Param.sfo

PARAM.SFO

See also Discussion page

Samples: param.sfo/samples

SFO (System File Object) file format can be also found on PSP, PSVITA, PS3. This page, as well as talk page, is mostly speculation about this content information file.

The values contained in a parameter (other naming: key) of the SFO can be simplified as inputs/outputs for/from the content:

• Boot modifiers (flags).
• Information texts.

External Structure

Speculation about the Container wrapping the Data of the param.sfo File (only on disc?)

• length: 0x800 always?

PARAM.SFO container

Offset	Size	Name	Example	Value (conversion)	Notes
First chunk
0x00	0x08	Magic ?	50 53 41 52	SCECDF	?
0x08	0x08	Version ?	01 00 00 00 01 00 00 00	v1.1?	?
0x10	0x16	-	01 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00	?	?
0x20	0x08	-	02 00 00 00 00 00 00 00	?	?
0x28	0x08	Length total ?	AC 09 00 00 00 00 00 00	09 AC	total length of the file? (container+param.sfo)
0x38	0x08	Length first chunk?	D0 01 00 00 00 00 00 00	01 D0	length first chunk
0x40	0x08	-	30 04 00 00 00 00 00 00	?	?
...
0x6A	0x08	-	FF FF ... 00 00	?	?
0x90	0x08	PARAM.SFO length ?	AC 01 00 00 00 00 00 00	01 AC	Length PARAM.SFO?
...
Second chunk
0x1D6	0x02?	FW version ?	52 01	1.52	System Firmware should be similar to one of the SFO parameter?
0x1D8	0x09?	Product code ?	43 55 53 41 30 30 32 35 30	CUSA00250	Productcode should be similar to the Title id parameter
...
0x800	0x04	Magic of PARAM.SFO	00 50 53 46	PSF	The PARAM.SFO start, see internal structure

Internal Structure

Header SFO

This is the Header of a SFO file.

Offset	Data	Length	Notes
0x00	00 50 53 46	0x04	" PSF" Magic
0x04	01 01 00 00	0x04	Version
0x08	xx xx 00 00	0x04	Key table start offset
0x0C	xx xx 00 00	0x04	Data table start offset
0x10	xx 00 00 00	0x04	№ of entries in index table

typedef struct{
    int magic; //PSF
    int version; //1.1
    int keyTableOffset;
    int dataTableOffset;
    int indexTableEntries;
} sfo_header_t;

Index table

Starting at offset 0x14, this structure (0x10) is repeated the number of times defined in the header ( № of parameters)

Offset	Data	Length	Notes
0x14	00 00	0x02	Key table offset
0x16	04 0x	0x02	param_fmt (type of data)
0x18	xx xx 00 00	0x04	parameter length
0x1C	xx xx 00 00	0x04	parameter max length
0x20	00 00 00 00	0x04	Data table offset

typedef struct{
    u16 keyOffset; //offset of keytable + keyOffset
    u16 param_fmt; //enum (see below)
    u32 paramLen;
    u32 paramMaxLen;
    u32 dataOffset; //offset of datatable + dataOffset
} indexTableEntry_t;

Used on index table, type of data are:

param_fmt	Format	Notes
04 00	utf-8 Special Mode	Used in contents generated by the system (e.g.: save data)
04 02	utf-8	Character string, NULL finished (0x00)
04 04	integer	32 bits unsigned

Key table

Ordered alphabetically, each name of parameters of this table is NULL terminated with 1 blank byte (0x00) to separate them.

The table has padding at the end to align their size to a multiply of 4 ( if matches with a multiply of 4 this padding doesn't exist)

Data table

• UTF-8 entries never uses all the reserved bytes, needs 1 blank byte (0x00) after the last character.

• Integer entries uses all the reserved bytes.

Parameters Descriptions

APP_TYPE

param_fmt: uint32_t
param_max_len: 0x4 (4 bytes)
param_len: 0x4 (4 bytes)

Used by: PS4 Game (Digital), PS4 Game Patch

...

APP_VER

param_fmt: utf-8
param_max_len: 0x8 (8 bytes)
param_len: 0x6 (6 bytes)

Used by: PS4 Game (Digital), PS4 Game Patch

The format is XX.YY where "XX" and "YY" are numbers, and the point "." is included in the string, e.g: 01.00 for the first stable version released.

ATTRIBUTE

param_fmt: uint32_t
param_max_len: 0x4 (4 bytes)
param_len: 0x4 (4 bytes)

Used by: PS4 Game (Digital), PS4 Game Patch, Additional Content

Can contains 32 flags that can be turned on/off to activate/deactivate features allowed for the game/apps content.

CATEGORY

param_fmt: utf-8
param_max_len: 0x4 (4 bytes)
param_len: 0x4 (4 bytes)

Used by: PS4 Game (Blu-ray Disc), PS4 Game (Digital), PS4 Game Patch, Additional Content

See PS Vita Category

Value	Standard name
ac	Additional Content?
bd	Blu-ray Disc?
gd	Game Digital??
gdk	Non-Game Application Digital_k??
gp	Game Patch?

CONTENT_ID

param_fmt: utf-8
param_max_len: 0x30 (48 bytes)
param_len: 0x25 (37 bytes)

Used by: PS4 Game (Digital), PS4 Game Patch, Additional Content

See Content ID

DISC_NUMBER

param_fmt: uint32_t
param_max_len: 0x4 (4 bytes)
param_len: 0x4 (4 bytes)

Used by: PS4 Game (Blu-ray Disc)

Disc number: count from 01.

DISC_TOTAL

param_fmt: uint32_t
param_max_len: 0x4 (4 bytes)
param_len: 0x4 (4 bytes)

Used by: PS4 Game (Blu-ray Disc)

Total number of discs for this game.

DISP_LOCATION_x

param_fmt: uint32_t
param_max_len: 0x4 (4 bytes)
param_len: 0x1? (1 bytes?)

Used by: PS4 Game (Digital)

DISP_LOCATION_1 & DISP_LOCATION_2

DOWNLOAD_DATA_SIZE

param_fmt: uint32_t
param_max_len: 0x4 (4 bytes)
param_len: 0x4 (4 bytes)

Used by: PS4 Game Patch

...

FORMAT

param_fmt: utf-8
param_max_len: 0x4 (4 bytes)
param_len: 0x4? (4 bytes)

Used by: PS4 Game (Blu-ray Disc), PS4 Game (Digital), PS4 Game Patch, Additional Content

"obs"

PARENTAL_LEVEL

param_fmt: uint32_t
param_max_len: 0x4 (4 bytes)
param_len: 0x4 (4 bytes)

Used by: PS4 Game (Digital), PS4 Game Patch

It is a scale to rate the content for the different users based in user profile settings and international rating systems as: PEGI, ESRB, CERO, etc...

PUBTOOLINFO

param_fmt: utf-8
param_max_len: 0x200 (512 bytes)
param_len:variable

Used by: PS4 Game (Digital), Additional Content

Contains infos:

• c_date=
• sdk_ver=
• st_type=
• asa=
• img0_l0_size=
• img0_l1_size=
• img0_ch_size=

SERVICE_ID_ADDCONT_ADD_x

param_fmt: utf-8
param_max_len: 0x14 (20 bytes)
param_len:Not used?

Used by: PS4 Game (Digital), PS4 Game Patch

Same parameter outnumbered from _1 to _7.

SYSTEM_ROOT_VER

param_fmt: uint32_t
param_max_len: 0x4 (4 bytes)
param_len: 0x4 (4 bytes)

Used by: PS4 Game (Blu-ray Disc)

Minimum System Firmware needed to play this title

SYSTEM_VER

param_fmt: uint32_t
param_max_len: 0x4 (4 bytes)
param_len: 0x4 (4 bytes)

Used by: PS4 Game (Blu-ray Disc), PS4 Game (Digital), PS4 Game Patch

Minimum System Firmware needed to play this title (conveniently, the [PS4VOLUME]/PS4/UPDATE/PS4UPDATE.PUP file (Blu-ray Disc) will be at least this version)

TITLE

param_fmt: utf-8
param_max_len: 0x80 (128 bytes)
param_len: variable

Used by: PS4 Game (Blu-ray Disc), PS4 Game Patch, DLC

Default "title of the game" for all languages.

TITLE_xx

param_fmt: utf-8
param_max_len: 0x80 (128 bytes)
param_len: variable

Used by: PS4 Game (Digital), PS4 Game Patch, Additional Content

Same than TITLE but for localized languages.

An .SFO can contain several TITLE_xx where xx is a number for a regional code.

The "default" TITLE is always present when other "localized" TITLE_xx are used.

TITLE_ID

param_fmt: utf-8
param_max_len: 0x0C (12 bytes)
param_len: 0xA (10 bytes)

Used by: PS4 Game (Blu-ray Disc), PS4 Game (Digital), PS4 Game Patch, Additional Content

Identifier ( Productcode ) of the content, in the format WXYZ12345.

VERSION

param_fmt: utf-8
param_max_len: 0x8 (8 bytes)
param_len: 0x6 (6 bytes)

Used by: PS4 Game (Digital), PS4 Game Patch, Additional Content

Version content of the game: Disc revision, or Package revision. The number increases when the content is re-released or re-packaged for whatever reason that doesn't affect the main executable (e.g. when a disc game reaches platinum sales, or "game of the year edition" including extra contents).

Notes

See talk page.