\x45\x53\x1A":
raise kaitaistruct.ValidationNotEqualError(b"\x4E\x45\x53\x1A", self.magic, self._io, u"/types/header/seq/0")
self.len_prg_rom = self._io.read_u1()
self.len_chr_rom = self._io.read_u1()
self._raw_f6 = self._io.read_bytes(1)
_io__raw_f6 = KaitaiStream(BytesIO(self._raw_f6))
self.f6 = Ines.Header.F6(_io__raw_f6, self, self._root)
self._raw_f7 = self._io.read_bytes(1)
_io__raw_f7 = KaitaiStream(BytesIO(self._raw_f7))
self.f7 = Ines.Header.F7(_io__raw_f7, self, self._root)
self.len_prg_ram = self._io.read_u1()
self._raw_f9 = self._io.read_bytes(1)
_io__raw_f9 = KaitaiStream(BytesIO(self._raw_f9))
self.f9 = Ines.Header.F9(_io__raw_f9, self, self._root)
self._raw_f10 = self._io.read_bytes(1)
_io__raw_f10 = KaitaiStream(BytesIO(self._raw_f10))
self.f10 = Ines.Header.F10(_io__raw_f10, self, self._root)
self.reserved = self._io.read_bytes(5)
if not self.reserved == b"\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00":
raise kaitaistruct.ValidationNotEqualError(b"\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00", self.reserved, self._io, u"/types/header/seq/8")
class F6(KaitaiStruct):
"""
.. seealso::
Source - https://www.nesdev.org/wiki/INES#Flags_6
"""
class Mirroring(Enum):
horizontal = 0
vertical = 1
def __init__(self, _io, _parent=None, _root=None):
self._io = _io
self._parent = _parent
self._root = _root if _root else self
self._read()
def _read(self):
self.lower_mapper = self._io.read_bits_int_be(4)
self.four_screen = self._io.read_bits_int_be(1) != 0
self.trainer = self._io.read_bits_int_be(1) != 0
self.has_battery_ram = self._io.read_bits_int_be(1) != 0
self.mirroring = KaitaiStream.resolve_enum(Ines.Header.F6.Mirroring, self._io.read_bits_int_be(1))
class F7(KaitaiStruct):
"""
.. seealso::
Source - https://www.nesdev.org/wiki/INES#Flags_7
"""
def __init__(self, _io, _parent=None, _root=None):
self._io = _io
self._parent = _parent
self._root = _root if _root else self
self._read()
def _read(self):
self.upper_mapper = self._io.read_bits_int_be(4)
self.format = self._io.read_bits_int_be(2)
self.playchoice10 = self._io.read_bits_int_be(1) != 0
self.vs_unisystem = self._io.read_bits_int_be(1) != 0
class F9(KaitaiStruct):
"""
.. seealso::
Source - https://www.nesdev.org/wiki/INES#Flags_9
"""
class TvSystem(Enum):
ntsc = 0
pal = 1
def __init__(self, _io, _parent=None, _root=None):
self._io = _io
self._parent = _parent
self._root = _root if _root else self
self._read()
def _read(self):
self.reserved = self._io.read_bits_int_be(7)
self.tv_system = KaitaiStream.resolve_enum(Ines.Header.F9.TvSystem, self._io.read_bits_int_be(1))
class F10(KaitaiStruct):
"""
.. seealso::
Source - https://www.nesdev.org/wiki/INES#Flags_10
"""
class TvSystem(Enum):
ntsc = 0
dual1 = 1
pal = 2
dual2 = 3
def __init__(self, _io, _parent=None, _root=None):
self._io = _io
self._parent = _parent
self._root = _root if _root else self
self._read()
def _read(self):
self.reserved1 = self._io.read_bits_int_be(2)
self.bus_conflict = self._io.read_bits_int_be(1) != 0
self.prg_ram = self._io.read_bits_int_be(1) != 0
self.reserved2 = self._io.read_bits_int_be(2)
self.tv_system = KaitaiStream.resolve_enum(Ines.Header.F10.TvSystem, self._io.read_bits_int_be(2))
@property
def mapper(self):
"""
.. seealso::
Source - https://www.nesdev.org/wiki/Mapper
"""
if hasattr(self, '_m_mapper'):
return self._m_mapper
self._m_mapper = (self.f6.lower_mapper | (self.f7.upper_mapper << 4))
return getattr(self, '_m_mapper', None)
class Playchoice10(KaitaiStruct):
"""
.. seealso::
Source - https://www.nesdev.org/wiki/PC10_ROM-Images
"""
def __init__(self, _io, _parent=None, _root=None):
self._io = _io
self._parent = _parent
self._root = _root if _root else self
self._read()
def _read(self):
self.inst_rom = self._io.read_bytes(8192)
self.prom = Ines.Playchoice10.Prom(self._io, self, self._root)
class Prom(KaitaiStruct):
def __init__(self, _io, _parent=None, _root=None):
self._io = _io
self._parent = _parent
self._root = _root if _root else self
self._read()
def _read(self):
self.data = self._io.read_bytes(16)
self.counter_out = self._io.read_bytes(16)