pystorm/MPQ_INSPECTOR_README.md

MPQ Inspector GUI Demo

A graphical user interface for inspecting and working with MPQ archives.

Features

• Open MPQ Archives: Browse and open .mpq, .SC2Data, .SC2Map, .SC2Mod files
• File Listing: View all files in the archive with details:
  • Original size
  • Compressed size
  • Compression ratio
  • File flags (Compressed, Encrypted, Single Unit)
• Archive Statistics: See total files, sizes, and overall compression ratio
• Extract Files:
  • Extract individual files via context menu or double-click
  • Extract all files at once to a directory
• File Information: View detailed information about any file
• Archive Verification: Verify the integrity of the MPQ archive
• Keyboard Shortcuts:
  • Ctrl+O: Open archive
  • Ctrl+W: Close archive
  • Ctrl+Q: Quit application

Running the Demo

Make sure you have PyStorm installed:

# Activate virtual environment
source venv/bin/activate

# Launch the GUI
python mpq_inspector.py

Or make it executable and run directly:

chmod +x mpq_inspector.py
./mpq_inspector.py

Usage

1. Open an Archive: Click "Browse..." or press Ctrl+O to select an MPQ file
2. View Files: The file list shows all contents with compression details
3. Extract Files:
   • Right-click on a file → "Extract File..."
   • Or click "Extract All..." to extract everything
4. Get File Info: Double-click any file to see detailed information
5. Verify Archive: Click "Verify Archive" to check file integrity

Flag Meanings

• C: Compressed file
• E: Encrypted file
• S: Single unit file
• -: No special flags

Requirements

• Python 3.7+
• tkinter (usually comes with Python)
• PyStorm library

Screenshots

The interface includes:

• Top bar with file browser
• Statistics panel showing archive info
• Tree view with sortable columns
• Context menu for file operations
• Progress dialogs for batch operations

Note

You'll need actual MPQ files to test the demo. These are typically found in:

• Blizzard games (Diablo, StarCraft, Warcraft III, World of Warcraft)
• Custom maps and mods for these games
• .SC2Data, .SC2Map, .SC2Mod files from StarCraft II

If you don't have MPQ files, you can create one using the create_archive.py example first!