diff --git a/scripts/build/complay.py b/scripts/build/complay.py
index c8a61396dce..c44cc1e678f 100644
--- a/scripts/build/complay.py
+++ b/scripts/build/complay.py
@@ -1,69 +1,152 @@
 #!/usr/bin/python
 ##
 ## license:BSD-3-Clause
-## copyright-holders:Aaron Giles, Andrew Gardner
+## copyright-holders:Vas Crabb
 
-from __future__ import with_statement
-
-import sys
 import os
+import sys
+import xml.sax
+import xml.sax.saxutils
 import zlib
 
-if len(sys.argv) < 4:
-    print('Usage:')
-    print('  complay <source.lay> <output.h> <varname>')
-    print('')
-    sys.exit(0)
 
-srcfile = sys.argv[1]
-dstfile = sys.argv[2]
-varname = sys.argv[3]
-type = 'uint8_t'
+class ErrorHandler(object):
+    def __init__(self, **kwargs):
+        super(ErrorHandler, self).__init__(**kwargs)
+        self.errors = 0
+        self.warnings = 0
 
-try:
-    myfile = open(srcfile, 'rb')
-except IOError:
-    sys.stderr.write("Unable to open source file '%s'\n" % srcfile)
-    sys.exit(-1)
+    def error(self, exception):
+        self.errors += 1
+        sys.stderr.write('error: %s' % (exception))
 
-byteCount = os.path.getsize(srcfile)
-compsize = 0
-compressiontype = 1
+    def fatalError(self, exception):
+        raise exception
 
-try:
-    dst = open(dstfile,'w')
-    dst.write('const %s %s_data[] =\n{\n\t' % ( type, varname))
-    offs = 0
-    with open(srcfile, "rb") as src:
-        while True:
-            chunk = src.read(byteCount)	
-            if chunk:
-                compchunk = bytearray(zlib.compress(chunk, 9))
-                compsize = len(compchunk)
-                for b in compchunk:
-                    dst.write('%d' % b)
-                    offs += 1
-                    if offs != compsize:
-                        dst.write(',')
+    def warning(self, exception):
+        self.warnings += 1
+        sys.stderr.write('warning: %s' % (exception))
+
+
+class Minifyer(object):
+    def __init__(self, output, **kwargs):
+        super(Minifyer, self).__init__(**kwargs)
+
+        self.output = output
+        self.incomplete_tag = False
+        self.element_content = ''
+
+    def setDocumentLocator(self, locator):
+        pass
+
+    def startDocument(self):
+        self.output('<?xml version="1.0"?>')
+
+    def endDocument(self):
+        self.output('\n')
+
+    def startElement(self, name, attrs):
+        self.flushElementContent()
+        if self.incomplete_tag:
+            self.output('>')
+        self.output('<%s' % (name))
+        for name in attrs.getNames():
+            self.output(' %s=%s' % (name, xml.sax.saxutils.quoteattr(attrs[name])))
+        self.incomplete_tag = True
+
+    def endElement(self, name):
+        self.flushElementContent()
+        if self.incomplete_tag:
+            self.output('/>')
+        else:
+            self.output('</%s>' % (name))
+        self.incomplete_tag = False
+
+    def characters(self, content):
+        self.element_content += content
+
+    def ignorableWhitespace(self, whitespace):
+        pass
+
+    def processingInstruction(self, target, data):
+        pass
+
+    def flushElementContent(self):
+        self.element_content = self.element_content.strip()
+        if self.element_content:
+            if self.incomplete_tag:
+                self.output('>')
+                self.incomplete_tag = False
+            self.output(xml.sax.saxutils.escape(self.element_content))
+            self.element_content = ''
+
+
+class XmlError(Exception):
+    pass
+
+
+def compressLayout(src, dst, comp):
+    state = [0, 0]
+    def write(block):
+        for ch in block:
+            if 0 == state[0]:
+                dst('\t')
+            elif 0 == (state[0] % 32):
+                dst(',\n\t')
             else:
-                break
-            dst.write('\n\t')
+                dst(', ')
+            state[0] += 1
+            dst('%3u' % (ord(ch)))
 
-    dst.write('\n};\n')
+    def output(text):
+        block = text.encode('UTF-8')
+        state[1] += len(block)
+        write(comp.compress(block))
 
-except IOError:
-    sys.stderr.write("Unable to open output file '%s'\n" % dstfile)
-    sys.exit(-1)
+    error_handler = ErrorHandler()
+    content_handler = Minifyer(output)
+    parser = xml.sax.make_parser()
+    parser.setErrorHandler(error_handler)
+    parser.setContentHandler(content_handler)
+    try:
+        parser.parse(src)
+        write(comp.flush())
+        dst('\n')
+    except xml.sax.SAXException as exception:
+        print('fatal error: %s' % (exception))
+        raise XmlError('Fatal error parsing XML')
+    if (error_handler.errors > 0) or (error_handler.warnings > 0):
+        raise XmlError('Error(s) and/or warning(s) parsing XML')
 
-try:
-    dst.write('extern const internal_layout %s;\n' % ( varname ))
-    dst.write('const internal_layout %s = { \n\t' % ( varname ))
-    dst.write('%d,%d,%d,%s_data\n' % ( byteCount, compsize, compressiontype, varname ))
-    dst.write('\n};\n')
+    return state[1], state[0]
 
 
-    dst.close()
-except IOError:
-    sys.stderr.write("Unable to open output file '%s'\n" % dstfile)
-    sys.exit(-1)		
+if __name__ == '__main__':
+    if len(sys.argv) != 4:
+        print('Usage:')
+        print('  complay <source.lay> <output.h> <varname>')
+        sys.exit(0 if len(sys.argv) <= 1 else 1)
 
+    srcfile = sys.argv[1]
+    dstfile = sys.argv[2]
+    varname = sys.argv[3]
+
+    comp_type = 1
+    try:
+        dst = open(dstfile,'w')
+        dst.write('static const unsigned char %s_data[] = {\n' % (varname))
+        byte_count, comp_size = compressLayout(srcfile, lambda x: dst.write(x), zlib.compressobj())
+        dst.write('};\n\n')
+        dst.write('const internal_layout %s = {\n' % (varname))
+        dst.write('\t%d, sizeof(%s_data), %d, %s_data\n' % (byte_count, varname, comp_type, varname))
+        dst.write('};\n')
+        dst.close()
+    except XmlError:
+        dst.close()
+        os.remove(dstfile)
+        sys.exit(2)
+    except IOError:
+        sys.stderr.write("Unable to open output file '%s'\n" % dstfile)
+        os.remove(dstfile)
+        dst.close()
+        sys.exit(3)