PCX is a bitmap image format originally used by PC Paintbrush from ZSoft Corporation. Originally, it was a relatively simple 128-byte header + uncompressed bitmap format, but latest versions introduced more complicated palette support and RLE compression.
There's an option to encode 32-bit or 16-bit RGBA pixels, and thus it can potentially include transparency. Theoretically, it's possible to encode resolution or pixel density in the some of the header fields too, but in reality there's no uniform standard for these, so different implementations treat these differently.
PCX format was never made a formal standard. "ZSoft Corporation Technical Reference Manual" for "Image File (.PCX) Format", last updated in 1991, is likely the closest authoritative source.
This page hosts a formal specification of .pcx 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 C# generated by Kaitai Struct depends on the C# runtime library. You have to install it before you can parse data.
The C# runtime library is available in the NuGet Gallery. Installation instructions can also be found there.
Parse a local file and get structure in memory:
var data = Pcx.FromFile("path/to/local/file.pcx");
Or parse structure from a byte array:
byte[] someArray = new byte[] { ... };
var data = new Pcx(new KaitaiStream(someArray));
After that, one can get various attributes from the structure by accessing properties like:
data.Hdr // => get hdr
// This is a generated file! Please edit source .ksy file and use kaitai-struct-compiler to rebuild
using System.Collections.Generic;
namespace Kaitai
{
/// <summary>
/// PCX is a bitmap image format originally used by PC Paintbrush from
/// ZSoft Corporation. Originally, it was a relatively simple 128-byte
/// header + uncompressed bitmap format, but latest versions introduced
/// more complicated palette support and RLE compression.
///
/// There's an option to encode 32-bit or 16-bit RGBA pixels, and thus
/// it can potentially include transparency. Theoretically, it's
/// possible to encode resolution or pixel density in the some of the
/// header fields too, but in reality there's no uniform standard for
/// these, so different implementations treat these differently.
///
/// PCX format was never made a formal standard. "ZSoft Corporation
/// Technical Reference Manual" for "Image File (.PCX) Format", last
/// updated in 1991, is likely the closest authoritative source.
/// </summary>
/// <remarks>
/// Reference: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20100206055706/http://www.qzx.com/pc-gpe/pcx.txt">Source</a>
/// </remarks>
public partial class Pcx : KaitaiStruct
{
public static Pcx FromFile(string fileName)
{
return new Pcx(new KaitaiStream(fileName));
}
public enum Versions
{
V25 = 0,
V28WithPalette = 2,
V28WithoutPalette = 3,
PaintbrushForWindows = 4,
V30 = 5,
}
public enum Encodings
{
Rle = 1,
}
public Pcx(KaitaiStream p__io, KaitaiStruct p__parent = null, Pcx p__root = null) : base(p__io)
{
m_parent = p__parent;
m_root = p__root ?? this;
f_palette256 = false;
_read();
}
private void _read()
{
__raw_hdr = m_io.ReadBytes(128);
var io___raw_hdr = new KaitaiStream(__raw_hdr);
_hdr = new Header(io___raw_hdr, this, m_root);
}
/// <remarks>
/// Reference: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20100206055706/http://www.qzx.com/pc-gpe/pcx.txt">- "ZSoft .PCX FILE HEADER FORMAT"</a>
/// </remarks>
public partial class Header : KaitaiStruct
{
public static Header FromFile(string fileName)
{
return new Header(new KaitaiStream(fileName));
}
public Header(KaitaiStream p__io, Pcx p__parent = null, Pcx p__root = null) : base(p__io)
{
m_parent = p__parent;
m_root = p__root;
_read();
}
private void _read()
{
_magic = m_io.ReadBytes(1);
if (!((KaitaiStream.ByteArrayCompare(Magic, new byte[] { 10 }) == 0)))
{
throw new ValidationNotEqualError(new byte[] { 10 }, Magic, M_Io, "/types/header/seq/0");
}
_version = ((Pcx.Versions) m_io.ReadU1());
_encoding = ((Pcx.Encodings) m_io.ReadU1());
_bitsPerPixel = m_io.ReadU1();
_imgXMin = m_io.ReadU2le();
_imgYMin = m_io.ReadU2le();
_imgXMax = m_io.ReadU2le();
_imgYMax = m_io.ReadU2le();
_hdpi = m_io.ReadU2le();
_vdpi = m_io.ReadU2le();
_palette16 = m_io.ReadBytes(48);
_reserved = m_io.ReadBytes(1);
if (!((KaitaiStream.ByteArrayCompare(Reserved, new byte[] { 0 }) == 0)))
{
throw new ValidationNotEqualError(new byte[] { 0 }, Reserved, M_Io, "/types/header/seq/11");
}
_numPlanes = m_io.ReadU1();
_bytesPerLine = m_io.ReadU2le();
_paletteInfo = m_io.ReadU2le();
_hScreenSize = m_io.ReadU2le();
_vScreenSize = m_io.ReadU2le();
}
private byte[] _magic;
private Versions _version;
private Encodings _encoding;
private byte _bitsPerPixel;
private ushort _imgXMin;
private ushort _imgYMin;
private ushort _imgXMax;
private ushort _imgYMax;
private ushort _hdpi;
private ushort _vdpi;
private byte[] _palette16;
private byte[] _reserved;
private byte _numPlanes;
private ushort _bytesPerLine;
private ushort _paletteInfo;
private ushort _hScreenSize;
private ushort _vScreenSize;
private Pcx m_root;
private Pcx m_parent;
/// <summary>
/// Technically, this field was supposed to be "manufacturer"
/// mark to distinguish between various software vendors, and
/// 0x0a was supposed to mean "ZSoft", but everyone else ended
/// up writing a 0x0a into this field, so that's what majority
/// of modern software expects to have in this attribute.
/// </summary>
public byte[] Magic { get { return _magic; } }
public Versions Version { get { return _version; } }
public Encodings Encoding { get { return _encoding; } }
public byte BitsPerPixel { get { return _bitsPerPixel; } }
public ushort ImgXMin { get { return _imgXMin; } }
public ushort ImgYMin { get { return _imgYMin; } }
public ushort ImgXMax { get { return _imgXMax; } }
public ushort ImgYMax { get { return _imgYMax; } }
public ushort Hdpi { get { return _hdpi; } }
public ushort Vdpi { get { return _vdpi; } }
public byte[] Palette16 { get { return _palette16; } }
public byte[] Reserved { get { return _reserved; } }
public byte NumPlanes { get { return _numPlanes; } }
public ushort BytesPerLine { get { return _bytesPerLine; } }
public ushort PaletteInfo { get { return _paletteInfo; } }
public ushort HScreenSize { get { return _hScreenSize; } }
public ushort VScreenSize { get { return _vScreenSize; } }
public Pcx M_Root { get { return m_root; } }
public Pcx M_Parent { get { return m_parent; } }
}
public partial class TPalette256 : KaitaiStruct
{
public static TPalette256 FromFile(string fileName)
{
return new TPalette256(new KaitaiStream(fileName));
}
public TPalette256(KaitaiStream p__io, Pcx p__parent = null, Pcx p__root = null) : base(p__io)
{
m_parent = p__parent;
m_root = p__root;
_read();
}
private void _read()
{
_magic = m_io.ReadBytes(1);
if (!((KaitaiStream.ByteArrayCompare(Magic, new byte[] { 12 }) == 0)))
{
throw new ValidationNotEqualError(new byte[] { 12 }, Magic, M_Io, "/types/t_palette_256/seq/0");
}
_colors = new List<Rgb>();
for (var i = 0; i < 256; i++)
{
_colors.Add(new Rgb(m_io, this, m_root));
}
}
private byte[] _magic;
private List<Rgb> _colors;
private Pcx m_root;
private Pcx m_parent;
public byte[] Magic { get { return _magic; } }
public List<Rgb> Colors { get { return _colors; } }
public Pcx M_Root { get { return m_root; } }
public Pcx M_Parent { get { return m_parent; } }
}
public partial class Rgb : KaitaiStruct
{
public static Rgb FromFile(string fileName)
{
return new Rgb(new KaitaiStream(fileName));
}
public Rgb(KaitaiStream p__io, Pcx.TPalette256 p__parent = null, Pcx p__root = null) : base(p__io)
{
m_parent = p__parent;
m_root = p__root;
_read();
}
private void _read()
{
_r = m_io.ReadU1();
_g = m_io.ReadU1();
_b = m_io.ReadU1();
}
private byte _r;
private byte _g;
private byte _b;
private Pcx m_root;
private Pcx.TPalette256 m_parent;
public byte R { get { return _r; } }
public byte G { get { return _g; } }
public byte B { get { return _b; } }
public Pcx M_Root { get { return m_root; } }
public Pcx.TPalette256 M_Parent { get { return m_parent; } }
}
private bool f_palette256;
private TPalette256 _palette256;
/// <remarks>
/// Reference: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20100206055706/http://www.qzx.com/pc-gpe/pcx.txt">- "VGA 256 Color Palette Information"</a>
/// </remarks>
public TPalette256 Palette256
{
get
{
if (f_palette256)
return _palette256;
if ( ((Hdr.Version == Versions.V30) && (Hdr.BitsPerPixel == 8) && (Hdr.NumPlanes == 1)) ) {
long _pos = m_io.Pos;
m_io.Seek((M_Io.Size - 769));
_palette256 = new TPalette256(m_io, this, m_root);
m_io.Seek(_pos);
f_palette256 = true;
}
return _palette256;
}
}
private Header _hdr;
private Pcx m_root;
private KaitaiStruct m_parent;
private byte[] __raw_hdr;
public Header Hdr { get { return _hdr; } }
public Pcx M_Root { get { return m_root; } }
public KaitaiStruct M_Parent { get { return m_parent; } }
public byte[] M_RawHdr { get { return __raw_hdr; } }
}
}