amigainfo
A Python library for loading, saving and converting Amiga .info icon files.
Supports all four generations of the format:
- πΊοΈ Classic (OS 1.x-3.1) β planar bitmap icons
- πΌοΈ NewIcons β higher colour icons encoded in ToolTypes strings
- πͺ GlowIcons / ColorIcons (OS 3.5+) β IFF FORM ICON with RLE compression
- π· ARGB (OS4) β 32-bit icons with zlib-compressed ARGB data
Install
pip install amigainfo
Library usage
from amigainfo import load, save, to_image
# Load and render the best available image
obj = load(open("MyApp.info", "rb").read())
img = to_image(obj)
img.save("MyApp.png")
# Access metadata
print(obj.type) # IconType.TOOL
print(obj.default_tool) # "SYS:Utilities/MultiView"
print(obj.tooltypes) # ["PUBSCREEN=Workbench", ...]
# Modify and save back
obj.default_tool = "SYS:Utilities/NewTool"
obj.tooltypes.append("DONOTWAIT")
open("MyApp.info", "wb").write(save(obj))
# Render a specific format or state
from amigainfo import classic_to_image, WB_1X
img = classic_to_image(obj.classic.normal, palette=WB_1X)
img = to_image(obj, selected=True)
CLI
Inspect .info files (default):
# Human-readable summary (default action)
amigainfo icon.info
# Multiple files
amigainfo *.info
# JSON metadata
amigainfo --json icon.info
Convert to PNG with -o:
# Convert to PNG (picks the best available image format)
amigainfo -o icon.png icon.info
# Batch convert to a directory
amigainfo -o output_dir/ *.info
# Use the selected (highlighted) icon state
amigainfo -o icon.png --selected icon.info
# Extract a specific format layer
amigainfo -o icon.png --format classic icon.info
amigainfo -o icon.png --format newicon icon.info
amigainfo -o icon.png --format coloricon icon.info
amigainfo -o icon.png --format argb icon.info
# Override the palette for classic icons
amigainfo -o icon.png --format classic --palette wb1x icon.info
Format overview
Amiga .info files are icon files used by AmigaOS Workbench. The format evolved
over several OS generations, with each new format layered on top of the previous
for backward compatibility.
Every standard .info file starts with a DiskObject header (0xE310 magic)
containing a Gadget structure, icon metadata (type, position, tooltypes, default
tool), and planar bitmap image data. Later formats append additional image data:
| Format | Era | Image type | Palette |
|---|---|---|---|
| Classic | OS 1.x-3.1 | Planar bitmaps (1-8 bitplanes) | System Workbench palette |
| NewIcons | Mid-90s | Chunky pixels encoded in ToolTypes | Embedded in data |
| GlowIcons | OS 3.5+ | RLE-compressed indexed colour (IFF) | Embedded in data |
| ARGB | OS 4 | zlib-compressed 32-bit ARGB | Full colour |
Each file can contain up to two images: normal and selected (highlighted) states.
Data model
The load() function returns a DiskObject with all parsed data accessible.
The save() function serializes it back to .info bytes:
DiskObject
βββ magic, version, type
βββ gadget (Gadget: dimensions, flags, user_data)
βββ default_tool, tool_window, tooltypes
βββ current_x, current_y, stack_size
βββ drawer_data (DrawerData: window state, OS2+ display flags)
βββ classic (ClassicImages: normal/selected planar bitmaps)
βββ newicon (NewIconImages: normal/selected palette+pixels)
βββ coloricon (ColorIconImages: FACE chunk + normal/selected IMAG)
βββ argb (ARGBImages: normal/selected 32-bit image data)
Default palettes
Classic icons donβt store palette data, they rely on the system Workbench palette. Two palettes are included:
WB_1Xβ OS 1.x, 4 colours (blue, white, black, orange)WB_2Xβ OS 2.x/3.x, 8 colours (the standard Workbench palette)
The default is WB_2X. The to_image() function auto-selects based on
gadget.user_data (OS 2.x+ icons set this to 1).
License
Public domain (WTFPL).