Tools for DAT File Editing?

[_-pYRo_-]

Hi,
I'm currently just beginning to work with DAT files and came across, that your DAT files have no "cloneof"/"romof" information (at least C64 and Amiga ones).
My problem is, managing a huge ROMSet with aprox 4k games with clrmamepro may result in over 20k single ZIP files because every Disk is handled as a single game in TOSEC atm.

My Questions:
1. Is it intended?
2. If != 1. have you some secret tools to help merging romsets?
3. Are there already known tools for working with DAT files anyway?


Edit:
Couldn't stand it... so heres the work a morning^^ ROMSetMerger 0.20.

It's a small java-tool (merely a xml-parser) and will convert:

Code: [Select]

<game name="Agaton (1992-01)(Data-Tronic AS)(NO)(Disk 1 of 2)">
<description>Agaton (1992-01)(Data-Tronic AS)(NO)(Disk 1 of 2)</description>
<rom name="Agaton (1992-01)(Data-Tronic AS)(NO)(Disk 1 of 2).adf" size="901120" crc="8823c529" md5="2a9b8e0a5549ae19ffba5dee5aa2830e" sha1="00455e51cfbd78b2557e8e4bbe8d1f00aea2db3d"/>
</game>
<game name="Agaton (1992-01)(Data-Tronic AS)(NO)(Disk 2 of 2)">
<description>Agaton (1992-01)(Data-Tronic AS)(NO)(Disk 2 of 2)</description>
<rom name="Agaton (1992-01)(Data-Tronic AS)(NO)(Disk 2 of 2).adf" size="901120" crc="4135ca5c" md5="01035a2c827b051b4267d171eb88cfd5" sha1="5b0e1b9b99141f7c0e4549f70ba57797d6eaef90"/>
</game>
<game name="Agaton (1992-04)(Data-Tronic AS)(NO)(Disk 1 of 2)">
<description>Agaton (1992-04)(Data-Tronic AS)(NO)(Disk 1 of 2)</description>
<rom name="Agaton (1992-04)(Data-Tronic AS)(NO)(Disk 1 of 2).adf" size="901120" crc="aa1c4e4f" md5="5863c83db751cb39bc740976f9a06deb" sha1="efe4de1e6b49d9c846d3d1a09a7d9f66fd521b6f"/>
</game>
<game name="Agaton (1992-04)(Data-Tronic AS)(NO)(Disk 2 of 2)">
<description>Agaton (1992-04)(Data-Tronic AS)(NO)(Disk 2 of 2)</description>
<rom name="Agaton (1992-04)(Data-Tronic AS)(NO)(Disk 2 of 2).adf" size="901120" crc="88c5b4d6" md5="1d62db2147caf7a4213a9353c81cc282" sha1="e8de12bdb338915e1d85e9e40608ae1f60f04408"/>
</game>

to

Code: [Select]

   <game name="Agaton" isbios="no">
      <rom name="Agaton (1992-01)(Data-Tronic AS)(NO)(Disk 1 of 2).adf" size="901120" crc="8823c529" sha1="00455e51cfbd78b2557e8e4bbe8d1f00aea2db3d" md5="2a9b8e0a5549ae19ffba5dee5aa2830e" status="good"/>
      <rom name="Agaton (1992-01)(Data-Tronic AS)(NO)(Disk 2 of 2).adf" size="901120" crc="4135ca5c" sha1="5b0e1b9b99141f7c0e4549f70ba57797d6eaef90" md5="01035a2c827b051b4267d171eb88cfd5" status="good"/>
      <rom name="Agaton (1992-04)(Data-Tronic AS)(NO)(Disk 1 of 2).adf" size="901120" crc="aa1c4e4f" sha1="efe4de1e6b49d9c846d3d1a09a7d9f66fd521b6f" md5="5863c83db751cb39bc740976f9a06deb" status="good"/>
      <rom name="Agaton (1992-04)(Data-Tronic AS)(NO)(Disk 2 of 2).adf" size="901120" crc="88c5b4d6" sha1="e8de12bdb338915e1d85e9e40608ae1f60f04408" md5="1d62db2147caf7a4213a9353c81cc282" status="good"/>
      <description>Agaton</description>
   </game>

Have fun.

Edit 2:
Known Bug: The exported file lacks a XML-Prologue so clmamepro will not parse it. Short Workaround is...

Edit 3:
New bugfixed and extended Version 0.20 is online (see Link above).
It features the ability to set filter options so that roms with the following marks can be removed from the merged DAT:

Code: [Select]

[a], [b], [h], [m], [t], [v]

Readme.txt is included in the tools archive. Maybe its useful for someone else.

Have Fun!

[PandMonium]

Thanks for your tool (and sorry for the late reply!). Indeed our dats don't give any hints about relationships between different sets, just a match of names to hashes. If anyone wants it now they have a way to do it with your tool

[Venlunie]

The past, I have, but find the answer alone about this. This has been known.

[NLS]

Venlunie I don't understand your posts.