Resources

Resource table parser for resolving string, drawable, and other resource values.

Overview

The Resources class parses the resources.arsc file and provides resource resolution with locale support.

import { Apk } from "node-apk";

const apk = new Apk("app.apk");
const resources = await apk.getResources();

Methods

resolve()

resolve(id: number): Resource[]

Resolves a resource ID to its values across all configurations.

Parameters

Parameter	Type	Description
id	number	Android resource ID

Returns

Resource[] - Array of resources with values and locales.

Example

const resources = await apk.getResources();

// Resolve a string resource
const labelId = 0x7f040001;
const resolved = resources.resolve(labelId);

for (const res of resolved) {
  console.log(`Value: ${res.value}`);
  if (res.locale) {
    console.log(`  Language: ${res.locale.language}`);
    console.log(`  Country: ${res.locale.country}`);
  }
}

Resource Class

Represents a single resolved resource value.

Properties

class Resource {
  readonly value: ResourceValue;
  readonly locale?: Locale;
}

ResourceValue

type ResourceValue = number | string | boolean | null;

Locale Class

class Locale {
  readonly language?: string;  // Two-letter language code (e.g., "en")
  readonly country?: string;   // Two-letter country code (e.g., "US")
}

Example

const resources = await apk.getResources();
const resolved = resources.resolve(0x7f040001);

for (const res of resolved) {
  // Access the value
  console.log(`Value: ${res.value}`);
  
  // Check type
  if (typeof res.value === "string") {
    console.log(`String: ${res.value.toUpperCase()}`);
  }
  
  // Access locale
  if (res.locale) {
    const lang = res.locale.language ?? "unknown";
    const country = res.locale.country ?? "";
    console.log(`Locale: ${lang}${country ? `-${country}` : ""}`);
  }
}

Resource ID Format

Android resource IDs are 32-bit integers with this format:

0xPPTTIIII
│ │ └───── Index (16 bits) - Resource index within type
│ └─────── Type (8 bits) - Resource type (string, drawable, etc.)
└───────── Package (8 bits) - Package ID (0x7f for app resources)

Common Type IDs

Type	ID	Description
anim	0x01	Animation resources
color	0x02	Color values
drawable	0x03	Drawables
layout	0x04	Layout files
string	0x05	String resources
style	0x06	Style resources

Examples

Resolve App Label

const apk = new Apk("app.apk");
const manifest = await apk.getManifestInfo();
const resources = await apk.getResources();

const labelId = manifest.applicationLabel;

if (typeof labelId === "number") {
  const resolved = resources.resolve(labelId);
  
  // Get default value
  const defaultLabel = resolved[0]?.value;
  console.log(`App Name: ${defaultLabel}`);
  
  // Get specific locale
  const frenchLabel = resolved.find(r => r.locale?.language === "fr");
  if (frenchLabel) {
    console.log(`French: ${frenchLabel.value}`);
  }
}

Find All Localized Strings

function getLocalizedString(
  resources: Resources, 
  id: number, 
  locale: string
): string | undefined {
  const resolved = resources.resolve(id);
  
  // Try exact match (language + country)
  const exact = resolved.find(r => 
    r.locale?.language === locale.split("-")[0] &&
    r.locale?.country === locale.split("-")[1]
  );
  if (exact?.value) return String(exact.value);
  
  // Try language only
  const langOnly = resolved.find(r => 
    r.locale?.language === locale.split("-")[0]
  );
  if (langOnly?.value) return String(langOnly.value);
  
  // Fallback to default
  return resolved[0]?.value ? String(resolved[0].value) : undefined;
}

// Usage
const label = getLocalizedString(resources, labelId, "fr-FR");

Extract All Icon Variants

const manifest = await apk.getManifestInfo();
const resources = await apk.getResources();

const iconId = manifest.applicationIcon;
const iconResources = resources.resolve(iconId);

console.log("Available icon variants:");
for (const res of iconResources) {
  if (typeof res.value === "number") {
    // Further resolution needed
    console.log(`  Resource ID: 0x${res.value.toString(16)}`);
  } else if (typeof res.value === "string") {
    // File path
    console.log(`  Path: ${res.value}`);
  }
}

Build Locale Map

function buildLocaleMap(
  resources: Resources, 
  id: number
): Map<string, string> {
  const resolved = resources.resolve(id);
  const map = new Map<string, string>();
  
  for (const res of resolved) {
    if (typeof res.value === "string") {
      const locale = res.locale?.language ?? "default";
      map.set(locale, res.value);
    }
  }
  
  return map;
}

// Usage
const labels = buildLocaleMap(resources, labelId);
console.log("English:", labels.get("en"));
console.log("French:", labels.get("fr"));
console.log("German:", labels.get("de"));

Related

• Apk - Main APK parser
• Manifest - Application manifest
• Types - Type definitions