What is rsrc2rcp?

rsrc2rcp is a Perl script that takes a Codewarrior Constructor .rsrc file as input and generates a PilRC .rcp file, along with a C .h file and bitmap files. The generated files can then be used to build a Palm application using PilRC and PRC-Tools.

This tool was originally created by Alvin Koh in the early 2000s. This repository represents a fork to add enhancements for the purposes of simplifying porting of open source Palm games. Please report all issues here in GitHub.

Using rsrc2rcp

You must have Perl 5.0 and later in order to use rsrc2rcp.

The syntax for using rsrc2rcp is:

rsrc2rcp.pl [ -b ] [ -P ] [ -p ] [ -n ] [ -F filename ] rsrc-file ...

where

-b              Create bitmaps in Windows .bmp format
-p              Create bitmaps in .pbitm text format
-P              Create bitmaps in .pict format
-n              Bitmap filenames use resource name instead of ID
-F filename     Use "filename" to create .rcp and .h file instead
                of resource filename.

Examples:

1. rsrc2rcp.pl myApp.rsrc

   The following files are created:

   • myApp.rcp
   • myApp.h
   • myAppIcon.pbitm
   • myAppPict.pbitm

   The .pbitm files are created only if ICON, tAIB or PICT resources exist in myApp.rsrc

2. rsrc2rcp.pl -b myApp.rsrc

   Same as above except myApp.bmp is created instead of myApp.pbitm

3. rsrc2rcp.pl -F bigApp myApp1.rsrc myApp2.rsrc

   The following files are created:

   • bigApp.rcp
   • bigApp.h
   • ...

4. On Windows there are 2 rsrc files. There is a zero-byte file that should not be used. You need to use the actual rsrc file which resides in a subdirectory RESOURCE.FRK. If you use the zero-byte file, you will get a "Rsrc file is empty or not found" error.

5. On Mac OS X you need to append "/rsrc" to the rsrc filename in order to access the resource fork. If you don't do this you will get a "Rsrc file is empty or not found error".

   Eg. rsrc2rcp.pl myApp.rsrc/rsrc

Resources Handled by rsrc2rcp

At the moment, only the following resource types are handled:

ICON, tAIN, tver, tTTL, tFRM, MBAR, MENU, tLBL, tFLD, Talt,
tSTR, tBTN, tPUL, tPUT, tLST, tCBX, tGSI, tPBN, tREP, tSCL,
tTBL, tGDT, tSLT, tSTL, tAIS, PICT (partial)

Other resource types can be added easily.

Bug Reporting

rsrc2rcp is still a work in progress. Some resource handlers may not have been tested completely.

To report any issues on this fork, please use our GitHub Issues.

References

• Inside Macintosh - More Macintosh Toolbox, Apple Computer. pg 1-121
• Palm OS SDK Reference, Palm Computing.
• PilRC v2.7b User Manual
• Source for NETPBM picttoppm, George Phillips