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Author Topic: SOLVED: GDF File Reader  (Read 6834 times)

gameaddict20

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SOLVED: GDF File Reader
« on: February 25, 2012, 06:11 PM »
It's me again. This time I think I have a tough challenge (possibly I really have no idea how hard it is going to be).
What I require is a GDF file reader, that is Game Definition File reader.
Under Win vista and 7 games are added to game explorer using a Game Definition File usually integrated into an exe or a dll which is basically an XML file embedded into that file.
I can retrieve the data with GDFTrace.exe which is available in the DirectX SDK but this program is copyrighted under Microsoft and so I cannot distribute it with my program, Photon Game Manager.
So what I require is a small app that when given the path to the file containing the GDF then outputs the GDF information to a file (with the text formatted in any way best for you).
Note: A sample file with a GDF in it is minesweeper found at "C:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\Minesweeper\minesweeper.exe"

Thank you for any help you provide

EDIT: The GDF data is also available from tools like Resource Editor but I can't find a command line tool
« Last Edit: February 26, 2012, 05:39 PM by gameaddict20 »

fenixproductions

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Re: SOLVED: GDF File Reader
« Reply #1 on: February 27, 2012, 07:03 PM »
@gameaddict20
This one may be hard to implement because there seems to be is no easy way to be 100% sure where the GDF file is embedded in (i.e. Batman has BmGDFBinary.dll, Damnation - DamnGame.exe and Fallout 3 - GDFFallout3.dll).
The only possible solution would be to get some resource editor code and iterate through all exe/dll files looking for DATA\__GDF_XML and DATA\__GDF_THUMBNAIL binary resources but it is not efficient by any means.

Maybe the best would be to check Registry for just HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\GameUX\Game entries?
Or try to contact with guys behind these projects:
http://gameeditor.webnode.com/
http://www.extensiblesoft.com/gamex/

gameaddict20

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Re: SOLVED: GDF File Reader
« Reply #2 on: February 28, 2012, 04:40 AM »
hi, thanks for your comment.
I've already found the registry entries that point to each games specific file containing the GDF. Its getting at the GDF that I am having problems with, I can do it with resource hacker and GDFTrace but both are copyrighted so I cannot distribute them with my program.
What I require is a program I can give an exe/dll path to and it dumps out the DATA\__GDF_XML and DATA\__GDF_THUMBNAIL to a path I specify on the command line.
Thanks again for any help

gameaddict20

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Re: SOLVED: GDF File Reader
« Reply #3 on: March 01, 2012, 04:52 AM »
Never mind, after hours and hours (I really do mean hours!) I found a freeware program that is copyrighted but under the license allows me to distribute it.
But it was like finding a needle in a haystack.
For anyone interested its found here: http://www.nirsoft.n...sources_extract.html