A free Macintosh Port of Info-ZIP's Zip and UnZip By Dirk Haase www.haase-online.de/dirk/maczip Please find my email address on my homepage. ================================ MacZip 1.0.6 A free Macintosh version of Info-ZIP's Zip and UnZip Contents Introduction License Hardware and system requirements Installation Memory requirements Note on terminology Stopping MacZip Using MacZip Decompressing files and folders Compressing files and folders Method 1 - Drag and Drop for compressing one file or one folder Method 2 - Drag and Drop for compressing multiple files or folders Method 3 - Using the dialog box for compressing multiple files or folders Naming files Limitations, problems, bugs Introduction This file is a mini-manual to provide a quick start for users who need only the basic features of MacZip. For further information about MacZip, please see the file called "README.TXT" and the other documentation. MacZip is a cross-platform tool for compressing and decompressing files. It includes two sub-programs: Zip (for compression) and UnZip (for decompression). Use MacZip to compress files and folders on a Macintosh. The results can be decompressed on Unix, VMS, MSDOS, OS/2, Windows 9x, Windows NT, Atari, Macintosh, Amiga, Acorn RISC OS, and other systems. Use it also to decompress zipped "archives" produced on non- Macintosh systems. MacZip can process archives produced by PKZIP. PKZIP and PKUNZIP can work with archives produced by Zip. MacZip's sub-program Zip version 2.2 is compatible with PKZIP 2.04. MacZip is completely separate from the shareware compression program ZipIt, which handles files in a different way. MacZip can usually decompress files compressed by ZipIt, but you may sometimes get unsatisfactory results. The same may apply to files compressed by Aladdin's DropZip or Marco Bambini's SmartZip. The user interface is very simple. It was not my intention to make a full-blown user interface. However I think it is comfortable enough to use as a regular tool. MacZip is available in two versions. One version supports encryption and decryption. The name of this package includes "c". The other version doesn't support encryption or decryption: the name of its package includes "nc". If you are in the US and you wish to send a copy of MacZip to someone outside the US, you should send the "nc" version because under US legislation it is unlawful to export encryption software from the US. License Copyright (c) 1990-2000 Info-ZIP. All rights reserved. MacZip can be used without payment or registration, but its use is subject to some conditions. See the accompanying file LICENSE, version dated March 25, 2000 or later, for terms of use. If that file is missing, the license may also be found on MacZip's Help menu, and at: . Hardware and system requirements MacZip requires at least System 7 and a Macintosh with a minimum of a Motorola 68020 or PowerPC 601 processor. Other configurations may work but it has not been tested on all. Installation Put MacZip wherever you like on your hard drive, for instance in your Applications folder or your Utilities folder. For easy access, make an alias of MacZip and keep the alias on your desktop. This makes it very quick and easy to use the Drag and Drop method of compressing and decompressing files. If you don't want to keep an alias for MacZip permanently on your desktop, an alternative is to make an alias of the folder containing MacZip, and put that alias on your Apple menu. This version of MacZip also supports Apple events, so you can install it in your web browser as a helper application. Memory requirements The RAM requirement for MacZip is set at 12000K - see the Get Info panel for MacZip. This large memory allocation is needed only if you will be compressing large numbers of files. For compressing only a few files, you can reduce the "preferred size" of the memory to 1048K. If you use MacZip only for decompression, you can reduce the "preferred size" of the memory to 600K. Note on terminology In standard English, the word "archive" means a collection of documents or other records, and using the word to mean a copy of just one item is a kind of nonsense. In computer terminology, "archive" is used jargonistically to mean a particular type of computer file containing compressed copies of one or more other computer files. It is used here in its jargon sense. Stopping MacZip You can stop the run of Zip/Unzip with the well-known shortcut [Command] + [.]. Using MacZip Decompressing files and folders Drag the icon of the archive you want to decompress, and drop it on the icon of MacZip. The archive needs to be of the "Zip" type, and will normally have a name ending in ".zip". If all is well, MacZip's icon will be highlighted and MacZip will launch automatically. A window called "Messages of Zip" will open showing information about the decompression, and will close as soon as the decompression has been successfully completed. If the window remains open, it means that MacZip encountered a problem. The window will display information about the problem. The decompressed version of the archive will be placed in a new folder, next to the compressed copy. MacZip will quit automatically when the decompression has been successfully completed. Note: You cannot drop more than one item at the same time. Compressing files and folders Method 1 - Drag and Drop for compressing one file or one folder If you only want to compress one file, or one folder containing several files, the quickest and easiest way is to use Drag and Drop. Drag the icon of the file or folder you want to compress, and drop it on the icon of MacZip. MacZip's icon will be highlighted and MacZip will launch automatically. A window called "Messages of Zip" will open showing information about the compression, and will close as soon as the compression has been successfully completed. If the window remains open, it means that MacZip encountered a problem. The window will display information about the problem. The compressed version of the file or folder will be placed next to the original uncompressed copy. It will have the same name, with the addition of the suffix ".zip". MacZip will quit automatically when the compression has been successfully completed. Note: You cannot drop more than one item at the same time. The Drag and Drop method has one minor disadvantage if the compressed file or folder is going to be decompressed on a non-Macintosh computer. Macintosh files have what are called resource forks. Resource forks don't make sense outside the Macintosh world, and they have to be disposed of. If Drag and Drop has been used to compress files, a recipient who decompresses them on a different kind of computer is liable to get extra items called "XtraStuf.mac". These have no function, and the recipient should discard them. Method 2 - Drag and Drop for compressing multiple files or folders If you want to compress multiple files or folders into a single compressed archive, you can do it by using Drag and Drop. However, you cannot drop more than one item at the same time, so you must first create a new folder to enclose all the files and sub-folders that you want to compress. Move all the files and folders that you want to compress into the new folder, and drag and drop the new folder on the icon of MacZip. It will be compressed as described in Method 1 above. When the compression is complete, you will probably want to move the individual files and folders back to their previous locations. If you don't want to move files and folders about in this way, consider using Method 3 below. Method 3 - Using the dialog box for compressing multiple files or folders This method is useful - * If you want to compress multiple files into a new single compressed archive, but you don't want to have to move files and folders as described for Method 2 above. * In any situation where you want to add additional files to an existing compressed archive. This might apply if you have already compressed a large number of files and find you want to add a few extra items. You can use this method to add extra items to an archive that was originally created by using Drag and Drop. * If you want to tell MacZip to disregard the resource forks of Macintosh files. This avoids a minor problem if the files are to be decompressed on a different type of computer. You start by compressing one file or folder, or by selecting an existing compressed archive. Then you use the dialog box to add further items. 1. Launch MacZip, e.g. by double-clicking its icon, or by double-clicking its alias. If you want to add files to an existing archive, continue by following steps (4) and (5) below. If you want to create a new archive, continue by following steps (2) to (5) below. 2. Pull down the File menu and choose "Zip (compress files)". A window called "Zip Options" will appear. 3. Click the button called "Location of the compressed File". Then - (a) Type a name for the new archive. Navigate to locate and open the folder where you want to save the new archive. Then click "Select". (b) You'll be returned to the "Zip Options" window. Click the button called "File or Folder to compress". Navigate to locate the first file or folder you want to include in the compressed archive, click on its name to highlight it, and click "Select". (c) You'll be returned to the "Zip Options" window. Click the button called "Start Zip". (d) A window called "Messages of Zip" will open showing information about the compression. If MacZip has encountered a problem, this window will display information about the problem. 4. To add files to an existing archive, including an archive you have just created by following steps (2) and (3) above, you need to add each successive file or folder separately. Pull down the File menu and choose "Zip (compress files)". A dialog box called "Zip Options" will appear. Click the button called "Location of the compressed File". Then - (a) Navigate to locate the compressed archive you want to add the extra files to, click on its name to highlight it, and click "Select". (b) You'll be returned to the "Zip Options" window. Click the button called "File or Folder to compress". Navigate to locate the next file or folder you want to add to the compressed archive, click on its name to highlight it, and click "Select". (c) You'll be returned to the "Zip Options" window. Click the button called "Start Zip". (d) A window called "Messages of Zip" will open showing information about the compression. If MacZip has encountered a problem, this window will display information about the problem. 5. Repeat step 4 for each additional file or folder that you want to include. Resource forks. An advantage of the dialog box method is that it gives you the option to exclude the resource forks of files being compressed. Resource forks are a feature of the Macintosh operating system. They don't make much sense outside the Macintosh world, and they cause a minor problem if the files are to be decompressed on a different type of computer. You can exclude the resource forks from the compression by checking a checkbox in the "Zip Options" Window. This window appears when you choose "Zip (compress files)" from the File menu. Check the checkbox called "-df Data fork only." The checkbox reverts to its unchecked state when the compression is complete, so you need to check it anew each time you want to use this feature. A disadvantage of the dialog box method is that MacZip ignores the outermost folder of each item that you add to the archive. Let's say that you have two separate folders, each containing two files. You start by compressing Folder 1. Then you use the dialog box method to add Folder 2. When the result is decompressed, you will find that the four files are all present - but they are all contained in a single folder. Naming files If you are adding files or folders to an existing archive, i.e. by using Method 3 above, you may need to ensure that file names are unique. This applies to the files being added to the archive - it doesn't apply to files that are not being added. If you have compressed Folder 1 containing two files called A and B, and then add Folder 2 whose two files are also called A and B, you are liable to find that MacZip doesn't add the files from Folder 2, because it "knows" that the archive already contains A and B. In addition, the files called A and B already in the archive may be wiped clean. If you are compressing files or folders which will be decompressed on a non-Macintosh computer, there's another point you may want to bear in mind. Macintosh file-names can cause difficulties for other computer systems. If you like, you can leave it to MacZip to handle this problem. It will alter the names of files to reasonably suitable alternatives. You may prefer to control the process yourself. In that case it's a good idea to find out in advance whether the recipient would like the files to be named in a particular way. For instance, the recipient may ask you to adopt the "8.3" naming system. In this system, the file-name consists of up to 8 characters for the name itself, followed by a dot (period) and a 3-character suffix. It's also wise to avoid non-standard characters in the names of files destined for other types of computers. You will avoid complications if you stick to the characters A-Z and a-z, the numerals 0-9, and dots (periods). In the "8.3" naming system, the suffix "txt" is used for text files, while the suffix "zip" is used for compressed files. When MacZip compresses files, it will automatically add ".zip" to the name of the compressed archive. Limitations, problems, bugs MacZip 1.0.5 cannot handle aliases and therefore ignores them. If you have two volumes (disks, etc.) with the same name, and try to compress or decompress using one volume as the source and the other as the destination, MacZip won't be able to do it. You'll get an error message. The solution is to make sure that all your volumes have unique names. Encrypted files in a compressed archive are occasionally corrupted. In this case MacZip presents an error message saying "invalid compressed data to inflate". Date and time stamps on compressed files may be inaccurate if the Map Control Panel is incorrectly set. If this is important to you, please see the file "README.TXT" for advice on dealing with this aspect.