[GetDizzy]

So, apparently according to a visual basic hobbyist site I read, VB3 EXEs contain in a barely-obfuscated format their entire source code including comments.

This is interesting because CharCon is a VB3 application.

I'm going to have to set up a 32-bit VM to do it (as, being on 64-bit windows, I can't run the 16-bit EXEs I need to run), but I'm going to try to get the entire source code for CharCon sometime today using the decompiler I found.


Wish me luck!


If I'm succesful in this, at the very least I'm going to post the source and a 32-bit VB6 version of CharCon for running on 64-bit systems that can't do 16-bit applications, which will probably also no longer have the 8.3 filename limit and may in general be made more usable simply from the API transition.

This may end up merely being a curiosity piece, but its still kinda neat.

More on this later.

[GetDizzy]

Okay, so here's the complete VB3 source to CharCon:

Removed by Author: This version of the source was incomplete. For the complete VB3 source, see the next post.

Working on upgrading this to VB6 as we speak, I need to first acquire a copy of VB6 that has upgrade license for THREED.VBX and COMMDLG.VBX, working on that.

[GetDizzy]

Ladies, gentlemen. Friends, compatriots.

I present to you

32-bit CharCon

Requires Visual Basic 6 runtimes, I've tried to include all the relevant dependencies with the file like the original CharCon did, but may have missed something.

I removed the drawing stuff (in a haphazard, hackish way because I don't actually know VB6 />) because it used THREED.VBX which is apparently a non-Microsoft component that was included in VB3 Pro as a "bonus". A license to use the VB6 version and thus upgrade these controls costs $295.

As far as I can tell the rest still works and works beautifully.

And here's the source code to both 2.1 (16-bit VB3 version) and 2.2 (my 32-bit VB6 version)

[Lachesis]

Split the source into separate dependency zips for the main records. The only reason MegaZeux versions get away with doing that is because of the front page download bar, and that's getting fixed anyway.

[GetDizzy]

Thanks Alice.

[GetDizzy]

Just a caveat to anyone not familiar with CharCon trying to use this utility: It expects an 8-bit BMP, so load your black and white bitmap in Paint or whatever and save as 255 color, and it should work fine.

This needed to be noted because MZXImageResampler expects true 1-bit bitmaps, and ccv expects 24-bit bitmaps. They can all handle the exact same images, you just have to load and re-save it in the required format.

[Giel]

You REALLY need to reupload that ZIP file man! WinRAR is displaying error messages and 7-Zip CRASHES!
Seriously, I want to use Charcon32 but I can't use it if the ZIP file is BROKEN!

[asgromo]

JEEZ

GOSH

[Lachesis]

Be nice asgromo sheesh

Which zip file is broken? That'd help us find a replacement.

[GetDizzy]

Tested both of the zip files I uploaded in WinRAR and 7-zip, no errors, no crashes. You may want to check that your own system is healthy before blaming me.