Zoo Object List Programs and ZT Spreadsheet Subset File

[Jay]

The main location for the Zoo Object List Programs and ZT Spreadsheet Subset file is at Zookeeper's Lounge:
http://www.lunamanar.com/zklounge/viewtopic.php?t=2007

Since the ZT Spreadsheet Subset file is useful for designers and the Zoo Object List Programs are useful for those that download zoos, they are being made available here as well, in case one cannot get to Zookeeper's Lounge.

The Zoo Object List Programs, by Jay, look inside ZT1 ".zoo" files and create lists of what is in the zoos. The checkzoo.bat program will look inside 1 ".zoo" file. The chkzoos.bat program will look inside all ".zoo" files that are in the same folder. Both of those programs will use zooobjec.exe, which does most of the work.

Although the programs can work elsewhere, since ZT is usually installed in C: drive and since ".zoo" files are in multiple folders, it is best to put these programs in a "ZT-utils" folder in the top level of the C: drive. Extract the files from checkzoo.zip into the ZT-utils folder. In order for the programs to give more information for user downloads, also put the ZT Spreadsheet Subset file ZTlistSm.csv in the ZT-utils folder. Depending on your version of MS Windows, you might also have to copy the ZT-Utils folder into the "Program Files" folder, and then run the ".bat" files from there. But the following assumes you do not have to do that. The following instructions are for Windows XP, but other MS Windows versions would be similar. For example, Windows 10 uses "More apps" instead of "Choose Program".

To run checkzoo for the first time for a ".zoo" file:
1. Right click on a ".zoo" file.
2. Click "Open With".
3. Click "Choose Program".
4. Click "Browse".
5. click "My Computer".
6. Double click "C:".
7. Double click "ZT-utils".
8. Click "checkzoo.bat".
9. Click "Open".
10. Click OK and the results of the program will be put in a checkzoo.lst file in the same folder as the ".zoo" file.

You can then open checkzoo.lst in a text editor such as WordPad. (If you have used WordPad to look at ".lst" files previously, you can right-click on checkzoo.lst, click "Open With", and click "WordPad".) The file will show which version of ZT was used to create the ".zoo". Earlier ZT versions cannot use a ".zoo" created in a later ZT version. So MM and CC zoos cannot be used in the original ZT and zoos created with a Mac version of ZT cannot be used in the PC version of MM or CC. MM and CC are considered the same version as far as zoo files are concerned. The file will also usually show everything that is in the zoo. However, because the program sometimes has to guess about the format of the ".zoo" file, it might occasionally show or not show something that it should. That is especially true for things created in non-English languages. When the program shows what is in a zoo, it shows how many there are of something, its internal name, and the name seen in the zoo itself. Since many things can be renamed, this could be the name that someone gave it in the zoo. Also, sometimes the name originally came from a ".dll" file. If the original ".dll" file was in a different language than what you are using, the zoo will contain the original names; but when you load it in ZT, ZT will change the names in the purchase menu to match what is in the ".dll" files for your language. Also, sometimes there have been conflicts with the names inside ".dll" files, so the names that are shown might not be correct for some things. If you also have the ZT Spreadsheet Subset file, there will be more information shown for user downloads. This includes the ".ztd" names, as well as ".zip" and ".rar" names that contain the ".ztd" files. This can make it easier to know what something is or to find the download. But it is not perfect because sometimes there have been conflicts with internal names. However, even knowing that there was a conflict can be useful. Sometimes more than 1 ".ztd" name is shown because sometimes sites or individuals change the names for various reasons. Also, sometimes the ".zip" names are ones I chose rather than what was actually used for downloads. For many things, ZT adds a number as part of the name shown inside a zoo. These programs ignore that number. However, the programs will show the highest number used for a guest. This can often give an indication of how long a zoo has been operating.

To run chkzoos for the first time, follow the above procedure but use chkzoos.bat instead of checkzoo.bat. The results will go in a chkzoos.lst file. Although you right click on a ".zoo" file, chkzoos will actually look at all ".zoo" files in the same folder as the ".zoo" file you clicked.

To run checkzoo after the first time:
1. Right click on a ".zoo" file.
2. Click "Open With".
3. Click "checkzoo" and the results of the program are put in a checkzoo.lst file in the same folder as the ".zoo" file.  Use a text editor such as WordPad to open checkzoo.lst.

To run chkzoos after the first time, follow the above procedure but use chkzoos instead of checkzoo. The results are put in a chkzoos.lst file. Use a text editor such as WordPad to open chkzoos.lst.

To see an example of what is shown for a zoo containing a lot of things, you can look at what is shown for the ZKL Zoo:
http://www.lunamanar.com/zklounge/viewtopic.php?p=35911#p35911

On a side note, if you understand how to use hex or binary editors, such as XVI32, it is possible to change a zoo to allow earlier ZT versions to open it. If the 5th character is set to "G", any ZT will believe the zoo was created in the original ZT. If the 5th character is set to "S", DD and newer ZT versions will believe the zoo was created in DD. If the 5th character is set to "j", MM and newer ZT versions will believe the zoo was created in either MM or CC. You should not change the 5th character of a zoo, however, if the zoo is using things that are only available in a newer version of ZT. Sometimes changing this 5th character does not allow earlier ZT versions to open it, but it looked like it worked to allow a zoo created on a Mac to be loaded in CC. The Mac version of ZT, which is newer than CC, uses "l" for the 5th character.

Zoo Object List Programs zip file size - 21.7 KB
Current checkzoo.bat and chkzoos.bat dates: February 24, 2021
Current zooobjec.exe date: February 25, 2022

Download the Zoo Object List Programs here.

ZT Spreadsheet Subset zip file size - 2.31 MB
Current ZTlistSm.csv date: February 27, 2022

Download the most recent ZT Spreadsheet Subset here.

Note: From time to time, the ZT Spreadsheet Subset file will be updated to include newer things. When it is, a new post will be added to the Zookeeper's Lounge topic so that it will be easier to notice it has been updated. Also, the ZT Spreadsheet Subset file is useful for designers to see if an APE ID, internal name, ".ztd" name, ".zip" name, ".wav" name, ".cfg" name, ".scn" name, ".lyt" name, or "unlock" name has been used before. That ZTlistSm.csv file can be open in either a spreadsheet program (I use the free and open source program LibreOffice) or a text editor (such as Vim or WordPad) and then searched. It can also be searched via a grep program.