Centaur Spectrum Documentation Version 1.2 8/16/2025 https://www.centaur.pw <jon@centaur.pw> 1. About Spectrum 2. Version Information 3. Configuration File 4. Main Window 5. Multiple Files Window 6. Text Input Window 7. Checksum Utility Window 8. Keyboard Shortcuts 1. About Spectrum ----------------- Spectrum is a utility for quickly and easily checking hashes of files and text input on Windows computers. It supports the six most common algorithms: MD5, SHA1, SHA256, SHA384, SHA512, and RIPEMD160. The files included in the ZIP archive are Spectrum.exe, spectrum.cfg, and Spectrum.txt. Copy these files to a new directory and create a desktop shortcut and/or Start menu item pointing to Spectrum.exe. 2. Version Information ---------------------- 1.2: * Read-only files can now be hashed. 1.1: * Hash comparisons are no longer case-sensitive, and case can be selected for all windows. * Ctrl+C copies the resulting hash in the main window to the clipboard, replacing Ctrl+H. 3. Configuration File --------------------- spectrum.cfg is a required file that is automatically updated each time the algorithm is changed, when Uppercase is toggled, and when Always On Top is toggled. The file must be located in the same directory as Spectrum.exe and must be readable and writable to the user. If spectrum.cfg is missing from the directory, the program will attempt to create it using the default settings. The following three settings are maintained in this file: DefaultAlgorithm=MD5|SHA1|SHA256|SHA384|SHA512|RIPEMD160 Uppercase=True|False AlwaysOnTop=True|False Each setting name is immediately followed by '=' and the corresponding value. Lines beginning with '#' are ignored as comments. Unknown or unhandled instructions are ignored. DefaultAlgorithm must be one of the six supported algorithms. Uppercase must be True or False. This setting applies to all hashes displayed by the program except for those in the Text Input window. AlwaysOnTop must be True or False. 4. Main Window -------------- Spectrum can be loaded in an empty state or started with one or more file parameters. Dragging and dropping a file onto the program icon will display the hash for that file in the main window. In addition, files can be dropped onto the main window. The Browse button and Select File(s) menu items also support multiple file selection. Drag-and-drop operations are only permitted in the main window. The current algorithm is displayed in the title bar and the Algorithm menu. The default algorithm is SHA256; this can be changed by selecting a different item in the Algorithm menu. When the program is closed, the last used algorithm is saved and recalled when the program is executed again. Changing the algorithm will change the size of the main window accordingly. The letters in the hash shown in the main window can be displayed in either lowercase or uppercase. 5. Multiple Files Window ------------------------ The Multiple Files window only opens when the user checks the hash of multiple files at once by dragging and dropping the files onto the icon, the main window, or selecting them through the Select File(s) dialog box. The hashes and file names are displayed one per line in the standard checksum format. This information can then be saved to a file through the File menu or by pressing Ctrl+S. The letters used in the hashes in this window can be displayed in either lowercase or uppercase. 6. Text Input Window -------------------- The Text Input window allows the user to check the hash of string input. Text can be imported from the File menu or entered into the text box. The hash shown at the bottom of the window updates automatically when any change is made to the contents of the text box. The Edit menu contains all the common text operations, e.g. cut, copy, and paste. Word Wrap and Always On Top can also be toggled in this menu. Text operations are also contained in the right-click menu. This window is resizable and retains all entered text until it is explicitly cleared or the main window is closed. The letters in the hash shown in this window can be displayed in either lowercase or uppercase. 7. Checksum Utility Window -------------------------- The Checksum Utility window contains two panels which work independently of one another: Compare and Validate Checksum File. The Compare panel is used to verify the integrity of a single file. Only one hash and file can be checked at a time, and the hash must be entered before the user can select the corresponding file. Once a file has been selected, the result will be displayed in the panel as PASS or FAIL. Letters contained in the user-entered hash can be either lowercase or uppercase. The Validate Checksum File panel is used to verify the integrity of files listed in a standard checksum file. The file must be in the correct format and should only contain names of files and not their full paths. Before the checksum file can be selected, the user must first set the working directory, i.e. the location of the files listed in the checksum file; the files cannot be in different directories. Once the checksum file has been selected, the result will be displayed in the panel as PASS or FAIL for each file. The checksum file itself will PASS if all hash and file pairs are valid, or FAIL if any are invalid. If all items fail, an error message will inform the user and suggest an incorrect path has been selected. The total number of files checked, files passed, and files failed is listed in the text box and in the status bar. Only valid checksum files should be selected. An invalid file may cause unexpected behavior. 8. Keyboard Shortcuts --------------------- Most menu items in each window have an associated keyboard shortcut. Main Window: Ctrl+1 - MD5 Ctrl+2 - SHA1 Ctrl+3 - SHA256 Ctrl+4 - SHA384 Ctrl+5 - SHA512 Ctrl+6 - RIPEMD160 F1 - View program documentation F2 - Open Text Input window F3 - Open Checksum Utility window F4 - Toggle between lowercase and uppercase letters in hashes F5 - Refresh hash F6 - Open file selection window F7 - Keep the Spectrum window on top of all other windows Ctrl+C - Copy hash to the clipboard Del - Reset the program to its default state Esc - Exit the program Multiple Files Window: Ctrl+S - Save contents as checksum file Esc - Close the Multiple Files window Text Input Window: F2 - Load text from file (opens file selection dialog) F4 - Toggle between lowercase and uppercase letters in the hash F5 - Refresh hash F6 - Keep the Text Input window on top of all other windows Ctrl+A - Select all text in the input window Ctrl+C - Copy selected text Ctrl+D - Copy all text in the input window Ctrl+H - Copy hash to the clipboard Ctrl+V - Paste contents of the clipboard Ctrl+W - Toggle Word Wrap on or off Ctrl+X - Cut selected text Ctrl+Y - Redo previous Undo Ctrl+Z - Undo most recent change Ctrl+Del - Reset the window to its default state Esc - Close the Text Input window Checksum Utility Window: F2 - Select file to be compared against entered hash F3 - Open working directory selection dialog F4 - Open checksum file selection dialog Ctrl+W - Toggle Word Wrap on or off Esc - Close the Checksum Utility window