Contributor: DAVID DOTY
{
> How are you saaving the CFG into the .EXE?? Mind posting some code that wil
> save the CFG to the EXE?(When you get all your bugs fixed!)
I use these routines in my self-modifying .EXE's. They work pretty good.
}
Unit WritExec;
{ ==================================================================
Unit: WritExec
Author: David Doty
Skipjack Software
Columbia, Maryland
CompuServe User I.D.: 76244,1043
This Unit is based on a previously published Program:
Program: AutoInst v2.0
Author: David Dubois
Zelkop Software
Halifax, Nova Scotia
CompuServe User I.D.: 71401,747
Date last revised: 1988.04.24
==================================================================
This source code is released to the public domain. if further changes
are made, please include the above credits in the distributed code.
This Unit allows a Program to change the value of a Typed Constant in its
own .EXE File. When the Program is run again, the data will be initialized
to the new value. No external configuration Files are necessary.
Uses
Examples of the usefulness of this technique would be:
o A Program that allows the user to change default display colors.
o A Program that keeps track of a passWord that the user can change.
HOW IT WORKS
You don't have to understand all the details in order to use this
technique, but here they are.
The data to be changed must be stored in a TurboPascal Typed
Constant. In all effect, a Typed Constant is actually a pre-
initialized Variable. It is always stored in the Program's Data
Segment. The data can be of any Type.
First, the Procedure finds the .EXE File by examining the Dos command
line, stored With the copy of the Dos environment For the Program. This
allows the Program to find itself no matter where is resides on disk and
no matter how its name is changed by the user.
The unTyped File is opened With a Record size of 1. This allows us
to read or Write a String of Bytes using BlockRead and BlockWrite.
As documented in the Dos Technical Reference, the size of the .EXE
header, in paraGraphs (a paraGraph is 16 Bytes), is stored as a
two-Byte Word at position 8 of the File. This is read into the
Variable HeaderSize.
The next step is to find the position of the Typed Constant in the
.EXE File. This requires an understanding of the Turbo Pascal 4.0
memory map, documented on the first and second pages of the Inside
Turbo Pascal chapter. (That's chapter 26, pages 335 and 336 in my
manual.)
First, find the address in memory where the Typed Constant is
stored. This can be done in Turbo Pascal by using the Seg and Ofs
Functions. Next find the segment of the PSP (Program segment
prefix). This should always be the value returned by PrefixSeg.
That will mark the beginning of the Program in memory. The
position of the Typed Constant in the .EXE image should be the
number of Bytes between these two places in memory. But ...
But, two corrections must be made. First, the PSP is not stored in
the .EXE File. As mentioned on page 335, the PSP is always 256
Bytes. We must subtract that out. Secondly, there is the .EXE File
header. The size of this has already been read in and must be
added in to our calculations.
Once the position has been determined, the data stored in the
Typed Constant is written in one fell swoop using a BlockWrite.
This replaces the original data, so that the next time the Program
is run, the new values will used.
LIMITATIONS
You cannot use MicroSoft's EXEPACK on the .EXE File, or any other
packing method I know of. This may change the position, or even
the size of the Typed Constant in the File image.
NOTES
Since Typed Constants are always stored in the data segment, the
Function call to Seg( ObjectToWrite ) can be replaced With DSeg. I
prefer using Seg since it is more descriptive.
One might think that Cseg can used as an alternative to using
PrefixSeg and subtracting 256. This will work only if the code
resides in the main Program. If, on the other hand, the code is
used in a Unit, PrefixSeg must be used as described here. You
might as well use PrefixSeg and save yourself some headaches.
if you have any comments or questions we would be glad to hear
them. if you're on CompuServe, you can EasyPlex a letter to
76244,1043 or 71401,747. Or leave a message on the Borland Programmer's A
Forum (GO BPROGA). Or, you can Write to
Skipjack Software
P. O. Box 61
Simpsonville Maryland 21150
or
Zelkop Software
P.O. Box 5177
Armdale, N.S.
Canada
B3L 4M7
==================================================================}
Interface
Function GetExecutableName : String;
{ This Function returns the full drive, path, and File name of the application
Program that is running. This Function is of more general interest than
just For writing into the EXE File.
NOTE: THIS Function WILL ONLY WORK UNDER Dos 3.X + !!! }
Function WriteToExecutable(Var ObjectToWrite; ObjectSize : Word) : Integer;
{ This Procedure modifies the EXE File on disk to contain changes to Typed
Constants. NOTE - the Object MUST be a Typed Constant. It may be found
in any part of the Program (i.e., main Program or any Unit). The call is
made by unTyped address, to allow any kind of Object to be written. The
Function returns the Dos error code from the I/O operation that failed
(if any did); if all operations were successful, the Function returns 0. }
Implementation
Function GetExecutableName : String;
Type
Environment = Array[0..32766] of Char;
Const
NullChar : Char = #0;
SearchFailed = $FFFF;
Var
MyEnviron : ^Environment;
Loop : Word;
TempWord : Word;
EnvironPos : Word;
FilenamePos : Word;
TempString : String;
begin { Function GetExecutableName }
{ Get Pointer to Dos environment }
MyEnviron := Ptr(MemW[PrefixSeg : $2C], 0);
{ Look For end of environment }
EnvironPos := SearchFailed;
Loop := 0;
While Loop <= 32767 DO
begin
if MyEnviron^[ Loop ] = NullChar then
if MyEnviron^[ Loop + 1 ] = NullChar then
begin { found two nulls - this is end of environment }
EnvironPos := Loop;
Loop := 32767
end; { found two nulls }
Inc(Loop);
end; { While Loop }
if EnvironPos = SearchFailed then
GetExecutableName := ''
else
begin { found end of environment - now look For path/File of exec }
EnvironPos := EnvironPos + 4;
FilenamePos := SearchFailed;
TempWord := EnvironPos;
Loop := 0;
While Loop <= 127 DO
begin
if MyEnviron^[TempWord] = NullChar then
begin { found a null - this is end of path/File of exec }
FilenamePos := Loop;
Loop := 127
end; { found a null }
Inc(Loop);
Inc(TempWord);
end; { While Loop }
if FilenamePos = SearchFailed then
GetExecutableName := ''
else
begin { found executable name - move into return String }
TempString[0] := Chr(FilenamePos);
Move(MyEnviron^[EnvironPos], TempString[1], FilenamePos);
GetExecutableName := TempString;
end; { found executable name }
end; { found environment end }
end; { Function GetExecutableName }
Function WriteToExecutable(Var ObjectToWrite; ObjectSize : Word ) : Integer;
Const
PrefixSize = 256; { number of Bytes in the Program Segment Prefix }
Var
Executable : File;
HeaderSize : Word;
ErrorCode : Integer;
begin
Assign(Executable, GetExecutableName);
{$I-}
Reset(Executable, 1);
ErrorCode := IOResult;
if ErrorCode = 0 then
begin { seek position of header size in EXE File }
Seek(Executable, 8);
ErrorCode := IOResult;
end; { seek header }
if ErrorCode = 0 then
begin { read header size in EXE File }
BlockRead(Executable, HeaderSize, SizeOf(HeaderSize));
ErrorCode := IOResult;
end; { read header }
if ErrorCode = 0 then
begin { seek position of Object in EXE File }
Seek(Executable,
LongInt(16) * (HeaderSize + Seg(ObjectToWrite) - PrefixSeg) +
Ofs(ObjectToWrite) - PrefixSize);
ErrorCode := IOResult;
end; { Seek Object position in File }
if ErrorCode = 0 then
begin { Write new passWord in EXE File }
BlockWrite(Executable, ObjectToWrite, ObjectSize);
ErrorCode := IOResult;
end; { Write new passWord }
Close(Executable);
WriteToExecutable := ErrorCode;
end; { Function WriteToExecutable }
end. { Unit WritExec }