HLP/MVB decompilation plugin

[Flint]

I wrote a plugin for unpacking (decompiling) the HLP and MVB help files. The plugin is based on the HelpDeco source code.

Download version 1.0.2.0 (18.09.2011):
x32+x64 / mirror (167 Kb)
x32 without SSE / mirror (for old processors)
Source code (C++) / mirror (62 Kb)

[Peter]

Hello Flint

maybe you should add the link of this thread to the plugin-info at totalcmd.net?

Peter

[horsi]

I wrote a plugin for unpacking (decompiling) the HLP and MVB help files. The plugin is based on the HelpDeco source code.

Completely doesn't work for me

---------------------------
Error
---------------------------
Error in packer plugin "hlp" calling OpenArchiveW for
"c:\TotalCmd\TOTALCMD.HLP" !
Please report this error to the plugin author!

The reported error is:
External exception C000001D
---------------------------
OK
---------------------------

TC 7.55a
WinXP SP3 32-bit

[Flint]

horsi
What processor is in your computer? Not only AMD/Intel, but exact model number, please.

[horsi]

horsi
What processor is in your computer? Not only AMD/Intel, but exact model number, please.

AMD Athlon Model 6 Stepping 2
Commonly known as AMD Athlon-XP 1600+.

CPU-Z version 1.55 report:

Code: Select all

Processors
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Number of processors		1
Number of threads		1
Processors Information
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Processor 1			ID = 0
	Number of cores		1 (max 1)
	Number of threads	1 (max 1)
	Name			AMD Athlon XP
	Codename		Palomino
	Specification		AMD Athlon(tm) XP 1600+
	Package 		Socket A (462)
	CPUID			6.6.2
	Extended CPUID		7.6
	Core Stepping		A5
	Technology		0.18 um
	Core Speed		1400.2 MHz
	Multiplier x FSB	10.5 x 133.3 MHz
	Rated Bus speed		266.7 MHz
	Instructions sets	MMX (+), 3DNow! (+), SSE
	L1 Data cache		64 KBytes, 2-way set associative, 64-byte line size
	L1 Instruction cache	64 KBytes, 2-way set associative, 64-byte line size
	L2 cache		256 KBytes, 16-way set associative, 64-byte line size
	FID/VID Control		no

	K7 Thermal sensor	yes

[Flint]

horsi
Just as I suspected… I was hoping such old processors will never meet my plugin and turned the SSE+SSE2 optimizations on.

Oh well, here the binary without SSE (WCX file only):
http://flint-inc.ru/files/mlang/hlp_nosse_1.0.0.0.rar

[Peter]

Which TC version is required?

Peter

[Flint]

Peter
As written in ReadMe, 7.50 and later.

[Peter]

Peter
As written in ReadMe....

Thanks. I looked only at the info-page of totalcmd.net.

Peter

[Matthias030]

Are there any advantages against old helpdeco multiarc plugin?
http://wcx.sourceforge.net/

Does your plugin uses newer helpdeco source code?

[Flint]

Are there any advantages against old helpdeco multiarc plugin?

I tried some MultiArc addon for decompiling help files, I'm not sure if there is one or more such addons (the one I tried used the original HelpDeco.exe program). I work on translating the TC help file into Russian, and I tried this plugin on a compiled Russian HLP file. I entered the archive, saw its contents, but when I returned back, I discovered that all the source files from which I compiled the HLP vanished completely.

As I reconstructed the events, MultiArc just called HelpDeco, it decompiled everything into the same directory where HLP lied, overwriting the originals, and used the resultant list of files as source for presenting archive contents to TC. After that it just removed the extracted files. Just an excellent idea it is! Luckily, I had a copy of my work files. Needless to say that the addon together with MultiArc itself immediately went from my hard disk directly into /dev/null to never return again.

My plugin does not use the program but includes its complete source code, modified in such a manner as to avoid writing files when not explicitly requested. And, yes, I included the latest changes from HelpDeco project comparing to the latest available binary version 2.1 (more exactly, I looked what they did, and reimplemented the necessary changes myself to avoid using the new code: the latest versions are distributed under GPL, so if I used the code directly I would have to switch to GPL too, but this license does not allow writing plugins for TC; the author did not reply to my request on relicensing).

[Matthias030]

As I reconstructed the events, MultiArc just called HelpDeco, it decompiled everything into the same directory where HLP lied, overwriting the originals, and used the resultant list of files as source for presenting archive contents to TC.

I only know 1 multiarc addon. But it has not the problem you describes.

I included the latest changes from HelpDeco project comparing to the latest available binary version 2.1

Sounds good. I also notice that opening archives by your plugin are little bit faster than multiarc.

[Flint]

But it has not the problem you describes.

Well, maybe the addon or MultiArc itself was improved since then (e.g. by creating temporary directory and unpacking there instead of the current dir), but I assure you that I didn't imagine this problem.

I also notice that opening archives by your plugin are little bit faster than multiarc.

Nice to hear. I didn't do measurings, but probably it's because my plugin does all the unpacking into memory and not into files.

[horsi]

Just as I suspected… I was hoping such old processors will never meet my plugin and turned the SSE+SSE2 optimizations on.

Sorry for that.

Oh well, here the binary without SSE (WCX file only):
http://flint-inc.ru/files/mlang/hlp_nosse_1.0.0.0.rar

This version works without any errors (yet)

[Flint]

Sorry for that.

It's not your fault, surely, but mine.

This version works without any errors (yet)

That's good, thanks for checking.