How can i read this .tpl file?

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Posted by 1boss1, 11-19-2008, 06:54 AM
How can i read this .tpl file? Hi everyone, i've got a strange .tpl file that i need to modify. The .tpl file belongs to a small exe/.net program that runs on my PC, you basically enter some data, click a button and it outputs a HTML page that can be uploaded to my server. The .tpl file never gets uploaded to the server, it just resides in /Program Files/ as reference for the exe program. It looks like some sort of data file, here is a screenshot of the .tpl contents in Notepad++http://i37.tinypic.com/2sbodmq.png Is there any tool i could use to unpack/convert or whatever needs to be done to render it as plain HTML then convert it back in to the jibberish so the program can use the modified version? __________________ I recommend- WiredTree.com Managed VPS Hosting
Posted by RDOSTI, 11-19-2008, 10:36 AM
Wow...we have .tpl files in our web scripts (Socketmail) we use dreamweaver or notepad and they open just fine...im surprised that you have some other sort of file. Could be encoded stuff perhaps? Regards __________________rDosti Internet Services Pvt. Ltd.Server Administration
Posted by SameerHosting, 11-19-2008, 10:48 AM
Notepad or Notepad++ , basically any text reader/editor. Its just like a txt file. __________________www.sameerhosting.com
Posted by bear, 11-19-2008, 10:50 AM
Quote: Originally Posted by 1boss1 here is a screenshot of the .tpl contents in Notepad++ Quote: Originally Posted by SameerHosting Notepad or Notepad++ , basically any text reader/editor. Chances are it's compiled (or encrypted?), as in "it's part of the installed program". Have you asked the creator of this application if it can be opened and edited? __________________Did you know WHT has a help desk? Have a forum? Let's face it, you need help.
Posted by 1boss1, 11-19-2008, 12:47 PM
Quote: Originally Posted by SameerHosting Notepad or Notepad++ , basically any text reader/editor. Its just like a txt file. Normally yes, i've edited thousands of .tpl files going back to the early phpBB days, in Smarty etc but this is very different. Quote: Originally Posted by bear Chances are it's compiled (or encrypted?), as in "it's part of the installed program". Have you asked the creator of this application if it can be opened and edited? Yes compiled that's the word, i think it's compiled in a data format i don't think it's encrypted. If you open a .jpg image in Notepad++ you get "exactly" the same jibberish as opening this .tpl file in Notepad++ Unfortunately the creators site has been non-existent for a few years. __________________ I recommend- WiredTree.com Managed VPS Hosting
Posted by Barti1987, 11-19-2008, 02:48 PM
tpl files are specifically template files (html). It might be a bad download or incorrect extension. An idiot only uses extensions wrongly. Peace, __________________NEW: What Is Their IP - Anyone's IP a click away. URL Tracker, Shortener, Blocker, Unblocker, Whois and More.
Posted by bear, 11-19-2008, 03:25 PM
Quote: Originally Posted by azizny .tpl files are specifically template files (html). You can call a file anything. Just because it's called "tpl" doesn't mean it's the same type of template file in use for things like Smarty today. A good example would be ".psp". .psp - PaintShop Pro Image .psp - Prodea Synergy procedure .psp - Scenicsoft Preps : Postscript prepped imposed print file There was also a publishing program that used that extension as well. Print Shop Publishing, if memory serves. It's not an immutable standard that all files named "tpl" are textual template files. __________________Did you know WHT has a help desk? Have a forum? Let's face it, you need help.
Posted by 1boss1, 11-19-2008, 03:40 PM
Quote: Originally Posted by azizny .tpl files are specifically template files (html). It might be a bad download or incorrect extension. An idiot only uses extensions wrongly. Peace, No sorry, there is 21 other filetypes with the .tpl extension. For instance Adobe's Tool Preset File (yes .tpl) and if you own Photoshop, go in to your Adobe directory and open the DefaultToolPresets.tpl in Notepad and you will see it's exactly the same sort of data. Even CakeWalk Audio templates are stored as a .tpl So no it's not a bad download, and i'm not sure who you are calling an idiot but obviously .tpl files extend beyond the scope of what you are familiar with.Edit: Thanks Bear, looks like we were kind of pointing out the same thing at the same time.. That one file extension can be used for completely different things. With this .tpl file i'm quite particular it contains the data for regular HTML pages. This program makes 3 different styles of HTML pages, in other words you enter text for the web page select one of the three page styles and it spits out the HTML page to upload to the server. The three .tpl files in it's program directory have the same names as the three pages styles in the program. So they must contain the HTML structure that the final HTML pages have, only it's complied somehow so the program can understand it. I guess i need some sort of decompiler to convert the .tpl file to human readable HTML just like the program does when it makes a page. __________________ I recommend- WiredTree.com Managed VPS Hosting Last edited by 1boss1 : 11-19-2008 at 02:54 PM.
Posted by Barti1987, 11-19-2008, 09:29 PM
Quote: Originally Posted by 1boss1 No sorry, there is 21 other filetypes with the .tpl extension. For instance Adobe's Tool Preset File (yes .tpl) and if you own Photoshop, go in to your Adobe directory and open the DefaultToolPresets.tpl in Notepad and you will see it's exactly the same sort of data. Even CakeWalk Audio templates are stored as a .tpl Blame it on Google search. The first "extension site" on google result only showed "template file":http://www.fileinfo.net/extension/tpl I guess I should've checked other results. Peace, __________________NEW: What Is Their IP - Anyone's IP a click away. URL Tracker, Shortener, Blocker, Unblocker, Whois and More.
Posted by foobic, 11-19-2008, 10:44 PM
From what you've described I would speculate that the program author used a binary file format specifically to stop you doing what you're trying to do (modifying the templates yourself). Try making copies with the extensions of common compressed file formats - .zip, .cab, .gz etc. - and see if they'll open, in hopes that the he / she just used a simple known format. If it's more complicated than that you could try to decompile the program and find out what it's doing that way. No easy job tho... __________________ Chris "Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted" - Albert Einstein
Posted by etogre, 11-20-2008, 01:44 AM
If it's compiled (and it does look that way), you will not be able to decompile it completely back to its original form. __________________

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