SaladSoftware - A Kuriimu1/2 MT Framework-only Python Variant

Version 2.4.2

• Dark Mode UI
• Drag & Drop Support (Files and Folders)
• High-DPI / 4K Support
• Atomic Writes (Prevents corruption if a save fails)
• Threaded Scanning & Parallel Compression
• Windows Context Menu Integration
• Support for double-click .arc Preview

SaladSoftware uses Kuriimu (1) Karameru C# code logic adapted to Python. Original MTArc, Komponent, Encryption, and C# code processing logic belongs to IcySon55 and FanTranslatorInternational. I adapted it to Python, added a GUI with dark mode, logging, and stability features like atomic saves and memory safety caps.

Dependencies

If running from source, you must install the following:

pip install pycryptodome tkinterdnd2

Tab Descriptions

1. Extract from ARC(s)

• Purpose: Unpack an original game archive (.arc) into a folder.
• Usage: Drag and drop .arc files or select them via the button.
• Output: Each ARC is extracted into a subfolder next to the original file (e.g., resident.arc -> resident_arc/).
• Note: Preserves internal folder structure.

2. Repack Folder (In-Place)

• Purpose: Rebuild an edited folder back into a byte-perfect .arc file. (Recommended for Modding)
• Usage: Select the directory containing both your original .arc and your edited _arc folder.
• Logic:
  • Finds pairs (e.g., file.arc and file_arc).
  • Uses the original ARC to copy headers, version info, and unchanged files (High-Fidelity Rebuild).
  • Only compresses files that have actually changed on disk.
• Safety:
  • Creates a .tmp file first to ensure write success.
  • Moves the original .arc and the source _arc folder into an original_data subfolder upon success.
  • Optional: Can be set to delete original_data automatically after a successful rebuild.

3. Build New ARC from Folder

• Purpose: Create a completely new .arc file from a folder of assets.
• Warning: Uses default settings (Switch/PC hybrid defaults). Not recommended for modding existing files; use Tab 2 instead.

4. Batch: Extract All in Folder

• Purpose: Recursively scan a root directory for any .arc files and extract them.
• Output: Creates _arc folders next to every found .arc file.

5. Batch: Repack Folders (In-Place)

• Purpose: Recursively find and rebuild all ARCs from their extracted folders.
• Logic: Same as Tab 2, but scans subdirectories.
• Cleanup: Options to move originals to original_data or delete them after successful repacking.

6. Batch: Extract All (Single Folder / Flatten)

• Purpose: Extract contents of many ARCs into one single "flat" folder.
• Usage: Useful for dumping all textures or sounds to one place.
• Naming: Filenames are prefixed with the source ARC name (e.g., resident_arc_font.tex) to prevent conflicts.

7. Advanced: Partial Extract (Internal ARC View)

• Purpose: Preview and extract specific files without unpacking the whole archive.
• Usage:
  • Load an ARC.
  • Check boxes next to files or folders.
  • Extract to specific location.
• Open up an .arc on Windows via double-click.

8. Advanced: Partial Inject (Internal ARC Injection)

• Purpose: Replace specific files inside an existing ARC without full unpacking/repacking.
• Usage:
  • Load an ARC.
  • Select a specific file in the tree view.
  • Click "Replace Selected File..." and choose your new file from disk.
  • Click "Start Injection".
• Behavior: Creates a new ARC where only the targeted files are replaced; all other data is copied raw from the original.

CLI Usage

The tool automatically detects if you pass a file or folder argument, but specific commands are available.

Usage: python SaladSoftware.py [command] [options]

Commands

1. extract <ARC_FILE...>
   • Extracts one or more .arc files into _arc folders.
2. inject <FOLDER...> --output-dir <DIR>
   • Builds new ARCs from source folders (Scratch rebuild).
3. extract-recursive <SOURCE_DIR>
   • Recursively finds and extracts all ARCs in a directory.
4. inject-recursive <SOURCE_DIR> [--move-originals]
   • In-place recursive rebuild. Scans for name.arc + name_arc pairs.
   • Uses high-fidelity repacking.
5. extract-flat <SOURCE_PATH> --output-dir <DIR>
   • Extracts all files from an ARC or directory of ARCs into one flat folder.
6. install-menu
   • (Windows Only) Installs context menu items:
     • Right-click .arc file -> Extract ARC
     • Right-click Folder -> Rebuild ARC

Compiling

To compile this into a standalone EXE (Windows), use PyInstaller. Ensure tkinterdnd2 is installed in your environment.

pyinstaller --onefile --windowed --icon salad_icon.ico --name "SaladSoftware 2.4.1" --add-data "extension_index_line.txt;." --add-data "unique_extensions.txt;." --collect-all tkinterdnd2 SaladSoftware.py

(Note: --collect-all tkinterdnd2 is often required to ensure the drag-and-drop binaries are bundled correctly).