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: 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: References: <01951a7d-2ab3-4203-a9c5-2f79017a980d@googlegroups.com> Date: Wed, 5 Mar 2014 09:44:03 +1100 Subject: Re: find and replace string in binary file From: Chris Angelico Cc: "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 List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Newsgroups: comp.lang.python Message-ID: 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 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