[tintinhamans]

Merge after #3458. Closes #255

Right now the game reads one string file per language, so changing two labels means shipping a full generals.csf.

With this, every other .str and .csf in data\<Language>\ and data\ loads too, loose or in a big. A file only needs the labels it changes.

Precedence is the rule modders already know from bigs: whatever sorts first wins. Language folder before data\, files in name order, .str before .csf of the same name, and the game's own string file last so it only fills in what nothing else set. 000_mymod.str beats zz_other.str the same way 000_mymod.big beats zz_other.big.

Retail 1.04 has nothing extra to load. Steam 1.05 has Data\Patch.str in PatchData.big (the two Custom Mission labels) which the 1.05 exe reads and this code never did. That gets picked up now.

Two files, same label	Result
Same path, loose and in a big	Only the loose one loads
Same path in two bigs	Only the first big by name loads
data\<Language>\ vs data\	Language folder wins
Same folder, two names	First by name, .str beats .csf of the same name
Any extra file vs generals.csf	The extra file wins

The first two rows are just how the file system already works. map.str stays a separate table that is only checked for labels the main one doesn't have. If parsing fails, the whole map string file is discarded rather than keeping a partial result.

Three commits: the parsers first push into a vector instead of a pre-sized array, then the parsers get bounds, then the layering. The vector drops the second pass over every str file that only counted END lines, the 500 entry slack, and the separate map.str parser, which was a copy of the str parser with a language filter. Malformed files get dropped instead of corrupting memory. For a csf that is oversized labels or text, a header count the file can't hold, a truncated file (including a partial record ID), or label and string counts that don't match the header. For a str it is a line, string or speech name longer than the buffer, a label with no quoted text, or a quote that never closes, which hangs startup on main. Explicit empty strings ("") remain valid. Every read is checked, so a bogus string count no longer spins. A Generals.str that fails to parse falls back to generals.csf.

Tested: INI CRC unchanged (FEAAE3F3 on main, with this, and with extra str files around). Same 11 labels out of LF, CRLF and mixed, loose and in a big, so #255's line ending concern doesn't apply. 22 scenarios in game, sheet below.

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Walkthrough

The text manager merges .str and .csf records from language-specific and neutral directories, validates parsed input, and loads map strings through the shared parser. Archive directory traversal now follows the recursive-search option.

Changes

Text file loading

Layer / File(s)	Summary
File selection and entry merging Core/GameEngine/Source/GameClient/GameText.cpp	The manager collects and orders language-specific and neutral .str and .csf files. It merges entries in order, keeps the first definition for each label, and tries the configured .str file before falling back to the configured .csf file.
Vector parsing and input validation Core/GameEngine/Source/GameClient/GameText.cpp	CSF and STR parsers return records in vectors and validate input reads and lengths. Quote and wave parsing report incomplete or oversized input. Map loading uses the shared STR parser with language filtering enabled.

Directory search behavior

Layer / File(s)	Summary
Respect the recursive-search option Core/GameEngine/Source/Common/System/ArchiveFile.cpp	Directory traversal skips child directories when recursive search is disabled.

Priority: ➖ Normal

Estimated code review effort: 3 (Moderate) | ~25 minutes

Change: Feature · Severity of issue fixed: Medium

Suggested reviewers: xezon

Merge Risk: 🔵 Low · up to 3fcdd

Extra strings can be lost if both primary string files fail. The remaining issue is narrow, but it warrants a fix or explicit acceptance before merging.

Pre-merge checks: 4

Check name	Status	Explanation
Linked Issues check		Issue #255 requires reliable parsing of plain .str files in .big archives. GameTextManager::collectStringFiles discovers .str files through TheFileSystem, and mergeStringFile routes them t…
Out of Scope Changes check		The archive file discovery, string parsing checks, vector-based parsing, and precedence handling support finding and safely loading string resources. No unrelated change is demonstrated.
Title check		The title clearly and concisely describes the main change: loading additional string files alongside the primary string table.
Description check		The description directly explains the additional .str and .csf loading behavior, precedence rules, parser validation, fallback behavior, and testing.

Full details: Linked Issues check

Explanation

Issue #255 requires reliable parsing of plain .str files in .big archives. GameTextManager::collectStringFiles discovers .str files through TheFileSystem, and mergeStringFile routes them to parseStringFile. The PR description reports matching results for LF, CRLF, and mixed line endings in loose files and .big archives. This supports the requirement.

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⚠️ Outside diff range comments (1)

🟠 Major · Validate the CSF label count before allocation. · GameText.cpp:443

Core/GameEngine/Source/GameClient/GameText.cpp:443
🩺 Stability & Availability | 🟠 Major | ⚡ Quick win

Validate the CSF label count before allocation.

getCSFInfo accepts a signed num_labels after checking only the header ID. mergeStringFile then passes that value to NEW StringInfo[capacity] before parseCSF can reject excess records. A negative or file-inconsistent count can request an invalid or excessive allocation and prevent text initialization.

Reject negative counts and counts larger than the remaining file bytes divided by the minimum label-record size.

🐛 Suggested fix

 			if ( header.id == CSF_ID )
 			{
-				textCount = header.num_labels;
+				const Int remainingBytes = file->size() - file->position();
+				const Int minLabelBytes = sizeof(Int) * 3;
+
+				if ( remainingBytes < 0 || header.num_labels < 0 ||
+					header.num_labels > remainingBytes / minLabelBytes )
+				{
+					break;
+				}
+
+				textCount = header.num_labels;
 
 				if ( header.version >= 2 )
 				{
 					language = (LanguageID) header.langid;

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[greptile-apps]

Confidence Score: 5/5

[Medium impact] The PR appears safe to merge; no new actionable issues were found.

Summary

Loads extra .str and .csf files before the main string table.

• Extra string files fill in and replace labels in the game table.
• String tables are sized from parsed entries and checked as they load.
• Archive file listings now follow the caller's subfolder choice.

No new actionable issues were found. The five earlier, unnumbered findings are addressed by the current read checks, buffer limits, count checks, and CSF fallback.

Diagram

%%{init: {'theme': 'neutral'}}%%
flowchart TD
  A[Language folder extras, sorted by name] --> B[Data folder extras, sorted by name]
  B --> C{Main STR loads?}
  C -- Yes --> E[Build text lookup]
  C -- No --> D[Load main CSF]
  D --> E
  F[Keep the first definition of each label] -.-> A
  F -.-> B
  F -.-> D

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_{Reviews (8) · Last reviewed commit: "feat(text): Load extra string files next..." · Reviewed by Greptile}

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