Lucy HattersleyDec 17, 2022
Khalid ⚡

Hex Fiend for #macos is really cool. It comes with "templates" which have already figured out where all the data is in a binary file.

Helps you see offsets and number of bytes. If you're writing a file format parser, then this is really helpful.

Dec 16, 2022 at 8:20pmWeb
Show threadUli Kusterer (Not a kitteh)Dec 17, 2022

@khalidabuhakmeh Wow! I used it as a hex editor for ages. Wasn't aware they'd added templates.

I've been looking for something like that for ages, was this close to trying to write my own.

Show threadSörenDec 17, 2022

@uliwitness @khalidabuhakmeh Synalize is the same idea but more powerful: https://mastodon.social/@timac/109527765078258113

(I was trying to play with it ages ago but it’s way above my pay grade)

Show threadUli Kusterer (Not a kitteh)Dec 17, 2022
@chucker @khalidabuhakmeh Yeah, I tried to use SynalizeIt, but it felt very complex even for simple tasks, and the UI confused me greatly. I'm basically looking for something that generates a simple UI for editing files, like 'TMPL' resources back in classic MacOS.
Show threadPeter HoseyDec 17, 2022

@uliwitness @chucker @khalidabuhakmeh That's basically what creating a grammar is in Synalyze It!. Not that different from 'TMPL' resources, actually, except with a few more options for things like byte order.

Hex Fiend might actually be the more powerful/flexible of the two, as its counterpart to “grammars” is Tcl scripts. I haven't looked deeply into how to write such scripts, though.

Show threadEllen Teapot 🇨🇦🏳️‍⚧️Dec 17, 2022
@khalidabuhakmeh Wow I had no idea about this feature
Show threadDave DeLongDec 17, 2022
@khalidabuhakmeh … have I missed some updates? This is incredible!!
Show threadAlexandre ColucciDec 17, 2022
@khalidabuhakmeh Another great solution is Synalyze It! Pro: https://www.synalysis.net
I used it to reverse engineer the .car file format: https://blog.timac.org/2018/1018-reverse-engineering-the-car-file-format/
Synalyze It! - The fast and clever hex editor for macOS

Synalyze It! is not only a hex editor for macOS that opens any binary file of any size but gives you powerful tools for file analysis and reverse engineering.

Synalyze It! Home
Show threadFilip NavaraDec 17, 2022
@timac @khalidabuhakmeh Oh cool. Didn't realize you are on 🐘. I used your .car reverse engineering and built some prototypes on top...
Show threadAlexandre ColucciDec 17, 2022
@filipnavara @khalidabuhakmeh Great to hear it was useful!
Show threadParsingphaseDec 17, 2022
@khalidabuhakmeh Ah, I didn't know about the template functionality, very handy. Thanks for the tip!
Show threadPete SchaffnerDec 18, 2022
@khalidabuhakmeh I don’t use these tools, but a buddy of mine made HexEdit which I think looks beautiful :) https://hextedit.app/
HextEdit

A fast and native hex editor for macOS

HextEdit
Show threadMega “Byte” Matt Dec 20, 2022
@khalidabuhakmeh Wow! I had it installed for a while, but didn't know it had that view. They should turn that on by default, or at least make it more prominent.