ZipEntry Chilkat2 Perl Reference Documentation
Chilkat2::ZipEntry
Current Version: 11.7.0
Markdown version of this page for AI tools (v 11.7.0) · all AI docs
Chilkat.ZipEntry
Inspect filenames, stored ZIP paths, comments, timestamps, CRC values,
attributes, sizes, compression method, and compression level.
Use
Extract a selected file entry to disk, inflate its contents into memory,
or read the uncompressed data into Chilkat objects.
Access the raw compressed entry data when an application needs ZIP-level
control rather than only the inflated contents.
Update an entry's contents from strings, byte data, files, or in-memory
data sources before writing the ZIP archive.
Walk through entries returned from
For an extended overview, see
ZipEntry Overview.
Inspect, extract, update, and iterate individual entries inside a ZIP archive.
Chilkat.ZipEntry represents a single item associated with a
Chilkat.Zip archive. An entry may be a file already stored in an
opened ZIP, a referenced filesystem file waiting to be compressed, an
in-memory text or binary entry, or a directory entry. It provides access to
entry-level metadata, compressed and uncompressed data, timestamps,
attributes, CRC values, encryption information, and extraction or replacement
operations for that specific ZIP item.
Entry metadata
Entry type and state
EntryType to understand whether the entry comes from an
existing ZIP, a filesystem reference, memory data, or a directory.
Extract one entry
Read compressed data
Replace or append data
Iterate archive entries
Chilkat.Zip methods to
inspect, filter, extract, or modify ZIP contents one item at a time.
Chilkat.Zip object, obtain a
ZipEntry using methods such as EntryAt,
EntryOf, EntryMatching, or
FirstEntry, then inspect metadata, extract contents, update the
entry, or continue iterating through the archive. Use
Chilkat.Zip for whole-archive operations and
ZipEntry for operations on one specific archive item.
Object Creation
use Chilkat2;
my $zipEntry = Chilkat2::ZipEntry->new;
# or set properties (and RaiseError) at creation:
# my $zipEntry = Chilkat2::ZipEntry->new(VerboseLogging => 1, RaiseError => 1);Creates the object. The optional pairs set writable properties (and RaiseError) in order, as if set one by one; an unknown or read-only name croaks. use Chilkat2; loads every class; the Chilkat2/ZipEntry.pm file holds only this class's documentation (perldoc Chilkat2::ZipEntry).
Perl frees the object when its last reference goes (undef $zipEntry, or the variable going out of scope); there is nothing to close. Objects returned by methods are independent and freed the same way. The class may be subclassed (use parent -norequire, 'Chilkat2::ZipEntry';): an object is a blessed hash reference whose hash is free for the subclass's own fields.
When false (the default), a method that fails returns false (or undef), and the reason is in LastErrorText. When true, it dies with a Chilkat2::Error instead, as DBI does with its RaiseError. Objects returned by a method inherit the value of the object that returned them.
Errors
A Chilkat2::Error stringifies to the failed call's full LastErrorText, and has the methods text, class ('Chilkat2::ZipEntry'), method (the method name) and object. Methods that look something up and find nothing return undef without dying (each such method says so), methods that answer a question (HasMember, IsUnlocked, ...) return a plain boolean, and property reads and writes never fail for Chilkat reasons.
Misuse always croaks, with your file and line, whatever RaiseError is: a wrong number of arguments, a reference or undef where a string or number is expected, an object of the wrong class, an out-of-range integer, a string containing a NUL character, a wide character in a byte string, or a write to a read-only property.
Strings are Perl character strings in both directions (length, regexes and :encoding layers see characters); binary data (BinData) is a byte string. Unlocking: call Chilkat2::Global->new->UnlockBundle('...') once at startup.
Properties
Comment
my $strVal = $zipEntry->Comment;
$zipEntry->Comment($strVal);
Gets or sets the comment stored in the ZIP archive for this entry.
topCompressedLength
my $intVal = $zipEntry->CompressedLength;
The compressed size of this entry, in bytes.
For mapped entries (entries already contained within an opened ZIP archive), this property contains the actual compressed size stored within the ZIP.
For file entries or data entries that have not yet been written to a ZIP archive, compression has not yet occurred. In these cases, this property contains:
- The current uncompressed data size for data entries.
- The cached filesystem file size for referenced file entries.
After the ZIP archive is written, the entries become mapped entries, and this property then reflects the actual compressed size stored in the ZIP archive.
topCompressedLength64
my $intVal = $zipEntry->CompressedLength64;
The compressed size of this entry, in bytes, as a 64-bit integer.
For mapped entries (entries already contained within an opened ZIP archive), this property contains the actual compressed size stored within the ZIP.
For file entries or data entries that have not yet been written to a ZIP archive, compression has not yet occurred. In these cases, this property contains:
- The current uncompressed data size for data entries.
- The cached filesystem file size for referenced file entries.
After the ZIP archive is written, the entries become mapped entries, and this property then reflects the actual compressed size stored in the ZIP archive.
Use this property when sizes may exceed the range of a 32-bit integer.
topCompressedLengthStr
my $strVal = $zipEntry->CompressedLengthStr;
The compressed size of this entry as a decimal string.
For mapped entries (entries already contained within an opened ZIP archive), this property contains the actual compressed size stored within the ZIP.
For file entries or data entries that have not yet been written to a ZIP archive, compression has not yet occurred. In these cases, this property contains:
- The current uncompressed data size for data entries.
- The cached filesystem file size for referenced file entries.
After the ZIP archive is written, the entries become mapped entries, and this property then reflects the actual compressed size stored in the ZIP archive.
This property is useful when sizes may exceed the range of a 32-bit integer.
topCompressionLevel
my $intVal = $zipEntry->CompressionLevel;
$zipEntry->CompressionLevel($intVal);
Gets or sets the compression level for this entry.
A value of 0 means no compression, and a value of
9 means maximum compression.
The default value is 6.
CompressionMethod
my $intVal = $zipEntry->CompressionMethod;
$zipEntry->CompressionMethod($intVal);
Gets or sets the compression method used for this entry.
-
0means no compression. -
8means Deflate compression.
Deflate is the standard compression algorithm used by common ZIP utilities such as WinZip.
topCrc
my $intVal = $zipEntry->Crc;
DebugLogFilePath
my $strVal = $zipEntry->DebugLogFilePath;
$zipEntry->DebugLogFilePath($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.
EncryptionKeyLen
my $intVal = $zipEntry->EncryptionKeyLen;
The AES encryption key length for this entry.
If this entry is AES encrypted, the value is 128,
192, or 256.
If this entry is not AES encrypted, the value is 0.
EntryID
my $intVal = $zipEntry->EntryID;
A unique identifier assigned to this entry while the ZIP object is instantiated in memory.
This ID can be used to retrieve the same entry later with
Zip.EntryById.
EntryType
my $intVal = $zipEntry->EntryType;
Indicates the origin and current state of this ZIP entry.
-
0— Mapped Entry: an entry that already exists in an open ZIP file. -
1— File Entry: a file in the local filesystem that has been referenced, but not yet read or compressed. -
2— Data Entry: an entry containing uncompressed data already held in memory. -
3— Null Entry: an entry that no longer exists in the ZIP archive. -
4— New Directory Entry: a directory entry added to the ZIP object.
When the ZIP archive is written by calling WriteZip or
WriteToMemory, entries are transformed into mapped entries.
In other words, after writing, they point to compressed data contained
in the newly created or rewritten ZIP archive.
FileDateTimeStr
my $strVal = $zipEntry->FileDateTimeStr;
$zipEntry->FileDateTimeStr($strVal);
Gets or sets the local last-modified date/time for this ZIP entry in RFC 822 string format.
Example RFC 822 date/time strings:
Tue, 15 Nov 1994 12:45:26 GMT
Fri, 05 Jan 2024 18:30:00 -0500
The timezone may be specified either as a named timezone such as
GMT, or as a numeric UTC offset such as
-0500.
FileName
my $strVal = $zipEntry->FileName;
$zipEntry->FileName($strVal);
Gets or sets the filename, including any relative path, stored for this entry inside the ZIP archive.
Changing this property changes the path/name that will appear in the ZIP archive. It does not rename a source file in the local filesystem.
FileNameHex
my $strVal = $zipEntry->FileNameHex;
Returns the raw filename bytes found in the ZIP entry, encoded as a hexadecimal string.
This can be useful for diagnosing filename encoding issues.
topHeartbeatMs
my $intVal = $zipEntry->HeartbeatMs;
$zipEntry->HeartbeatMs($intVal);
The interval in milliseconds between each AbortCheck event callback, which enables an application to abort certain method calls before they complete. By default, HeartbeatMs is set to 0, meaning no AbortCheck event callbacks will trigger.
IsAesEncrypted
my $boolVal = $zipEntry->IsAesEncrypted;
Indicates whether this ZIP entry is AES encrypted.
This property can be 1OpenZip, OpenBd, or
OpenFromMemory.
If the entry is not AES encrypted, the property is
0
IsDirectory
my $boolVal = $zipEntry->IsDirectory;
Indicates whether this ZIP entry is a directory entry.
The value is 10
LastErrorHtml
my $strVal = $zipEntry->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
my $strVal = $zipEntry->LastErrorText;
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
my $strVal = $zipEntry->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
my $boolVal = $zipEntry->LastMethodSuccess;
$zipEntry->LastMethodSuccess($boolVal);
Indicates the success or failure of the most recent method call: 1 means success, 0 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.
TextFlag
my $boolVal = $zipEntry->TextFlag;
$zipEntry->TextFlag($boolVal);
Gets or sets the text flag in the internal file attributes for this ZIP entry.
This flag indicates whether the entry contents should be considered text rather than binary data.
The flag is informational and does not need to be accurate for normal ZIP processing. It is provided for compatibility with applications that may be sensitive to this attribute.
topUncompressedLength
my $intVal = $zipEntry->UncompressedLength;
The uncompressed size of this entry, in bytes.
topUncompressedLength64
my $intVal = $zipEntry->UncompressedLength64;
The uncompressed size of this entry, in bytes, as a 64-bit integer.
Use this property when the uncompressed size may exceed the range of a 32-bit integer.
topUncompressedLengthStr
my $strVal = $zipEntry->UncompressedLengthStr;
The uncompressed size of this ZIP entry as a decimal string.
This is useful when the uncompressed size may be larger than what can safely be represented by a 32-bit integer.
topVerboseLogging
my $boolVal = $zipEntry->VerboseLogging;
$zipEntry->VerboseLogging($boolVal);
If set to 1, then the contents of LastErrorText (or LastErrorXml, or LastErrorHtml) may contain more verbose information. The default value is 0. Verbose logging should only be used for debugging. The potentially large quantity of logged information may adversely affect peformance.
Version
my $strVal = $zipEntry->Version;
Methods
AppendString
# $charset is a string
# $success is true or false
my $success = $zipEntry->AppendString($strContent, $charset);
Appends text data to this ZIP entry's file contents.
The text is converted to bytes using the character encoding specified
by charset, such as utf-8,
utf-16, or ansi.
If this entry is already a Data Entry
(EntryType = 2), then the encoded bytes are appended
directly to the existing uncompressed in-memory data.
If this entry is not already a Data Entry, then the entry is first converted into a Data Entry before the new text data is appended.
-
If the entry is a mapped entry
(
EntryType = 0), the compressed ZIP entry data is first inflated into memory. The new text data is then appended, and the entry becomes a Data Entry containing the combined uncompressed data. -
If the entry is a file entry
(
EntryType = 1), the referenced filesystem file is first loaded into memory. The new text data is then appended, and the entry becomes a Data Entry containing the combined data.
After this method is called, the entry contents exist entirely as uncompressed in-memory data associated with the ZipEntry object.
Returns true on success, false on failure; LastErrorText says why. With RaiseError on, a failure dies with a Chilkat2::Error instead (it stringifies to the LastErrorText); the object remains usable either way.
CopyToBase64
my $str = $zipEntry->CopyToBase64();
Returns the compressed data for this ZIP entry as a Base64-encoded string.
This method can only be used when the entry already contains compressed data, meaning the entry is a mapped entry.
This is possible for entries from a ZIP archive that has already been opened, or after writing a ZIP archive while it remains open.
Returns undef on failure; LastErrorText says why. With RaiseError on, a failure dies with a Chilkat2::Error instead (it stringifies to the LastErrorText); the object remains usable either way.
CopyToHex
my $str = $zipEntry->CopyToHex();
Returns the compressed data for this ZIP entry as a hexadecimal encoded string.
This method can only be used when the entry already contains compressed data, meaning the entry is a mapped entry.
This is possible for entries from a ZIP archive that has already been opened, or after writing a ZIP archive while it remains open.
Returns undef on failure; LastErrorText says why. With RaiseError on, a failure dies with a Chilkat2::Error instead (it stringifies to the LastErrorText); the object remains usable either way.
Extract
# $success is true or false
my $success = $zipEntry->Extract($dirPath);
Extracts this ZIP entry beneath the specified base directory.
The entry is extracted according to the relative path stored in the ZIP archive.
For example, if the entry filename is
docs/readme.txt and dirPath is
c:/temp/output, the file is extracted to
c:/temp/output/docs/readme.txt.
Use ExtractInto instead if the file should be extracted
directly into a specific directory regardless of the path stored in
the ZIP archive.
Returns true on success, false on failure; LastErrorText says why. With RaiseError on, a failure dies with a Chilkat2::Error instead (it stringifies to the LastErrorText); the object remains usable either way.
ExtractInto
# $success is true or false
my $success = $zipEntry->ExtractInto($dirPath);
Extracts this entry directly into the specified directory, ignoring any path information stored in the ZIP entry.
For example, if the entry filename is
docs/readme.txt and dirPath is
c:/temp/output, the file is extracted to
c:/temp/output/readme.txt.
If this entry is a directory entry, nothing is extracted. To create
the directory represented by a directory entry, use
Extract instead.
Returns true on success, false on failure; LastErrorText says why. With RaiseError on, a failure dies with a Chilkat2::Error instead (it stringifies to the LastErrorText); the object remains usable either way.
GetNext
my $flag = $zipEntry->GetNext();
Updates this ZipEntry object so that it represents the
next entry in the same ZIP archive.
The next entry may be either a file entry or a directory entry.
Returns 10
Never dies: false is an answer, not a failure.
GetNextMatch
# $flag is true or false
my $flag = $zipEntry->GetNextMatch($pattern);
Updates this ZipEntry object so that it represents the
next entry in the ZIP archive matching the specified wildcard pattern.
The wildcard character * matches zero or more characters.
Matching is performed against the full stored filename, including any
relative path.
The matching entry may be either a file entry or a directory entry.
Returns 10
Never dies: false is an answer, not a failure.
ReplaceString
# $charset is a string
# $success is true or false
my $success = $zipEntry->ReplaceString($strContent, $charset);
Replaces this ZIP entry's existing contents with new text data.
The text is converted to bytes using the character encoding specified
by charset, such as utf-8 or
ansi.
The resulting bytes become the complete contents of the entry.
Returns true on success, false on failure; LastErrorText says why. With RaiseError on, a failure dies with a Chilkat2::Error instead (it stringifies to the LastErrorText); the object remains usable either way.
SetDt
Sets the last-modified date/time for this ZIP entry.
The dt argument is a CkDateTime object
containing the date/time to store for the entry.
Returns the object, so calls can be chained.
topUnzipToBd
# $success is true or false
my $success = $zipEntry->UnzipToBd($binData);
Unzips this entry directly into a BinData object.
The uncompressed bytes are written to binData.
Returns true on success, false on failure; LastErrorText says why. With RaiseError on, a failure dies with a Chilkat2::Error instead (it stringifies to the LastErrorText); the object remains usable either way.
UnzipToSb
# $srcCharset is a string
# $sb is a Chilkat2::StringBuilder
# $success is true or false
my $success = $zipEntry->UnzipToSb($lineEndingBehavior, $srcCharset, $sb);
Unzips this entry as text and appends the result to a
StringBuilder.
The srcCharset argument specifies how the uncompressed
bytes should be interpreted, such as utf-8,
utf-16, or windows-1252.
The lineEndingBehavior argument controls line-ending
conversion:
-
0— leave line endings unchanged. -
1— convert all line endings to bare LF. -
2— convert all line endings to CRLF.
Returns true on success, false on failure; LastErrorText says why. With RaiseError on, a failure dies with a Chilkat2::Error instead (it stringifies to the LastErrorText); the object remains usable either way.
UnzipToStream
# $success is true or false
my $success = $zipEntry->UnzipToStream($toStream);
Unzips this entry to a stream.
If called synchronously, the toStream must have a sink,
such as a file or another stream object.
If called asynchronously, the foreground thread can read from the stream while the unzip operation writes to it.
Returns true on success, false on failure; LastErrorText says why. With RaiseError on, a failure dies with a Chilkat2::Error instead (it stringifies to the LastErrorText); the object remains usable either way.
UnzipToString
# $srcCharset is a string
# $str is a string or undef
my $str = $zipEntry->UnzipToString($lineEndingBehavior, $srcCharset);
Inflates this entry and returns the uncompressed data as a string.
The srcCharset argument specifies how the uncompressed
bytes should be interpreted, such as utf-8,
utf-16, or windows-1252.
The lineEndingBehavior argument controls line-ending
conversion:
-
0— leave line endings unchanged. -
1— convert all line endings to bare LF. -
2— convert all line endings to CRLF.
Returns undef on failure; LastErrorText says why. With RaiseError on, a failure dies with a Chilkat2::Error instead (it stringifies to the LastErrorText); the object remains usable either way.
Events
All Chilkat methods are synchronous: the call returns when the work is done. During a long-running call, Chilkat2::ZipEntry reports progress to handlers installed with on, which takes Event => CODE pairs (closures, so a handler can use the variables around it):
$zipEntry->on(
PercentDone => sub { my ($pctDone) = @_; print "$pctDone%\n"; return 0 }, # a true return aborts
ProgressInfo => sub { my ($name, $value) = @_; print "$name: $value\n" },
);
$zipEntry->HeartbeatMs(250); # the AbortCheck handler is called 4 times per secondInstalls the handlers given, replacing those installed before for the same events; undef instead of a CODE reference removes one, and $zipEntry->on() with no arguments returns the installed handlers as a list of pairs. The event names are checked: a misspelled one croaks, and nothing is installed.
The AbortCheck handler is called at the interval set by the HeartbeatMs property (0, the default, disables it); PercentDone is called when an operation's completion percentage is known; ProgressInfo delivers named progress values. A true return from the AbortCheck or PercentDone handler aborts the running method, which then fails in the usual way (false or undef, or a Chilkat2::Error under RaiseError).
Handlers run during the method call, on the thread that called it. Inside a handler, other objects may be used, but calling a method of the same object (or its on) croaks. A die in a handler aborts the running method and is re-thrown from the method call; the object remains usable. A handler that uses $zipEntry itself makes a reference cycle: weaken the captured copy (Scalar::Util) or remove the handler when done.
AbortCheck
$zipEntry->on(AbortCheck => sub { ... });
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.
Example
my $deadline = time() + 30; # give up after 30 seconds
$zipEntry->HeartbeatMs(250); # call the handler 4 times per second
$zipEntry->on(AbortCheck => sub { return time() > $deadline });PercentDone
$zipEntry->on(PercentDone => sub { ... });
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 1. This will cause the method to terminate and return a failure status or corresponding failure value.
Example
$zipEntry->on(PercentDone => sub {
my ($pctDone) = @_; # 0 to 100
print "Percent done: $pctDone\n";
return 0; # return a true value to abort the method in progress
});ProgressInfo
$zipEntry->on(ProgressInfo => sub { ... });
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.
Example
$zipEntry->on(ProgressInfo => sub {
my ($name, $value) = @_;
print "$name: $value\n";
});