Zip C# Reference Documentation
Zip
Current Version: 11.4.0
The Chilkat.Zip class provides methods and properties for creating, reading, modifying, and extracting ZIP archives. It supports adding files from the local filesystem, adding data directly from memory, extracting selected or matching entries, working with encrypted ZIP files, and writing ZIP output to disk or memory.
ZIP archives can be built incrementally by adding file references, strings, binary data, empty entries, or entries from another ZIP archive, and then finalized by calling one of the Write* methods. The class also supports ZIP64 for large archives, ZIPX compression, legacy Zip 2.0 password protection, WinZip-compatible AES encryption, and Windows self-extracting EXE creation.
For a higher-level introduction and overview, see: Chilkat Zip Class Overview
Object Creation
Chilkat.Zip obj = new Chilkat.Zip();
Properties
AbortCurrent
Stops the currently executing operation when set to .true
- Used to cancel long-running operations such as compression or extraction.
- Can be triggered from another thread.
- Automatically resets to
after the operation stops.false
AppendFromDir
Specifies a base directory when adding files to the ZIP.
- This portion of the path is not included in stored ZIP entry paths.
- Useful for controlling relative paths inside the archive.
For example, to add all files under c:/abc/123/myAppDir, this property could be set to c:/abc/123, and myAppDir/* would be passed to AppendFiles.
The path stored in the ZIP would begin with myAppDir/.
AutoRun
(Windows only, for creating self-extracting EXE's)
Specifies the name of an executable inside a self-extracting EXE that runs automatically after extraction.
topAutoRunParams
(Windows only, for creating self-extracting EXE's)
Command-line arguments passed to the AutoRun executable.
AutoTemp
(Windows only, for creating self-extracting EXE's)
If , the EXE being created will automatically select and create a temporary directory for unzipping.true
This property is often used together with AutoRun to create a self-extracting EXE that automatically unzips to a temporary directory and runs a setup program, such as setup.exe, without user interaction.
Note: To create a self-extracting EXE with no user interaction, set the following properties:
ExeSilentProgress =false
ExeNoInterface =true
ExeFinishNotifier =false
The default value is .false
CaseSensitive
Controls whether filename matching is case-sensitive.
- Affects methods such as
EntryMatchingandUnzipMatching. - Default:
false
ClearArchiveAttribute
(Windows only)
If , clears the Windows archive attribute after files are successfully added to the ZIP.true
The archive attribute indicates that a file has changed since the last backup.
The default value is .false
ClearReadOnlyAttr
If , removes the read-only attribute from extracted files.true
If , the read-only attribute remains unchanged.false
The default value is .false
Comment
DebugLogFilePath
If set to a file path, this property logs the LastErrorText of each Chilkat method or property call to the specified file. This logging helps identify the context and history of Chilkat calls leading up to any crash or hang, aiding in debugging.
Enabling the VerboseLogging property provides more detailed information. This property is mainly used for debugging rare instances where a Chilkat method call causes a hang or crash, which should generally not happen.
Possible causes of hangs include:
- A timeout property set to 0, indicating an infinite timeout.
- A hang occurring within an event callback in the application code.
- An internal bug in the Chilkat code causing the hang.
DecryptPassword
Password used to extract encrypted ZIP archives.
- Required to unzip encrypted entries.
- Encrypted ZIP files may still be opened without a password, but their contents cannot be extracted until the correct password is provided.
The default value is the empty string.
topDiscardPaths
If , removes all directory path information when adding files.true
Only filenames are stored in the ZIP.
The default value is .false
Encryption
Specifies encryption mode:
0→ No encryption4→ WinZip-compatible AES encryption
Important: Encryption and PasswordProtect are mutually exclusive.
If PasswordProtect = , then trueEncryption should be 0.
The default value is 0.
EncryptKeyLength
Specifies the AES encryption key length.
- Valid values:
128,192, or256
The default value is 128.
EncryptPassword
ExeDefaultDir
(Windows only, for creating self-extracting EXE's)
Default extraction directory shown in the self-extracting EXE user interface.
The default value is the empty string.
topExeFinishNotifier
(Windows only, for creating self-extracting EXE's)
If , displays a completion dialog after extraction finishes.true
The default value is .false
ExeIconFile
(Windows only, for creating self-extracting EXE's)
Path to an .ico file used as the EXE icon.
This feature is only available when the application creating the EXE is 32-bit.
The default value is the empty string.
topExeNoInterface
(Windows only, for creating self-extracting EXE's)
If , runs the self-extracting EXE without displaying the main user interface.true
The default value is .false
ExeSilentProgress
(Windows only, for creating self-extracting EXE's)
Controls whether a progress dialog is shown during extraction.
If ExeNoInterface = , the progress bar appears within the main dialog and this property has no effect.false
The default value is .true
ExeTitle
(Windows only, for creating self-extracting EXE's)
Title displayed in the self-extracting EXE dialog.
The default value is the empty string.
topExeUnzipCaption
(Windows only, for creating self-extracting EXE's)
Caption text displayed in the self-extracting EXE dialog.
The default value is the empty string.
topExeUnzipDir
(Windows only, for creating self-extracting EXE's)
Specifies a predefined extraction directory.
- Supports environment variables such as
%TEMP%. - UNC paths are not supported.
The default value is the empty string.
topExeWaitForSetup
If , waits for the AutoRun executable to finish before exiting.true
If , the self-extracting EXE may exit before the AutoRun executable completes.false
The default value is .true
ExeXmlConfig
(Windows only, for creating self-extracting EXE's)
Allows for an XML config document to be used to specify all possible options for self-extracting EXEs. This property is a string containing the XML config document.
The XML should have this format:
<SfxConfig>
<ErrPwdTitle>Title for incorrect password dialog</ErrPwdTitle>
<ErrPwdCaption>Caption for incorrect password dialog</ErrPwdCaption>
<FinOkBtn>Text on finish notifier button</FinOkBtn>
<PwdOkBtn>Text on password challenge dialog's "OK" button.</PwdOkBtn>
<PwdCancelBtn>Text on password challenge dialog's Cancel button.</PwdCancelBtn>
<ErrInvalidPassword>Incorrect password error message.</ErrInvalidPassword>
<MainUnzipBtn>Text on main dialog's unzip button</MainUnzipBtn>
<MainCloseBtn>Text on main dialog's quit/exit button</MainCloseBtn>
<MainBrowseBtn>Text on main dialog's browse-for-directory button.</MainBrowseBtn>
<MainUnzipLabel>Caption displayed in main dialog.</MainUnzipLabel>
<AutoTemp>"1|0 (Maps to the AutoTemp property)"</AutoTemp>
<Cleanup>"1|0 (Deletes extracted files after the SetupExe is run.)"</Cleanup>
<Debug>"1|0 (If 1, the EXE will not extract any files.)"</Debug>
<Verbose>"1|0 (If 1, then verbose information is sent to the log.)"</Verbose>
<ShowFin>"1|0" Maps to ExeFinishNotifier property.</ShowFin>
<ShowMain>"1|0" Maps to ExeNoInterface property.</ShowMain>
<ShowProgress>"1|0" Maps to ExeSilentProgress property.</ShowProgress>
<WaitForSetup>"1|0" Maps to ExeWaitForSetup property.</WaitForSetup>
<Encryption>"1|0" 1=Yes, 0=No</Encryption>
<KeyLength>128|192|256</KeyLength>
<SetupExe>EXE to run after extracting. (Maps to AutoRun property)</SetupExe>
<UnzipDir>Pre-defined unzip directory. (Maps to ExeUnzipDir property,
UNC paths, such as \\servername\path, are not supported.)>
<DefaultDir>Default unzip directory to appear in the main dialog.
(Maps to ExeDefaultDir property)</DefaultDir>
<IconFile>Icon file to be used (Maps to ExeIconFile property)</IconFile>
<Url>Maps to ExeSourceUrl property.</Url>
<MainTitle>Maps to ExeTitle property.</MainTitle>
<MainCaption>Maps to ExeUnzipCaption property.</MainCaption>
<FinTitle>Title for the finish notifier dialog.</FinTitle>
<FinCaption>Caption for the finish notifier dialog.</FinTitle>
<ProgressTitle>Title for the progress dialog.</ProgressTitle>
<ProgressCaption>Caption for the progress dialog.</ProgressCaption>
<PwTitle>Title for the password challenge dialog.</PwTitle>
<PwCaption>Caption for the password challenge dialog.</PwCaption>
</SfxConfig>
A self-extracting EXE can be run from the command line with the -log {logFilePath} option to create a log with information for debugging.
FileCount
Number of files in the ZIP, excluding directory entries.
topFileName
HasZipFormatErrors
Indicates whether minor ZIP format problems were detected when opening the ZIP archive.
topHeartbeatMs
Interval, in milliseconds, between abort-check callbacks.
If set to 0, abort callbacks are disabled.
The default value is 0.
IgnoreAccessDenied
If , files that cannot be read, written, or created due to filesystem permission errors are skipped.true
If , any access-denied error causes the ZIP operation to fail.false
The default value is .true
LastErrorHtml
Provides HTML-formatted information about the last called method or property. If a method call fails or behaves unexpectedly, check this property for details. Note that information is available regardless of the method call's success.
topLastErrorText
Provides plain text information about the last called method or property. If a method call fails or behaves unexpectedly, check this property for details. Note that information is available regardless of the method call's success.
LastErrorXml
Provides XML-formatted information about the last called method or property. If a method call fails or behaves unexpectedly, check this property for details. Note that information is available regardless of the method call's success.
topLastMethodSuccess
Indicates the success or failure of the most recent method call: true means success, false means failure. This property remains unchanged by property setters or getters. This method is present to address challenges in checking for null or Nothing returns in certain programming languages. Note: This property does not apply to methods that return integer values or to boolean-returning methods where the boolean does not indicate success or failure.
MaxDate
Maximum last-modified timestamp for files processed during add or extract operations.
Files having modification timestamps later than this value are skipped.
Supports ISO 8601 date/time formats, including:
YYYY-MM-DD
Example:2024-07-31YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SS±HH:MM
Example:2024-07-31T12:34:56+02:00YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SSZ
Example:2024-07-31T12:34:56Z
The default value is the empty string, meaning no maximum date restriction.
MaxUncompressSize
Prevents extraction of files larger than the specified uncompressed size.
A value of 0 means no size limit.
The default value is 0.
MinDate
Minimum last-modified timestamp for files processed during add or extract operations.
Supports ISO 8601 date/time formats, including:
YYYY-MM-DD
Example:2024-07-31YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SS±HH:MM
Example:2024-07-31T12:34:56+02:00YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SSZ
Example:2024-07-31T12:34:56Z
The default value is the empty string, meaning no minimum date restriction.
NumEntries
Total number of entries in the ZIP, including both files and directories.
OemCodePage
Specifies the OEM code page used for ZIP filename encoding.
Defaults to the OEM code page of the current computer.
topOverwriteExisting
PasswordProtect
Indicates whether the ZIP uses legacy Zip 2.0 password protection.
This property is set automatically when a ZIP archive is opened by any of the Open* methods, such as OpenZip, OpenFromMemory, OpenBd, and related methods.
Important: PasswordProtect and Encryption are mutually exclusive.
If PasswordProtect = , then trueEncryption should be 0.
The default value is .false
PathPrefix
Prepends a prefix to each filename when files are added to the ZIP.
This is useful when you want all extracted files to appear under a specific subdirectory.
For example, set PathPrefix to subdir/ so that files are stored in the ZIP with subdir/ prepended to their paths. When extracted, the files will be placed under the subdir directory.
The default value is the empty string.
PercentDoneScale
Controls the granularity of PercentDone event callbacks.
This property is only applicable in programming environments that support event callbacks.
The value specifies what should be considered 100% complete for progress reporting purposes.
- A value of
100provides whole-percent progress updates. - A value of
1000provides tenth-percent granularity. - For example, with a scale of
1000, a PercentDone callback value of453represents45.3%complete.
Increasing this value allows for more frequent and finer-grained progress callbacks during long-running operations.
The value is automatically clamped to the range:
- Minimum:
10 - Maximum:
100000
The default value is 100.
PwdProtCharset
Specifies the character encoding used to convert the decrypt password into its binary byte representation for legacy password-protected ZIP archives that use Zip 2.0 encryption.
The default value is ansi.
Other possible values include:
cp850cp437- Any supported Windows or OEM code page listed at the link below.
This property applies only to older Zip 2.0 password protection and is not used for AES-encrypted ZIP archives.
topTempDir
Directory used for temporary files during ZIP operations.
When overwriting an existing ZIP file, a temporary file is used to avoid corrupting the original ZIP if an error occurs.
The default value depends on the runtime environment.
topUncommonOptions
Advanced options for uncommon scenarios.
ForceZip64→ Forces ZIP64 format even when not required.
The default value is the empty string.
topVerboseLogging
If set to true, then the contents of LastErrorText (or LastErrorXml, or LastErrorHtml) may contain more verbose information. The default value is false. Verbose logging should only be used for debugging. The potentially large quantity of logged information may adversely affect peformance.
Version
Zipx
If , creates ZIPX archives using the most appropriate compression method for each file.true
The default value is .false
ZipxDefaultAlg
Default compression algorithm used when creating ZIPX archives.
- Possible values include:
deflateppmdlzmabzip2deflate64
The default value is deflate.
Methods
AddBd
Adds the contents of a BinData object as a new entry in the ZIP archive.
pathInZipspecifies the filename and optional directory path stored within the ZIP.- The bytes contained in
bdbecome the contents of the ZIP entry. - The entry is added to the in-memory ZIP object and is not written to disk until
WriteZip,WriteZipAndClose,WriteBd, orWriteToMemoryis called.
Returns true for success, false for failure.
AddData
Adds binary data as a new ZIP entry.
pathInZipspecifies the filename and optional directory path stored in the ZIP.- The byte array becomes the contents of the ZIP entry.
- The ZIP archive is not written until a
Write*method is called.
Returns true for success, false for failure.
topAddEmpty
Adds an empty file or directory entry to the ZIP archive.
- If
isDir =, an empty directory entry is created.true - If
isDir =, an empty file entry is created.false pathInZipspecifies the path stored in the ZIP archive.
This method is useful when directory structure entries must exist even if no files are present.
Returns true for success, false for failure.
AddEncoded
Adds encoded binary data as a ZIP entry.
encodingspecifies howdatais encoded.- Common encodings include
base64andhex. - The decoded binary bytes become the contents of the ZIP entry.
This method is useful when binary data already exists in textual encoded form.
Returns true for success, false for failure.
AddFile
Adds a file or directory from the local filesystem to the ZIP archive.
- If
localPathis an absolute path andsaveExtraPath =, the stored ZIP path includes the relative directory structure.true - If
saveExtraPath =, only the filename is stored.false - If
localPathis already relative, the relative path is stored as-is regardless ofsaveExtraPath.
This method adds a reference to the file or directory in the local filesystem. The file data is not immediately read or compressed.
The actual file contents are consumed only when a Write* method is called, such as:
WriteZipWriteZipAndCloseWriteBdWriteToMemory
This allows files and data entries to be accumulated in the in-memory ZIP object prior to writing the final ZIP archive.
Returns true for success, false for failure.
AddNoCompressExtension
Adds a file extension to the internal "no-compression" list.
Files having these extensions are stored without compression because they are already compressed or because compression would provide little benefit.
For example:
.zip.jpg.png.gz
The extension may be specified with or without the leading dot.
Additional extensions remain active for the lifetime of the Zip object unless removed with RemoveNoCompressExtension.
AddSb
Adds the contents of a StringBuilder object as a text entry in the ZIP archive.
- The text is converted to bytes using the specified
charset. pathInZipspecifies the filename stored in the ZIP.
Returns true for success, false for failure.
AddString
Adds a string as a text file entry in the ZIP archive.
- The string is converted to bytes using the specified
charset. pathInZipspecifies the path stored within the ZIP archive.
This method is useful for dynamically generating text files directly in memory.
Returns true for success, false for failure.
AppendFiles
Adds one or more files matching a wildcard pattern.
- The wildcard character
*matches zero or more characters. - If
recurse =, subdirectories are processed recursively.true - If
recurse =, only the current directory is searched.false
For example:
AppendFiles("c:/temp/*.txt", false)
This method only updates the in-memory ZIP object. The ZIP file itself is not written until a Write* method is called.
Returns true for success, false for failure.
AppendFilesAsync (C#) (PowerShell)
Creates an asynchronous task to call the AppendFiles method with the arguments provided.
Note: Async method event callbacks happen in the background thread. Accessing and updating UI elements existing in the main thread may require special considerations.
Returns null on failure
AppendFilesEx
Advanced version of AppendFiles with additional filtering and path options.
saveExtraPathcontrols whether the extra leading path information from thefilePatternis preserved in the ZIP.archiveOnlyapplies only on Windows and limits processing to files having the archive attribute set.includeHiddencontrols whether hidden files are included.includeSystemcontrols whether files with the System attribute are included.
This method adds references to files in the in-memory ZIP object. No ZIP file is written until a Write* method is called.
Returns true for success, false for failure.
AppendFilesExAsync (C#) (PowerShell)
Creates an asynchronous task to call the AppendFilesEx method with the arguments provided.
Note: Async method event callbacks happen in the background thread. Accessing and updating UI elements existing in the main thread may require special considerations.
Returns null on failure
AppendZip
Note: This method is currently not working and will be fixed in v11.5.0
Adds all entries from another existing ZIP archive into the current ZIP object.
The zipPath argument specifies the path of a ZIP file located in the local filesystem.
All entries from the specified ZIP archive are appended to the current in-memory ZIP object.
The ZIP archive itself is not rewritten until a Write* method is called.
This method is useful for merging the contents of multiple ZIP archives into a single ZIP.
Returns true for success, false for failure.
CloseZip
Closes the currently open ZIP archive and clears all entries from the Zip object.
This method has the same effect as calling NewZip without specifying a filename.
DeleteEntry
Removes a ZIP entry from the current ZIP object.
The ZIP file itself is not rewritten until a Write* method is called.
Returns true for success, false for failure.
EntryAt
Retrieves the ZIP entry at the specified zero-based index.
- The first entry is at index
0. - The matching entry is returned in the supplied
ZipEntryobject.
Returns true for success, false for failure.
EntryById
Finds a ZIP entry by its unique EntryID.
The matching entry is returned in the supplied ZipEntry object.
Returns true for success, false for failure.
EntryMatching
Finds the first ZIP entry whose stored path matches a wildcard pattern.
- The wildcard character
*matches zero or more characters. - The comparison is performed against the full stored ZIP path.
Returns true for success, false for failure.
EntryOf
Finds a ZIP entry whose stored path exactly matches pathInZip.
The matching entry is returned in the supplied ZipEntry object.
Returns true for success, false for failure.
ExcludeDir
Adds a directory name to the exclusion list used by recursive append operations.
- All directories having the specified name are skipped.
- The comparison is case-insensitive.
- Call multiple times to exclude multiple directory names.
This affects methods such as AppendFiles and AppendFilesEx.
ExtractExe
Extracts files from a Chilkat-created self-extracting EXE.
- Files are extracted into
dirPath. - Subdirectories are automatically created as needed.
- If the EXE is encrypted,
DecryptPasswordmust be set before extraction.
Returns true for success, false for failure.
topExtractExeAsync (C#) (PowerShell)
Creates an asynchronous task to call the ExtractExe method with the arguments provided.
Note: Async method event callbacks happen in the background thread. Accessing and updating UI elements existing in the main thread may require special considerations.
Returns null on failure
GetDirectoryAsXML
Returns the ZIP directory structure as an XML document.
The returned XML contains information about the entries currently contained within the ZIP archive, including files and directories.
This method is useful for inspecting ZIP contents without extracting files.
Returns the XML document as a string.
Returns null on failure
GetExeConfigParam
(Windows only, for creating self-extracting EXE's)
Returns the value of a configuration parameter embedded within a self-extracting EXE.
The name argument should be one of the XML tag names described in the ExeXmlConfig property documentation.
For example:
MainTitleMainCaptionSetupExe
Returns the parameter value as a string.
Returns null on failure
GetMaxUncompressedSize
Returns the largest uncompressed file size contained within the ZIP archive.
The size is returned as a string rather than an integer because the value may exceed the range of a 32-bit integer.
This method is useful when:
- Checking for extremely large files before extraction
- Estimating required disk space
- Detecting unusually large compressed entries
Returns the size as a decimal string.
Returns null on failure
IsNoCompressExtension
Checks whether a file extension is contained in the internal "no-compression" extension list.
Files having extensions in this list are stored without compression because they are typically already compressed.
The extension may be specified with or without the leading dot.
For example, both of the following are valid:
.jpgjpg
Returns if the extension exists in the list, otherwise returns true.false
IsPasswordProtected
Checks whether a ZIP archive uses legacy Zip 2.0 password protection.
The zipPath argument specifies the path of a ZIP file in the local filesystem.
This method checks only for traditional Zip 2.0 password protection.
Returns if the ZIP archive is password protected, otherwise returns true.false
LoadTaskCaller
NewZip
Initializes a new empty ZIP archive.
- If another ZIP archive is currently open, it is closed.
- All existing in-memory ZIP entries are discarded.
- The
FileNameproperty is set tozipPath.
No ZIP file is actually created until a Write* method is called.
This method resets the Zip object to a clean empty state.
OpenBd
Opens a ZIP archive contained entirely within a BinData object.
This method allows ZIP archives to be processed entirely in memory without requiring a filesystem file.
When a ZIP archive is opened:
PasswordProtectis automatically set if legacy Zip 2.0 encryption is detected.Encryptionis automatically set if strong encryption is detected.- A value of
4forEncryptionindicates WinZip-compatible AES encryption.
Returns true for success, false for failure.
OpenEmbedded
(Windows only)
Opens a ZIP archive embedded as a resource within a Windows executable.
exeFilenamespecifies the EXE file path.resourceNamespecifies the embedded resource name containing the ZIP data.
This method is useful when ZIP archives are packaged within Windows applications.
Returns true for success, false for failure.
topOpenFromByteData
Opens a ZIP archive from in-memory byte data.
When the ZIP archive is opened:
PasswordProtectis automatically set if legacy password protection is detected.Encryptionis automatically set if strong encryption is detected.Encryption = 4indicates AES encryption.
Returns true for success, false for failure.
topOpenFromMemory
Opens a ZIP archive directly from in-memory binary data.
This allows ZIP processing without using filesystem files.
Typical use cases include:
- ZIP data loaded from a database
- ZIP data received from HTTP responses
- ZIP data stored entirely in memory
When the ZIP archive is opened:
PasswordProtectis automatically set if Zip 2.0 encryption is detected.Encryptionis automatically set if strong encryption is detected.
Returns true for success, false for failure.
OpenZip
Opens a ZIP archive from the local filesystem.
The zipPath argument specifies the path of the ZIP file to open.
Encrypted ZIP archives may be opened without providing a password, but encrypted entries cannot be extracted until the correct password is provided using DecryptPassword.
When the ZIP archive is opened:
PasswordProtectis automatically set if legacy Zip 2.0 encryption is detected.Encryptionis automatically set if strong encryption is detected.Encryption = 4indicates WinZip-compatible AES encryption.
Returns true for success, false for failure.
OpenZipAsync (C#) (PowerShell)
Creates an asynchronous task to call the OpenZip method with the arguments provided.
Note: Async method event callbacks happen in the background thread. Accessing and updating UI elements existing in the main thread may require special considerations.
Returns null on failure
QuickAppend
Efficiently appends additional entries to an existing ZIP archive.
The zipPath argument specifies the path of an existing ZIP archive in the local filesystem.
This method avoids rewriting existing entries.
- Existing ZIP entries remain unchanged.
- New entries are appended to the end of the ZIP archive.
- The ZIP central directory is updated accordingly.
This method is typically faster than rebuilding the entire ZIP archive.
Returns true for success, false for failure.
QuickAppendAsync (C#) (PowerShell)
Creates an asynchronous task to call the QuickAppend method with the arguments provided.
Note: Async method event callbacks happen in the background thread. Accessing and updating UI elements existing in the main thread may require special considerations.
Returns null on failure
RemoveNoCompressExtension
Removes a file extension from the internal "no-compression" extension list.
After removal, files having this extension may be compressed normally.
The extension may be specified with or without the leading dot.
topSetCompressionLevel
Sets the compression level for all file and data entries currently contained within the ZIP object.
0→ No compression9→ Maximum compression
The default compression level is 6.
Important: This method should be called after files or data entries have already been added to the ZIP object.
The compression level cannot be changed for mapped entries originating from an already-open ZIP archive.
topSetExclusions
Specifies a collection of wildcard exclusion patterns used when adding files to the ZIP archive.
Each pattern may use the wildcard character * to match zero or more characters.
Files matching any exclusion pattern are skipped.
SetExeConfigParam
(Windows only, for creating self-extracting EXE's)
Sets a configuration parameter embedded within a self-extracting EXE created by WriteExe or WriteExe2.
The paramName should be one of the XML configuration tag names described in the ExeXmlConfig property documentation.
For example:
SetExeConfigParam("MainUnzipBtn","Extract")
This changes the text displayed on the self-extractor's main unzip button.
topUnzip
Extracts all files and directories from the ZIP archive.
dirPathspecifies the destination directory.- Subdirectories are automatically created as needed.
Returns the number of files extracted.
Returns -1 if a failure occurs.
UnzipAsync (C#) (PowerShell)
Creates an asynchronous task to call the Unzip method with the arguments provided.
Note: Async method event callbacks happen in the background thread. Accessing and updating UI elements existing in the main thread may require special considerations.
Returns null on failure
UnzipInto
Extracts all files into a single directory.
All directory path information stored within the ZIP archive is ignored.
If multiple files have the same filename, later extracted files overwrite earlier ones.
Returns the number of files extracted, or -1 on failure.
UnzipIntoAsync (C#) (PowerShell)
Creates an asynchronous task to call the UnzipInto method with the arguments provided.
Note: Async method event callbacks happen in the background thread. Accessing and updating UI elements existing in the main thread may require special considerations.
Returns null on failure
UnzipMatching
Extracts only entries whose stored paths match a wildcard pattern.
- The wildcard character
*matches zero or more characters. - If no wildcard is used, an exact filename match is required.
Subdirectories are automatically created as needed.
Returns the number of files extracted, or -1 on failure.
UnzipMatchingAsync (C#) (PowerShell)
Creates an asynchronous task to call the UnzipMatching method with the arguments provided.
Note: Async method event callbacks happen in the background thread. Accessing and updating UI elements existing in the main thread may require special considerations.
Returns null on failure
UnzipMatchingInto
Extracts matching entries into a single directory while ignoring all stored ZIP path information.
Matching behavior is identical to UnzipMatching.
If duplicate filenames occur, later extracted files overwrite earlier ones.
Returns the number of files extracted, or -1 on failure.
UnzipMatchingIntoAsync (C#) (PowerShell)
Creates an asynchronous task to call the UnzipMatchingInto method with the arguments provided.
Note: Async method event callbacks happen in the background thread. Accessing and updating UI elements existing in the main thread may require special considerations.
Returns null on failure
UnzipNewer
Extracts only files that:
- Do not already exist
- Or have older modification timestamps than the ZIP entry
Subdirectories are automatically created as needed.
Returns the number of files extracted, or -1 on failure.
UnzipNewerAsync (C#) (PowerShell)
Creates an asynchronous task to call the UnzipNewer method with the arguments provided.
Note: Async method event callbacks happen in the background thread. Accessing and updating UI elements existing in the main thread may require special considerations.
Returns null on failure
VerifyPassword
Verifies that the current DecryptPassword value is correct for the currently opened ZIP archive.
This method allows password validation before attempting extraction.
Returns if the password is valid, otherwise returns true.false
WriteBd
Writes the ZIP archive to a BinData object instead of a filesystem file.
The generated ZIP archive exists entirely in memory.
The ZIP data written by this method may later be opened using OpenBd.
Returns true for success, false for failure.
WriteBdAsync (C#) (PowerShell)
Creates an asynchronous task to call the WriteBd method with the arguments provided.
Note: Async method event callbacks happen in the background thread. Accessing and updating UI elements existing in the main thread may require special considerations.
Returns null on failure
WriteExe
(Windows only, for creating self-extracting EXE's)
Creates a Windows self-extracting executable (EXE).
The generated EXE contains both the extraction logic and the ZIP archive data.
There are no limitations on:
- Total ZIP size
- Individual file size
- Number of files
The generated EXE supports the following command-line arguments:
-log logFileName-unzipDir unzipDirectoryPath-pwd password-ap autoRunParams
Returns true for success, false for failure.
WriteExeAsync (C#) (PowerShell)
Creates an asynchronous task to call the WriteExe method with the arguments provided.
Note: Async method event callbacks happen in the background thread. Accessing and updating UI elements existing in the main thread may require special considerations.
Returns null on failure
WriteExeToMemory
(Relevant only when running on a Microsoft Windows operating system.) Same as WriteExe, but instead of writing a file, the MS-Windows EXE is written to memory.
Returns an empty byte array on failure
WriteExeToMemoryAsync (C#) (PowerShell)
Creates an asynchronous task to call the WriteExeToMemory method with the arguments provided.
Note: Async method event callbacks happen in the background thread. Accessing and updating UI elements existing in the main thread may require special considerations.
Returns null on failure
WriteToMemory
Same as WriteZip, but instead of writing the Zip to a file, it writes to memory. Zips that are written to memory can also be opened from memory by calling OpenFromMemory.
Returns an empty byte array on failure
WriteToMemoryAsync (C#) (PowerShell)
Creates an asynchronous task to call the WriteToMemory method with the arguments provided.
Note: Async method event callbacks happen in the background thread. Accessing and updating UI elements existing in the main thread may require special considerations.
Returns null on failure
WriteZip
Saves the Zip to a file and implictly re-opens it so further operations can continue. Use WriteZipAndClose to write and close the Zip. There is no limitation on the size of files that may be contained within a .zip, the total number of files in a .zip, or the total size of a .zip. If necessary, WriteZip will use the ZIP64 file format extensions when 4GB or file count limitations of the old zip file format are exceeded.
Returns true for success, false for failure.
WriteZipAsync (C#) (PowerShell)
Creates an asynchronous task to call the WriteZip method with the arguments provided.
Note: Async method event callbacks happen in the background thread. Accessing and updating UI elements existing in the main thread may require special considerations.
Returns null on failure
WriteZipAndClose
Saves the Zip to a file and closes it. On return, the Zip object will be in the state as if NewZip had been called. There is no limitation on the size of files that may be contained within a .zip, the total number of files in a .zip, or the total size of a .zip. If necessary, WriteZip will use the ZIP64 file format extensions when 4GB or file count limitations of the old zip file format are exceeded.
Returns true for success, false for failure.
WriteZipAndCloseAsync (C#) (PowerShell)
Creates an asynchronous task to call the WriteZipAndClose method with the arguments provided.
Note: Async method event callbacks happen in the background thread. Accessing and updating UI elements existing in the main thread may require special considerations.
Returns null on failure
Events
AbortCheck
Enables a method call to be aborted by triggering the AbortCheck event at intervals defined by the HeartbeatMs property. If HeartbeatMs is set to its default value of 0, no events will occur. For instance, set HeartbeatMs to 200 to trigger 5 AbortCheck events per second.
Chilkat .NET Framework Event Implementation
Args are passed using Chilkat.AbortCheckEventArgs
Event callback implementation:
private void zip_OnAbortCheck(object sender, Chilkat.AbortCheckEventArgs args) { // application code goes here. }
To add an event handler:
Chilkat.Zip zip = new Chilkat.Zip(); zip.OnAbortCheck += zip_OnAbortCheck;
Chilkat .NET Core Event Implementation
Event callback implementation:
public void handleAbortCheck(out bool abort)
{
// application code goes here.
}
To add an event handler:
Chilkat.Zip zip = new Chilkat.Zip(); // ... Chilkat.Zip.AbortCheck abortCheck = new Chilkat.Zip.AbortCheck(handleAbortCheck); zip.setAbortCheckCb(abortCheck);
PercentDone
This provides the percentage completion for any method involving network communications or time-consuming processing, assuming the progress can be measured as a percentage. This event is triggered only when it's possible and logical to express the operation's progress as a percentage. The pctDone argument will range from 1 to 100. For methods that finish quickly, the number of PercentDone callbacks may vary, but the final callback will have pctDone equal to 100. For longer operations, callbacks will not exceed one per percentage point (e.g., 1, 2, 3, ..., 98, 99, 100).
The PercentDone callback also acts as an AbortCheck event. For fast methods where PercentDone fires, an AbortCheck event may not trigger since the PercentDone callback already provides an opportunity to abort. For longer operations, where time between PercentDone callbacks is extended, AbortCheck callbacks enable more responsive operation termination.
To abort the operation, set the abort output argument to true. This will cause the method to terminate and return a failure status or corresponding failure value.
Chilkat .NET Framework Event Implementation
Args are passed using Chilkat.PercentDoneEventArgs
Event callback implementation:
private void zip_OnPercentDone(object sender, Chilkat.PercentDoneEventArgs args) { // application code goes here. }
To add an event handler:
Chilkat.Zip zip = new Chilkat.Zip(); zip.OnPercentDone += zip_OnPercentDone;
Chilkat .NET Core Event Implementation
Event callback implementation:
public void handlePercentDone(int pctDone, out bool abort)
{
// application code goes here.
}
To add an event handler:
Chilkat.Zip zip = new Chilkat.Zip(); // ... Chilkat.Zip.PercentDone percentDone = new Chilkat.Zip.PercentDone(handlePercentDone); zip.setPercentDoneCb(percentDone);
ProgressInfo
This event callback provides tag name/value pairs that detail what occurs during a method call. To discover existing tag names, create code to handle the event, emit the pairs, and review them. Most tag names are self-explanatory.
Chilkat .NET Framework Event Implementation
Args are passed using Chilkat.ProgressInfoEventArgs
Event callback implementation:
private void zip_OnProgressInfo(object sender, Chilkat.ProgressInfoEventArgs args) { // application code goes here. }
To add an event handler:
Chilkat.Zip zip = new Chilkat.Zip(); zip.OnProgressInfo += zip_OnProgressInfo;
Chilkat .NET Core Event Implementation
Event callback implementation:
public void handleProgressInfo(string name, string value)
{
// application code goes here.
}
To add an event handler:
Chilkat.Zip zip = new Chilkat.Zip(); // ... Chilkat.Zip.ProgressInfo progressInfo = new Chilkat.Zip.ProgressInfo(handleProgressInfo); zip.setProgressInfoCb(progressInfo);
TaskCompleted
Called from the background thread when an asynchronous task completes.
Chilkat .NET Framework Event Implementation
Args are passed using Chilkat.TaskCompletedEventArgs
Event callback implementation:
private void zip_OnTaskCompleted(object sender, Chilkat.TaskCompletedEventArgs args) { // application code goes here. }
To add an event handler:
Chilkat.Zip zip = new Chilkat.Zip(); zip.OnTaskCompleted += zip_OnTaskCompleted;
Chilkat .NET Core Event Implementation
Event callback implementation:
public void handleTaskIdCompleted(int taskId)
{
// application code goes here.
}
To add an event handler:
Chilkat.Zip zip = new Chilkat.Zip(); // ... Chilkat.Zip.TaskIdCompleted taskIdCompleted = new Chilkat.Zip.TaskIdCompleted(handleTaskIdCompleted); zip.setTaskIdCompletedCb(taskIdCompleted);
Deprecated
AppendBd
This method is deprecated. Applications should instead call AddBd.
Appends the contents of byteData as a new entry to this zip object. The zip entry object containing the data is returned.
Returns null on failure
AppendData
This method is deprecated. Applications should instead call AddData.
Appends in-memory data as a new entry to a Zip object. The ZipEntry object containing the data is returned.
Note: This method only updates the zip object. To update (rewrite) a zip file, either the WriteZip or WriteZipAndClose method would need to be called.
Returns null on failure
AppendDataEncoded
This method is deprecated. Applications should instead call AddEncoded.
Appends in-memory data as a new entry to a Zip object. The filename is the filename of the entry as it will appear within the zip. The encoding is the encoding of the data, such as base64, hex, etc. The full list of encodings is listed at the web page linked below.
Returns the zip entry object.
Note: This method only updates the zip object. To update (rewrite) a zip file, either the WriteZip or WriteZipAndClose method would need to be called.
Returns null on failure
AppendNew
This method is deprecated. Applications should instead call AddEmpty.
Appends a new and empty entry to the Zip object and returns the ZipEntry object. Data can be appended to the entry by calling ZipEntry.AppendData.
Important: To append an already-existing file, call the AppendOneFileOrDir method. The AppendNew method inserts a new and empty file entry within the Zip object. The purpose of AppendNew is to either create an empty file within the Zip, or to create a new file entry which can then be filled with data by calling the entry's AppendData method.
Note: This method only updates the zip object. To update (rewrite) a zip file, either the WriteZip or WriteZipAndClose method would need to be called.
Returns null on failure
AppendNewDir
This method is deprecated. Applications should instead call AddEmpty.
Adds an entry to the zip so that when it unzips, a new directory (with no files) is created. The directory does not need to exist on the local filesystem when calling this method. The dirName is simply a string that is used as the directory path for the entry added to the zip. The zip entry object is returned.
Note: This method only updates the zip object. To update (rewrite) a zip file, either the WriteZip or WriteZipAndClose method would need to be called.
Returns null on failure
AppendOneFileOrDir
This method is deprecated. Applications should instead call AddFile.
Adds a file or directory to the object. If fileOrDirPath is an absolute file path and saveExtraPath is true, fileOrDirPath is converted to a relative file path for the zip entry. Otherwise, only the filename is stored. If fileOrDirPath is a relative file path, it is stored as-is in the zip, regardless of saveExtraPath.
Returns true for success, false for failure.
AppendOneFileOrDirAsync (C#) (PowerShell)
Creates an asynchronous task to call the AppendOneFileOrDir method with the arguments provided.
Note: Async method event callbacks happen in the background thread. Accessing and updating UI elements existing in the main thread may require special considerations.
Returns null on failure
AppendSb
This method is deprecated. Applications should instead call AddSb.
Same as AppendString, but append the contents of of the sb, and allow the charset to be specified. The contents of sb is converted to charset before being added to the zip. The pathInZip is the path of the file that will be stored within the zip.
Note: This method only updates the zip object. To update (rewrite) a zip file, either the WriteZip or WriteZipAndClose method would need to be called.
Returns true for success, false for failure.
AppendString
This method is deprecated. Applications should instead call AddString.
Adds an in-memory string to the Zip object. The textData argument is converted to the ANSI charset before being added to the Zip. If the Zip were written to disk by calling WriteZip, and later unzipped, the entry would unzip to an ANSI text file.
Note: This method only updates the zip object. To update (rewrite) a zip file, either the WriteZip or WriteZipAndClose method would need to be called.
Returns null on failure
AppendString2
This method is deprecated. Applications should instead call AddString.
Same as AppendString, but allows the charset to be specified. The textData is converted to charset before being added to the zip. The internalZipFilepath is the path of the file that will be stored within the zip.
Note: This method only updates the zip object. To update (rewrite) a zip file, either the WriteZip or WriteZipAndClose method would need to be called.
Returns null on failure
FirstEntry
This method is deprecated. Applications should instead call EntryAt.
Return the first entry in the Zip. Call ZipEntry.NextEntry to iterate over the entries in a Zip until a NULL is returned.
Returns null on failure
FirstMatchingEntry
This method is deprecated. Applications should instead call EntryMatching.
Returns the first entry having a filename matching a pattern. The * characters matches 0 or more of any character. The full filename, including path, is used when matching against the pattern. A NULL is returned if nothing matches.
Returns null on failure
GetEntryByID
This method is deprecated. Applications should instead call EntryById.
Finds and returns the entry with the given entryID. (Each entry within the zip object has a unique EntryID.)
Returns null on failure
GetEntryByIndex
This method is deprecated. Applications should instead call EntryAt.
Retrieves a ZipEntry by index. The first entry is at index 0. This will return directory entries as well as files.
Returns null on failure
GetEntryByName
This method is deprecated. Applications should instead call EntryOf.
Returns the entry where the file path stored within the zip equals entryName.
Returns null on failure
GetExclusions
This method is deprecated and will removed in a future version of Chilkat.
Returns the current collection of exclusion patterns that have been set by SetExclusions.
Returns null on failure
SetPassword
Sets both the decrypt password and encrypt password.
This method affects:
DecryptPasswordEncryptPassword
Note: This method is deprecated in favor of setting DecryptPassword and EncryptPassword separately.