DESCRIPTION

PaletteConverter is a command line utility for converting palettes between different formats. It currently supports the following formats:

Each of these formats can be used as input and the read palette can be written in one of these formats.

The following formats can be exported only, but not read:

Additionally, PaletteConverter can render palettes to .gif-files.

OPTIONS

USAGE

The file to read is given to PaletteConverter using the command line option --input <PATH>[,<PATH>]* (or -i <PATH>[,<PATH>]* for short). More than one path can be given with ',' being the separator. <PATH> may be either the name of a palette file itself, including wildcards, or the path to a folder. In the second case, you should additionally set the option --recurse to walk down the folder tree.

The output path is defined using the option --output <PATH> (or -o <PATH> for short). If only one file is converted, the option should contain the name of the file to generate. You may omit to define the output format, if this file's extension is known to PaletteConverter.

If no output path is given, the name of the file(s) to generate is constructed by appending the output format's extension to the name of the converted input file without extension. Please note that the output format must be given in this case. If the output path is given and more than one file shall be converted, each output file name is constructed as:

OP := <INPUT_PATH><OUTPUT_PATH><TO_FORMAT_EXTENSION>

Where OP is the name of the generated file; <INPUT_PATH> is the path to the file to convert, without the file's name; <OUTPUT_PATH> is the value of the output option; <TO_FORMAT_EXTENSION> is the extension, as defined using --toformat <FORMAT>.

PaletteConverter recognizes the file format of input and output files by extension. It knows:

Additionally, the following formats are recognized as valid output formats:

In the case your files have a different or none extension, you have to let PaletteConverter know in what format the files to convert are stored. This is done using the option --fromformat <FORMAT> (or -f <FORMAT> for short). The same counts for output files. If no known extension is given for the output file, you have to specify it using the --toformat <FORMAT> (or -t <FORMAT> for short) option.

Some formats have additional parameters.

When writing image files, PaletteConverter writes all colors as single pixels into one line per default. The parameter --columns <INTEGER> defines after how many columns, a new line shall be started. The height of a color cell can be changed using --cell-height <INTEGER> (-h <INTEGER> for short). Its width can be accordingly changed using --cell-width <INTEGER> (-w <INTEGER> for short). Both integers are interpreted as numbers of pixels. Please note that only palettes of no more than 256 entries can be used for image generation.

The rendering of .css-tables can be altered as well. The parameter --css.attribute <NAME> sets the name of the written attribute, e.g. "font-color". The default is "background-color". The parameter --css.name <FORMAT_STRING> defines how the name of the entry is rendered. The parameter is a format string as described in detail below. The default is ".pal_%n_%i" - %n is replaced by the palette's name, &i is replaced by the entry's index.

When exporting to JavaScript, the name of the variable can be changed using --js.name <FORMAT_STRING>. The parameter --js.type allows to change how the entries are rendered. The default behaviour is to render them as hex-strings ("#000000" for black). Setting --js.type triplet will render them as RGB-triplets ("[0,0,0]" for black).

You may find the obligatory --verbose (or -v) option which shows some more output. You can force PaletteConverter to write the files it processes using --print-files and if you do, you can define the prefix to use using --print-files.prefix <STRING> and the divider to use using --print-files.divider <STRING>. You can also print the set options using --print-set-options.

Examples

paletteconverter.exe -i myOrigPalette.aco -o myNewPalette.gpl

Reads a palette from the file myOrigPalette.aco assuming it is a Adobe Photoshop palette because of knowing the extension and stores it as a GIMP palette into myNewPalette.gpl.

paletteconverter.exe -i palette.map -o palette.gif

Reads a palette from the file palette.map assuming it is a Fractint palette and generates an image of the palette storing it into the file palete.gif.

CAVEATS

Nothing is known, yet.

DIAGNOSTICS

PaletteConverter returns 0 if the given options were valid and the file(s) could be processed.

If a needed option is missing, 1 is returned. If an option was given, but the value cannot be used (e.g. an unknown format was given), PaletteConverter will return a 2. On any other error, PaletteConverter returns 3 and the error is printed.

BUGS

Nothing is known, yet. Please report bugs to info@palettewb.com.

SEE ALSO

Internet pages at http://www.palettewb.com/

COPYRIGHT

(c) 2009-2022 Daniel Krajzewicz

http://www.palettewb.com