Bz2 Lua Reference Documentation

chilkat.Bz2

Current Version: 11.7.0

Markdown version of this page for AI tools (v 11.7.0) · all AI docs

Chilkat.Bz2 provides BZip2 compression and decompression for files, memory buffers, and BinData. It can create standard .bz2 file images, decompress .bz2 content back to its original bytes, and support abortable long-running operations.

For an extended overview, see Bz2 Class Overview

Object Creation

local chilkat = require("chilkat")

local bz2 = chilkat.Bz2.new()
local bz2 = chilkat.Bz2.new()

Creates the object (chilkat.Bz2() does the same). Lua's garbage collector frees it when it is no longer referenced; bz2:dispose() frees it at once, and in Lua 5.4 and later local bz2 <close> = chilkat.Bz2.new() frees it when the block ends. Calling a method of a disposed object raises an error.

Errors

A method that fails returns nil followed by the error text, as io.open does: local body, err = bz2:method(...), where err is the object's last_error_text. Wrap the call in assert() to raise an error with that text instead. Methods that answer a question return true or false, numbers are returned as they are (check last_method_success where the description says a value means failure), and property reads and writes never fail for Chilkat reasons.

Misuse raises a Lua error: a wrong argument type or a missing argument (bad argument #1 to ...), an unknown property name, a write to a read-only property, an out-of-range integer, or an object of the wrong class.

Names are Chilkat's in snake_case: QuickGetStr is quick_get_str, LastErrorText is last_error_text. Properties are fields (bz2.verbose_logging = true) and methods use the colon (bz2:method(...)). Strings are UTF-8; binary data is a Lua string of bytes. Indexes are 0-based, as in every Chilkat API. Unlocking: call chilkat.unlock_bundle("...") once at startup.

Properties

AbortCurrent
-- boolVal is a boolean
local boolVal = bz2.abort_current
bz2.abort_current = boolVal
Introduced in version 9.5.0.58

Set this property to true to request cancellation of the compression or decompression operation currently executing on this object. Long-running operations check the request periodically; an operation that finishes quickly may complete before the request is observed.

A synchronous call can be cancelled by setting this property from another thread. After cancellation is processed, Chilkat resets the property to false. If no operation is running, a previously set value is cleared when the next method begins.

Cancellation is cooperative: Setting this property requests an abort; it does not guarantee immediate termination. Check the method's return value and LastErrorText to determine the final outcome.

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DebugLogFilePath
-- strVal is a string
local strVal = bz2.debug_log_file_path
bz2.debug_log_file_path = strVal

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.

More Information and Examples
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HeartbeatMs
-- intVal is an integer
local intVal = bz2.heartbeat_ms
bz2.heartbeat_ms = intVal

Specifies the interval, in milliseconds, between AbortCheck event callbacks during supported long-running compression and decompression operations. The default is 0, which disables AbortCheck callbacks.

Set a positive value, such as 200, when the application needs periodic opportunities to request cancellation. The interval is approximate; callbacks occur only while an operation is at a point where progress events can be delivered.

Cancellation workflow: In an AbortCheck handler, set the callback's abort value to request termination. A synchronous method may also be cancelled from another thread by setting AbortCurrent to true.

More Information and Examples
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LastErrorHtml
-- strVal is a string (read-only)
local strVal = bz2.last_error_html

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.

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LastErrorText
-- strVal is a string (read-only)
local strVal = bz2.last_error_text

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.

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LastErrorXml
-- strVal is a string (read-only)
local strVal = bz2.last_error_xml

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.

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LastMethodSuccess
-- boolVal is a boolean
local boolVal = bz2.last_method_success
bz2.last_method_success = boolVal

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.

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VerboseLogging
-- boolVal is a boolean
local boolVal = bz2.verbose_logging
bz2.verbose_logging = boolVal

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.

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Version
-- strVal is a string (read-only)
local strVal = bz2.version

Version of the component/library, such as "10.1.0"

More Information and Examples
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Methods

CompressBd
-- bd is a chilkat.BinData
-- ok is true, or nil and err on failure
local ok, err = bz2:compress_bd(bd)
Introduced in version 11.0.0

Compresses the current contents of bd in place. On success, the BinData no longer contains the original bytes; it contains the complete standard BZip2 stream that may be saved with a .bz2 extension.

In-place transformation: Preserve a copy of the original data if it is still needed after this call. A BZip2 stream contains a stream header, one or more compressed blocks with integrity checks, and an end-of-stream marker. It does not contain archive filenames or directory entries.

Returns true on success, nil, err on failure. The second return value, err, is the object's last_error_text; wrap the call in assert() to raise an error instead.

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CompressFile
-- in_filename is a string
-- to_path is a string
-- ok is true, or nil and err on failure
local ok, err = bz2:compress_file(in_filename, to_path)

Reads the file at in_filename and writes its compressed bytes as a standard BZip2 stream to the file at to_path. The output is conventionally given a .bz2 extension.

Both arguments must identify files, not directories. They may be absolute or relative paths, for example data/report.txt and data/report.txt.bz2.

BZip2 is a compressor, not an archive format: A .bz2 file represents one compressed byte stream. It does not store the original filename, directory path, timestamps, permissions, or multiple archive entries. Formats such as .tar.bz2 first combine files in a TAR archive and then compress that TAR stream with BZip2.

Returns true on success, nil, err on failure. The second return value, err, is the object's last_error_text; wrap the call in assert() to raise an error instead.

More Information and Examples
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UncompressBd
-- bd is a chilkat.BinData
-- ok is true, or nil and err on failure
local ok, err = bz2:uncompress_bd(bd)
Introduced in version 11.0.0

Decompresses the BZip2 stream currently contained in bd in place. On success, the BinData is replaced with the original uncompressed bytes.

Input requirement: bd must contain a complete, valid BZip2 stream, such as the bytes of a .bz2 file or the output of CompressBd. This method operates on binary data and does not perform character-set conversion.

Returns true on success, nil, err on failure. The second return value, err, is the object's last_error_text; wrap the call in assert() to raise an error instead.

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UncompressFile
-- in_filename is a string
-- to_path is a string
-- ok is true, or nil and err on failure
local ok, err = bz2:uncompress_file(in_filename, to_path)

Reads the BZip2 stream from the file at in_filename, decompresses it, and writes the original uncompressed bytes to the file at to_path.

Both arguments must identify files, not directories. Chilkat does not derive the destination name from the .bz2 filename because the BZip2 stream does not contain the original filename.

Terminology: This method decompresses BZip2 data; it does not “unzip” a ZIP archive. A .bz2 file normally contains a single compressed byte stream rather than a collection of named files.

Returns true on success, nil, err on failure. The second return value, err, is the object's last_error_text; wrap the call in assert() to raise an error instead.

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Events

All Chilkat methods are synchronous: the call returns when the work is done. During a long-running call, chilkat.Bz2 reports progress to the functions given to set_event_handler, in a table keyed by event name (plain functions, not methods: closures carry whatever state they need):

bz2:set_event_handler({
    percent_done  = function(pct) print(pct .. "%") end,              -- return true to abort
    progress_info = function(name, value) print(name, value) end,
})
bz2.heartbeat_ms = 250   -- abort_check is called 4 times per second
bz2:set_event_handler({ event_name = function(...) ... end, ... })

Installs the handlers, replacing any installed before; bz2:set_event_handler(nil) removes them. The event names are checked when the table is installed: a misspelled one raises an error.

The abort_check handler is called at the interval set by the heartbeat_ms property (0, the default, disables it); percent_done is called when an operation's completion percentage is known; progress_info delivers named progress values. A true return from abort_check or percent_done aborts the running method, which then fails in the usual way (nil, err). An error raised in a handler aborts the method and is raised again from the method call; the object remains usable.

AbortCheck
-- handler: function() ... return abort end -- a true return aborts the method in progress
bz2:set_event_handler({ abort_check = function() ... end })

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.

More Information and Examples

Example

local deadline = os.time() + 30                  -- give up after 30 seconds
bz2.heartbeat_ms = 250                      -- call the handler 4 times per second
bz2:set_event_handler({ abort_check = function() return os.time() > deadline end })
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PercentDone
-- handler: function(pct_done) ... return abort end -- a true return aborts
bz2:set_event_handler({ percent_done = function(pct_done) ... end })

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.

More Information and Examples

Example

bz2:set_event_handler({
    percent_done = function(pct_done)     -- 0 to 100
        print("Percent done: " .. pct_done)
        return false                       -- return true to abort the method in progress
    end,
})
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ProgressInfo
-- handler: function(name, value) ... end
bz2:set_event_handler({ progress_info = function(name, value) ... end })

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.

Note: Some Chilkat methods don't fire any ProgressInfo events.

More Information and Examples

Example

bz2:set_event_handler({
    progress_info = function(name, value) print(name .. ": " .. value) end,
})
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