"Convert" folder to file

[MyEarth]

Hi guys,

Long time no see. I need an help with this task. I need my script treat a "folder as a file" and something don't require external DLL or software. I don't need-want any compression, fastest as possible. Just move a folder inside a "container" and extract from a "container", nothing else, but in pure autoit language.

Searching online i have see the TAR is what i can use:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tar_(computing)#Header

But i don't have find a UDF or library in pure autoit can use that, only external software or DLL. Any suggestion-code are welcome but please remember my "requirements"

Thanks  for the help

 

Edited September 26, 2017 by MyEarth

[water]

All compression related UDFs can be found here: https://www.autoitscript.com/wiki/User_Defined_Functions#Data_compression

[MyEarth]

I have check it out but noone seems to meet my requirements...

Thanks

[water]

I'm not sure I fully understand your reqirements.
Using ZIP to create a ZIP-Archive should be all you need.

[MyEarth]

My reqirements are:

1) Pure autoit, no external .exe or .dll

2) No compression at all, i don't need compression since compression require time. Faster as possible, in the limit of autoit.

3) Move a folder and its content inside a .xyz file

4) Extract a folder and its content from .xyz file

For this reason i have think to use the .tar, no compression and is just a container. But doesn't exist actually a UDF that use .tar and meet point one. But i don't care the file format, i have think to .tar but can be anything.

Edited September 26, 2017 by MyEarth

[water]

If you just need a container without compression I suggest this UDF:

 

[MyEarth]

Very cool! But there are a couple of big problems.

1) It works on file so i lost the folder structure, and that's the main problem

2) Don't move but copy the file inside the container, i need a "cut" operation

Is very similar to my goal but i need the folder tree structure...

[water]

This ZIP UDF seems to use a DLL that is part of the Windows System.

 

[MyEarth]

Sorry if I seem annoying but it use compression...but many thanks for the effort, i'l really apprecciate it

[Melba23]

MyEarth,

So you want a container which holds a folder tree structure - the OS already gives you that, it is called a folder!

Or are you really asking for a way to hide the structure inside a folder? If so, how do you expect to be able to access it yourself? And why do you need to do this in the first place?

M23

[Danyfirex]

Hello. as soon I can understand You could probably do something like Building your own file format and using FIlelisttoarrayRec and File write/read.

 

Basically You create a File Header base in FileListToArrayRec use some indexs(for easy find your files data in your file) and write files append to your own format.

 

Saludos

 

 

[Gianni]

I think you could use the "MakeCAB" and "EXTRACT" dos commands.

p.s.
don't ask me how to use those commands.... 

Edited September 26, 2017 by Chimp

[MyEarth]

@Chimp MAKECAB work only for files

@Danyfirex in theory, but pratically? How to preserve folder structure? How to move instead of copy?

@Melba23 Folder <> File or software like 7-Zip and others who invented them to do?

Edited September 27, 2017 by MyEarth

[kosamja]

@MyEarth you dont know what you want, do you? software like 7-Zip copies files to archive and compresses them and you said you dont want that, but still you are mentioning 7-zip as example. Sounds like contradiction to me...

[MyEarth]

@kosamja Yeah i know what i want thanks, read post #5 if you don't.

7-Zip, i have mention it only ONCE and i can't use since i need an internal solution, can store the folder-file without compress. Every "compression software" can store the file without compress. TAR file is the same.

Edited September 27, 2017 by MyEarth

[ripdad]

You could always embed a dll in your code, and then run it from there.
There are several examples in the "Autoit Example Scripts" forum.
I pretty sure thats as close as you are gonna get.

All you need is a container. Pick one.

Zip, Rar, 7zip, Tar, etc.

By the way, you could also use a "Virtual Disk Drive" as a container.
It's a file that works just like a hard drive.

ImDisk is one of them.

Download here:
http://imdisk.en.lo4d.com/

[Gianni]

13 hours ago, MyEarth said:

 ... MAKECAB work only for files ...

... wrong answer ...

If you use MakeCAB in the right way, you can store files and subdirectory information so that when you extract files using the expand command (expand -R -F:* mycab.CAB mydir) , those files are saved in the specified directory, recreating the tree path. (You can also create autoextracting files)

From a quick search I see that a fast way to use is by creating a text file( with .ddf extension) containing directives for the MakeCAB command. You will execute MakeCAB with /F parameter followed by your directives file and MakeCAB will perform what you asked within the directive file.
makecab /F directives.ddf

Have a look to the following link for an example on how to specify the destinations paths for the files (.Set DestinationDir): http://dataerror.blogspot.it/2005/10/makecab-part-3-compress-multiple-files.html

... maybe, you could use the _FileListToArrayRec AutoIt function as a base to create a "directive" file for th MakeCAB command....

[ripdad]

Actually, after some thought on the matter, it shouldn't be
too difficult to create your own container in pure Autoit.

Using _FileListToArrayRec() to get a list of files, then Base Encode the
files into a container with a unique marker for the path and filename.

Something like this inside the file container...

### C:\temp\somefile1.txt
(Base Encoded file here)
### C:\temp\somefile2.txt
(Base Encoded file here)
### C:\temp\somefile3.txt
(Base Encoded file here)

To reverse, extract using the markers, then Base Decode and write to their perspective paths.

I will have to play with it some over the weekend, maybe.
But I don't think I would have a use for it.
I'm satisfied with using zip or rar.


- edit -
If you don't care about the size of the container, you could use Binary instead of Base Encode.
But, it would be twice the size of the files.

Edited September 29, 2017 by ripdad