CLI Tools to read rom info?

doydoy

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Hey all!
I have recently started a small project where I want to keep track of the backups I own in a database, should be as easy as reading all the files with an extension (.gb, .nes, .sfc, etc).
However, I was wondering if there are any specific tools that would help me get more specific info (region, languages, internal name, etc)?
The ideal solution for me would be to find any CLI tools that would allow me to read a file and parse the info.

In zophar i have found tools like GBView, which needs Windows and its a visual app - so to use it, i would need to open each file manually i also select the info manually - not ideal. :wink:
I also can't seem to find anything on the Downloads page of this site...:(

I have also tried libretro's CLI but apparently I can only use cores to load a rom to play it. I wonder if there is more to this? :unsure:
Anyway, I thought I could throw this question around and see if anyone here has an inkling on what tools could help me to just read ROM info?

Many thanks in advance! :bow:
 

FAST6191

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Such things are already largely available as part of traditional ROM managers, many dat files* containing nice info like that (if it matches the dat file's hash then it will inherently have the other info), not to mention most old games don't note what languages they contain or might even lie (several DS games having Japanese blanked off in code but where a one line cheat that does not alter any code gets it back).

* https://no-intro.org/
http://advanscene.com/html/index.php
https://wiki.romvault.com/doku.php?id=supported_dats (also featuring a command line version https://romvault.com/ )
https://emulation.gametechwiki.com/index.php/GoodTools with it being one of the ones to feature several bad dumps and hacked ROMs as well if you want to go that way.

You might find some tools on, how many are command line based (not to mention the languages thing above) is a different matter
https://www.romhacking.net/?page=ut...perpage=20&title=&desc=rom+info&utilsearch=Go

Equally if this is not a prelude to you doing your own database project to learn about such things (learn on what makes you interested) then much of this header information is documented in whatever emulator/hardware notes you care to look for a given system.
Examples
https://problemkaputt.de/fullsnes.htm#snescartridgeromheader
https://problemkaputt.de/gbatek.htm#gbacartridgeheader
https://gbdev.io/pandocs/The_Cartridge_Header.html
https://www.nesdev.org/wiki/INES#iNES_file_format (though this brings you onto some headers being cooked up by emulator authors and ROM dumpers for their purposes, and used by everybody possibly up to and including Nintendo themselves if various amusing stories over the years are anything to go by).
 

doydoy

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Such things are already largely available as part of traditional ROM managers, many dat files* containing nice info like that (if it matches the dat file's hash then it will inherently have the other info), not to mention most old games don't note what languages they contain or might even lie (several DS games having Japanese blanked off in code but where a one line cheat that does not alter any code gets it back).

(doydoy's note: cant reply with links so the rest is omitted)
Wow that is a loot of resources!

Im not really technologically versed on stuff like ROM headers so I believe advanscene, no intro and romvault should be great places to start!

Thank you ever so much :grog:
 

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