BitPack Tools

Okay, glad to hear there's no problem!

Good idea, thanks – I applied the change and the code is simpler now. By the way, could you share what exact problem you had with the temporary file? I still have other parts in the code that rely on it, so it would be useful to know if there are any pitfalls. The 7z license is also attached.

https://github.com/BitPackTools/pixpack Just released PixPack 1.1.0 Removed MGI dependencies → replaced with faster native search (no external toolkit required) Dropped RC4 (Flatten/XML) encryption, only simple byte negation remains Added support for embedding/extracting external files via 7zr.exe (password required) New VIs: PP.PNG.File.Encode.vi, PP.PNG.File.Decode.vi, Write.Encrypted.7zPayload.vi, Read.Decrypt.7zPayload.vi Added a small GUI for file embedding, so it also works in built applications First versioned release: 1.1.0 README and license updated on GitHub. Note: Compatibility with earlier builds was not maintained — the changes were big enough that it made more sense to simplify and move forward.

The password is the filename, meaning the filename carries the payload’s password. I am fully aware of the drawbacks of this approach. Users can just as easily forget the given password as they can rename the file—which is why it didn’t work for you, though you probably knew that 😃. The solution is freely modifiable, and if there is a real need, I can add an option for a custom password. 🙃

I’ve added it, the license is now available on GitHub. I can’t open the VI you sent — I’m using LabVIEW 2020.

Thanks again for taking the time to review and comment! About the hex encode/decode: good point. Those two small functions originally came from the MGI Utilities, which are under the BSD-3-Clause license. I’ve copied them into the repo together with the license notice, so there is no hidden copyright issue and no need for users to install the full toolkit (as also noted on GitHub). The Error In terminal is intentionally required — that’s by design and will remain so. You also mentioned “Data does not survive a copy operation”. Could you clarify or give me an example? I’d like to reproduce that issue, since I haven’t encountered it myself. Thanks again for helping improve this!

Hi ShaunR, Thanks a lot for checking it out and giving feedback! You were actually right — the issue came from LabVIEW’s “prepend array or string size” option in the Binary Write VI, which adds the array length (U32) at the start. That’s why the file didn’t start with a proper PNG signature. I’ve fixed it, and now the decode VI also returns the image separately, so it should work nicely even in LabVIEW. Really appreciate you taking the time to try it! Just a note: this isn’t a strictly valid PNG, since the extra data isn’t stored in chunks but appended after IEND. Still, image processing tools usually don’t mind, as they only read up to IEND.

Hi everyone, I just released a small LabVIEW tool that allows you to embed custom data into PNG files and extract it back. The image remains fully viewable while carrying hidden data. Optionally, the data can also be exported in XML format. Included VIs: Encode VI – Appends data to a PNG file or exports to XML. Decode VI – Retrieves the embedded data from a PNG file, including XML if used. Key Features: Preserve image appearance while storing hidden data. Optional XML export for structured data. Combine images and related data in a single portable file. Store hidden notes or annotations without affecting the image. Possible Use Cases: Data + Image packaging for measurement results. Metadata storage (experiment details, settings, version info). Lightweight data transport. Scientific experiments or field work with images + sensor readings. Archiving visual and numerical data together. Secure sharing of proprietary information. Dependencies: The tool uses two VIs from the MGI Library (BSD 3-Clause License). For simplicity, these VIs are included directly in the repo. You can check it out and download it here: https://github.com/BitPackTools/pixpack Feedback and suggestions are welcome!