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.
import kaitai_struct_nim_runtime
import options
type
Pcx* = ref object of KaitaiStruct
`hdr`*: Pcx_Header
`parent`*: KaitaiStruct
`rawHdr`*: seq[byte]
`palette256Inst`: Pcx_TPalette256
`palette256InstFlag`: bool
Pcx_Versions* = enum
v2_5 = 0
v2_8_with_palette = 2
v2_8_without_palette = 3
paintbrush_for_windows = 4
v3_0 = 5
Pcx_Encodings* = enum
rle = 1
Pcx_Header* = ref object of KaitaiStruct
`magic`*: seq[byte]
`version`*: Pcx_Versions
`encoding`*: Pcx_Encodings
`bitsPerPixel`*: uint8
`imgXMin`*: uint16
`imgYMin`*: uint16
`imgXMax`*: uint16
`imgYMax`*: uint16
`hdpi`*: uint16
`vdpi`*: uint16
`palette16`*: seq[byte]
`reserved`*: seq[byte]
`numPlanes`*: uint8
`bytesPerLine`*: uint16
`paletteInfo`*: uint16
`hScreenSize`*: uint16
`vScreenSize`*: uint16
`parent`*: Pcx
Pcx_TPalette256* = ref object of KaitaiStruct
`magic`*: seq[byte]
`colors`*: seq[Pcx_Rgb]
`parent`*: Pcx
Pcx_Rgb* = ref object of KaitaiStruct
`r`*: uint8
`g`*: uint8
`b`*: uint8
`parent`*: Pcx_TPalette256
proc read*(_: typedesc[Pcx], io: KaitaiStream, root: KaitaiStruct, parent: KaitaiStruct): Pcx
proc read*(_: typedesc[Pcx_Header], io: KaitaiStream, root: KaitaiStruct, parent: Pcx): Pcx_Header
proc read*(_: typedesc[Pcx_TPalette256], io: KaitaiStream, root: KaitaiStruct, parent: Pcx): Pcx_TPalette256
proc read*(_: typedesc[Pcx_Rgb], io: KaitaiStream, root: KaitaiStruct, parent: Pcx_TPalette256): Pcx_Rgb
proc palette256*(this: Pcx): Pcx_TPalette256
##[
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.
@see <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20100206055706/http://www.qzx.com/pc-gpe/pcx.txt">Source</a>
]##
proc read*(_: typedesc[Pcx], io: KaitaiStream, root: KaitaiStruct, parent: KaitaiStruct): Pcx =
template this: untyped = result
this = new(Pcx)
let root = if root == nil: cast[Pcx](this) else: cast[Pcx](root)
this.io = io
this.root = root
this.parent = parent
let rawHdrExpr = this.io.readBytes(int(128))
this.rawHdr = rawHdrExpr
let rawHdrIo = newKaitaiStream(rawHdrExpr)
let hdrExpr = Pcx_Header.read(rawHdrIo, this.root, this)
this.hdr = hdrExpr
proc palette256(this: Pcx): Pcx_TPalette256 =
##[
@see <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20100206055706/http://www.qzx.com/pc-gpe/pcx.txt">- "VGA 256 Color Palette Information"</a>
]##
if this.palette256InstFlag:
return this.palette256Inst
if ((this.hdr.version == pcx.v3_0) and (this.hdr.bitsPerPixel == 8) and (this.hdr.numPlanes == 1)) :
let pos = this.io.pos()
this.io.seek(int((this.io.size - 769)))
let palette256InstExpr = Pcx_TPalette256.read(this.io, this.root, this)
this.palette256Inst = palette256InstExpr
this.io.seek(pos)
this.palette256InstFlag = true
return this.palette256Inst
proc fromFile*(_: typedesc[Pcx], filename: string): Pcx =
Pcx.read(newKaitaiFileStream(filename), nil, nil)
##[
@see <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20100206055706/http://www.qzx.com/pc-gpe/pcx.txt">- "ZSoft .PCX FILE HEADER FORMAT"</a>
]##
proc read*(_: typedesc[Pcx_Header], io: KaitaiStream, root: KaitaiStruct, parent: Pcx): Pcx_Header =
template this: untyped = result
this = new(Pcx_Header)
let root = if root == nil: cast[Pcx](this) else: cast[Pcx](root)
this.io = io
this.root = root
this.parent = parent
##[
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.
]##
let magicExpr = this.io.readBytes(int(1))
this.magic = magicExpr
let versionExpr = Pcx_Versions(this.io.readU1())
this.version = versionExpr
let encodingExpr = Pcx_Encodings(this.io.readU1())
this.encoding = encodingExpr
let bitsPerPixelExpr = this.io.readU1()
this.bitsPerPixel = bitsPerPixelExpr
let imgXMinExpr = this.io.readU2le()
this.imgXMin = imgXMinExpr
let imgYMinExpr = this.io.readU2le()
this.imgYMin = imgYMinExpr
let imgXMaxExpr = this.io.readU2le()
this.imgXMax = imgXMaxExpr
let imgYMaxExpr = this.io.readU2le()
this.imgYMax = imgYMaxExpr
let hdpiExpr = this.io.readU2le()
this.hdpi = hdpiExpr
let vdpiExpr = this.io.readU2le()
this.vdpi = vdpiExpr
let palette16Expr = this.io.readBytes(int(48))
this.palette16 = palette16Expr
let reservedExpr = this.io.readBytes(int(1))
this.reserved = reservedExpr
let numPlanesExpr = this.io.readU1()
this.numPlanes = numPlanesExpr
let bytesPerLineExpr = this.io.readU2le()
this.bytesPerLine = bytesPerLineExpr
let paletteInfoExpr = this.io.readU2le()
this.paletteInfo = paletteInfoExpr
let hScreenSizeExpr = this.io.readU2le()
this.hScreenSize = hScreenSizeExpr
let vScreenSizeExpr = this.io.readU2le()
this.vScreenSize = vScreenSizeExpr
proc fromFile*(_: typedesc[Pcx_Header], filename: string): Pcx_Header =
Pcx_Header.read(newKaitaiFileStream(filename), nil, nil)
proc read*(_: typedesc[Pcx_TPalette256], io: KaitaiStream, root: KaitaiStruct, parent: Pcx): Pcx_TPalette256 =
template this: untyped = result
this = new(Pcx_TPalette256)
let root = if root == nil: cast[Pcx](this) else: cast[Pcx](root)
this.io = io
this.root = root
this.parent = parent
let magicExpr = this.io.readBytes(int(1))
this.magic = magicExpr
for i in 0 ..< int(256):
let it = Pcx_Rgb.read(this.io, this.root, this)
this.colors.add(it)
proc fromFile*(_: typedesc[Pcx_TPalette256], filename: string): Pcx_TPalette256 =
Pcx_TPalette256.read(newKaitaiFileStream(filename), nil, nil)
proc read*(_: typedesc[Pcx_Rgb], io: KaitaiStream, root: KaitaiStruct, parent: Pcx_TPalette256): Pcx_Rgb =
template this: untyped = result
this = new(Pcx_Rgb)
let root = if root == nil: cast[Pcx](this) else: cast[Pcx](root)
this.io = io
this.root = root
this.parent = parent
let rExpr = this.io.readU1()
this.r = rExpr
let gExpr = this.io.readU1()
this.g = gExpr
let bExpr = this.io.readU1()
this.b = bExpr
proc fromFile*(_: typedesc[Pcx_Rgb], filename: string): Pcx_Rgb =
Pcx_Rgb.read(newKaitaiFileStream(filename), nil, nil)