Calling Windows Zip Function

[Martin Francom]

Windows Explorer (XP and later) have the ability to create a new ZIP file.

Is there a way (programmatically) to call Windows Explorer's function to create a new empty ZIP file and then copy files into files into that new ZIP file?

[Eddy Van Esch]

Martin,
Wouldn't zlib do ?

http://www.powerbasic.com/support/pbforums/showthread.php?t=13811&highlight=zlib

Kind regards

[Roger Garstang]

Yeah, but why reinvent the wheel. I too would be interested in this, but doubt M$ has it well documented. I'd like to use the much Simpler TalkAny DLL files too instead of the Speech API, but that isn't possible yet either. And, I have the DLL and install method for those Zip Folders too and have got them to work on Win2K and before, so they are pretty universal.

[Michael Mayerhoffer]

Only documented information I could find sometime ago, is how to script a zip folder and such.

You could generate a script file via your program and run that script to do the zip work.

[Pierre Bellisle]

If you feel like it...

MS zip undocumented function

[Thomas Tierney]

There shouldnt be any special functions to call to use the zip functionality in XP/2003/HIGHER. Remember, the zip file is now tied to explorer and shell32. Here is a routine that should get you on your way. I suggest reading up on CopyHere if you need more indepth functionality

Function PBMain
    '-----------------------------------------------------------------------
    'Author :   Thomas Tierney
    'Purpose:   Using Shell32 to add files to a zip file
    'Date   :   12/18/2007
    '-----------------------------------------------------------------------
    Dim oShell As Dispatch
    Dim oDest As Dispatch
    Dim oSrc As Dispatch
    Dim oSrcItems As Dispatch
    Dim vDest1 As Variant
    Dim vDest2 As Variant
    Dim vSrc1 As Variant
    Dim vSrc2 As Variant
    Dim vItems As Variant
    Dim vFlags As Variant
    Dim sZipFile As String
    Dim sSourceFolder As String


    sZipFile = "c:\somefile.zip"
    sSourceFolder = "c:\SomeFolder"

    'create an empty zip file
    Open sZipFile For Output As #1
    Print #1, Chr$(80,75,5,6,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0)
    Close #1

    'Create the Shell object
    Set oShell = New Dispatch In ("Shell.Application")
    If IsObject(oShell) = 0 Then
      MsgBox "Shell ERROR"
      Exit Function
    End If

    vDest1 = sZipFile
    Object Call oShell.NameSpace(vDest1) To vDest2
    Let oDest = vDest2
    If IsObject(oDest) = 0 Then
      MsgBox "DEST ERROR"
      Set oShell = Nothing
      Exit Function
    End If

    vSrc1 = sSourceFolder
    Object Call oShell.Namespace(vSrc1) To vSrc2
    Let oSrc = vSrc2
    If IsObject(oSrc) = 0 Then
      Set oDest = Nothing
      Set oShell = Nothing
      MsgBox "SRC ERROR"
      Exit Function
    End If
    Object Call oSrc.Items() To vItems
    Object Call oDest.CopyHere(vItems)

    MsgBox "You will need to wait here for the dialog to go away as the function doesnt report it."

End Function

[Martin Francom]

Thomas,
Thanks for sharing. I think this is what I was looking for.

[Martin Francom]

Thomas,
I have run into a little difficulty: I get an error message:

The Specified directory C:\temp\ansi is empty.....

However, I didnot set the directory to \ansi what I set was:

     sZipFile = "c:\temp\somefile.zip"
     sSourceFolder = "c:\temp"

I cannot see where in the code the source directory is getting changed.

Could you explane how the files to be copied to the created ZIP file get selected. Let's say I wanted to copy C:\temp\*.bas to the created zip file, how would I do that?

[Martin Francom]

Thomas,
Ok, I think I see how works... Appearently this routine tries to zip up everything including subfolders. If a subfolder is empty and error message is generated.
If I wanted to specify just certain files in a certain direcorty to be ZIPPed how would I do that?

[Thomas Tierney]

The source object can be a file or a folder. If you use a path & filename in
vSrc = "c:\test.txt"
Object Call oShell.Namespace(vSrc1) To vSrc2

so you would need to do something like dir

sDir = Dir("c:\*.*")

while sDir <> ""
'add files here..
wend

I am not sure that is correct but you can look up the shell32 functions on MSDN, they are still there..

btw, what is a thumbs down?

[Cliff Nichols]

btw, what is a thumbs down?

1st thought that came to mind was that commercial that says "Delegate.......DOWN"

[Martin Francom]

The source object can be a file or a folder. If you use a path & filename in
vSrc = "c:\test.txt"
Object Call oShell.Namespace(vSrc1) To vSrc2

so you would need to do something like dir

sDir = Dir("c:\*.*")

while sDir <> ""
'add files here..
wend

I am not sure that is correct but you can look up the shell32 functions on MSDN, they are still there..

btw, what is a thumbs down?

Thomas, Thanks for the explanation. I have not used the OBJECT functions of PowerBasic before, so this is unfamiliar code for me. I been reading the PB8 manual to try an get a better understanding. The code looks like it should be simple to understand but guess I'm a little slow... I don't quite understand exactly what's going on, particulary these two sections:

    vDest1 = sZipFile
    [B]Object Call oShell.NameSpace(vDest1) To vDest2[/B]
    Let oDest = vDest2
    If IsObject(oDest) = 0 Then
      MsgBox "DEST ERROR"
      Set oShell = Nothing
      Exit Function
    End If

    vSrc1 = sSourceFolder
    [B]Object Call oShell.Namespace(vSrc1) To vSrc2[/B]
    Let oSrc = vSrc2
    If IsObject(oSrc) = 0 Then
      Set oDest = Nothing
      Set oShell = Nothing
      MsgBox "SRC ERROR"
      Exit Function
    End If
    [B]Object Call oSrc.Items() To vItems
    Object Call oDest.CopyHere(vItems)[/B]

I don't understand these Object calls. I know that an Object Call is simular to a PB SUB or FUNCTION call. I will study it some more. Thanks for the help.

PS: thumbs down ????? Not sure where that came from. Just know that you don't want to get that from a Roman Emporer.

[Thomas Tierney]

--this assigns the string value to the variant
vDest1 = sZipFile

--this calls the method Namespace on the object oShell with the variant value and assigns its return the value to the variant vDest2
Object Call oShell.NameSpace(vDest1) To vDest2

-- this coerces the return variant into a dispatch object
Let oDest = vDest2

'this checks to see that an object is what exists
If IsObject(oDest) = 0 Then
MsgBox "DEST ERROR"

'this nullifies the original dispatch object and causes any code in its terminate routine run, cleaning up after itself
Set oShell = Nothing

Exit Function
End If