How to decode the string length when it is very long?

[cmeiyuan]

As we know,we use StringBlock.getUtf8() or StringBlock.getUtf16() to decode the string's length,usually they can work well.
but,when a string is very very long,such as the length is 0x8888,so the first four bytes are [0x88,0x88,0x88,0x88].

How should I decode it's length?

[iBotPeaches]

Do you have an APK with these large string block entry? I will investigate.

[cmeiyuan]

I'm sorry to have given you so late.

app-debug.apk.zip

[iBotPeaches]

Apktool seems to be decoding this fine. So unsure what you are asking. If you are asking how it does it.

Read this: https://github.com/iBotPeaches/platform_frameworks_base/blob/apktool_7.1/include/androidfw/ResourceTypes.h#L420

/**
 * Definition for a pool of strings.  The data of this chunk is an
 * array of uint32_t providing indices into the pool, relative to
 * stringsStart.  At stringsStart are all of the UTF-16 strings
 * concatenated together; each starts with a uint16_t of the string's
 * length and each ends with a 0x0000 terminator.  If a string is >
 * 32767 characters, the high bit of the length is set meaning to take
 * those 15 bits as a high word and it will be followed by another
 * uint16_t containing the low word.
 *
 * If styleCount is not zero, then immediately following the array of
 * uint32_t indices into the string table is another array of indices
 * into a style table starting at stylesStart.  Each entry in the
 * style table is an array of ResStringPool_span structures.
 */

[cmeiyuan]

I think StringBlock has a bug than can not decode length correctly.

app-debug.zip

1. I define a very long string in strings.xml.

2. I toast the string's length in MainActivity.java, the length is 0x8888.

public class MainActivity extends AppCompatActivity {

    private TextView textView;

    @Override
    protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
        super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
        setContentView(R.layout.activity_main);
        textView = (TextView) findViewById(R.id.tv_hello);
        String str = getString(R.string.test);
        // the length of str is 0x8888
        Toast.makeText(this, "0x" + Integer.toHexString(str.length()), Toast.LENGTH_SHORT).show();
        textView.setText(str);
    }
}

3. I decode the length by ARSCDecoder.java, but the length is 0x888.

I modify the ARSCDecoder.java that only change some private fields to public and I will upload it.

public static void main(String[] args) throws Exception {
    // I unzip app-debug.apk to get the file resources.arsc
    File file = new File("/Users/cmeiyuan/AndroidStudioProjects/RePlugin/replugin-sample/MyApplication4/app/build/outputs/apk/app-debug/resources.arsc");
    FileInputStream in = new FileInputStream(file);
    try {
        ARSCDecoder decoder = new ARSCDecoder(in, new ResTable(), true, true);
        decoder.readTableHeader();
        StringBlock stringBlock = decoder.mTableStrings;
        int count = stringBlock.getCount();
        for (int i = 0; i < count; i++) {
            String s = stringBlock.get(i).toString();
            if (s.startsWith("aaaaa")) {
                // console print:
                // aaaaaaaaaa.....
                // length:2184
                System.out.println(s);
                System.out.println("length:" + s.length());
            }
        }
    } catch (IOException ex) {
        throw new AndrolibException("Could not decode arsc file", ex);
    }
}

[iBotPeaches]

Thanks for the detailed explanation. I will take another look.

[cmeiyuan]

Ok!Thanks very much!

[iBotPeaches]

Interesting find. I have tests for this - https://github.com/iBotPeaches/Apktool/blob/master/brut.apktool/apktool-lib/src/test/resources/brut/apktool/testapp/res/values-en/strings.xml

But it seems in the case of a 0x8888 character string it fails. This is similar to #1291. I guess the UTF16 decoding is improperly determining the length.

Confirmed.