Zip PHP Extension Reference Documentation

CkZip

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

$obj = new CkZip();

Properties

AbortCurrent
bool get_AbortCurrent()
void put_AbortCurrent(bool boolVal);
Introduced in version 9.5.0.58

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 false after the operation stops.

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AppendFromDir
string appendFromDir();
void put_AppendFromDir(string strVal);

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/.

More Information and Examples
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AutoRun
string autoRun();
void put_AutoRun(string strVal);

(Windows only, for creating self-extracting EXE's)

Specifies the name of an executable inside a self-extracting EXE that runs automatically after extraction.

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AutoRunParams
string autoRunParams();
void put_AutoRunParams(string strVal);

(Windows only, for creating self-extracting EXE's)

Command-line arguments passed to the AutoRun executable.

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AutoTemp
bool get_AutoTemp()
void put_AutoTemp(bool boolVal);

(Windows only, for creating self-extracting EXE's)

If true, the EXE being created will automatically select and create a temporary directory for unzipping.

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.

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CaseSensitive
bool get_CaseSensitive()
void put_CaseSensitive(bool boolVal);

Controls whether filename matching is case-sensitive.

  • Affects methods such as EntryMatching and UnzipMatching.
  • Default: false

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ClearArchiveAttribute
bool get_ClearArchiveAttribute()
void put_ClearArchiveAttribute(bool boolVal);

(Windows only)

If true, clears the Windows archive attribute after files are successfully added to the ZIP.

The archive attribute indicates that a file has changed since the last backup.

The default value is false.

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ClearReadOnlyAttr
bool get_ClearReadOnlyAttr()
void put_ClearReadOnlyAttr(bool boolVal);

If true, removes the read-only attribute from extracted files.

If false, the read-only attribute remains unchanged.

The default value is false.

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Comment
string comment();
void put_Comment(string strVal);

Sets or retrieves the global ZIP file comment.

The default value is the empty string.

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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
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DecryptPassword
string decryptPassword();
void put_DecryptPassword(string strVal);

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.

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DiscardPaths
bool get_DiscardPaths()
void put_DiscardPaths(bool boolVal);

If true, removes all directory path information when adding files.

Only filenames are stored in the ZIP.

The default value is false.

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Encryption
int get_Encryption()
void put_Encryption(int intVal);

Specifies encryption mode:

  • 0 → No encryption
  • 4 → WinZip-compatible AES encryption

Important: Encryption and PasswordProtect are mutually exclusive.

If PasswordProtect = true, then Encryption should be 0.

The default value is 0.

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EncryptKeyLength
int get_EncryptKeyLength()
void put_EncryptKeyLength(int intVal);

Specifies the AES encryption key length.

  • Valid values: 128, 192, or 256

The default value is 128.

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EncryptPassword
string encryptPassword();
void put_EncryptPassword(string strVal);

Password used when creating encrypted ZIP archives.

The default value is the empty string.

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ExeDefaultDir
string exeDefaultDir();
void put_ExeDefaultDir(string strVal);

(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.

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ExeFinishNotifier
bool get_ExeFinishNotifier()
void put_ExeFinishNotifier(bool boolVal);

(Windows only, for creating self-extracting EXE's)

If true, displays a completion dialog after extraction finishes.

The default value is false.

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ExeIconFile
string exeIconFile();
void put_ExeIconFile(string strVal);

(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.

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ExeNoInterface
bool get_ExeNoInterface()
void put_ExeNoInterface(bool boolVal);

(Windows only, for creating self-extracting EXE's)

If true, runs the self-extracting EXE without displaying the main user interface.

The default value is false.

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ExeSilentProgress
bool get_ExeSilentProgress()
void put_ExeSilentProgress(bool boolVal);

(Windows only, for creating self-extracting EXE's)

Controls whether a progress dialog is shown during extraction.

If ExeNoInterface = false, the progress bar appears within the main dialog and this property has no effect.

The default value is true.

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ExeTitle
string exeTitle();
void put_ExeTitle(string strVal);

(Windows only, for creating self-extracting EXE's)

Title displayed in the self-extracting EXE dialog.

The default value is the empty string.

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ExeUnzipCaption
string exeUnzipCaption();
void put_ExeUnzipCaption(string strVal);

(Windows only, for creating self-extracting EXE's)

Caption text displayed in the self-extracting EXE dialog.

The default value is the empty string.

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ExeUnzipDir
string exeUnzipDir();
void put_ExeUnzipDir(string strVal);

(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.

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ExeWaitForSetup
bool get_ExeWaitForSetup()
void put_ExeWaitForSetup(bool boolVal);

If true, waits for the AutoRun executable to finish before exiting.

If false, the self-extracting EXE may exit before the AutoRun executable completes.

The default value is true.

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ExeXmlConfig
string exeXmlConfig();
void put_ExeXmlConfig(string strVal);

(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.

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FileCount
(read-only)
int get_FileCount()

Number of files in the ZIP, excluding directory entries.

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FileName
string fileName();
void put_FileName(string strVal);

Path of the ZIP file to be written or overwritten.

The default value is the empty string.

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HasZipFormatErrors
(read-only)
bool get_HasZipFormatErrors()

Indicates whether minor ZIP format problems were detected when opening the ZIP archive.

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IgnoreAccessDenied
bool get_IgnoreAccessDenied()
void put_IgnoreAccessDenied(bool boolVal);

If true, files that cannot be read, written, or created due to filesystem permission errors are skipped.

If false, any access-denied error causes the ZIP operation to fail.

The default value is true.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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MaxDate
string maxDate();
void put_MaxDate(string strVal);
Introduced in version 10.0.0

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: 2024-07-31
  • YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SS±HH:MM
    Example: 2024-07-31T12:34:56+02:00
  • YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SSZ
    Example: 2024-07-31T12:34:56Z

The default value is the empty string, meaning no maximum date restriction.

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MaxUncompressSize
int get_MaxUncompressSize()
void put_MaxUncompressSize(int intVal);
Introduced in version 9.5.0.96

Prevents extraction of files larger than the specified uncompressed size.

A value of 0 means no size limit.

The default value is 0.

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MinDate
string minDate();
void put_MinDate(string strVal);
Introduced in version 10.0.0

Minimum last-modified timestamp for files processed during add or extract operations.

Supports ISO 8601 date/time formats, including:

  • YYYY-MM-DD
    Example: 2024-07-31
  • YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SS±HH:MM
    Example: 2024-07-31T12:34:56+02:00
  • YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SSZ
    Example: 2024-07-31T12:34:56Z

The default value is the empty string, meaning no minimum date restriction.

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NumEntries
(read-only)
int get_NumEntries()

Total number of entries in the ZIP, including both files and directories.

More Information and Examples
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OemCodePage
int get_OemCodePage()
void put_OemCodePage(int intVal);

Specifies the OEM code page used for ZIP filename encoding.

Defaults to the OEM code page of the current computer.

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OverwriteExisting
bool get_OverwriteExisting()
void put_OverwriteExisting(bool boolVal);

If true, existing files are overwritten during extraction.

The default value is true.

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PasswordProtect
bool get_PasswordProtect()
void put_PasswordProtect(bool boolVal);

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 = true, then Encryption should be 0.

The default value is false.

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PathPrefix
string pathPrefix();
void put_PathPrefix(string strVal);

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.

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PwdProtCharset
string pwdProtCharset();
void put_PwdProtCharset(string strVal);
Introduced in version 9.5.0.73

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:

  • cp850
  • cp437
  • 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.

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TempDir
string tempDir();
void put_TempDir(string strVal);

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.

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UncommonOptions
string uncommonOptions();
void put_UncommonOptions(string strVal);
Introduced in version 9.5.0.84

Advanced options for uncommon scenarios.

  • ForceZip64 → Forces ZIP64 format even when not required.

The default value is the empty string.

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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.

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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.

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Version
(read-only)
string version();

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

More Information and Examples
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Zipx
bool get_Zipx()
void put_Zipx(bool boolVal);

If true, creates ZIPX archives using the most appropriate compression method for each file.

The default value is false.

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ZipxDefaultAlg
string zipxDefaultAlg();
void put_ZipxDefaultAlg(string strVal);

Default compression algorithm used when creating ZIPX archives.

  • Possible values include:
    • deflate
    • ppmd
    • lzma
    • bzip2
    • deflate64

The default value is deflate.

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Methods

AddBd
bool AddBd(string $pathInZip, CkBinData $bd);
Introduced in version 11.0.0

Adds the contents of a BinData object as a new entry in the ZIP archive.

  • pathInZip specifies the filename and optional directory path stored within the ZIP.
  • The bytes contained in bd become 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, or WriteToMemory is called.

Returns true for success, false for failure.

More Information and Examples
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AddEmpty
bool AddEmpty(bool $isDir, string $pathInZip);
Introduced in version 11.0.0

Adds an empty file or directory entry to the ZIP archive.

  • If isDir = true, an empty directory entry is created.
  • If isDir = false, an empty file entry is created.
  • pathInZip specifies 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.

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AddEncoded
bool AddEncoded(string $pathInZip, string $encoding, string $data);
Introduced in version 11.0.0

Adds encoded binary data as a ZIP entry.

  • encoding specifies how data is encoded.
  • Common encodings include base64 and hex.
  • 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.

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AddFile
bool AddFile(string $localPath, bool $saveExtraPath);
Introduced in version 11.0.0

Adds a file or directory from the local filesystem to the ZIP archive.

  • If localPath is an absolute path and saveExtraPath = true, the stored ZIP path includes the relative directory structure.
  • If saveExtraPath = false, only the filename is stored.
  • If localPath is already relative, the relative path is stored as-is regardless of saveExtraPath.

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:

  • WriteZip
  • WriteZipAndClose
  • WriteBd
  • WriteToMemory

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.

More Information and Examples
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AddNoCompressExtension
void AddNoCompressExtension(string $fileExtension);

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.

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AddSb
bool AddSb(string $pathInZip, CkStringBuilder $sb, string $charset);
Introduced in version 11.0.0

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.
  • pathInZip specifies the filename stored in the ZIP.

Returns true for success, false for failure.

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AddString
bool AddString(string $pathInZip, string $content, string $charset);
Introduced in version 11.0.0

Adds a string as a text file entry in the ZIP archive.

  • The string is converted to bytes using the specified charset.
  • pathInZip specifies 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.

More Information and Examples
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AppendFiles
bool AppendFiles(string $filePattern, bool $recurse);

Adds one or more files matching a wildcard pattern.

  • The wildcard character * matches zero or more characters.
  • If recurse = true, subdirectories are processed recursively.
  • If recurse = false, only the current directory is searched.

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.

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AppendFilesAsync (1)
CkTask AppendFilesAsync(string $filePattern, bool $recurse);

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

Returns null on failure

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AppendFilesEx
bool AppendFilesEx(string $filePattern, bool $recurse, bool $saveExtraPath, bool $archiveOnly, bool $includeHidden, bool $includeSystem);

Advanced version of AppendFiles with additional filtering and path options.

  • saveExtraPath controls whether the extra leading path information from the filePattern is preserved in the ZIP.
  • archiveOnly applies only on Windows and limits processing to files having the archive attribute set.
  • includeHidden controls whether hidden files are included.
  • includeSystem controls 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.

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AppendFilesExAsync (1)
CkTask AppendFilesExAsync(string $filePattern, bool $recurse, bool $saveExtraPath, bool $archiveOnly, bool $includeHidden, bool $includeSystem);

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

Returns null on failure

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AppendZip
bool AppendZip(string $zipPath);

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.

More Information and Examples
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CloseZip
void 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.

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DeleteEntry
bool DeleteEntry(CkZipEntry $entry);

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.

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EntryAt
bool EntryAt(int $index, CkZipEntry $entry);
Introduced in version 11.0.0

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 ZipEntry object.

Returns true for success, false for failure.

More Information and Examples
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EntryById
bool EntryById(int $id, CkZipEntry $entry);
Introduced in version 11.0.0

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.

More Information and Examples
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EntryMatching
bool EntryMatching(string $pattern, CkZipEntry $entry);
Introduced in version 11.0.0

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.

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EntryOf
bool EntryOf(string $pathInZip, CkZipEntry $entry);
Introduced in version 11.0.0

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.

More Information and Examples
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ExcludeDir
void ExcludeDir(string $dirName);

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.

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ExtractExe
bool ExtractExe(string $exePath, string $dirPath);
Introduced in version 9.5.0.44

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, DecryptPassword must be set before extraction.

Returns true for success, false for failure.

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ExtractExeAsync (1)
CkTask ExtractExeAsync(string $exePath, string $dirPath);
Introduced in version 9.5.0.44

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

Returns null on failure

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GetDirectoryAsXML
bool GetDirectoryAsXML(CkString outXml);
string 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 true for success, false for failure.

More Information and Examples
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GetExeConfigParam
bool GetExeConfigParam(string $name, CkString outStr);
string getExeConfigParam(string name);

(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:

  • MainTitle
  • MainCaption
  • SetupExe

Returns the parameter value as a string.

Returns true for success, false for failure.

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GetMaxUncompressedSize
bool GetMaxUncompressedSize(CkString outStr);
string getMaxUncompressedSize();
Introduced in version 9.5.0.96

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 true for success, false for failure.

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IsNoCompressExtension
bool IsNoCompressExtension(string $fileExtension);

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:

  • .jpg
  • jpg

Returns true if the extension exists in the list, otherwise returns false.

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IsPasswordProtected
bool IsPasswordProtected(string $zipPath);

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 true if the ZIP archive is password protected, otherwise returns false.

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

Loads the caller of the task's async method.

Returns true for success, false for failure.

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NewZip
bool NewZip(string $zipPath);

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 FileName property is set to zipPath.

No ZIP file is actually created until a Write* method is called.

This method resets the Zip object to a clean empty state.

More Information and Examples
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OpenBd
bool OpenBd(CkBinData $binData);
Introduced in version 9.5.0.66

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:

  • PasswordProtect is automatically set if legacy Zip 2.0 encryption is detected.
  • Encryption is automatically set if strong encryption is detected.
  • A value of 4 for Encryption indicates WinZip-compatible AES encryption.

Returns true for success, false for failure.

More Information and Examples
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OpenEmbedded
bool OpenEmbedded(string $exeFilename, string $resourceName);

(Windows only)

Opens a ZIP archive embedded as a resource within a Windows executable.

  • exeFilename specifies the EXE file path.
  • resourceName specifies 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.

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OpenZip
bool OpenZip(string $zipPath);

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:

  • PasswordProtect is automatically set if legacy Zip 2.0 encryption is detected.
  • Encryption is automatically set if strong encryption is detected.
  • Encryption = 4 indicates WinZip-compatible AES encryption.

Returns true for success, false for failure.

More Information and Examples
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OpenZipAsync (1)
CkTask OpenZipAsync(string $zipPath);

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

Returns null on failure

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QuickAppend
bool QuickAppend(string $zipPath);

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.

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QuickAppendAsync (1)
CkTask QuickAppendAsync(string $zipPath);

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

Returns null on failure

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RemoveNoCompressExtension
void RemoveNoCompressExtension(string $fileExtension);

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.

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SetCompressionLevel
void SetCompressionLevel(int $level);

Sets the compression level for all file and data entries currently contained within the ZIP object.

  • 0 → No compression
  • 9 → 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.

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SetExclusions
void SetExclusions(CkStringArray $excludePatterns);

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.

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SetExeConfigParam
void SetExeConfigParam(string $paramName, string $paramValue);

(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.

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Unzip
int Unzip(string $dirPath);

Extracts all files and directories from the ZIP archive.

  • dirPath specifies the destination directory.
  • Subdirectories are automatically created as needed.

Returns the number of files extracted.

Returns -1 if a failure occurs.

More Information and Examples
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UnzipAsync (1)
CkTask UnzipAsync(string $dirPath);

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

Returns null on failure

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UnzipInto
int UnzipInto(string $dirPath);

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.

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UnzipIntoAsync (1)
CkTask UnzipIntoAsync(string $dirPath);

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

Returns null on failure

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UnzipMatching
int UnzipMatching(string $dirPath, string $pattern, bool $verbose);

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.

More Information and Examples
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UnzipMatchingAsync (1)
CkTask UnzipMatchingAsync(string $dirPath, string $pattern, bool $verbose);

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

Returns null on failure

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UnzipMatchingInto
int UnzipMatchingInto(string $dirPath, string $pattern, bool $verbose);

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.

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UnzipMatchingIntoAsync (1)
CkTask UnzipMatchingIntoAsync(string $dirPath, string $pattern, bool $verbose);

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

Returns null on failure

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UnzipNewer
int UnzipNewer(string $dirPath);

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.

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UnzipNewerAsync (1)
CkTask UnzipNewerAsync(string $dirPath);

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

Returns null on failure

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VerifyPassword
bool VerifyPassword();

Verifies that the current DecryptPassword value is correct for the currently opened ZIP archive.

This method allows password validation before attempting extraction.

Returns true if the password is valid, otherwise returns false.

More Information and Examples
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WriteBd
bool WriteBd(CkBinData $binData);
Introduced in version 9.5.0.66

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.

More Information and Examples
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WriteBdAsync (1)
CkTask WriteBdAsync(CkBinData $binData);
Introduced in version 9.5.0.66

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

Returns null on failure

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WriteExe
bool WriteExe(string $exeFilename);

(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.

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WriteExeAsync (1)
CkTask WriteExeAsync(string $exeFilename);

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

Returns null on failure

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WriteZip
bool 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.

More Information and Examples
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WriteZipAsync (1)
CkTask WriteZipAsync();

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

Returns null on failure

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WriteZipAndClose
bool 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.

More Information and Examples
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WriteZipAndCloseAsync (1)
CkTask WriteZipAndCloseAsync();

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

Returns null on failure

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Deprecated

AppendBd
CkZipEntry AppendBd(string $pathInZip, CkBinData $byteData);
Introduced in version 9.5.0.70
This method is deprecated and replaced by AddBd

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

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AppendData Deprecated
CkZipEntry AppendData(string $fileName, CkByteData $inData);
This method is deprecated and replaced by AddData

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

More Information and Examples
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AppendDataEncoded
CkZipEntry AppendDataEncoded(string $filename, string $encoding, string $data);
Introduced in version 9.5.0.59
This method is deprecated and replaced by AddEncoded

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

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AppendNew
CkZipEntry AppendNew(string $fileName);
This method is deprecated and replaced by AddEmpty

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

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AppendNewDir
CkZipEntry AppendNewDir(string $dirName);
This method is deprecated and replaced by AddEmpty

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

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AppendOneFileOrDir
bool AppendOneFileOrDir(string $fileOrDirPath, bool $saveExtraPath);
This method is deprecated and replaced by AddFile

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.

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AppendOneFileOrDirAsync (1)
CkTask AppendOneFileOrDirAsync(string $fileOrDirPath, bool $saveExtraPath);
This method is deprecated and replaced by AddFile

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

Returns null on failure

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AppendSb
bool AppendSb(string $pathInZip, CkStringBuilder $sb, string $charset);
Introduced in version 10.0.0
This method is deprecated and replaced by AddSb

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.

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AppendString
CkZipEntry AppendString(string $internalZipFilepath, string $textData);
This method is deprecated and replaced by AddString

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

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AppendString2
CkZipEntry AppendString2(string $internalZipFilepath, string $textData, string $charset);
This method is deprecated and replaced by AddString

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

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FirstEntry
CkZipEntry FirstEntry();
This method is deprecated and replaced by EntryAt

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

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FirstMatchingEntry
CkZipEntry FirstMatchingEntry(string $pattern);
This method is deprecated and replaced by EntryMatching

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

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GetEntryByID
CkZipEntry GetEntryByID(int $entryID);
This method is deprecated and replaced by EntryById

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

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GetEntryByIndex
CkZipEntry GetEntryByIndex(int $index);
This method is deprecated and replaced by EntryAt

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

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GetEntryByName
CkZipEntry GetEntryByName(string $entryName);
This method is deprecated and replaced by EntryOf

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

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GetExclusions
CkStringArray GetExclusions();
This method is deprecated.

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

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OpenFromByteData Deprecated
bool OpenFromByteData(CkByteData $byteData);

Opens a ZIP archive from in-memory byte data.

When the ZIP archive is opened:

  • PasswordProtect is automatically set if legacy password protection is detected.
  • Encryption is automatically set if strong encryption is detected.
  • Encryption = 4 indicates AES encryption.

Returns true for success, false for failure.

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OpenFromMemory Deprecated
bool OpenFromMemory(CkByteData $inData);

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:

  • PasswordProtect is automatically set if Zip 2.0 encryption is detected.
  • Encryption is automatically set if strong encryption is detected.

Returns true for success, false for failure.

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SetPassword
void SetPassword(string $password);
This method is deprecated.

Sets both the decrypt password and encrypt password.

This method affects:

  • DecryptPassword
  • EncryptPassword

Note: This method is deprecated in favor of setting DecryptPassword and EncryptPassword separately.

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WriteExeToMemory Deprecated
bool WriteExeToMemory(CkByteData outBytes);

(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 true for success, false for failure.

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WriteExeToMemoryAsync Deprecated (1)
CkTask WriteExeToMemoryAsync();

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

Returns null on failure

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WriteToMemory Deprecated
bool WriteToMemory(CkByteData outData);

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 true for success, false for failure.

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WriteToMemoryAsync Deprecated (1)
CkTask WriteToMemoryAsync();

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

Returns null on failure

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