[binarylaw]

Some programs store their settings or data in a common format, like JSON or CSV or SQLite, or even a simple .INI file. But for programs that store data in a proprietary structure/format like a .DAT file, where you can open it in hex and see string data scattered about, but without any seeming precise pattern or structure (that's easily observable) -- is there a tool that can analyze a a data file like this and automatically figure out its data structuring, such that you could then use the tool to inject new data into the file yourself?

For example, there's a program, Silent Installer Builder, which allows one to create packaged installers using various configurable formats/options/functionality. But the v6 versions store this data in a .DAT file, which means that you have to use the SiB program to edit or change any custom install packages. You can see the text inside it, but it's scattered all over the place, so it's not possible to manually add entries into it yourself without using the program.

So I'm just wondering if there are any tools that could automatically analyze a file and determine that, for example, every 24 bytes a new file path begins, and each file path is allotted N number of bytes whether they're all used or not, before the next entry begins.

My guess is nothing like this exists, but I thought I would check nonetheless.