ROM Validator

A Windows desktop application for validating ROM files against DAT files and generating new No-Intro compliant DAT files from your collection.

Features

• ROM Validation: Validate your ROM collection against No-Intro DAT files
• DAT File Generation: Generate new No-Intro compliant DAT files from your ROM collection
• Duplicate Detection: Identify duplicate ROM files in your collection
• Multiple Hash Support: Supports CRC32, MD5, SHA-1, and SHA-256 hash verification
• Archive Support: Can read ROMs from 7z archives using SharpSevenZip
• Bug Reporting: Built-in bug reporting system for error tracking
• Version Checking: Automatic GitHub version checking for updates
• Usage Statistics: Anonymous usage statistics tracking

Requirements

• .NET 10.0 or higher
• Windows 10/11 (WPF application)
• 7z native libraries (included via SharpSevenZip package)

Installation

From Source

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/drpetersonfernandes/RomValidator.git

2. Open the solution in Visual Studio 2022 or later:

   CSharp_RomValidator.sln
   

3. Build the solution (Ctrl+Shift+B)
4. Run the application (F5)

Pre-built Releases

Check the GitHub Releases page for pre-built binaries.

Usage

Validating ROMs

1. Launch the application
2. Navigate to the "Validate" tab
3. Load a DAT file (No-Intro format)
4. Select your ROM directory or archive
5. Click "Validate" to start the validation process
6. View results showing which ROMs are valid, missing, or have incorrect hashes

Generating DAT Files

1. Navigate to the "Generate DAT" tab
2. Select your ROM directory
3. Configure output settings (name, description, version)
4. Click "Generate" to create a new DAT file
5. Save the generated DAT file for use with other ROM management tools

Project Structure

CSharp_RomValidator/
├── RomValidator/                    # Main WPF application
│   ├── Models/                     # Data models
│   │   ├── NoIntro/               # No-Intro DAT file models (Datafile, Game, Rom, Header)
│   │   ├── BugReportPayload.cs    # Bug reporting model
│   │   ├── GitHubRelease.cs       # GitHub release model
│   │   ├── GitHubAsset.cs         # GitHub release asset model
│   │   └── GameFile.cs            # Game file model with hash values
│   ├── Services/                  # Business logic services
│   │   ├── HashCalculator.cs      # Hash calculation service (CRC32, MD5, SHA1, SHA256)
│   │   ├── Crc32Algorithm.cs      # CRC32 hash algorithm implementation
│   │   ├── LoggerService.cs       # Logging and error tracking
│   │   ├── BugReportService.cs    # Bug reporting service
│   │   ├── GitHubVersionChecker.cs # Version checking
│   │   ├── ApplicationStatsService.cs # Usage statistics tracking
│   │   └── TempDirectoryHelper.cs # Temporary directory management
│   ├── Pages/                     # Application pages
│   │   ├── ValidatePage.xaml      # ROM validation UI
│   │   └── GenerateDatPage.xaml   # DAT generation UI
│   ├── MainWindow.xaml            # Main application window
│   ├── AboutWindow.xaml           # About dialog
│   ├── DuplicateFilesWindow.xaml  # Duplicate files dialog
│   └── App.xaml.cs                # Application entry point with global exception handling
├── RomValidator.Tests/            # Unit tests (xUnit)
└── CSharp_RomValidator.sln        # Visual Studio solution

Development

Building

dotnet build

Running Tests

dotnet test

Dependencies

• SharpSevenZip (2.0.36): For 7z archive support
• WPF: Windows Presentation Foundation for UI
• xUnit (2.9.3): Unit testing framework
• Microsoft.NET.Test.Sdk (18.4.0): Test SDK
• coverlet.collector (10.0.0): Test coverage

Code Style

• C# 14 language features
• Nullable reference types enabled
• Implicit usings enabled
• Async/await pattern for I/O operations

Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch
3. Make your changes
4. Add or update tests as needed
5. Submit a pull request

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

Support

• Website: http://www.purelogiccode.com
• GitHub Issues: Report bugs or request features
• Bug Reports: Built-in bug reporting system in the application

Version History

• v2.6.0: Current version (see AssemblyVersion in csproj)
• Check GitHub Releases for detailed changelog

Acknowledgments

• No-Intro for the DAT file format specification
• SharpSevenZip for archive support
• All contributors and testers