BYML

BYML is a simplified, binary form of YAML.

Only the version 2 and 3 formats are documented in this article.

Structure

The file is broken up into a node structure, with possible interlinking between the nodes. Each node has a one byte format identifier. The File begins with a header which points to three special nodes; the hash key table; the string table node and the root node.

Header

Offset	Size	Description
0x00	2	String “BY” (big endian) or “YB” (little endian) in ASCII (file identifier).
0x02	2	Version 0x0002 in Breath of the Wild. Values of 1 and 3 are accepted as well.
0x04	4	Offset to the hash key table, relative to start (usually 0x010). May be 0 if no hash nodes are used. Must be a string value node (0xc2).
0x08	4	Offset to the string table, relative to start. May be 0 if no strings are used. Must be a string value node (0xc2).
0x0c	4	Offset to the root node, relative to start. May be 0 if the document is totally empty. Must be either an array node (0xc0) or a hash node (0xc1).

Nodes

Every node format has a unique one byte identifier as follows. Some nodes are considered value nodes as indicated below. The container nodes have a longer encoding in the file, which must be four byte aligned. The order of encoding full nodes within the file does not seem to matter.

Identifier	Type	Description
0xA0	Value (Index)	String. Value is an index into the string table.
0xC0	Container	Array. Node is an array of nodes, typically, though not necessarily, all of the same format.
0xC1	Container	Hash. Node is a mapping from strings in the hash key table to other nodes.
0xC2	Container (Special)	String table. Special purpose node type only seen in the hash key table and the string table.
0xD0	Value	Bool. Node is 1 or 0 representing true or false respectively.
0xD1	Value	Int. Node is a signed 32 bit integer value.
0xD2	Value	Float. Node is a binary32 floating-point number.
0xD3	Value	UInt. Node is an unsigned 32 bit integer value. The game uses this for some CRC32 hashes and for masks.
0xD4	Value (Special)	Int64. Node is a 64 bit integer value. Not seen in Breath of the Wild.
0xD5	Value (Special)	UInt64. Node is an unsigned 64 bit integer value. Not seen in Breath of the Wild.
0xD6	Value (Special)	Double. Node is a binary64 floating-point number. Not seen in Breath of the Wild.
0xFF	Value	Null. Value is always 0. Not seen in Breath of the Wild.

Value Nodes

Value nodes can only be encoded as children of container nodes. Each value node has a direct four byte encoding.

For string nodes, this encoding is simply a four byte index into the string table respectively.

For special value nodes, the value is an offset to a 64 bit integer / floating-point number relative to the start of the file.

0xC0 - Array Node

Offset	Size	Description
0x00	1	0xC0 node type.
0x01	3	Number of entries in array.
0x04	N	Array of N node types; the type of each element in the array.
0x04 + N’	4*N	Array of N node values. For regular value nodes, this is a 4 byte node value. For other nodes, this is a 4 byte offset to the node relative to the start of the file.

N’ is N rounded up to the nearest multiple of 4.

0xC1 - Hash Node

Hash / dictionary nodes are used to encode name value collections. The order of entries in the dictionary does not seem to matter.

Offset	Size	Description
0x00	1	0xC1 node type.
0x01	3	Number of entries in dictionary.

What then follows is a variable length array of dictionary entries. Each entry has the following structure.

Offset	Size	Description
0x00	3	Name. Value is an index in the hash key table.
0x03	1	The node type.
0x04	4	Value. For regular value nodes, this is the 4 byte node value. For other nodes, this is a 4 byte offset to the node relative to the start of the file.

0xC2 - String Table Node

Offset	Size	Description
0x00	1	0xC2 node type.
0x01	3	Number of entries in the string table.
0x04	Y=4*(N+1)	Array of N+1 offsets to each string relative to the start of the node. The last entry is an offset to the end of the last string.
0x04+Y’	variable	Array of N null-terminated strings stored in alphabetical order.

Y’ is Y rounded up to the nearest multiple of 4.

Usage in Nintendo games

Game	Endianness	Version	Notes
Breath of the Wild (Wii U)	Big endian	2	Uses SMO's library (in al::), but with unused code and support for big endian eliminated
Breath of the Wild (Switch)	Little endian	2	Uses SMO's library (in al::), but with unused code and support for big endian eliminated
Super Mario Odyssey (Switch)	Little endian (supports big endian as well)	2 or 3
Splatoon 2 (Switch)	Little endian (supports big endian as well)	2 or 3	Uses SMO's library, but in the Lp::Utl:: namespace

The v3 format seems to be identical to v2 but with the 64-bit node types added.

Tools

• Byaml Editor
• ninten-file-tool: sbyml/sbwlp/smubin/baniminfo encode/decode with Yaz0 (byml/prod w/ yaz0)
• byml-v2: BYML <-> YAML converter which supports v2 and v3 files, all the new node types and both Switch and Wii U files. Can also be used as a library.

This article was adapted from documentation in the handsomematt/botw-modding repo.