FileAnalyzer

Change Log

On this page, you can find the history of changes made to the program FileAnalyzer.

• New Metaformat (2025-04-14): ID3v1 Tag for MP3 files.
• ID3v2 Support (2025-04-11): ID3v2 Tag for the container formats RIFF (WAV/AVI/WEBP) and AIFF (AIFF/AIFC).
• ID3v2 Extensions (2025-04-08): Improvements and further development of the ID3v2 Tag metaformat.
• New File Format (2025-04-04): Audio Interchange File Format (AIFF/AIFC).
• New File Format (2024-12-02): Microsoft ShellLink ShortCuts (LNK).
• Improvements (2024-11-29): Improvements and further development of the formats JPEG 2000, FLV, F4V and ISOBMFF.
• New File Formats (2024-11-24): Basics of Photoshop images (PSD, PDD), Flash videos (FLV, F4V) and Free Lossless Audio Codec audio files (FLAC).
• New File Format (2024-11-18): JPEG 2000 (J2K, JP2, JPG2 - Part 1: Core Coding System / Base Still Image Format; JPX, JPF - Part 2: Extensions / Extended Still Image Format; JPM - Part 6: Compound Image File Format / Compound Image Format).
• New Jump to Byte Offset Dialog (2024-11-17): The dialog for jumping to a byte offset has been revised and the following options have been added: Decimal or hexadecimal specification of the offset; keep window open; interpretation of the specified offset from the beginning of the file, the end of the file, forward from the current position or backward from the current position.
• New Keyboard Shortcut (2024-11-16): CTRL + J to open the Jump to Byte Offset Dialog.
• New File Node Indicator (2024-11-15): An [R] now marks all nodes within the file structure tree view that contain subnodes that are outside the byte range of the parent node.
• Offset Format (2024-11-14): The number format of the byte offsets (for example on the left side of the hex view or for the offsets of the properties shown in the detail table) can now be displayed optionally either in decimal or hexadecimal notation. The settings for this can be found under "Settings > General > Offset Format".
• New File Format (2024-11-13): MIDI audio files (MID, MIDI, KAR).
• Collapsing and Expanding the File Structure (2024-11-12): The context menu of the file structure view now contains new options that make it easier to expand or collapse multiple nodes of the file structure at the same time (expand / collapse all nodes below / on the same level as the selected node).
• Multi Edging in the Hex View (2024-11-06): Some file formats such as Portable Executables (EXE, DLL), the Compound File Binary Format (DOC, XLS, PPT) or Open Type Fonts (TTF, OTF, TTC, OTC) contain chunks or properties that extend over several areas within the binary structure of the file and are therefore not consecutive. These areas are now represented by several individual borders around the relevant bytes in the hex view.
• New File Formats (2024-11-05): 7Z and SQLite Basics.
• New File Node Indicator (2024-10-31): Compressed (for example zipped) file parts are now displayed with a [C] for "compressed" behind the caption of their file node within the file structure (occurs, for example, with WOFF fonts).
• New File Format (2024-10-30): Web Open Font Format (WOFF/WOFF2).
• New Container Format (2024-10-29): Compound File Binary Format for DOC, XLS, PPT, MSI und MSG.
• Comparison Function (2024-10-19): Invoke of the comparison of multiple properties at the same time from the context menu of the detail table.
• New File Format (2024-10-16): OpenType Font Collection (TTC/OTC).
• New Keyboard Shortcuts (2024-10-13): CTRL + Q to open the comparator, CTRL + B to open the number-byte converter as well as CTRL + T to open the string-byte converter.
• Extension of the Search Operators (2024-10-10): The search operator BETWEEN can now also be used for strings in the search function and no longer only for searching numbers as before. The search operators SMALLER and GREATER could already be used for both. The search operators SMALLER, SMALLER_OR_EQUAL, GREATER, GREATER_OR_EQUAL and BETWEEN can now be used with decimal numbers using any decimal separator (comma or period).
• Supported File Formats (2024-09-03): Improved display of PDF documents.
• Reverse String-Byte Converter (2024-08-09): The String-Byte Converter can now (like the Number-Byte Converter) also be used in the opposite direction as a Bytes-To-String Converter. This means that it is now possible to enter a sequence of bytes, which is then interpreted as text in an encoding of your choice.
• Automatic Sorting (2024-06-03): In the sorting settings of the file list (context menu > Columns > Sorting) you can now define a column and a sorting direction according to which the files are automatically sorted after they are added.
• Sorting Settings (2024-05-15): With the new sorting settings for the file list, you can now determine the sorting algorithm used (alphabetical sorting, natural sorting, system algorithm or random order) as well as specify whether the upper and lower case writing should be ignored when sorting and whether the existing order of the other columns should be maintained. You can find these new options by right-clicking on the file list under "Columns > Sorting".
• Byte Offset Functions (2024-04-24): Jump to Byte Offset and Copy Byte Offset in the context menu of the Hex View.
• Performance Tweaks (2024-03-30): New option "Limit Chunk Loading" to prevent loading of frequently occurring chunks (for example the Matroska Cluster Blocks). The hex view can now be collapsed to prevent loading all bytes of a file (then only the file structure, the properties and the values are viewed). General performance improvements for handling large files.
• New Program Version (2024-03-27): 64 bit variant for the Pro Version.
• New Column Parameters for the Script Control (2024-03-21): With the new column parameters "file_ext", "file_size", "chunk_size" and "chunk_type" for the script control column configuration, you can write the file extension, the file size, the chunk size as well as the chunk type into your results table.
• New Search Function in the File Structure for the Script Control (2024-03-17): With the new command line parameters "search-path", "search-prop" as well as "search-val" you can search for values (search-val) in the file structure within specific paths (search-path) and specific properties (search-prop). The parameters can be used all together, individually or in any combination. Additionally, these three basic parameters can optionally be combined with "search-prop-cop" and "search-val-cop" (from "comparison operator" - determination of the comparison operators) as well as "search-prop-rev" and "search-val-rev" (from "reverse search"). More on this in the section "Searching in the File Structure" of the Introduction to the Script Control.
• New Column Parameters for the Script Control (2024-03-16): With the new column parameters "offset_file", "offset_chunk" and "chunk_offset" for the column configuration of the script control, you can write the offset of the found value from the beginning of the file or within the relevant chunk as well as the byte offset of the chunk into your results table.
• New Search Function for Strings for the Script Control (2024-03-13): With the new command line parameters "search-str", "search-enc" as well as "search-bom" you can search for strings. With "search-str" you can specify the search text/string, with "search-enc" and "search-bom" you can optionally specify the encoding and byte order mark. More on this in the section "Search for Strings" of the Introduction to the Script Control.
• Inverse Filename Search (2024-03-07): Also the file name search can now be reversed. If you put a minus sign in front of your search term, all files that do not contain the search term will be found. If your search term starts with a minus sign, you can search for "/-word" to make the minus sign lose its meaning. If you only want to search for a minus sign itself, it is sufficient to search for "-" without "/". To exclude multiple search terms, you can write "-abc/def/ghi" (only finds filenames that do not contain "abc", "def" or "ghi").
• Text/Binary File Filter (2024-03-06): Performance improvements of the filters "Text Files Only" and "Binary Files Only".
• File Search Filter (2024-03-03): Multiple search terms for the name can now be defined by separating the individual search terms with the character / (for example "name1/name2"). Also multiple file extensions can now be separated with the same character (for example "ext1/ext2/ext3"). The character / has the advantage that it cannot appear in a file name itself and has no special meaning within the wildcard search or the search with regular expressions, so that this character can be used as a unique separator. With the new option "Total Text must match", the entire file name must match the specified text or regular expression to be found. If this option is disabled, the text or regular expression only needs to appear somewhere in the file name. The new option "Binary files only" can be used to limit the search to binary files. For script controlling the application, the two new parameters "filter-name-matchall" and "filter-onlybinaryfiles" are introduced for these two new options.
• New Operator for the Search Function (2024-02-29): With the new operator "BETWEEN" for searching in the file structure, you can now define also a range for your search. For example, if you use this operator with the search criterion "3-7", the values 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 will be found, but not 2 or 8, for example.
• Opening of Files (2024-02-28): Using the context menu, files can now be opened directly from the results of the comparison or the search with their respective default program.
• Search and Compare at this or all Positions (2024-02-27): The context menu, which can be used to call up the search function or the comparator, now shows two different call options if there are several elements with the same name on the same level in the selected path. With "at this position" only the element at the selected location is compared or searched (if there are 3 elements with the same name, only the one of the 3 that you clicked on). On the other hand, if you choose "at all positions", all of these 3 elements of the same name would be taken into account. If specified manually, you can make this difference with "element_name" versus "element_name[0]", "element_name[1]", and so on.
• New Search Function for Numbers for the Script Control (2024-02-17): With the new command line parameters "search-ubyte", "search-sbyte", "search-uint16le", "search-uint16be", "search-sint16le", "search-sint16be" and so on you can search for numbers of a certain signedness, byte size and endianness. More on this in the section "Search for Numbers" of the Introduction to the Script Control.
• New Search Function for Byte Sequences for the Script Control (2024-02-16): With the new command line parameter "search-bytes" you can search for byte sequences. More on this in the section "Search for Byte Sequences" of the Introduction to the Script Control.
• New Parameters for the Script Control (2024-02-14): The new parameter "colh" (from "column headers") allows you to determine whether your results table should contain column headers or not. More on this in the section "Columns" of the Introduction to the Script Control.
• New Parameters for the Script Control (2024-02-04): The new parameter "cols" (from columns) allows you to determine which columns should be written into your results table and in what order. More on this in the section "Columns" of the Introduction to the Script Control.
• File List Import (2024-02-02): In addition to text files with line wise file paths, the file list import function now also accepts files in the formats CSV, TSV, XLSX, ODS, HTML and DIF. This makes it possible to reload the files from a file list saved in one of these formats, for example coming from the FilelistCreator.
• File Management (2024-01-17): Files can now be removed from the FileAnalyzer directly from the search window or the comparison window. The functions can be accessed via the context menu of the respective file lists by right-clicking on selected files. In addition to removing all of the selected files, a reverse removal of all unselected files is also possible.
• New Parameters for the Script Control (2024-01-05): With the new parameter "fs" you can determine the field separator for a CSV export. You can specify one of the values system, comma, semicolon, pipe, hyphen, space, tab, nochar or directly your desired character. If you do not state anything, the system character (comma or semicolon) is used.
• Support for additional Export Formats for the Batch Control (2023-12-31): The output within the console can now be in one of the formats TXT, CSV, TSV, DIF or HTML. The output as a file is now possible in TXT, CSV, TSV, XLSX, ODS, DIF or HTML format. The output format used is controlled via the specified file extension of the output file or alternatively via the new parameter "format" (for example "format=csv").
• New Parameters for the Script Control (2023-12-30): With the parameter "get-val", you can read out individual data, values and properties directly from the file structure. The syntax is "get-val=/path/path:key" and the output can be either directly to the console or in the form of a saved file.
• New Parameters for the Script Control (2023-12-29): The parameter "compare" can be used to compare entire chunks as well as individual or multiple values from multiple files. The syntax for a call is "compare=/path/path" for a complete chunk, "compare=/path/path:key" for individual keys or "compare=/path/path:key,key" for multiple keys. The output can be carried out as a file (if the parameter "save=filepath" is defined) or directly to the console (if the parameter "save" is not defined).
• New Program Version (2023-12-29): Batch version to control the FileAnalyzer via the command line, scripts or third-party programs. Initially, for adding files and folders, direct paths as well as the parameters filter-ext, filter-type, filter-name, filter-name-matchcase, filter-name-regex, filter-hiddenfiles, filter-onlytextfiles and search-subdirs are supported. If the output is not to be sent to the console, an output file can be defined using the parameter "save". Its format can be determined with the parameters enc, bom and lb. If the output file should be opened after it has been created, the parameter "openfile=1" can be passed. You can find out more about this functionality in the tutorial about the script control of the FileAnalyzer. There you will also find example calls and detailed explanations of all parameters.
• Multiple Selection in the Detail View (2023-12-20): Until now, only individual entries could be selected in the detail table. Now, it is possible to select mutliple values simultaneously and thus copy several keys and/or values to the clipboard at the same time or to initiate the comparison of more than one keys using the comparison function for files.
• Comparison of individual Values (2023-12-19): Up to now, the File Comparator could only be started with full paths from the file structure. Then, all keys within this path were compared. Now, it is possible to alternatively limit the comparison to individual keys within a path. The desired keys can be appended to the path with a colon (for example "/path:key" or "/path:key1,key2"). This new function can be accessed directly from the detail view by right-clicking on the desired keys to be compared.
• New Metadata (2023-12-17): ID3v2 tag within the following file formats: MP3 and RIFF (WEBP, WAV, AVI).
• New File Format (2023-12-16): MP3 Basics.
• Save Details, Search Results and Comparisons as File (2023-12-13): The tables from the detail view, the search result and the file comparison view can now be saved as a file using the corresponding buttons or the context menu. The formats available are CSV, TSV, TXT, XLSX, ODS, HTML and DIF, which can be selected via the storage dialog.
• Representation of Bit Flags (2023-12-06): Improved and unified representation of bit flags. The bit position is now displayed as .X after the byte offset across all file types. The data type specifies the bit length as UINT(X) and, if applicable, first, the complete value is listed in the detail table and then the individual relevant bit values in the form "Flags.Value".
• Search for Text (2023-12-01): As a fourth search option in addition to the search functions for byte sequences, for numbers and for keys/values within the file structure, it is now also possible to search explicitly for text respectively strings. In addition to entering the text to be searched for, the encoding of the string (for example UTF-8, UTF-16 LE/BE or Latin 1) as well as the presence of a byte order mark (BOM) can be specified. This means that the FileAnalyzer automatically takes care of translating the specified text into the byte sequence required for the search according to this specification.
• Search for Numbers (2023-11-30): Next to the search for byte sequences as well as for keys and values within the file structure, a search for numbers was added as a third search option. In addition to the number to be searched, the byte size, the signedness (signed / unsigned) as well as the endiannes (little endian / big endian) can be specified. The FileAnalyzer then automatically generates the byte sequence necessary for the search from this information.
• Inverse Search in the File Structure (2023-11-29): With the new checkboxes "Reverse" under the fields "Key" and "Value" of the search within the file structure, the search can now be reversed as needed (reverse search). For example, with this, it is now possible to find all data that does not correspond to a given value, does not contain a given value, does not begin or end with a given value, and so on.
• Copy and Display as Signed and Unsigned Integers (2023-11-27): Bytes from the hex view can now be copied to the clipboard as either signed (SINT) or unsigned integers (UINT). In addition, the SINT and UINT equivalents of the selected bytes are now displayed under the hex view if these two values differ for the selected bytes.
• Reverse Number-Byte Converter (2023-11-21): The Number-Byte Converter can now also be used in the opposite direction. While it was previously only possible to enter numbers, which were then converted into byte or bit sequences, it is now also possible to enter byte and bit sequences, which are then converted into their numerical equivalents.
• New File Formats (2023-11-13): Basics of various icon formats such as Windows Icons (ICO), Windows Cursors (CUR) and Apple Icon Images (ICNS).
• New general File Property (2023-11-09): The new general file property "ChecksumSecuredType" provides information about whether a file contains internal checksums.
• PNG Extensions (2023-11-08): MNG (Multiple Image Network Graphics) and JNG (JPEG Network Graphics).
• Extension of the Search in the File Structure (2023-11-07): Up to now, the search for keys and values within the file structure was limited to keys and values with the same name as the search words. In addition to "equals", now, also the following other comparison criteria can be used for the search: contains (contains), starts with (starts_with), ends with (ends_with), matches regular expression (matches_regex), contains regular expression (contains_regex), greater (greater), greater than or equal (greater_or_equal), smaller (smaller) as well as less than or equal (smaller_or_equal).
• Window Positioning (2023-11-06): With the new option "Settings > System Integration > Always on Top" you can keep the window of the FileAnalyzer permanently in the foreground above all other program windows.
• New Copy Function for the Hex View (2023-11-03): In addition to the previous copy functions of the selected bytes from the hex view (raw, as an integer, as a string), it is now also possible to copy the bytes as bits to the clipboard.
• Display of the selected Bytes as Integers and Bits (2023-11-01): The bytes selected in the hex view are now displayed below the hex view as an integer number as well as a bit sequence, provided they do not exceed a certain length. This makes it possible to see directly what certain bytes stand for. The endianness used for this conversion depends on the general endianness of the file type loaded.
• PE Extensions (2023-10-31): Extension of the Portable Executable Format to include Device Drivers (SYS), Extensible Firmware Interface Boot Loader (EFI), Multilingual User Interface / User Interface Localization (MUI), ActiveX control (OCX) and Windows Screen Saver (SCR) files.
• Extension of the String Data Type (2023-10-26): The old general specification of values of the type "String" has been differentiated and now provides information about whether it is about a string of fixed or variable length (F or V) and what encoding the string has. Examples of this are FASTR[4] (fixed ASCII string with a length of 4 bytes/characters), VASTR[7] (variable ASCII string of 7 bytes/characters) or VUSTR_UTF8[13] (13 byte UTF-8 Unicode string).
• RIFF Extensions (2023-10-25): ANI (Animated Windows Cursors), CRF (CorelDRAW Vector Graphics File) and BWF (Broadcast Wave Format) for the Resource Interchange File Format (RIFF).
• Search for Bytes (2023-10-20): The search for byte sequences can now be started directly from the hex view and the converters. In the hex view, the search can be started by right-clicking on one or more selected bytes. There are corresponding buttons under the respective fields in both the Number Byte Converter and the String Byte Converter. It is now also possible to copy the bytes from the converters to the clipboard in the same way.
• Search for Byte Sequences (2023-10-19): The search function has been extended by a byte search, which allows you to directly search for single or multiple bytes within all open files.
• New File Format (2023-10-18): Advanced Systems Format Container (ASF, WMA, WMV).
• Copy Functions for the Hex View (2023-10-16): If you right-click on selected bytes in the hex view, you can now copy these bytes into the clipboard rawly, as an integer or as a UTF-8 string.
• New Features for the Search Function (2023-10-15): The window for the search result of the search function has been expanded to include the following functions: copying the search result as TSV or CSV to the clipboard, copying the files or file paths to the clipboard, opening the parent folder, removing files with/without hits from the file list. The functions can be accessed via buttons below the table showing the search results or via the context menu of the respective entries from within the search result table.
• ISOBMFF Extension (2023-10-14): Specific values for CR3 images for the ISO Base Media File Format (ISOBMFF).
• New Metadata (2023-10-13): Exif Data within the following file formats: JPG, PNG, RIFF (WEBP, WAV, AVI) and TIFF (TOFF, CR2, DNG, NEF, SRF, SR2, ARW).
• TIFF Extensions (2023-10-12): ARW, SRF and SR2.
• TIFF Extensions (2023-10-11): CR2, DNG and NEF.
• File Comparison (2023-10-10): File Comparator to compare an arbitrary chunk type of multiple files. The comparison can be started directly via the tree structure by right-clicking on the chunk respectively path that you want to compare. All files that are currently in the file list and contain a corresponding path like the one selected are included into the comparison. The result is displayed in a new window in the form of a table and can be copied to the clipboard as TSV or CSV.
• File List (2023-10-07): A file list has been added to the main window. Folders containing files or individual files can be added. The list also collects all previously opened files. With this list it is now possible to switch between several files in the FileAnalyzer and to search several files at the same time, as the search functions now always refer to all files listed in this list.
• New File Format (2023-10-03): BMP Basics.
• Integration of the Search Function (2023-09-29): The search function can now be accessed both directly from the file structure as well as directly from the detail view. By right-clicking on a path or a data value, the selected entries can be automatically transferred to the File Searcher so that they can be used for a search there.
• Search in the File Structure (2023-09-27): Implementation of a first Search function with which you can search for paths, keys and values within the file structure.
• New Tool (2023-09-22): String-Byte Converter to convert text into their corresponding byte sequences according to an encoding of your choice. The encodings supported are UTF-7, UTF-8, UTF-16 LE and BE, UTF-32 LE and BE (each with or without BOM), ASCII, Latin 1, Latin 2, CP437 and various Windows code pages.
• New Tool (2023-09-21): Number-Byte Converter to convert numbers into their corresponding byte sequence and bit sequence specifying the byte length, the signedness (unsigned/signed) and the endianness (little endian/big endian).
• New File Format (2023-09-20): ZIP Archive Basics.
• Clipboard Functions (2023-09-19): With some new clipboard functions accesible via the context menus of the file structure view as well as the detail view, you can now copy paths, values, keys, value-key combinations or even the entire detail view table to your clipboard.
• Offset Jumps (2023-09-18): If an offset to another location within the file is specified in a chunk, you can now use the context menu to jump to that location.
• Display of important File Properties (2023-09-17): Important file properties (such as the width and the height of images or videos, the duration of video or audio files, the number of glyphs of font files, etc.) are in addition to their storage position within the chunks now also displayed within the root element of the file's tree structure.
• New File Formats (2023-09-16): Basics of TTF/OTF fonts.
• New Visualization of File Properties (2023-09-15): File Endianness (byte order) im Root-Element.
• New File Format (2023-08-31): MPG Basics.
• New File Formats (2023-08-26): Real Media Basics as well as specific values for Real Audio (RA) and Real Video (RV/RM).
• ISOBMFF Extensions (2023-08-19): Specific values for HEIC, HEIF and AVIF images for the ISO Base Media File Format (ISOBMFF).
• RIFF Extension (2023-08-14): Specific WEBP values (including Animated WEBP) for to the Resource Interchange File Format (RIFF).
• New Visualization of File Properties (2023-08-10): File Size im Root-Element.
• New File Format (2023-08-09): GIF Basics.
• Extension of a File Format (2023-08-06): Fields for JPG files.
• New File Format (2023-08-03): Matroska Media Container as well as specific values for the MKV, MKA and WEBM formats.
• New File Format (2023-07-23): Basics of the Portable Executable Format (EXE - Windows Executable File / DLL - Dynamic-Link Library).
• New File Format (2023-07-16): TIFF Basics.
• RIFF Extension (2023-07-15): Specific AVI values for to the Resource Interchange File Format (RIFF).
• Byte Edging (2023-07-09): Bordering of the relevant bytes in the hex view when selecting a chunk in the file structure.
• Display of the Storage Location of Values (2023-07-07): By clicking on a line in the detail view table, now the storage location of the respective value within the file can be displayed in the hex view.
• New column for the Detail View (2023-07-06): Offset of the values within the entire file and within the respective chunk.
• New column for the Detail View (2023-07-03): Information about the data type of the values.
• New File View (2023-06-27): Hex View.
• New File Format (2023-06-23): Resource Interchange File Format (RIFF) Basics as well as WAV-specific values.
• New File Format (2023-06-22): JPG Basics.
• New File Format (2023-06-21): PNG Basics.
• New File Format (2023-06-03): ISO Base Media File Format (ISOBMFF) Basics as well as specific values of MP4, M4A, M4B, MOV, 3GP and DIVX files.
• New File Format (2023-04-22): Text File Basics.
• New File Views (2023-04-21): Tree Structure View and Detail View showing file elements with their values.

Note: Minor changes, such as updating an existing program translation or fixing a bug, are typically not included in this list. Therefore, if you find a newer version of the program in the download area than the most recent date in this list, we have typically made such a change to the program.