Zip Create Within

[TheSaint]

Zip Create Within is a simple program, mostly based on my old Create Zip Within program, but uses 7-Zip instead of native zipping, plus it has no GUI.

Basically, it zips a folder, then wipes the content of that folder, then places the created 7-Zip file inside that folder.

I primarily use it myself, for the version update backup folders for my created programs.

i.e. v1.0, v1.1, v1.2, v1.2_b01, v3.5_b05 and so on.

I could of course, have not bothered with retaining the source folder, but I prefer to not have a parent folder full of files, that my AV just has to scan first before allowing access.

REQUIREMENTS

7-Zip installed somewhere on your PC. Program will either auto-detect the usual location or provide a file browser to select it. Oops, I thought it did ... must be another project.

FEATURES

1. Won't process a folder if it only contains a single .7z, .zip or .rar file ... just skips it.

2. Won't delete folder content, if the zipped file is not larger than half the source folder size ... just a precaution, and a folder window is opened up for user inspection.

3. Checks remaining free drive space, which needs to be more than twice the source folder size to allow zipping.

LIMITATIONS
I may at some point, do an update or three that removes all of these limitations.

1. Currently it only produces a .7z file, which is easily enough changed to .zip in the source code if you want.

2. Same with the amount of compression, which is the default.

3. No Registry entries created.

4. No GUI.

5. No settings to adjust, other than 7-Zip path and removal of source folder content. Removal is not the default setting, so if you want that, then just set the value to '1' in the 'Settings.ini' file.

6. Cannot currently disable (if Removal is enabled) the resulting Explorer window when size check fails. Indeed, you cannot change the amount of that size check. Both can be solved of course, by modifying the source code.

7. Does not currently provide a file browser for 7-Zip. Instead it checks the Registry and failing that uses a standard location. If they fail, you can manually edit the 'Settings.ini' file entry.

8. Not a lot of error checking. I should probably improve that, especially as regards successful zipping.

USAGE
There is four different ways to use the program.

1. Drag and drop your source folder on the program EXE or a shortcut to it.

2. Use the program via the command-line.

3. Create a Registry entry for folders, which will then allow processing via right-click.

4. Use my Batch Create & Run program for a drag & drop GUI element, especially for batch processing.

HISTORY

Many years ago, I created a program called 'Create Zip Within', which is where the current program gets its main idea from. 'Create Zip Within' in its original form, doesn't work beyond Windows XP, and uses Windows native zip ability. That native zipping creates some issues, which the program mostly works around and dealt with, but every once in a while it still has a failure ... which I made sure was recoverable from, at least manually. At the time I created the program, using AutoIt, my modus operandi was no third party programs. Years later, and for a good while now, I had wanted to create a 7-Zip version of that program, and I have sort of done that now, though I did so essentially from scratch, not using any of the previous code, and not including (so far) any floating dropbox or GUI ... so no batch ability on its own.

When I say scratch, it is not strictly true, as I pinched a bunch of code from some more recent program ... just to speed development up ... not that there is a lot of code. I was using Windows 7, and I had a need ... needed to regain some space on a thumb drive. That last, is really why I did not use any previous code, as it wasn't accessible right then.

DOWNLOAD

The download also includes source.

Zip Create Within v1.1.zip

Edited August 12, 2019 by TheSaint