Re: find and replace string in binary file

Path	csiph.com!v102.xanadu-bbs.net!xanadu-bbs.net!feeder.erje.net!eu.feeder.erje.net!newsfeed.xs4all.nl!newsfeed4.news.xs4all.nl!xs4all!newsgate.cistron.nl!newsgate.news.xs4all.nl!post.news.xs4all.nl!not-for-mail
Return-Path	<rosuav@gmail.com>
X-Original-To	python-list@python.org
Delivered-To	python-list@mail.python.org
X-Spam-Status	OK 0.003
X-Spam-Evidence	'H': 0.99; 'S': 0.00; 'encoding': 0.05; 'binary': 0.07; 'subject:file': 0.07; 'string': 0.09; 'bytes.': 0.09; 'encode': 0.09; 'image,': 0.09; 'subject:string': 0.09; 'cc:addr :python-list': 0.11; 'choose,': 0.16; 'from:addr:rosuav': 0.16; 'from:name:chris angelico': 0.16; 'wrote:': 0.18; 'wed,': 0.18; 'file,': 0.19; 'cc:addr:python.org': 0.22; 'replace': 0.24; 'file.': 0.24; 'cc:2**0': 0.24; 'header:In-Reply-To:1': 0.27; 'am,': 0.29; 'character': 0.29; 'message-id:@mail.gmail.com': 0.30; 'file': 0.32; 'another': 0.32; 'possible.': 0.35; 'convert': 0.35; 'received:google.com': 0.35; 'clear': 0.37; 'whatever': 0.38; 'either': 0.39; 'how': 0.40; 'read': 0.60; "you'll": 0.62; 'mar': 0.68; 'otten': 0.84; 'subject:find': 0.84; 'to:none': 0.92
DKIM-Signature	v=1; a=rsa-sha256; c=relaxed/relaxed; d=gmail.com; s=20120113; h=mime-version:in-reply-to:references:date:message-id:subject:from:cc :content-type; bh=Ft+3uCSmbYBR1f1YXmqbIRae7CB49kDdWw7hkkfF/Ck=; b=hizP8Q4+i9HRXSHQ/r27zhEh0rJbOXz3EPvwDHAQ5K0KrIRvP112DcUmRB+YSAGeFn flUI1/OqxERKYxrPSfnzYIsyq4PLrCV1oJjckND3MRxOglMuPnf0+gu4qbSfrhrIPPoK hG0MdMCb04p3WrQ1aa9aYbMgWdZbTH2Acb6QawCb8Xz8qJzeUXs0Hr4pr2vl7yX/WoGj Ui7cnAjPIqf1MYBnJxyH+ec4T8T87heZxlpWWGuFCoBiIrN1uFicMXSaCzHw5kI6Y2eH zjQJF6IduCz/L/fM4Rr2GEafP6QL8Ay68e9nrC8pfaPxDOIiII3Ms2fzYqZiDk19G2E6 FjYw==
MIME-Version	1.0
X-Received	by 10.68.247.6 with SMTP id ya6mr2391725pbc.45.1393973043219; Tue, 04 Mar 2014 14:44:03 -0800 (PST)
In-Reply-To	<lf4jrk$95v$1@ger.gmane.org>
References	<01951a7d-2ab3-4203-a9c5-2f79017a980d@googlegroups.com> <lf4jrk$95v$1@ger.gmane.org>
Date	Wed, 5 Mar 2014 09:44:03 +1100
Subject	Re: find and replace string in binary file
From	Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com>
Cc	"python-list@python.org" <python-list@python.org>
Content-Type	text/plain; charset=UTF-8
X-BeenThere	python-list@python.org
X-Mailman-Version	2.1.15
Precedence	list
List-Id	General discussion list for the Python programming language <python-list.python.org>
List-Unsubscribe	<https://mail.python.org/mailman/options/python-list>, <mailto:python-list-request@python.org?subject=unsubscribe>
List-Archive	<http://mail.python.org/pipermail/python-list/>
List-Post	<mailto:python-list@python.org>
List-Help	<mailto:python-list-request@python.org?subject=help>
List-Subscribe	<https://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list>, <mailto:python-list-request@python.org?subject=subscribe>
Newsgroups	comp.lang.python
Message-ID	<mailman.7760.1393973045.18130.python-list@python.org> (permalink)
Lines	18
NNTP-Posting-Host	2001:888:2000:d::a6
X-Trace	1393973045 news.xs4all.nl 2890 [2001:888:2000:d::a6]:33457
X-Complaints-To	abuse@xs4all.nl
Xref	csiph.com comp.lang.python:67743

Show key headers only | View raw

On Wed, Mar 5, 2014 at 12:18 AM, Peter Otten <__peter__@web.de> wrote:
> loial wrote:
>
>> How do I read a binary file, find/identify a character string and replace
>> it with another character string and write out to another file?
>>
>> Its the finding of the string in a binary file that I am not clear on.
>
> That's not possible. You have to convert either binary to string or string
> to binary before you can replace. Whatever you choose, you have to know the
> encoding of the file.

If it's actually a binary file (as in, an executable, or an image, or
something), then the *file* won't have an encoding, so you'll need to
know the encoding of the particular string you want and encode your
string to bytes.

ChrisA

Thread

find and replace string in binary file loial <jldunn2000@gmail.com> - 2014-03-04 04:27 -0800
  Re: find and replace string in binary file MRAB <python@mrabarnett.plus.com> - 2014-03-04 13:08 +0000
  Re: find and replace string in binary file Peter Otten <__peter__@web.de> - 2014-03-04 14:18 +0100
  Re: find and replace string in binary file Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2014-03-05 09:44 +1100
  Re: find and replace string in binary file emile <emile@fenx.com> - 2014-03-04 16:13 -0800
    Re: find and replace string in binary file loial <jldunn2000@gmail.com> - 2014-03-05 01:59 -0800
      Re: find and replace string in binary file Mark Lawrence <breamoreboy@yahoo.co.uk> - 2014-03-05 12:42 +0000
      Re: find and replace string in binary file Emile van Sebille <emile@fenx.com> - 2014-03-05 09:46 -0800
  Re:find and replace string in binary file Dave Angel <davea@davea.name> - 2014-03-05 07:06 -0500

csiph-web