ZBinary2CArray-WinUI3

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A Windows desktop application that converts binary files into C/C++ source arrays. Built with WinUI 3 and C++/WinRT, featuring a modern Windows 11 native UI with full internationalization support.

Features

• Convert any binary file to a C/C++ header (.hpp) or source + header pair (.cpp + .h)
• Supports unsigned char (u8), unsigned short (u16), unsigned int (u32), and unsigned long long (u64) element types
• Configurable storage specifier (none, static, inline) and const qualifier (none, const, constexpr)
• Include guard and tidy formatting options
• Annotation support: tool name, runner name, file info, size, and timestamp
• Configurable numbers per line (0 = auto)
• System theme following (light/dark) with no manual toggle
• Multilingual UI: English, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese
• First-run language selection dialog (defaults to system language)
• Responsive layout: two-column on wide windows, stacked on narrow windows
• Non-blocking async file pickers and conversion (UI never freezes)
• Scroll position preserved across window focus changes
• Explorer integration: open the output folder and select the generated file

Requirements

• Visual Studio 2022 (17.x) with the following workloads:
  • Desktop development with C++
  • Universal Windows Platform (UWP) development (optional, for MSIX packaging)
• Windows 10 version 1809+ or Windows 11
• Windows App SDK 1.6+ (NuGet packages are included in the project)
• C++20 compiler (/std:c++latest)

Project Structure

ZBinary2CArray-WinUI3/
├── App.xaml / App.xaml.cpp / App.xaml.h   # Application entry point, settings, locale loading
├── MainWindow.xaml / .cpp / .h            # Main UI window with all controls
├── MainWindow.idl                          # WinRT IDL for MainWindow projection
├── ConversionService.h / .cpp             # Async conversion wrapper around the library
├── ThemeService.h / .cpp                  # System theme following service
├── StringConvert.h                        # UTF-8 ↔ UTF-16 string conversion utilities
├── pch.h / pch.cpp                        # Precompiled header
├── core/                                  # Internationalization and settings
│   ├── json.hpp / json.cpp                # Minimal JSON parser
│   ├── settings.hpp / settings.cpp        # AppSettings model + JSON persistence
│   └── i18n_manager.hpp / i18n_manager.cpp # Singleton translation manager
├── ZBinary2CArray/                         # Core conversion library (bundled)
│   ├── zbtca.h                             # Public API header (umbrella)
│   ├── types.hpp                           # OutputCfg, TypeFlag, AnnotationCfg
│   ├── bin.hpp                             # Binary file reader
│   ├── output.hpp                          # C/C++ array output writer
│   ├── response.hpp                        # Conversion response (status + message)
│   ├── details.hpp                         # Internal implementation details
│   └── LICENSE.TXT                         # Library license
├── Locales/                                # Translation files (JSON)
│   ├── en-US.json
│   ├── zh-CN.json
│   └── zh-TW.json
├── Assets/                                 # App icons and splash screen
├── BuildPackage.ps1                         # Build script
├── .github/workflows/build.yml             # CI/CD pipeline
├── packages.config                         # NuGet package references
└── ZBinary2CArray-WinUI3.vcxproj          # MSBuild project file

Building

Visual Studio

1. Open the solution file ZBinary2CArray-WinUI3.slnx in Visual Studio 2022.
2. Restore NuGet packages (should happen automatically).
3. Select x64 as the platform and Debug or Release as the configuration.
4. Build the project (Ctrl+Shift+B).

Command Line

msbuild ZBinary2CArray-WinUI3.vcxproj /p:Configuration=Debug /p:Platform=x64

Usage

1. Launch the application.
2. On first run, a language selection dialog appears (defaults to your system language). Choose a language and confirm.
3. Click Browse... next to the input field to select a binary file.
4. Click Browse... next to the output directory to choose where the generated file will be saved.
5. Enter an output file name (without extension).
6. Configure options as needed:
   • Element type: u8, u16, u32, or u64
   • Output mode: Header only (.hpp) or Source + header (.cpp + .h)
   • Include guard: Wrap output in #ifndef/#define/#endif
   • Tidy formatting: Align and format the output array
   • Storage specifier: none, static, or inline
   • Const specifier: none, const, or constexpr
   • Numbers per line: 0 for auto, or a specific count
   • Annotations: Toggle tool name, runner name, file info, size, and timestamp
7. Click Convert to generate the output file.
8. A dialog shows the result (success with the output path, or an error message).
9. Click Open in Explorer to reveal the generated file in File Explorer.

Use the language selector in the top-right corner to switch languages at any time. The app follows your system's light/dark theme automatically.

Settings Persistence

Settings are stored in a JSON file at:

• Packaged: ApplicationData.Current.LocalFolder\settings.json
• Unpackaged: %APPDATA%\ZBinary2CArray\settings.json

The settings file stores the selected language and theme preference (always System).

Adding a New Language

1. Create a new JSON file in Locales/ (e.g., ja-JP.json).
2. Copy the structure from en-US.json and translate all values.
3. Add the locale tag to kLocaleTags in App.xaml.cpp.
4. Add the language name to the ComboBox in MainWindow.xaml (or the first-run dialog).

CI/CD

The GitHub Actions workflow (.github/workflows/build.yml) automatically builds the project for x86, x64, and ARM64 on every push and pull request. Build artifacts (zipped files) are uploaded as downloadable assets.

When a tag starting with v (e.g., v1.0.0) is pushed, all three architectures must succeed before a GitHub Release is created with the zipped packages attached.

Related Projects & Community

• ZBinary2CArray — The core C/C++ binary-to-array conversion library that this application is built upon.
• ZCT Studio Telegram Channel — Follow for project updates and announcements.

License

MIT License. See ZBinary2CArray/LICENSE.TXT for the core library license.