Convert binary file

[Tim Golden]

Diez B. Roggisch wrote:
> Vamp4L schrieb:
>> Hello,
>>   Specifically, I'm trying to convert the Internet Explorer history
>> file (index.dat) into a readable format.  Anyone done something
>> similar or know of any functions that may help with such a task?  I'm
>> not sure exactly what kind of file the index.dat is, it is some kind
>> of binary file.  I have tried some of the binascii functions (http://
>> docs.python.org/lib/module-binascii.html) without any luck.
>>  Thanks
> 
> You have to have a definition of the format or reverse engineer it. If 
> you have done that, you can use the module struct.
> 
> But there is no generic way to infer how a binary format is built.

Well, there is some info here:

   http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=115849

on the subject. But, honestly, doing any kind of direct messing
with opaque file formats (Microsoft's or anyone else's) is pretty
much asking for trouble.

Without my ever having tried this, it looks as though
a combination of comtypes and IID_IUrlhistoryStg2 [2] might
work. If I get the time later I'll try to knock sthg
together. (Unless someone else pops in first!)

TJG

[1] http://pypi.python.org/pypi/comtypes
[2] http://support.microsoft.com/kb/897169