G3A File Format
.g3a files are software add-ins for the Casio Prizm. Files of this format contain a 0x7000-byte header (28 KiB),[1] and a code/data section that can be up to 1 MB large in OS 1.01 and 1.02.[2] The maximum size of the code/data section in newer OSes is unknown, but it seems to be larger. Checksums are used to check whether add-ins are valid. If a part of the header isn't documented here, it's most likely supposed to be filled with 00.
Contents
File format
Identification/security bytes, checksums, name
0x0000
AA AC BD AF 90 88 9A 8D D3 FF FE FF FE FF. These bytes are found in almost every Prizm file, with the exception of the ninth byte (D3), which is the file type byte.[3][4] If the header is inverted (xor with FF), the first eight bytes read "USBPower".
0x000E
The low byte of the inverse file size (at memory location 0x0013) minus 0x41.[3][5] The actual Prizm OS doesn't care about this byte, but Manager PLUS and possibly other programs do care, so it's important to set this byte correctly even though the add-in can be run if it's incorrect.
0x000F
This byte is always 0xFE.[3][5]
0x0010
Inverse filesize (four bytes). For example, if a file size is 00 0B 8A A8 you would xor it with FF FF FF FF, thus setting all 1's to 0's and 0's to 1's, and get FF F4 75 57.[3][5][6][7]
0x0014
The low byte of the inverse file size (at memory location 0x0013) minus 0xB8.[3][5] The actual Prizm OS doesn't care about this byte, but Manager PLUS and possibly other programs do care, so it's important to set this byte correctly even though the add-in can be run if it's incorrect.
0x0016
The word sum of 8 words (16 bytes) starting at 0x7100, inverted.[8]
0x0020
A simple checksum (4 bytes long) is stored here. The checksum is calculated based on the entire file, except for this checksum and the copy of this checksum at the end of the file.[5][9]
0x0024
These two bytes are always 01 01.[3]
0x002E
Size of executable code section (32-bit), minus the header size. This means that if this is equal to 000001F8, the copy of the 0x0020 checksum is at 0x000071F8.[3][9]
0x0040
Name of add-in. This is in English, but it's not always the same as the name at 0x006B (Picture Plot is named PictPlot at 0x0040). Probably a shorter version of the name.
0x005C
Size of entire file (32-bit).[3][9]
0x0060
Internal name. Only the uppercase letters A-Z and the @ character seem to be used. @ is always written before the name. There's probably a character limit of eight characters (including the @). Examples: @CONV (Conversion), @GEOM (Geometry), @PICTPLT (Picture Plot)
Localized names, version information
0x006B
Name of add-in (English).
0x0083
Name of add-in (Spanish).
0x009B
Name of add-in (German).
0x00B3
Name of add-in (French).
0x00CB
Name of add-in (Portuguese).
0x00E3
Name of add-in (Chinese).
The font used for Chinese displays Latin letters differently than the other languages. When making an add-in, it's a good idea to check that the name shows up correctly when using Chinese. Long names may take up more space than the icon does, making the names of add-ins overlap.
0x00FB
Name of add-in, probably reserved for future languages. Set to the same value as English by default.
0x0113
Name of add-in, probably reserved for future languages. Set to the same value as English by default.
0x012B
Set to 0x01 for add-ins with eActivity strips, otherwise set to 0x00.[10]
0x0130
Version number string. Format: XX.XX.XXXX
0x013C
Date/time created string. Format: YYYY.MMDD.HHMM
eActivity
This area of the add-in header describes what the add-in will look like when viewed from an eActivity. If the add-in doesn't support eActivites, these parts of the header should all be set to 00.
0x0170
eActivity name of add-in (English).
0x0194
eActivity name of add-in (Spanish).
0x01B8
eActivity name of add-in (German).
0x01DC
eActivity name of add-in (French).
0x0200
eActivity name of add-in (Portuguese).
0x0224
eActivity name of add-in (Chinese).
0x0248
eActivity name of add-in, probably reserved for future languages. Set to the same value as English by default.
0x026C
eActivity name of add-in, probably reserved for future languages. Set to the same value as English by default.
0x0290
eActivity strip icon. The icon is 64x24 pixels large, with each pixel represented by one nibble. This means that the icon is 0x0300 bytes long (ends at 0x058F). Values from 0 to 7 can be used to produce the 8 supported colors. If a value between 8 and F is used, the pixel is displayed as black. (0 should be used if black is desired, though.)[11][12][13]
| Value | Color |
|---|---|
| 0 | Black |
| 1 | Blue |
| 2 | Green |
| 3 | Cyan |
| 4 | Red |
| 5 | Magenta |
| 6 | Yellow |
| 7 | White |
File name, icons, executable code, checksum
0x0EBC
File name (including the .g3a extension).
0x1000
Icon that is displayed when the add-in is unselected.[3] The icon is 92x64 pixels large, and each pixel has 16 bits of color information (5 red bits, 6 green bits, and 5 blue bits). This means that the icon is 0x2E00 bytes long (ends at 0x3DFF).
0x4000
Icon that is displayed when the add-in is selected.[3] The icon is 92x64 pixels large, and each pixel has 16 bits of color information (5 red bits, 6 green bits, and 5 blue bits). This means that the icon is 0x2E00 bytes long (ends at 0x6DFF).
0x7000
Executable code section. This section will be mapped to virtual memory at 0x00300000 and executed when the user launches the add-in.[3]
0x????
Copy of the 0x0020 checksum. These are the last four bytes of the file. The location of these four bytes can be found by adding 0x7000 to the value at 0x002E.[9]
References
- http://ourl.ca/8401/157437
- http://ourl.ca/8207/217712
- Mini-SDK v1.06 by Simon Lothar
- http://ourl.ca/8207/158454
- http://fxsdk.svn.sourceforge.net/viewvc/fxsdk/g1awrapper/trunk/g1awrapper.cpp?revision=24&view=markup
- http://ourl.ca/8207/158808
- http://ourl.ca/8207/158819
- http://www.cemetech.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=215630#215630
- Prizm add in header format edit.txt by z80man
- http://www.cemetech.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=198680#198680
- http://ourl.ca/8207/207039
- http://ourl.ca/8207/175936
- http://ourl.ca/8207/175953
This page was copied from the .g3a files page on PrizmWiki before PrizmWiki was closed.
