Tar PHP Extension Reference Documentation

CkTar

Current Version: 11.5.0

Chilkat.Tar

Create, list, verify, filter, and extract TAR archives and compressed TAR formats.

Chilkat.Tar creates, verifies, lists, and extracts TAR archives, including compressed TAR formats such as .tar.gz, .tgz, .tar.bz2, and .tar.Z. It supports adding individual files and directory trees, controlling archive paths, preserving or overriding file permissions, filtering included or extracted files, extracting from memory, extracting selected entries to memory or BinData, producing XML listings, and creating Debian .deb package archives from control and data tarballs.

Create TAR archives

Add files or directory trees and write standard TAR output, with control over archive paths, directory handling, and write format.

Compressed TAR formats

Work with common compressed archive forms such as .tar.gz, .tgz, .tar.bz2, and .tar.Z.

List and verify contents

Inspect archive entries, verify archive structure, and produce XML listings for display, logging, or programmatic processing.

Selective extraction

Extract entire archives or selected entries, including workflows that extract matching files directly to memory or BinData.

Filters and paths

Include or exclude files using filters, control relative paths in the archive, and manage how entries are restored during extraction.

Permissions and packages

Preserve or override UNIX-style permissions and create Debian .deb package archives from control and data tarballs.

Common pattern: Use Tar when the data is a TAR archive or a compressed TAR archive. Configure the archive paths, filters, permissions, and compression format, then create, list, verify, or extract the archive as needed. Use Chilkat.Zip for ZIP archives, Chilkat.Gzip for a single GZIP stream, and Chilkat.Compression for raw compression operations.

Object Creation

$obj = new CkTar();

Properties

CaptureXmlListing
bool get_CaptureXmlListing()
void put_CaptureXmlListing(bool boolVal);
Introduced in version 9.5.0.46

Controls whether extraction methods also capture an XML inventory of the archive. When set to true, methods such as Untar, UntarGz, UntarBz2, and UntarZ store the listing in XmlListing. The XML has the same structure as the string returned by ListXml. The default is false.

Inspect without extracting: Set CaptureXmlListing and SuppressOutput to true before an untar operation to scan the archive and obtain its XML listing without writing archive entries to disk.

top
Charset
string charset();
void put_Charset(string strVal);

Specifies the character encoding used to decode filenames stored in a TAR archive during extraction. The default is utf-8, which is normally appropriate for modern archives.

This property affects archive entry names only. It does not convert or otherwise alter the contents of extracted files. TAR archives written by the WriteTar* methods store filenames as UTF-8.

Filename interoperability: The original TAR header format does not always identify the character encoding of a filename. Change this property only when an older archive is known to use a different encoding.

top
DebugLogFilePath
string debugLogFilePath();
void put_DebugLogFilePath(string 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
top
DirMode
int get_DirMode()
void put_DirMode(int intVal);

Specifies the UNIX permission bits written to the TAR header for directory entries created by the WriteTar* methods. The default is octal 0755, which represents rwxr-xr-x.

Archive metadata: This value records permissions in the archive. Whether the exact permissions are restored during extraction depends on the destination operating system, filesystem, process privileges, and local security policy.

top
DirPrefix
string dirPrefix();
void put_DirPrefix(string strVal);

Specifies a path prefix to prepend to entries when a TAR archive is created. For example, setting this property to subdir1 causes an entry such as report.txt to be stored as subdir1/report.txt.

The prefix changes only the path stored in the archive; it does not rename or move the source file on disk.

AddFile2 exception: AddFile2 explicitly supplies the complete path within the archive, so DirPrefix is not applied to files added by that method.

top
FileMode
int get_FileMode()
void put_FileMode(int intVal);

Specifies the UNIX permission bits written to the TAR header for ordinary file entries created by the WriteTar* methods. The default is octal 0644, which represents rw-r--r--.

Shell scripts: Files recognized as shell scripts use ScriptFileMode instead, allowing executable permissions to be recorded separately.

top
GroupId
int get_GroupId()
void put_GroupId(int intVal);

Specifies the numeric group identifier (GID) written to TAR headers when an archive is created. The default value is 1000.

Ownership metadata: A stored GID is archive metadata. Restoring ownership may require elevated privileges and may be ignored or mapped differently on non-UNIX systems.

top
GroupName
string groupName();
void put_GroupName(string strVal);

Specifies the group name written to TAR headers when an archive is created. By default, Chilkat uses the username of the account running the application.

Name versus numeric ID: TAR headers can contain both a group name and the numeric GroupId. Extraction tools and operating systems may give different precedence to these fields.

top
LastErrorHtml
(read-only)
string 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.

top
LastErrorText
(read-only)
string 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.

top
LastErrorXml
(read-only)
string 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.

top
LastMethodSuccess
bool get_LastMethodSuccess()
void put_LastMethodSuccess(bool 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.

top
MatchCaseSensitive
bool get_MatchCaseSensitive()
void put_MatchCaseSensitive(bool boolVal);
Introduced in version 9.5.0.46

Controls whether the patterns in MustMatch and MustNotMatch are matched case-sensitively. The default is false.

Cross-platform behavior: Case sensitivity in the archive filter is independent of whether the local filesystem itself treats filenames as case-sensitive.

top
MustMatch
string mustMatch();
void put_MustMatch(string strVal);
Introduced in version 9.5.0.46

Specifies an inclusion pattern applied when creating or extracting TAR archives, including compressed TAR formats. A candidate path is included or extracted only when it matches this pattern. The default is an empty string, which permits all paths.

The pattern may contain zero or more asterisks (*), where each asterisk matches zero or more characters. For example, *.txt selects paths ending in .txt. Case handling is controlled by MatchCaseSensitive.

Combined filters: If both MustMatch and MustNotMatch are set, a path must satisfy the inclusion pattern and must not satisfy the exclusion pattern.

top
MustNotMatch
string mustNotMatch();
void put_MustNotMatch(string strVal);
Introduced in version 9.5.0.46

Specifies an exclusion pattern applied when creating or extracting TAR archives, including compressed TAR formats. A candidate path that matches this pattern is skipped. The default is an empty string, which excludes nothing.

The pattern may contain zero or more asterisks (*), where each asterisk matches zero or more characters. For example, *.obj skips paths ending in .obj. Case handling is controlled by MatchCaseSensitive.

Exclusion takes effect after inclusion: When both filters are set, matching MustMatch does not override a match in MustNotMatch.

top
NoAbsolutePaths
bool get_NoAbsolutePaths()
void put_NoAbsolutePaths(bool boolVal);

Controls whether absolute archive paths are converted to relative paths during extraction. When true, a leading / or \ is removed before the entry is written. The default is true.

Recommended security setting: Keep this property enabled when extracting archives you did not create. Also extract untrusted archives into a dedicated directory and inspect their entry names before relying on the extracted content.

top
NumDirRoots
(read-only)
int get_NumDirRoots()

Returns the number of directory roots currently registered for archive creation by calls to AddDirRoot and AddDirRoot2. Individual files added with AddFile or AddFile2 are not included in this count.

Use zero-based indexes from 0 through NumDirRoots - 1 with GetDirRoot.

top
ScriptFileMode
int get_ScriptFileMode()
void put_ScriptFileMode(int intVal);

Specifies the UNIX permission bits written to TAR headers for shell-script files recognized by extensions such as .sh, .csh, .bash, and .bsh. The default is octal 0755, which records executable permissions.

Other files: Non-script files use FileMode; directories use DirMode.

top
SuppressOutput
bool get_SuppressOutput()
void put_SuppressOutput(bool boolVal);
Introduced in version 9.5.0.46

Controls whether untar operations write extracted files and directories to the filesystem. When true, methods such as Untar, UntarGz, UntarBz2, and UntarZ scan the archive without producing extracted output. The default is false.

Archive inventory workflow: Combine this property with CaptureXmlListing to obtain an XML listing without extracting the archive.

top
UntarCaseSensitive
bool get_UntarCaseSensitive()
void put_UntarCaseSensitive(bool boolVal);

Deprecated. Use MatchCaseSensitive instead.

Until this property is removed, reading or setting it has the same effect as reading or setting MatchCaseSensitive.

top
UntarDebugLog
bool get_UntarDebugLog()
void put_UntarDebugLog(bool boolVal);

Controls whether untar methods add per-entry extraction details to LastErrorText, LastErrorXml, and LastErrorHtml. The default is false.

Diagnostic output is not necessarily an error: When this property is enabled, the LastError properties can contain useful extraction trace information even after a successful operation.

top
UntarDiscardPaths
bool get_UntarDiscardPaths()
void put_UntarDiscardPaths(bool boolVal);

Controls whether directory components from archive entry names are discarded during extraction. When true, each file is written directly into UntarFromDir rather than recreating the archived directory tree. The default is false.

Filename collisions: Different archive entries can have the same final filename after their directory paths are removed. Use this option only when flattening the archive is intentional and potential collisions are acceptable.

top
UntarFromDir
string untarFromDir();
void put_UntarFromDir(string strVal);

Specifies the destination directory for extraction. The default is ., meaning the current working directory of the calling process.

When UntarDiscardPaths is false, archived subdirectories are recreated beneath this directory. When it is true, extracted files are placed directly in this directory.

Safer extraction: For untrusted archives, choose a new or otherwise isolated destination directory rather than extracting directly into an application or system directory.

top
UntarMaxCount
int get_UntarMaxCount()
void put_UntarMaxCount(int intVal);

Limits the number of matching entries extracted by an untar operation. The default is 0, which means no maximum.

For example, set MustMatch to select a particular path and set UntarMaxCount to 1 to stop after the first matching entry is extracted.

Archive order matters: When a limit is used, extraction stops after the configured number of matches in archive order.

top
UserId
int get_UserId()
void put_UserId(int intVal);

Specifies the numeric user identifier (UID) written to TAR headers when an archive is created. The default value is 1000.

Ownership metadata: A stored UID does not by itself change the owner of a local source file. Restoring ownership during extraction may require elevated privileges and may not apply on non-UNIX systems.

top
UserName
string userName();
void put_UserName(string strVal);

Specifies the user name written to TAR headers when an archive is created. By default, Chilkat uses the username of the account running the application.

Name versus numeric ID: TAR headers can contain both a user name and the numeric UserId. Their interpretation depends on the extracting tool and destination system.

top
Utf8
bool get_Utf8()
void put_Utf8(bool boolVal);

When set to true, all string arguments and return values are interpreted as UTF-8 strings. When set to false, they are interpreted as ANSI strings.

In Chilkat v11.0.0 and later, the default value is true. Before v11.0.0, it was false.

top
VerboseLogging
bool get_VerboseLogging()
void put_VerboseLogging(bool 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.

top
Version
(read-only)
string version();

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

More Information and Examples
top
WriteFormat
string writeFormat();
void put_WriteFormat(string strVal);

Specifies the TAR header format used by the WriteTar* methods. The default is gnu. Supported values are:

ValueUse
gnuGNU TAR format and extensions. This is the Chilkat default and supports archive metadata beyond classic ustar limits.
paxPOSIX pax extended format. It is designed to represent long names and additional metadata through extensible records.
ustarPOSIX ustar format. It is broadly interoperable but has stricter limits on path lengths and metadata fields.
Choosing a format: Use ustar when compatibility with simple TAR readers is the priority and the archive fits its limits. Use pax for portable extended metadata, or retain gnu when GNU TAR compatibility is expected.

top
XmlListing
string xmlListing();
void put_XmlListing(string strVal);
Introduced in version 9.5.0.46

Contains the XML listing captured by the most recent untar operation for which CaptureXmlListing was true. The XML structure is the same as the output from ListXml.

Read after the operation: Use the untar method's return value to confirm that the archive was processed successfully before consuming this property.

top

Methods

AddDirRoot
bool AddDirRoot(string $dirPath);

Adds the directory tree at dirPath to the set of sources used by the next WriteTar* operation. Call this method multiple times to include multiple directory trees in one archive.

Use AddDirRoot2 when the tree should appear beneath an explicit prefix inside the archive.

Queued archive sources: Directory roots and files are retained by the object until ClearDirRootsAndFiles is called.

Returns true for success, false for failure.

top
AddDirRoot2
bool AddDirRoot2(string $rootPrefix, string $rootPath);
Introduced in version 9.5.0.56

Adds the directory tree at rootPath to the archive-creation source list and stores its entries beneath the archive prefix supplied in rootPrefix. Call this method multiple times, or combine it with AddDirRoot, before calling a WriteTar* method.

rootPrefix should be a relative archive path such as abc/123 and should not end with /. If DirPrefix is also set, DirPrefix is applied first.

Path composition example: With DirPrefix = "package" and rootPrefix = "assets", files from this root are stored beneath package/assets/.

Returns true for success, false for failure.

top
AddFile
bool AddFile(string $path);
Introduced in version 9.5.0.46

Adds the local file at path to the set of sources used by the next WriteTar* operation. Call AddFile, AddFile2, and the directory-root methods as needed before writing a single archive.

Use AddFile2 when the path stored inside the TAR must be specified independently of the source file path.

Queued archive sources: Added files and directory roots remain associated with the object until ClearDirRootsAndFiles is called.

Returns true for success, false for failure.

top
AddFile2
bool AddFile2(string $filePath, string $pathWithinTar);
Introduced in version 9.5.0.69

Adds the local file at filePath to the archive-creation source list and stores it using the exact archive path supplied in pathWithinTar. This allows the source path and the path visible inside the TAR to differ.

Call this method as many times as needed, optionally together with the other file and directory-root methods, before calling a single WriteTar* method.

DirPrefix is not applied: Because pathWithinTar already specifies the path within the TAR, DirPrefix does not modify entries added by this method. Use forward slashes and a relative path for portable archive names.

Returns true for success, false for failure.

top
ClearDirRootsAndFiles
bool ClearDirRootsAndFiles();
Introduced in version 9.5.0.84

Removes all files and directory roots previously registered by AddDirRoot, AddDirRoot2, AddFile, and AddFile2.

Call this method before building a different archive with the same Tar object when the earlier source list should not be reused.

Returns true for success, false for failure.

top
CreateDeb
bool CreateDeb(string $controlPath, string $dataPath, string $debPath);
Introduced in version 9.5.0.66

Creates a Debian binary package at debPath from the prepared control archive at controlPath and data archive at dataPath. The inputs are typically named control.tar.gz and data.tar.gz, or use another compression form accepted by the target Debian tooling.

Debian package structure: A modern .deb file is an ar archive containing a debian-binary format marker, a control.tar.* member for package metadata and maintainer scripts, and a data.tar.* member for the installed filesystem payload.
Prepared inputs required: This method packages the supplied control and data tarballs. The caller is responsible for making their directory layout, control metadata, permissions, and package contents valid for Debian package-management tools.

Returns true for success, false for failure.

top
GetDirRoot
bool GetDirRoot(int $index, CkString outStr);
string getDirRoot(int index);

Returns a directory root previously added with AddDirRoot or AddDirRoot2. index is a zero-based index.

Valid indexes range from 0 through NumDirRoots - 1. For example, after two roots are added, GetDirRoot(0) returns the first and GetDirRoot(1) returns the second.

Returns true for success, false for failure.

top
ListXml
bool ListXml(string $tarPath, CkString outStr);
string listXml(string tarPath);

Scans the uncompressed TAR archive at tarPath and returns an XML description of its files, directories, and archive metadata. The archive is not extracted.

Compressed tarballs: For a compressed TAR archive, an untar method can capture the same listing format by setting CaptureXmlListing. Set SuppressOutput as well when no files should be written.

Returns true for success, false for failure.

top
ListXmlAsync (1)
CkTask ListXmlAsync(string $tarPath);

Creates an asynchronous task to call the ListXml method with the arguments provided.

Returns null on failure

top
LoadTaskCaller
bool LoadTaskCaller(CkTask $task);
Introduced in version 9.5.0.80

Loads the caller object associated with task, an asynchronous Chilkat Task, into this Tar object.

Specialized async support: This method supports Chilkat task-caller plumbing and is not normally needed in ordinary archive code. Use it only when a Chilkat example or support instruction specifically requires it.

Returns true for success, false for failure.

top
Untar
int Untar(string $tarPath);

Extracts the uncompressed TAR archive at tarPath into the directory specified by UntarFromDir. Archived directory trees are recreated unless UntarDiscardPaths is true.

Returns the number of files and directories extracted, or -1 if the operation fails. Extraction is also affected by the matching, path-safety, count-limit, listing, and output-suppression properties of this object.

TAR is a container format: An ordinary .tar archive is not compressed. Use UntarGz, UntarBz2, or UntarZ for the corresponding compressed tarball formats.
More Information and Examples
top
UntarAsync (1)
CkTask UntarAsync(string $tarPath);

Creates an asynchronous task to call the Untar method with the arguments provided.

Returns null on failure

top
UntarBz2
bool UntarBz2(string $tarPath);

Decompresses and extracts the .tar.bz2 archive at tarPath into UntarFromDir. This format is also commonly named .tbz, .tbz2, or .tb2.

Returns true on success and false on failure. The same extraction filters, path controls, listing options, and output settings used by Untar also apply.

Returns true for success, false for failure.

More Information and Examples
top
UntarBz2Async (1)
CkTask UntarBz2Async(string $tarPath);

Creates an asynchronous task to call the UntarBz2 method with the arguments provided.

Returns null on failure

top
UntarFirstMatchingToBd
bool UntarFirstMatchingToBd(string $tarPath, string $matchPattern, CkBinData $bd);
Introduced in version 9.5.0.82

Scans the uncompressed TAR archive at tarPath and copies the contents of the first file whose archive path matches matchPattern into the BinData object supplied in bd. Matching is evaluated in archive order.

No archive entry is written to the local filesystem. Returns true when a matching file is successfully extracted to bd and false otherwise.

Returns true for success, false for failure.

top
UntarGz
bool UntarGz(string $tarPath);

Decompresses and extracts the .tar.gz archive at tarPath into UntarFromDir. The .tgz extension is a common short form for the same gzip-compressed TAR structure.

Returns true on success and false on failure. The same extraction filters, path controls, listing options, and output settings used by Untar also apply.

Returns true for success, false for failure.

More Information and Examples
top
UntarGzAsync (1)
CkTask UntarGzAsync(string $tarPath);

Creates an asynchronous task to call the UntarGz method with the arguments provided.

Returns null on failure

top
UntarZ
bool UntarZ(string $tarPath);

Decompresses and extracts the .tar.Z archive at tarPath into UntarFromDir. The .Z suffix denotes the historical UNIX compress format; .taz is a common alternate extension.

Returns true on success and false on failure. The same extraction filters, path controls, listing options, and output settings used by Untar also apply.

Returns true for success, false for failure.

More Information and Examples
top
UntarZAsync (1)
CkTask UntarZAsync(string $tarPath);

Creates an asynchronous task to call the UntarZ method with the arguments provided.

Returns null on failure

top
VerifyTar
bool VerifyTar(string $tarPath);

Opens the uncompressed TAR archive at tarPath and scans its headers through the end of the archive. Returns true when the archive structure is accepted and no TAR-format errors are found; otherwise returns false.

What verification does not establish: Structural verification does not prove that archived files are safe, trustworthy, or appropriate to extract. It is not malware scanning and does not authenticate the archive publisher.
top
VerifyTarAsync (1)
CkTask VerifyTarAsync(string $tarPath);

Creates an asynchronous task to call the VerifyTar method with the arguments provided.

Returns null on failure

top
WriteTar
bool WriteTar(string $tarPath);

Creates an uncompressed TAR archive at tarPath from the files and directory trees previously added with AddFile, AddFile2, AddDirRoot, and AddDirRoot2. Archive paths, permissions, ownership metadata, filters, and header format are controlled by the corresponding properties.

Returns true on success and false on failure.

Returns true for success, false for failure.

More Information and Examples
top
WriteTarAsync (1)
CkTask WriteTarAsync(string $tarPath);

Creates an asynchronous task to call the WriteTar method with the arguments provided.

Returns null on failure

top
WriteTarBz2
bool WriteTarBz2(string $bz2Path);

Creates a bzip2-compressed TAR archive at bz2Path from the files and directory trees previously added to this object. Common filename extensions include .tar.bz2, .tbz, .tbz2, and .tb2.

Returns true on success and false on failure.

Two-layer format: The result is a TAR byte stream compressed with bzip2. TAR supplies the multi-file archive structure; bzip2 supplies compression.

Returns true for success, false for failure.

top
WriteTarBz2Async (1)
CkTask WriteTarBz2Async(string $bz2Path);

Creates an asynchronous task to call the WriteTarBz2 method with the arguments provided.

Returns null on failure

top
WriteTarGz
bool WriteTarGz(string $gzPath);

Creates a gzip-compressed TAR archive at gzPath from the files and directory trees previously added to this object. The usual extensions are .tar.gz and .tgz.

Returns true on success and false on failure.

Two-layer format: The result is a TAR byte stream compressed with gzip. TAR supplies the multi-file archive structure; gzip supplies compression.

Returns true for success, false for failure.

More Information and Examples
top
WriteTarGzAsync (1)
CkTask WriteTarGzAsync(string $gzPath);

Creates an asynchronous task to call the WriteTarGz method with the arguments provided.

Returns null on failure

top

Deprecated

UntarFirstMatchingToMemory Deprecated
bool UntarFirstMatchingToMemory(CkByteData $tarFileBytes, string $matchPattern, CkByteData outBytes);

Reads an in-memory, uncompressed TAR archive from tarFileBytes and returns the contents of the first file whose archive path matches matchPattern. Matching is evaluated in archive order.

No file is written to the local filesystem. Use the normal method-success indicator and LastErrorText to distinguish a successful result from a missing match or processing failure.

Returns true for success, false for failure.

top
UntarFromMemory Deprecated
int UntarFromMemory(CkByteData $tarFileBytes);

Extracts an uncompressed TAR archive supplied as bytes in tarFileBytes. Files and directories are written beneath UntarFromDir, subject to the same filters and path options as Untar.

Returns the number of files and directories extracted, or -1 on failure.

top
UntarFromMemoryAsync Deprecated (1)
CkTask UntarFromMemoryAsync(CkByteData $tarFileBytes);

Creates an asynchronous task to call the UntarFromMemory method with the arguments provided.

Returns null on failure

top