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ziptools is both an importable module package and a collection of command-line scripts that create and extract zipfiles. It augments Python's zipfile module with crucial missing functionality. Most notable among ziptools' enhancements:
| Folders: | ziptools adds entire folder trees to zipfiles automatically |
|---|---|
| Modtimes: | ziptools propagates original modtimes for files, folders, and links in full |
| Cruft skips: | ziptools can either include or skip system "cruft" files on request |
| Symlinks: | ziptools copies or follows symlinks to files and folders on Unix and Windows |
| Long paths: | ziptools supports long pathnames on Windows beyond its normal limits |
| Permissions: | ziptools propagates Unix file-access permissions for all items on request |
| Timestamps: | ziptools fixes DST and timezone skew in modtimes with UTC timestamps |
| Filenames: | ziptools makes nonportable-filename mods explicit, optional, and avoidable |
There's more on ziptools' features here. ziptools is also portable—it can create and extract standard-conforming zipfiles on Mac OS, Windows, Linux, Android, and others, and can serve as your sole zip and unzip utility on all these platforms. Simply use the local Python 3.X or 2.X, or install one where needed; ziptools works on either Python.
To get started with ziptools:
The package's main create and extract scripts also come with loads of in-program documentation, as does its importable module used by the scripts. For code size, see the sloc.
And yes, ziptools zipped itself like this:
/...code$ python3 $Z/zip-create.py ziptools.zip ziptools -skipcruft -nocompress
Running ziptools 1.3
Zipping ['ziptools'] to ziptools.zip
Cruft patterns: {'skip': ['.*', '[dD]esktop.ini', 'Thumbs.db', '~*', '$*', '*.py[co]'], 'keep': ['.htaccess*']}
Adding folder ziptools
--Skipped cruft file ziptools/.DS_Store
Adding file ziptools/.htaccess
Adding file ziptools/__init__.py
Adding folder ziptools/cmdtest
--Skipped cruft file ziptools/cmdtest/.DS_Store
Adding file ziptools/cmdtest/_HOW-RUN.txt
...etc...
Adding file ziptools/ziptools/ziptools.py
--Skipped cruft file ziptools/ziptools/ziptools.pyc
Create finished: files=513, folders=264, links=0, unknowns=0, crufts=31.
If you had already installed ziptools, you could unzip its package like this (but use your local unzip tool the first time around):
/...site$ $Z/zip-extract.py ziptools.zip . -permissions -nomangle Running ziptools 1.3 Unzipping from ziptools.zip to . Extracted ziptools/ Extracted ziptools/.htaccess Extracted ziptools/__init__.py Extracted ziptools/cmdtest/ Extracted ziptools/cmdtest/_HOW-RUN.txt ...etc... Extracted ziptools/ziptools/ziptools.py Extract finished: files=513, folders=264, links=0, unknowns=0.
For info on ziptools command-lines, try this. For examples of other programs that build ziptools command lines on the fly, search for ziptools in genhtml's scripts here and here. And for details on importing and calling ziptools' tools more directly, see its examples and code docs.
test/ziptools folder if you've already fetched
a Mergeall package. The version of ziptools included in Mergeall
is that current when Mergeall was packaged, but may be out of date;
the latest version is always here.
This program was last changed on October 28, 2021. Its most recent releases feature an uncompressed option for zip/unzip speed; nonportable-filename support; filename wildcards on Windows; end-of-run statistics; optional permissions propagation; alternate zip paths; and UTC timestamps. Many of these changes can be sampled at their demos: the permissions upgrade is meant for use with zipfiles originating on Unix; the UTC-timestamp upgrade neutralizes DST and timezone changes for all items' modtimes by using extra zip fields instead of zip's local time; and the new filename support applies to unzips on Android and Windows.
For more code examples, see the programs page.