ImHex/README.md

<h1 align="center">:mag: ImHex</h1>

<p align="center">A Hex Editor for Reverse Engineers, Programmers and people who value their retinas when working at 3 AM.</p>

<p align="center">
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## Supporting

If you like my work, please consider supporting me on GitHub Sponsors, Patreon or PayPal. Thanks a lot!

<p align="center">
<a href="https://github.com/sponsors/WerWolv"><img src="https://werwolv.net/assets/github_banner.png" alt="GitHub donate button" /> </a>
<a href="https://www.patreon.com/werwolv"><img src="https://c5.patreon.com/external/logo/become_a_patron_button.png" alt="Patreon donate button" /> </a>
<a href="https://werwolv.net/donate"><img src="https://werwolv.net/assets/paypal_banner.png" alt="PayPal donate button" /> </a>
</p>

## Screenshots

![](https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/10835354/139592192-46ba0aef-3096-4ba6-96ca-8d65c7b6bf57.png)
![](https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/10835354/139592467-27031984-4381-4341-aa18-e827eadca701.png)

## Features

- Featureful hex view
  - Byte patching
  - Patch management
  - Copy bytes as feature
    - Bytes
    - Hex string
    - C, C++, C#, Rust, Python, Java & JavaScript array
    - ASCII-Art hex view
    - HTML self contained div
  - String and hex search
  - Colorful highlighting
  - Goto from start, end and current cursor position
- Custom C++-like pattern language for parsing highlighting a file's content
  - Automatic loading based on MIME type
  - arrays, pointers, structs, unions, enums, bitfields, namespaces, little and big endian support, conditionals and much more!
  - Useful error messages, syntax highlighting and error marking
- Data importing
  - Base64 files
  - IPS and IPS32 patches
- Data exporting
  - IPS and IPS32 patches
- Data inspector allowing interpretation of data as many different types (little and big endian)
- Huge file support with fast and efficient loading
- String search
  - Copying of strings
  - Copying of demangled strings
- File hashing support
  - CRC16 and CRC32 with custom initial values and polynomials
  - MD4, MD5
  - SHA-1, SHA-224, SHA-256, SHA-384, SHA-512
- Disassembler supporting many different architectures
  - ARM32 (ARM, Thumb, Cortex-M, AArch32)
  - ARM64
  - MIPS (MIPS32, MIPS64, MIPS32R6, Micro)
  - x86 (16-bit, 32-bit, 64-bit)
  - PowerPC (32-bit, 64-bit)
  - SPARC
  - IBM SystemZ
  - xCORE
  - M68K
  - TMS320C64X
  - M680X
  - Ethereum
- Bookmarks
  - Region highlighting
  - Comments
- Data Analyzer
  - File magic-based file parser and MIME type database
  - Byte distribution graph
  - Entropy graph
  - Highest and average entropy
  - Encrypted / Compressed file detection
- Built-in Content Store
  - Download all files found in the database directly from within ImHex
- Yara Rules support
  - Quickly scan a file for vulnearabilities with official yara rules
- Helpful tools
  - Itanium and MSVC demangler
  - ASCII table
  - Regex replacer
  - Mathematical expression evaluator (Calculator)
  - Hexadecimal Color picker
  - Base converter
  - UNIX Permissions calculator
  - Anonfiles File upload tool
  - Wikipedia term definition finder
  - File utilities
    - File splitter
    - File combiner
    - File shredderer
- Built-in cheat sheet for pattern language and Math evaluator
- Doesn't burn out your retinas when used in late-night sessions

## Pattern Language

The custom C-like Pattern Language developed and used by ImHex is easy to read, understand and learn. A guide with all features of the language can be found [in the wiki](https://github.com/WerWolv/ImHex/wiki/Pattern-Language-Guide) or a simpler version in ImHex under `Help -> Pattern Language Cheat Sheet`

## Additional Files

For format patterns, includable libraries and magic files, check out the [ImHex-Patterns](https://github.com/WerWolv/ImHex-Patterns) repository. Feel free to PR your own files there as well!

## Nightly builds

Nightlies are available via GitHub Actions [here](https://github.com/WerWolv/ImHex/actions?query=workflow%3ABuild).

- Windows • __x86_64__
  - [MSI Installer](https://nightly.link/WerWolv/ImHex/workflows/build/master/Windows%20Installer.zip)
  - [Portable ZIP](https://nightly.link/WerWolv/ImHex/workflows/build/master/Windows%20Portable%20ZIP.zip)
- MacOS • __x86_64__
  - [DMG](https://nightly.link/WerWolv/ImHex/workflows/build/master/macOS%20DMG.zip)
- Linux • __x86_64__
  - [ELF](https://nightly.link/WerWolv/ImHex/workflows/build/master/Linux%20ELF.zip)

## Compiling

You need a C++20 compatible compiler such as GCC 10.2.0 to compile ImHex.

Many dependencies are bundled into the repository using submodules so make sure to clone it using the `--recurse-submodules` option.
All dependencies that aren't bundled, can be installed using the dependency installer scripts found in the `/dist` folder.

For working examples 

### Windows

On Windows, ImHex is built through msys2 / mingw. To install all dependencies, open a mys2 window and run the PKGCONFIG script in the (dist/msys2)[dist/msys2] folder.
After all the dependencies are installed, run the following commands to build ImHex:

```sh
mkdir build
cd build
cmake -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release ..
make -j
```

---

To create a standalone zipfile on Windows, get the Python standard library (e.g. from https://github.com/python/cpython/tree/master/Lib) and place the files and folders in `lib/python3.8` next to your built executable. Don't forget to also copy the `libpython3.8.dll` and `libwinpthread-1.dll` from your mingw setup next to the executable.

- Copy the files from `python_libs` in the `lib` folder next to your built executable.
- Place your magic databases in the `magic` folder next to your built executable
- Place your patterns in the `pattern` folder next to your built executable
- Place your include pattern files in the `include` folder next to your built executable

### macOS

To build ImHex on macOS, run the following commands:

```sh
brew bundle --no-lock --file dist/Brewfile
mkdir build
cd build
CC=$(brew --prefix llvm)/bin/clang CXX=$(brew --prefix llvm)/bin/clang++ PKG_CONFIG_PATH="$(brew --prefix openssl)/lib/pkgconfig":"$(brew --prefix)/lib/pkgconfig" cmake -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release ..
make -j
```

Install the ImHex executable as well as libimhex.dylib to wherever ImHex should be installed.

All other files belong in `~/Library/Application Support/imhex`:
```
Patterns: ~/Library/Application Support/imhex/patterns
Pattern Includes: ~/Library/Application Support/imhex/includes
Magic files: ~/Library/Application Support/imhex/magic
Python: ~/Library/Application Support/imhex/lib/pythonX.X
Plugins: ~/Library/Application Support/imhex/plugins
Configuration: ~/Library/Application Support/imhex/config
Resources: ~/Library/Application Support/imhex/resources
```

### Linux

Dependency installation scripts are available for many common Linux distributions in the (/dist)[dist] folder.
After all the dependencies are installed, run the following commands to build ImHex:

```sh
mkdir build
cd build
cmake -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release ..
make -j
```

---

Put the ImHex executable into the `/usr/bin` folder.
Put libimhex.so into the `/usr/lib` folder.
Configuration files go to `/etc/xdg/imhex` or `~/.config/imhex`.
All other files belong in `/usr/share/imhex` or `~/.local/share/imhex`:

```
Patterns: /usr/share/imhex/patterns
Pattern Includes: /usr/share/imhex/includes
Magic files: /usr/share/imhex/magic
Python: /usr/share/imhex/lib/pythonX.X
Plugins: /usr/share/imhex/plugins
Configuration: /etc/xdg/imhex/config
Resources: /usr/share/imhex/resources
```

All paths follow the XDG Base Directories standard, and can thus be modified
with the environment variables `XDG_CONFIG_HOME`, `XDG_CONFIG_DIRS`,
`XDG_DATA_HOME` and `XDG_DATA_DIRS`.

## Credits

- Thanks a lot to ocornut for their amazing [Dear ImGui](https://github.com/ocornut/imgui) which is used for building the entire interface
  - Thanks to ocornut as well for their hex editor view used as base for this project.
  - Thanks to BalazsJako for their incredible [ImGuiColorTextEdit](https://github.com/BalazsJako/ImGuiColorTextEdit) used for the pattern language syntax highlighting
- Thanks to nlohmann for their [json](https://github.com/nlohmann/json) library used for project files
- Thanks to aquynh for [capstone](https://github.com/aquynh/capstone) which is the base of the disassembly window
- Thanks to vitaut for their [libfmt](https://github.com/fmtlib/fmt) library which makes formatting and logging so much better
- Thanks to rxi for [microtar](https://github.com/rxi/microtar) used for extracting downloaded store assets